by John Gold
Perception: 1000
Necromancy: 1000
Blood magic: 1000
Chimerology: 1000
Ritual magic: 1000
Artifact creation: 288
Poison-making: 25
Ointment-making: 25
Metal reinforcing: 25
Wood reinforcing: 28
Body enhancement: 1000
Swords and daggers: 228
Asral: 322
Magic vision: 614
Item identification: 180
Spell scaling: 1000
Magic energy manipulation: 1000
Professions
…
Abilities
Imp eye
Undecuple consciousness
One of or own
Shroud of darkness
Evil death
Astral bone blade
Friend of the forest
Chimeric parasite shield
Gourmet
Creator of soul and body
Brotherly blood
Gifts
Necrification [0/10]
Destroyer
The only gift I haven’t leveled-up is necrification, as it runs counter to the very idea of Life Magic. The lich and its evil death is enough.
Sagie, this is the last of the eight messages I hid at the bottom of the lake by our house in the village. Take care of yourself; find father, mama, and Rosie. And please, be happy.
Anji Ganet (Ribonz Almark, Sagie)
∞ ∞ ∞
After finishing up the last lines of my eighth letter, I encode them, attach the key to the letter, and make sure I will receive it, and that Femida will get it in a month’s time. It includes the coordinates for the hiding place, the key to the encryption, and instructions for what to do if something goes wrong. The letters themselves get put into one of the pieces of rock I broke off the stone stake in the Hashan Desert. The rock gets sent to the bottom of the lake by our house in the village via a gravitational well, and I can only hope it will never find its owner.
Tomorrow, we go to battle for the interworldly portal, and I’m getting more and more worried.
Reiji is waiting for me by the nearest magic space eddy.
“Hawk asked me to tell you that the Hunters won’t be taking part in the battle for the portal. They took down their camp, split into groups, and retreated a couple kilometers. If the army of the gods is defeated, they’ll join the second battle.”
“Smart. The cannon fodder will show what we’re up against, buying time for him to lay out a strategy and win the battle from the shadows. They get the achievement without any of the risk. Do you think he has military training?”
Reiji thinks and acts like a soldier. That makes him better positioned than I am to discern who knows their stuff and who doesn’t.
“I know for a fact that at least half his group of Hunters are from his own squad. Project Chrysalis is their job, and the way he acts, thinks, and gives orders smacks of field work. He’s flexible, he can feel what’s going on in his group, he has strong leadership qualities, and he knows how to manipulate—the ideal commander for tactical operations.”
The Hunters are gone, as are Femida and Ekron.
It takes us four hours to get to Tanatos. I copied Kurold’s means of aerial transportation the first day I saw it, though I had to modify it for two people. Only mages with Mind and Space skills higher than 900 can operate them. When the inventor came up with the idea, he earned himself maximum spells in both areas of magic along with a combined ability that enables him to synergize his Mind Magic and Space Magic: he can levitate fortresses or any other big object as long as he has enough mana to keep it in the air. The cooldown period is a month, and he’s 30% weaker over that period, too. Not surprisingly, Leon was his first client. The god asked him for help with Castle Airis, to which he had already moved his main altar and cult’s temple. Since Kurold has as much mana as it’s possible to have, the castle is currently hovering off the shore of Tanatos and serving as a respawn point for the army as it moves inland.
Femida and Ekron meet up with us, we create a group, and we move our camp to one of the enormous terraces in my tree. Anybody trying to come over gets wrapped up in the roots and eaten. On the other hand, the Tree of Worlds, as the Hunters call it, doesn’t touch anyone in a group with me, making our spot the safest in the vicinity.
Who’s that being so inquisitive?
∞ ∞ ∞
Kilaya the shaman left her physical body and group of bookmakers five kilometers away from the portal ring. The rest of the day was spent walking along an enormous root leading to the tree visible from the very edge of Tanatos. The other Hunters said that Sagie grew the Tree of Worlds, the same guy who grew the Lone Tree. The latter had become a cult symbol for shamans and druids, though Kilaya had only ever seen the player responsible for it once. Nobody recognized him in a crowd, even if they’d just seen a wanted poster a minute before. Nobody knew if he was rich or a strong player. Actually, compared with everyone else around him, he always looked kind of weak and poor, though Kilaya had seen him with her spirit vision. No, it was impossible; normal players couldn’t accumulate strength on par with saints or even gods.
But right then, she was worried. An uncertain feeling gnawed at her related to the tree and what lay beyond it in the portal ring. No, she didn’t sense people or gods there. They were taking a different route, and they were two hours behind the bookmakers. Anxiety, fear, strength, anger, happiness, hope, and expectation all jockeyed for position. And the closer Kilaya got to the tree, the louder the alarm bells inside her rang. As the guide, it was her job to decide when to call a halt.
“Wait here for thirty minutes. Get the offers ready for betting on the outcome of the battle. There’s something dangerous up by the tree itself.”
“Kilaya, are you sure? We’re still five kilometers away, and at our turtle pace, we’re going to lose the informational leg up on the divine alliance’s army.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Something up there is so strong that I can feel it from here. If we get any closer, the enemy will notice us.”
