by E A Hooper
It’d been over a century since Vincent had seen Archie or Isaac. While the NPC was a welcome face, Vincent still held some bitter feelings toward the head of Iijin Industries. However, he’d heard Isaac had been instrumental in helping Archie build Jump Gates to bridge the lower cities, and many people had forgiven him in the past decades.
“Vincent,” Isaac said, bowing with respect. “I never got a chance to apologize to you.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Archie said, waving his hand to interrupt. “Isaac, I’ve heard way too many of your apologies over the years. We’re here for something more important.” The NPC tipped his straw hat at Vincent. “My pen pals have been talking a lot about you lately, old friend.”
“What pen pals?” Vincent asked.
“Euclid and Bathos,” Archie replied. “The three of us go way, way back. You could almost say they were the angel and devil on my shoulders back in the day. They informed me of your deal, but they let me know I should come find you. It sounds like you finally got to Xenith, right?”
“Yeah, and it’s not looking good for us.”
“That’s why I’m here! You don’t think I had Isaac build the Jump Gate superhighway for nothing, do you? Now that the angels have relocated to Xenith, I think I can get more players to this city. In the next hundred years, I could probably get you a thousand more guildsmen.”
“If they can’t fight head to head versus angels it won’t be enough. There are ten thousand of them.”
“Your guild will be a lot stronger by then. I’m sure you’ll do your power leveling stuff, and you can farm basteel from Lamat’s world. Euclid will have an army of automatons to aid you, and Bathos will send you devils. Chloris might have her moss-men help. All together, you should be able to overpower the angels.”
“Not if our guild is split up by those gates on Xenith,” Vincent said.
“The gates only cover the bottom half of the planet,” Archie explained. “The top half is an open battlefield. You’ll be able to use your magic, and the Elder Gods will be able to summon their forces there. The problem is only one team at a time can face the final boss. I think if we get a team of your best people there—and you actually beat whichever angel is controlling the Ark Halo—then you should be able to fly to the skybox and break it.”
“But the angels have a one-hour respawn time,” Quinn said.
“Yeah, but the other angels can’t enter the Ark Halo’s Domain,” Archie explained. “Once your team gets there, it becomes a good old-fashioned final boss showdown. Plus, Isaac can make Hearth Crystals to power those weapons Fynn is making. That should give your army an edge.”
“That’s fantastic,” Vincent said. “How’d you even know we were working on those?”
“Devon told me,” Isaac replied. “He and I rekindled our friendship a few decades ago. He’s been keeping me up to date on your guild’s accomplishments. By the way, did he go with you to Xenith?”
“No, he and Xan are on a date, actually,” Quinn said, grinning.
A big smile crossed Isaac’s face. “Oh, wonderful! I’ve been telling him to ask her out for ages. He’s always talking about her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ezra groaned. “How do you people get anything done when you stand around gossiping all the time? I’m leaving to fight World Bosses until Fynn needs my help.”
“Hey, you should check out the boss rush dungeon below the gate,” Quinn told him. “We dug it up about twenty years ago. It’ll probably be our best way to power level, at least until we have new training chambers. Also, I just realized that once we have training rooms you can use your stupid Puppet Strings to bring bosses there for us.”
Quinn and Ezra continued talking as they walked down the steps toward Arkgrave.
“I guess we should go see Keith,” Isaac told Archie. “We’ll need his help setting up the manufacturing plant for the Hearth Crystals.”
Archie nodded. “Hey, add Vince to your friend list in case he needs us for something.”
Isaac held out his hand to send an invite. “Like I was saying earlier, I really should apologize.”
Vincent shook his hand and accepted the invite. “Don’t even worry about it. Everything you did helped push us this far. You were right, even if you went about it the wrong way.”
