by Prax Venter
It was all coming together.
Moments later, Jack hopped up the one wooden stair onto the General Store’s porch and pulled open the red-painted door. The golden bell bounced once, and rows of mostly empty shelves greeted him.
“Welcome to Blackmoor Supply, Mayor,” Natch said from a few yards away behind a long counter. “There are still considerable cooldowns on many items, but if the building would have spawned at the appropriate time, Exit, and an experienced Merchant been assigned, me, there’d be product to purchase by now.”
Jack took a deep breath, checked the time and saw it was 02:10:42 until Close. He had about ten minutes to learn more about his brutally blunt, new neighbor.
“Where you from?” he asked, approaching the counter.
Natch cocked an eyebrow. “Moonglass. Doubt you’ve heard of it based on what I’ve heard of you.”
“I’m glad you’ve decided to stay. I’ve heard I can be a bit blasphemous. What brought you to Blackmoor Cove? There wasn’t a merchant position open when you arrived.”
Natch’s normally expressionless, rigid face softened and his eyes lost their focus for a moment.
“A disagreement with a business partner.” He cleared his throat and continued. “And I heard from an associate named Captain Char there was a Town whose port had reopened on his navigation panel in times where so few do… he said Blackmoor Cove would be an interesting place to start a new life.”
“I have to warn you, it’s going to get more and more interesting around here all the time. If that wrinkles your nose, then you might want to take the next boat back out.”
“No.” Natch sighed and leaned his elbows on the counter. “Lightning turrets in your walls, a Wizard’s Athenaeum with a resident Sage, the madness of that unheard-of wonder called an Arcade… You’ll need me here. Ah!” he said pointing to the rows of shelves behind him. Jack turned to see what looked like a black potion bottle sitting alone. “One of your requests has replenished.”
Jack took a few steps to inspect the new object. “So, how does this work?”
“I refuse to believe you don’t know how ink works,” the new Merchant said, but Jack ignored him. Instead, he focused on the squarish bottle, and a new interface window appeared in his vision.
Offered by Blackmoor Supply
Ink Pot - [Crafting | Value: 15]
| Stock: 1/6 |
| Next Replenish: 00:59:48 |
‘Accept’ ‘Decline’
Jack turned to face the arrogant Merchant. “Do you set the prices? The maximum amount to stock?”
“Of course I do.” The shorter man shook his head and mumbled, “It’s amazing that this Town is doing so well.”
Jack had had enough. He stalked back to the new Merchant and shoved his finger right in Natch’s surprised face.
“This Town is doing so amazing because of the amazing Townsfolk who live here. We are all working together to build something strange, new, and wonderful. You know what you agreed to, and if you don’t drop this condescending attitude, we certainly do not need you. Am I clear?”
The new owner of Blackmoor Supply appeared shaken to his core and only nodded.
Jack lowered his hand and took a deep breath before continuing. “You came here to start a new life but you’re dragging a lot of baggage from the old one. Don’t let that past fill your limited inventory as you walk this new path. We do need someone who knows what they are doing to manage this store. It’d be ideal if they weren’t an angry person that no one wanted to visit.”
Natch lowered his eyes to the counter. “You’ve given me much to think about.”
“Great, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got an infinite twisting madness of a Tower to climb, and I hope to see you here at Exit… and maybe a new shirt to spend my coin on.”
Jack gave him one last reassuring smile before he turned to leave.
Alt spoke up during the short walk from the General Store and the Inn. “Don’t let your past fill your limited inventory as you walk a new path… clever, Jack.”
“Yeah, I’m proud of that one. Maybe I’ll start selling bumper stickers.”
“What kind of stickers?”
“Alt, don’t tell me people in your universe didn’t have stupid irremovable messages slapped on the back of their cars. You know, ‘baby on board’ or ‘I’d rather be fishing’.”
“Most vehicles were rented instead of owned, so such customization was frowned upon. I am still missing a lot of historical data, however.”
