Sanctum

by Matthew Powell

  So, quests were meant to let players quickly level through their first few class tiers. That would have been useful information to have before spending the better part of a day slaughtering zombies inside of a dungeon without any quests. Moving on before he started brooding over the lost progress, Joshua looked through the quest board for anything else that caught his eye. Only one quest managed to pull his attention.

  Wanted: Drudge Bear

  Area: Radiation Zone outside of Grace

  Reward: 50,000 EXP

  Description: A special quest created by the area’s unique circumstances. A Drudge Bear, one of the strongest creatures currently on Sanctum, has been spotted nearby. This monster poses an immediate danger to the town and must be killed as soon as possible.

  Recommended Party Size: 5x Tier 3 Players

  Accept Quest? Yes/No

  The Drudge Bear was still around, and it had a bounty of its head. Joshua hit accept and left through the town gates with revenge on his mind.

  Chapter 14

  Starting worlds are something that we knew we wanted in Macrocosm from the very beginning. A few dozen worlds fitting a few dozen stereotypes where players can get their start without having to worry about the rest of the universe. They are much smaller than the real worlds, often only containing a few dozen towns and dungeons that players will naturally gather around. Players can leave when they reach Tier 4, and while they can stay on them for longer, no monsters stronger than that will spawn. This might change in the coming months and years, adding more powerful monsters and more varied scenarios, but what we have right now should be more than enough to get players started. – On Starting Worlds, from the Chronicles of The Founder

  ◆◆◆

  Irradiated Zone Entered!

  Everything in the area will take 5 damage per minute.

  The zone was the same as before, and Joshua’s Pestilence Sacrifice was enough to keep him alive during it. As he entered the barren wasteland outside of Grace, a trail of players was heading back into town. All of them were moderately injured, either from the monsters or the radiation, and Joshua recognized several of their faces from the crowd watching him earlier. The irradiated zone had proven a little more than they could currently handle. On the upside, Alaran’s store would probably be getting a good bit of business soon.

  As Joshua passed the line, several of the people gave him either pitying or jealous looks. The pitying looks came from those who saw someone with such low HP heading into the wastes, the jealous ones came from those who had seen his Virulence Aura. Showing that off may not have been the best idea, but what was the point of having awesome powers if no one could see them?

  Joshua kept walking until the tree line was out of sight. Now he was surrounded on all sides by empty wastes, without as much as a speck of grass in sight. After a few minutes of walking through the empty landscape, the first monster made its appearance. Joshua nearly mistook it for a regular zombie and dismissed it, but a quick glance at its status box put him on guard.

  Ravenous Freak

  Tier: 3

  Level: 11

  HP: 2100/2100

  A zombie that has spent an extended amount of time inside of a radiation zone. Ravenous Freaks are significantly stronger, smarter and faster than their lower-tier counterparts. Their overwhelming hunger has given them immense jaw strength, but it also drives them to eat anything in sight, even other zombies. Most Ravenous Freaks wander alone as a result.

  Joshua watched for a moment, trying to figure out how such a regular-looking zombie was so powerful when it spotted him. It screamed, not nearly as loud as the Defaced Moaner had, but enough to startle Joshua out of his focus. The Ravenous Freak sprinted towards him, the first time he had seen a monster on Sanctum move with real haste and precision.

  The monster’s mouth split open and peeled away into a maw of teeth big enough to fit his helmet inside. Joshua held his sword in front of him, pointed towards the freak. If he was lucky, maybe it would impale itself on the blade in its rush. He wasn’t lucky. The Ravenous Freak jumped when it got close, sailing over the sword and right into Joshua, sending them both tumbling.

  You have taken 107 damage

  Remaining HP: 1397/1500

  The impact had dented the Plague Plate and still dealt over 100 damage, a testament to the freak’s power. The monster had landed several feet from Joshua and was already scrambling to its feet. Joshua pushed himself up and charged the monster, his Virulent Aura flaring up around his sword. The freak got to its feet just in time for the sword to slash its side, leaving a large gouge down its torso.

  Ravenous Freak has taken 411 damage

  Remaining HP: 1689/2100

  HP loss due to DOTs: 50HP/s

  The wound began to rapidly grow blackened as the infection from Virulence Aura and the Plague Longsword took its course and spread through the Ravenous Freak’s body. Despite the grievous wound, it would still take more than 30 seconds for the DOTs to kill the monster, and Joshua knew that was more than enough time for it to fight back.

  The freak screamed again, the infection making it even angrier than before. This time Joshua was ready for its charge, dodging out of the way as he had with the Zombie Brutes. Unlike the Brutes, the Ravenous Freak turned and gave chase, its mouth latching onto Joshua’s right shoulderplate.