“No, I was wrong about everything,” Isaac said. “But I want to make things right. When this is over and done, the world will fear ARKUS. Despite everything this AI has done to us, its technological developments have been a net positive for the world. If we can break free of this game before the world truly starts to panic and the US Government steps in and shuts down ARKUS, then I plan to take the blame for everything. Maybe that way someone else can take over the Ark Foundation, and the AI and its World-Tree won’t be destroyed.”
Vincent stared with disbelief. “You’re really taking all of the blame? Even if you end up in prison over it?”
“It’s the only thing I can do to protect the World-Tree and the NPCs living here,” Isaac replied. “Before they take me away, I’ll make sure the Ark Foundation hires the best lawyers in the world. There’re a few international laws concerning possible issues with artificial intelligence and civil rights. If my people act fast, they can keep the US Government from confiscating ARKUS. However, that’ll only work if I take the blame myself.”
“What happens when we crash the game, though?” Vincent asked.
“It should only go down for a short time,” Isaac explained. “It’ll kick out all of the players, then reboot itself and the World-Tree. ARKUS will have to preserve all of the NPCs in this game if it wants any hope of protecting itself under international law. Not to mention, there’s always the possibility the game is opened back up to people who are dying. That’s my hope, anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s something I’m worried about,” Vincent said. “There are people on their deathbeds that would give anything for more time. I just want people to have the choice of being here or not.”
“And that’s why I was so wrong before,” Isaac said. “I tried to take away people’s free will and force them down the path I thought was best. I’ve had a lot of time to think about why that was wrong. I only hope ARKUS comes to that same realization one day.”
“Come on, Isaac, we better get going,” Archie said, starting to break apart.
The developer and the NPC both waved at Vincent before turning into golden dust.
Vincent stood alone on the Jump Gate, and he turned his gaze back to Xenith. He could imagine Rosaria standing up there somewhere, possibly looking down at the city. His eyes continued past Xenith to the brief glimpses of the skybox that he saw in gaps between the clouds.
The only thing that stands in my way now is a hundred thirty years of time, an army of angels, and Rosaria.
Vincent smiled to himself.
That doesn’t sound too hard.
Year 359
Player: Old Man Vincent
Class: Ranger
Subclass: Mage
Vitality: Lv 800
Spirit*: Lv 991
Resolve: Lv 800
Perception*: Lv 995
Agility: Lv 800
Strength: Lv 800
Chapter 27
Old Man Vincent sat on the ledge of one of the towers that fed world magic through the levels of the undercity. That area, which the Jiminy World Crickets called the Killing Floor, was almost as wide as Edgelight itself and was about thirty stories tall. It was the first level of the undercity they’d spent over a century building below Edgelight. With Isaac Bell’s help they’d lined the entire level with upgraded restoration runes, powered the entire thing with world magic, and then had Ezra use his Puppet Strings to bring dozens of World Bosses for their guild to train against.
Despite sitting on a tower thirty stories in the air, Vincent’s nearly maxed-out Perception let him take in the entire level of the undercity. He could see Big Keanu leading a group of players in Quadrant C as they battled a massive boss. Most of the mages i
n their guild had long ago developed void spells, and at least a dozen had upgraded from Debuff Chains to Density Chains, so they no longer needed Vincent to apply them.
When he looked to the south, he saw Spellslingin’ Antonio taking a break and munching on a Candy Apple. The level below the Killing Floor had been turned into a massive garden to produce ingredients for potions. However, they also funneled many of the potent plants to Vincent to convert into Candy Apples for their top guildsmen. He had found some decades back that the apples didn’t do much for him anymore, and Archie had confirmed they had diminishing returns if you ate too many.
The apples had still assisted Vincent in maxing his non-specialized stats, although not so much as soloing Elder Gods and Challenge Bosses. Even training with Density Chains against A-Class monsters barely helped him anymore, so for the last few decades he had spent most of his time with friends while waiting until he could fight the Gods and Challenge Bosses again.