“Huh,” Jack grunted as further questions about Alt’s alternate Earth society filled his mind, but he stepped into the Inn and saw Lex, Haylee, and Farah already seated at the bar. For the first time, there were other Townsfolk at the tables eating breakfast with them. Reno was taking their orders and cast Jack a quick head nod as he strode to his stool at the bar.
The Heroes chatted about the new device Thymus had to play with, but Haylee said they hadn’t learned anything new. The plan to hit Hero Level 50 came up, but when the silver-haired innkeeper brought out the first Level 5 Eye o’ the Storm food, all conversation died.
Before, Jack was simply impressed with getting a plate full that wasn’t fish and seaweed, but the complete breakfast placed before him now was something out of a cookbook glamour shot. Demi spread her hands out over the bar absolutely stuffed with steaming plates. There were strips of bacon, sausage links, eggs, pancakes, toast, a glass of orange juice, and a bowl of artfully arranged sliced fruit, one of which had purple spots that Jack couldn’t even identify- and that was only within the space in front of him.
“Harnal was able to procure some foodstuffs, including bacon, in exchange for our exotic monster eggs. This is all there is at the moment, but I expect we should see more coming in soon.”
Jack marveled at the perceptible jumps in the food’s taste, aroma, texture for every Town Level. It seemed that any building added early would see the most boosts in its lifetime, and the Eye had been here since day one. After eating most of what was laid before them, the Four Heroes checked their personally tailored stat boosts for the day.
Rest Bonus [+80 Health | +80 Mana | +28 Def | +25 Dodge | Gain 60 Mana on Level Entrance | Duration: Exit]
~ Big breakfast, big bonus
“That’ll do,” Farah said after she read hers.
They all thanked Demi and pushed away from the bar. It was time to go to work, and it wasn’t the first time Jack’s mind wandered to Alt’s only unused ability. Maybe today was the day for Elevator Alt. With Farah rounding out their party, they weren’t only pushing up one Floor a day, and it suddenly struck Jack how long they were going to be fighting before it was time to come home. He invited everyone into his party and stepped outside, holding the door open for his team.
The sky overhead was accumulating a layer of gray clouds, and there was a good chance that Blackmoor Cove would be storming when he saw it again.
“A ship,” Haylee said, pointing as they reached the crossroads.
Jack followed her finger past the opulent Tower to the galleon sailing around the enormous stones that cradled their home from destructive deep-sea waves. As Jack moved forward, his line of sight on the vessel moved past the cliffs ahead, and he realized that if they had been two steps further toward the Tower, they might not have seen it at all.
“Great, now I’m going to be wondering who’s-”
Jack slowed to a stop and willed open his Tower Clock interface.
01:32:06
“Hang on,” Jack called out from the crossroads. “Why do we go in so early every day? We have well over an hour before Close.”
Lex answered. “It’s what we’ve always done- what my father always did.”
“How about we go check out that big boat instead?” Jack said, waggling his eyebrows as he took a few steps toward the main road.
The three women about to raid the Tower looked at each other for a moment and then turned around to follow him down to the docks. Jack pointed out the building
next to the Inn as they moved.
“There’s the General Store,” he said. “Should be stocked with stuff by Exit- oh but I already saw one stubby bottle of ink!”
Haylee turned her gray eyes to look at the dark-red door as it passed by but seemed distracted by her own thoughts.
Farah cocked her head to the side. “Inspired by yesterday’s bandits and want to paint your blades black, Jack?”
“No. We’re going to write some books and send some invitations to our Arcade out into the world.”
“I want to start a Climber’s Guide,” Haylee added. “A collected store of knowledge with attributed contributors. A written list of unwritten rules.”
“Huh.” Farah seemed to be genuinely impressed.
“The first rule should be,” Lex said, “all rules can be broken.”
- 12 -
“Welcome to Blackmoor Cove!” Jack shouted down the pier with a smile in his voice. Harnal was dealing with the captain and his crew while four people that appeared to be passengers were heading ashore.