After settling into her meditation pose, the girl activated the ultimate ability for the spirit summoning skill: mental body fusion. This let her fuse with the totem spirit of a willing she-wolf. The two set off together toward the portal circle and the girl moved through the first astral layer, the one bordering reality.
Through the eyes of the wolf, the world appeared monochromatic, with the souls of animals floating about everywhere. The closer Kilaya got to the portal circle, the fewer of them there were, however. The totem wolf panicked when they got to a hundred meters away, finding that there weren’t any spirits there whatsoever. And the cube! It was radiating energy Kilaya couldn’t see, though she could still sense it through her totem. The wolf howled at the cube itself as well as the Tree of Worlds. The shaman, in turn, felt the intelligence and soul of the tree, which was unique in and of itself. But the fear, doubt, hope, and enormous power wasn’t coming from the tree; it was coming from something that hid within it.
The wolf lightly ran up the bark of the tree to the ledge. The totem warped, crumbled, and practically disintegrated just from being there, though Kilaya decided to peer carefully through one eye to see what was emitting the threatening sensation.
The ledge made out of bark was a bit more than five meters wide. Nearly invisible from the ground, it served as an improvised observation post with four players standing on it. A knight with an enormous sword made out of palirin had cornered a girl against the trunk. It was the agony of the souls trapped in the sword that told Kilaya it was made from palirin, while the vampire spells that gave it enormous power meant that it continually needed to be fed. And the knight didn’t appear bothered in the least that it sucked out his life force. The girl in his arms shrieked happily before suddenly falling silent. The two young men standing a little way away from the pair were smiling wordlessly, though something changed in their faces a
t the same moment the girl quieted down.
“What a curious spirit we have stopping by for a visit. And what big ears you have. The better to hear us with, I assume?”
As soon as she heard this, Kilaya realized that the voice was coming from behind her. Sagie! He grew directly out of the bark, grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck, and dragged her up onto the ledge. The totem went limp under the mental pressure. Still, as she was pulled closer to the second guy, Kilaya realized that he was the one sounding the alarm bells. The totem, sensing the obvious threat, tried to run, though all it could do was flounder helplessly.
“What are you talking about? Caught a seeker spirit?”
“No, much more interesting. Oh, right, you can’t see this. Materialization!”
The sensations from the totem started to change, growing more vivid, and then, they gradually fused with her own. Finally, the four players were standing face to face with a large she-wolf…standing on her hind legs. The totem spirit sat next to her and looked over at her master in surprise.
Gift received: Wolf shapeshifter
…
Chimeric pet received: Taargu the she-wolf
…
New class: Spirit vehicle
Hundreds of messages started showing up in the personal chat about new spells, abilities, and skills. Panic spread through the group chat. The shaman’s physical body, which had remained in the camp, withered away and disintegrated in front of her scared group mates. Everything the shaman had on her mind was expressed in a single outburst of invective that was interrupted by the inquisitive group.
“Oh, hey, a talking dog! Sagie, is that your pet?”
“No, it’s a player. The problem is that the spirit of the she-wolf, which is sitting there by its legs, should have been the one to materialize. I didn’t summon this furry beast. What do you need?”
It just wasn’t her day. Instead of a normal reply, Kilaya cut loose another stream of profanity.
“Judging by your voice, you’re a girl, so why don’t you behave yourself? If you do, you might make it out of this alive. Who sent you, and what’s your interest in today’s battle?”
Sagie was the only one talking. Everyone else remained quiet, though they stayed prepared for battle. The second guy, who was standing next to Sagie, started exerting such power that Kilaya involuntarily took a step away from him.
“I just wanted to see what was radiating the threat and strength, projecting emotions on everything nearby. But you’re Sagie! I saw you several years ago before the tournament in Kkhor. You look a lot stronger now…”
Damage received: 1000 (ignored: 1125486)
120118/120218
Sagie’s aura stretched out and tightened around Kilaya’s legs. The damage was completely ignored, while the shape was surprisingly square.
“You can control the shape of the aura? Oh, and judging by how vivid the color is, its density, too.”
“Hm, got it. So, it’s life force.” Sagie’s entire aura poured into his left arm, and the skin started drying up. “But why does it do damage even to me?”
“Because magic and life have the same starting point. I mean, it isn’t divine magic. It’s more raw strength that can take on different forms. Your body isn’t capable of coping with that kind of power.”
“How come he’s okay with it?”
Sagie pointed at the second guy, who was standing at the edge of the drop-off. He was the one radiating the limitless power Kilaya felt. Her fur stood on end, and the totem wolf snarled, putting itself between the shaman and the unfamiliar player.
“I have no idea. His body can definitely withstand enormous strain. Even the power he’s emanating right now is having no effect on him, which means his limit is at least ten times higher.”
“How do you know? Is there some way of identifying development potential?”
“No. I mean, sure, but it’s theoretical, based on rules we already know. There are hundreds of abilities that aren’t registered by the system until they interact with somebody. They impact the real body, depleting its strength. I have a spirit visor that enables me to see your strength as the aggregate of your attribute panel, and it can drain my real body to the point of anemia and hospitalization if I use it for too long or too intensively. But you know that, right?”