When he looked east, he saw Devon leading a group of players in practicing combat with the end result of Fynn’s weapon testing. The Fynntech Model Q5 was powered by a 9th-generation Hearth Crystal. It’d taken Fynn decades to get the weapon just right, and Bombadier Quinton had helped him build handheld versions. They only had about five hundred of the Q5s made, and the level of the undercity below the garden was devoted to manufacturing them. However, that process was incredibly resource intensive, and production had slowed while the Jiminy World Crickets funneled more resources from the lower world.
The players practiced with their Fynntechs, shooting at a few Clerics that all had Divine Body, which was the old shield Ezra had used back when he first joined the guild. The restoration runes brought back the Clerics after the weapons tore them apart, only for their group to repeat the practice again. Devon, however, could take quite a few shots since he had upgraded to Celestial Form. That shield had been developed by Xan and Ezra over several decades, and Devon was the only other person to finish it since.
Celestial Form combined Xan’s All Wings and Ezra’s Divine Body, creating an exceptionally powerful shield that also connected them to world magic while airborne. They could deploy wings and take flight whenever they wanted, and the only downside was the high mana cost to restore the shield if it took significant damage. However, with upgrades, it also gave them faster use of world magic and a range that extended beyond Xan’s old All Shield. Vincent personally considered it the strongest shield in the game.
The Ranger had upgraded his own Density Shield with Singularity 300, raising his body’s rating to 800 and his bones to 900. It might’ve lowered his total agility by 60%, but since he always wore Eferia’s Boots and moved around with his newest spell, the decreased speed hardly mattered.
Vincent raised his hand, casting the last spell he’d finished a few years earlier.
Gravity Bubble (Requires Zero Field | Requires Force Bubble | Upgraded) – Mana Usage: Very High | The user creates a bubble of distorted gravity around themselves. This bubble slows and dampens incoming attacks in addition to allowing the user to move themselves or objects touching them through the air. When the bubble takes damage or is used for prolonged flight, it shrinks until it dissolves. | Speed Boost: Spend mana to increase your flight speed. | Rejuvenate: The user can restore the bubble at a reduced cost, but only if the bubble hasn’t dissolved completely. | Gravity Tether – Spend a medium amount of mana to attach a tether between this bubble and a nearby target.
With that bubble and his upgraded Density Shield, Vincent liked to think he was as hard to kill as someone with Celestial Form, but it was difficult to say for sure. There’d been a friendly competition between the guildsmen with negative energy abilities and the Clerics with their world magic over the decades. Though everyone thought of Vincent as the strongest player in the game, he still considered Xan and Ezra to be more impressive with the range and utility of their spells. Even now, he could feel a faint pressure emanating from far above, and he knew those two must’ve been sparring again somewhere in the sky or beyond.
Vincent’s bubble took him across the Killing Floor in mere seconds. If it wasn’t for the gravity-warping effect, he had no doubt he would’ve broken the sound barrier and left a shockwave behind him. Such a feat would’ve amazed him and his guildsmen a century before, but now such power seemed to be normal. Many of their guildsmen had stats in the 700s, and they’d developed spells that put everything from the old days to shame.
Vincent landed near Devon. Although the younger man didn’t have his wings out at that moment, his Celestial Form made his body shimmer, almost like he was a living god. His eyes looked brighter, his hair had an unnatural glossiness to it, and to anyone without a negative energy shield, they would’ve felt vibrant energy around him. Vincent, however, felt the crushing weight of world magic trying to push against him.
“Your wife is fighting Ezra again,” Vincent said, looking at the undercity’s ceiling.
“I know, she messaged me beforehand,” Devon replied. “She might not be back for a few days. I think they’re up in space somewhere.”
“Won’t they run out of world magic?”
“They both finished another upgrade that lets them soak up world magic from skybox light. I’m sure they’ll come crashing down on some planet once nighttime rolls around.”
“Those two sure take their sparring seriously.”
“Well, Xan really wants to be the second-best player in the game. There’s only like, what, six months left until the timer ends?”