“You’re going to want to inspect them,” Alt said in his mind with barely contained excitement. When the group of men and women stepped onto the sand, Jack popped open their Character screens one at a time.
Jarku - Hero: Guardian | Level 38
Nera - Hero: Fighter | Level 38
Kash - Hero: Light Mage | Level 38
Blim - Hero: Fire Mage | Level 38
“A welcoming party?” said the red-headed Fighter woman with a big grin to match Jack’s. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
“Agreed,” said the man in the red robes. “As soon as we saw those words in the sky over the cliffs, I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed. I have never heard of any building in any Town hold its likeness. Please tell me that one of you knows what that phrase means.”
Lex answered, her head held high. “It’s the name I chose for Blackmoor Cove’s Arcade. It is also the truth we all need to remember. This is our world.”
“Fascinating,” said the female Light Mage in the flowing white dress. “May we see this Arcade? We missed our Rest Bonus, so it appears we’ll be looking to distract ourselves for the day.”
Jack’s attention moved to the fourth new arrival as the Guardian-class Hero pointed his muscular tan arm up toward the cliffs.
“How many Heroes Climb this Tower.” His voice wasn’t as deep as Kron’s but had the same emotionless rigidity. He almost sounded angry.
“You’re looking at them,” Jack answered.
Jarku’s dark-brown eyes passed over each of them. “Only the four of you?”
“Ha!” said the Dockmaster as he stepped down from the pier. “Don’t waste your time with disbelief. When I first arrived, it was only two of ‘em.”
Jack held his outstretched arm toward the stairs at the other end of the beach.
“I hope you brought a lot of coin.”
The Fighter Hero named Nera dug her elbow into the Guardian’s ribs before she followed Jack away from the Dock.
“My brother is happiest when our group is helping struggling Towns get back up in their Levels. Seeing your bejeweled Tower makes him sad. His heart’s in the right place, though.”
Farah let out a short laugh as they walked. “It just so happens the rest of him is in the right place as well. We’re about to take back my home in a few days by assaulting a Dark Tower. They don’t come more struggling than that.”
Kash, the Light Mage woman in the white robes turned to face Farah.
“Truly? Is that wise.”
Lex answered. “Is it wise to simply let the Corruption take everything?”
Jack could tell the Bastion was fired up, so he tried to balance her out with a more relaxed tone.
“Our closest neighbor, Emberstone, fell a few days ago. We believe that the Demon forces holding it will only grow stronger over time. So, the sooner we take it back, the better. As you’ll see, we have some advantages here in Blackmoor Cove, and we are going to abuse everything we can to take back what is ours.”
The four new Heroes exchanged glances as they walked along the beach. Before they reached the stairs, Jarku the Guardian spoke again.
“You’re right, Nera. I think I’m going to like it here too.”
Jack felt ecstatic. With a whole party of level 38 Heroes arriving, their chances of success and survival jumped higher than he’d hoped they’d be so soon after the upgrade.
Alt spoke up in his mind. “Even without the word-of-mouth from merchant trade vessels or advertisement idea, the underlying logic of System Sana will seek to balance Blackmoor out. The four of you should not be enough to keep the Town properly fed with items at this level.”
As they moved up the stairs, the group chatted about the places the newcomers had been and found out that they typically followed Jarku’s self-assigned mission; helping Towns that needed Heroes. Kash the Light Mage and Blim the Fire Mage were husband and wife and the whole group had been traveling together for over five years.
Thymus’ unique workshop came into view as they reached the top of the stairs and Blim came to a stop when he saw it. The tall Hero stood on his toes to better see the seashell-like structure in the distance.
“They have a Wizard’s Athenaeum?” he mumbled before he turned to his wife, his voice raising in pitch with his growing excitement. “How do they have a Wizard’s Athenaeum?”
“Go ahead,” Kash said, nodding her head toward the bizarre structure. “I’ll come collect you later.”
Blim the Fire Mage gave everyone a wide smile and a wave before he started jogging down one of the new paths that led off in that direction.
He made it two steps before someone in the Watchtower blew out a single mournful wail.