“Yes.”
“As a rule, the strength that pools abilities like that depends on how developed your in-game body is and how many attribute points you’ve assigned to stamina.”
“And your intellect determines how strong the effect will be?”
“No, it’s all about mastery, though there is some kind of pattern that links intellect, perception, and mastery. The higher the first two, the faster the third develops. Mages say that this makes it easier to sense strength. Warriors can feel it flowing through their mental body.”
“Reiji’s stamina is a bit better than mine, though I’m nearly double his with my equipment.”
“You don’t get it. Personal attributes are all that matter. Clothes and jewelry aren’t a factor. And why should I even be explaining all this to you anyway? You changed my class, you made me a shapeshifter, and you animated my pet. Do you have any idea what will happen to me if she dies?”
The she-wolf dove through Kilaya’s body into the astral. Her stamina bar as well as her other attributes leaped significantly higher.
“I didn’t think anything would happen. Your pet is chimeric, so it will resurrect in your body if it dies. The rest is whatever. Am I correct in thinking that there are ways to increase your strength pool as well as how much your body can fit and use?”
Question, answer, survival—this was the only rule guiding the conversation, and it was a rule the girl, being an experienced Hunter, understood without needed it to be explained.
Several hours had gone by since Kilaya found Sagie’s group. He wasn’t the tyrant, villain, and brute the media made him out to be, and she was able to figure out that the tree was linked to him in such a way that it projected his emotions. None of the people with Sagie got involved in the conversation. Instead, they hung back in case they needed to protect him from Kilaya, which certainly ran counter to the narrative that he forced everyone to stand in line behind him. The Mystery, as he was called by reporters, was an incredibly lonely young man who hid his pain behind a smile and a mask of calm.
∞ ∞ ∞
The shaman showed up just in time. The closer the battle gets, the more worried I am, so the information about how to manipulate my life aura is perfect. As I approach the subconscious, I’m able to use more strength, though it comes at a cost: my skin dries out, then my muscles weaken, and finally, my arms stop working. When the concentration gets critical, my arms start rotting away, giving me debuffs for my mental body and energy channels.
The first time, I use panacea, and then I have to wait two and a half hours for it to recharge. Constantly using weaker healing, however, fixes that problem. I’m constantly on the brink of death, though the healing keeps me from tipping over the edge. But even like that, I’m ten times weaker than Reiji. Ah, I wish I could see what the mysterious Aurin turned his energy channels into. Reiji can saturate his entire body with strength to use in attack and defense.
There’s a whole army of players gathering below us to remove the seal from the portal but only one in every ten or so has reached Level 9000, the level required to beat the quest. Idiots! Did they not imagine what kind of portal keeper could stand up to a crowd of five hundred players? Maybe, they want to rush him en masse.
There are so many people that they’re able to line the entire portal ring. The first rows step onto it simultaneously, moving toward the center in their battle formations. The buffers surrounding the ring activate magic auras and start casting amplification spells, while mobile battle weapons have been set up outside the ring aimed at the portal. Some of the players were able to go through the rebirth process: angels, demons, giants, draenei, mermen, and even spirits. Whoever can fly over th
e field does so. Still, they join the players on the ground, slowly decreasing their circles. The first row hides behind shields when it crosses into the activation area, though the astral portals don’t open. Instead, a figure starts to materialize on top of the cube. The devil! It’s the devil from Hell! I recognize him as the same person who told me the trial was complete. He’s wearing the same clothes he was wearing then.
Eru, Idzumi, non-level, non-category, keeper of the portal
What’s an Eru?
The players all look at Idzumi for a second, but he just leaps into the crowd and begins to slaughter them. Heads are torn off with bare hands, red spears rain down, and the bodies of the wounded explode. The air is filled with blood, shouts, fire, lightning, and Idzumi’s laughter. Yes, the keeper of the portal is having as much fun as a kid playing one of those old shooters. But right then, he takes a hit from a club wielded by a giant who, judging by his musculature, dumped all his attribute points into strength.
As Idzumi flies through the air, he throws up a magic shield capable of blocking anything. But he lands right in the middle of a group of expectant space mages. They open a reverse protective dome, erecting four stationary mana storages and local gravity enhancement, at which point magic attacks begin to rain down on the spot where Idzumi fell into the trap. Nobody notices, but in this moment a cat appears on the cube and instantly switches into a semimaterial battle form.
Kiir, Malik the Only (Eye of the God), non-level, non-rank
Almost invisible, the cat dashes toward one of the magic weapons. And as soon as he gets close enough, Idzumi teleports over to him. Okay, so the cat can function as a portable teleportation device. Idzumi’s pet then switches to a different form, in which he starts hurling bolts of lightning at the weapons and their operators. Just a couple attacks are enough take out each of them. The cat moves so quickly that he can only be hit with charges and area spells. Lightning spells can’t touch him in his current form. I check on that myself. The residual charge sizzling through the air is enough to kill all three of the players chasing him.