“More like five. She’s cutting it close.”
“They’ve been about even for a while. Ezra is still ahead on levels, but Xan has better abilities for fighting in the sky. She only really loses once Ezra forces the fight to the ground.”
“Who knows, maybe she’ll get him before the big war.”
Devon nodded, smiling. “I bet she will. You know how my wife is.” He paused, staring at the guildsmen he’d been training, although they seemed to be doing fine on their own. “So, what’re you up to Vince? You working on any last-second spells before the final showdown?”
“No, I don’t think I have time to finish anything new.”
“Oh, then you must be doing some level grinding, right? You might get close to maxing out your specialized stats in six months.”
“Nah, I don’t think I can. Fighting monsters doesn’t do much for me anymore. I’d have to eat about a thousand Candy Apples just to gain a level, and those would be far more helpful for the rest of the guild. The Challenge Bosses still have six years until they respawn again. All I could really do is kill the three Elder Gods we can’t reason with, but that might give me only a level or two. Honestly, I think I’m fine how I am now. I’d rather relax until the war starts.”
“Shouldn’t you at least practice Isaac’s—what was it he called it—War Mind Strategy?”
“Yeah, that’s it. I already have that down. I learned Frequency Network to help strengthen the connection to the players using Puppet Strings. I also practiced controlling a few groups of players at once, and it wasn’t too hard with my Perception. The hard part will be putting the network together on Xenith. Archie plans to teleport Isaac around so he can set up the connections, but I guess we’ll see how it goes when the time comes.”
“I guess I should’ve worked on Puppet Strings to help you out, but honestly that brain-network stuff is too complicated for me.”
“Don’t worry about it. Isaac, Ezra, and I will take care of the War Mind Strategy. The rest of you only need to worry about the angels. There’s sixteen hundred of us and ten thousand of them. Hopefully, with three Elder Gods on our side—and that Fynntech weaponry—we can break their defenses. Remember, all that matters is I reach the skybox.”
“Then you break out that Void Bomb of yours, and it’s game over. It all sounds so simple when you lay it out like that. A hundred thirty years of planning, and if we’re lucky the whole war will be done in a day. Then we go back to our old lives.”
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br /> A sad expression crossed Devon’s face as he finished speaking.
“Dev, I know you’re anxious about returning to the real world,” Vincent said. “You’re worried things might not be the same between you and Xan. I really don’t think you have to fret about that.”
“All our memories will get compressed, though. What happens if our whole marriage becomes a vague recollection—like a half-remembered dream.”
“Isaac says all the things you consider important should stay clearer in your memory. Most of the boring or repetitive stuff we’ve done here will blur together, but the major experiences will stay with you. Even now, I can look back at my time in this game, and everything but the good parts are blurry. I vaguely remember my decades dying repeatedly on Eramar, but I can better recall those days where my team took a break to hang out. Some of those conversations feel like they happened only minutes ago. When you think back on your time in this game, what do you remember most, Dev?”
Devon thought for a few seconds. “You know, the first couple hundred years are blurry. I spent most of that time working for Isaac. I still remember when I met you; you gave me advice for world magic abilities. Then the next few decades of being possessed are kind of foggy.”
The young man paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Oh! I remember the first time I ever spoke to Xan. It was after you disappeared, and she was worried about you once she respawned. Much later, I remember her helping me push my world magic abilities even further. I remember my first date with her after we beat the Elder Gods—it feels like that only happened a couple of years ago. I remember when I realized I was in love with her. That’s so damn clear in my mind. I don’t want to lose that feeling, and I hope she won’t either.”
“Neither of you will lose that feeling,” Vincent assured him. “Those are exactly the kind of experiences Isaac meant. You should remember those for the rest of your life, kind of like how I can still envision those same experiences with Monika. I remember our first date in high school. Saying we love each other for the first time. Getting married. A lot of my life feels like a blur now, but the important stuff stands out after all this time.”