“Demon Spawn!” Jack yelled and began sprinting toward the gate.
It was all that needed to be said. As one, the group of Heroes began filling their Equipment Slots with combat gear as they followed Jack through Blackmoor Cove. The thoughts of a prideful stroll around Town with the new Heroes were instantly erased by the attack signal, but as they passed the glossy back of the Arcade, those thoughts resurfaced. For all Jack knew, his home was about to be overrun.
They all reached the gates with time to see the flood of monsters rushing at them from the south. There were probably forty or fifty of the various humanoid-like creatures tearing up the ground, but it was the inside-out panther with ram’s horns running among them that demanded Jack’s attention. If what he was seeing wasn’t some trick of the eye, the pile of purple, dripping muscle was as big as a house.
“What the hell is that!” Jack yelled as they came to a stop next to Kron and Harrak.
The Combat Master turned to face him, his bushy eyebrows high on his balding head.
“What are you doing out of the Tower?”
Kron answered instead. “It’s a Behemoth.”
“Are those Aether-charged defensive turrets wedged into your Wall?” the new Fire Mage asked.
“Yes, they are,” Jack answered. “But will they be enough to take down that crazy, horned-cat thing?”
“We’re about to find out,” Harrak said, then raised his voice to address the Guards arrayed on the top of the Wall above them. “Focus all fire on the big beast!”
Directly afterward, Haylee yelled out, “Go for its eyes,” then launched a bright-blue beam of energy from her high-damage bow.
Behemoth Demon Critical! -1,007 | HP 1,943/2,950
Jack had a moment to calm his mind and focus on his Double-Omni Strike combo before a boulder-sized fireball hurled from Blim broke his concentration. He watched as the flaming object landed in the middle of four Armored Demons, and they all fell into screaming globs of ash. That was when the two closest lightning towers began to activate.
Jack had never been this close when they’d gone off before, and the deafening thunderclap was almost enough to knock him off his feet. Impossible arcs of pure violent energy struck the nearest Demon Spawn, instantly explod
ing them before forking twice to hit two more behind them- then split yet again to evaporate four more.
The field leading up to Blackmoor Cove became an ocean of electricity, and Demon heads popped like overheated popcorn kernels.
The massive bile-dripping Behemoth took a few vibrant strikes to the face and then quickly dug its claws into the ground in attempt to halt its momentum. The inside-out monster lifted its ugly horned head and let out a deep throaty roar that must have echoed all the way to Fishers casting nets into the Endless Sea before it turned to flee.
“Do not let that thing get away!” Jack ordered and finally found the focus to activate his special combo attack. He drew his blade out of its sheath and across the empty air in front of him.
Behemoth Demon -112 | HP 1,016/2,950
Behemoth Demon -112 | HP 904/2,950
Lex, Farah, Kron, and the two new melee Heroes dashed out past the gates ahead of him after the fleeing purple panther, but there was no way any of them were going to catch it- that was, until Haylee kicked off her Withering Stare ability.
The enormous monster continued to gallop south at half speed through the remaining Demon forces, and Jack felt a surge of gratitude rush through him when he saw the brother and sister duo of Jarku and Nera hack and smash their way through the corrupted, inside-out gorillas still untouched by lightning. The red-headed Fighter was particularly devastating with her huge, two-handed mace. Lex and Farah were the first to reach the beast, and the Bastion pulled its attention with a sharp shout. The wounded gargantuan tried to turn and attack the tiny thing at its feet, but between the melee Heroes, Jack’s Mining Laser, and Haylee nailing it with long-range Light Rays, it didn’t last long enough to lift a claw.
The Behemoth Demon bellowed once more before swirling into static, blowing away in the wind.
Cheers went up behind them from the Guards and gathered Townsfolk, and after a few seconds of wild screaming, they all began to chant the words “Our World” over and over, as one. From the spot the Heroes stood about sixty yards from the gate, the sign over the Arcade was clearly visible. It was a warning to any Demons of System Sana and a message of hope to everyone else.