  You have taken 279 damage

  Remaining HP: 1118/1500

  The plate crumpled. The metal bent and cracked in an instant, taking a chunk of his shoulder with it. The monster munched on the metal for a few seconds before spitting it back out, the plate having been reduced to a crumpled ball. Looking at his shoulder, Joshua could see the bone sticking out where the flesh had been torn off. Only his status as a Wight Guard stopped the arm from becoming completely unusable. Getting desperate, Joshua pulled out his pistol and fired a few shots.

  Ravenous Freak has taken 107 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 119 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 114 damage

  Remaining HP: 999/2100

  The shots left impact marks on its skin but barely dealt any damage. They didn’t even penetrate its skin to add more DOT damage, instead dissipating on impact. The hits did manage to stop the monster from charging again for a few seconds, which gave Joshua enough time to holster the pistol and get his sword ready.

  The Ravenous Freak may have been smarter than the previous zombie, but it wasn’t smart enough. It charged Joshua again, its rage making it faster than before. Joshua held his sword pointed out as he had during its first charge, and the freak jumped again, but this time Joshua was prepared. He quickly raised the sword up, its point catching the monster in the chest, its own airborne momentum impaling it down to the hilt. It wasn’t enough.

  Ravenous Freak has taken 599 damage

  Remaining HP: 150/2100

  Joshua dropped his sword, but not before the impaled monster clawed at his face. The swipe had been one of desperation, a final strike before the DOTs burned away the last of its HP, and it worked. The swipe tore through the front of the Pestilence Helmet and across Joshua’s face, leaving deep cuts and ripping off his nose.

  You have taken 244 damage

  Remaining HP: 874/1500

  Ravenous Freak has died!

  Zandrius gains 600 EXP

  The reward was equal to the challenge. Killing that one freak had given nearly a third of what Joshua needed to level up, helped by his new Lesser Blessing of Filth, but had taken nearly half of his total HP in the process. It was almost like he was back to fighting the regular zombies again. The Pestilence rewards had been even greater.

  Pestilence: 530/530

  He had gained 30 Pestilence in a single kill, a downright absurd amount. There was no way to tell how much of that came from the blessing, but Joshua was certain it was a lot. He downed one of his health potions, healing most of the damage that the freak had done, and kept moving. He needed at least nine more kills like that before returning to Grace.

&n
bsp; The Plague Plate took a few minutes to stitch itself back together where it had been torn apart, but thankfully took much less time to repair than to create. Joshua felt relief when the helmet’s faceplate was repaired, as it restored the 360-degree vision he was growing accustomed to. Not a minute too late either, as a large worm-like creature launched itself out of the ground towards his back.

  Joshua had just enough warning to dodge before it hit, throwing himself to the ground as the worm sailed through the space he had just occupied. He was able to watch as it hit the ground again, sliding through it like water. It had been so fast that he hadn’t even been able to bring up its status screen.

  Joshua drew his sword and took up a stance, but no other attack came. After over a minute of standing in place waiting for an attack, Joshua decided that the worm must have left. If it was a monster, it should have attacked as soon as it was able to. That theory proved false a few minutes later when it attacked again.

  This time the worm flew in from his right side. Once again Joshua had just enough of a warning to dodge, leaning backward to watch as the worm flew right in front of him. It wasn’t long, but he was able to bring up its status screen. Thankfully the screen hung around for a few seconds after the worm itself had dived back underground.

  Mutant Darting Worm

  Tier: 3

  Level: 14

  HP: 1100/1100

  A worm that has spent an extended amount of time in a radiation zone. Mutant Darting Worms have low HP compared to other Tier 3 monsters but are significantly faster as a result. They operate as ambush predators, sinking in and out of the ground like water as they stalk and attack their prey. Mutant Darting Worms are cowards by nature and will abandon the hunt if their prey fights back too well.

  So, the worm saw him as an easy target? Well, it was going to regret that choice. All that he needed to do was land a single good cut or stab on the worm, and the infection damage would handle the rest. Joshua kept walking, paying close attention to his surroundings as he waited for the worm to strike again.

  He didn’t have to wait long. Shortly after he started walking, the worm flew out of the ground, this time at an angle. The monster was smart enough to come at him from a different place each time, but it wasn’t enough. Joshua’s sword was waiting in its flight path.

  To Joshua’s shock, the worm curved midair, dodging the sword and missing him entirely. When it went underground this time, the monster’s retreat had a sense of finality to it. The prey had actually fought back, and the worm didn’t target things that fought back. It wouldn’t be returning any time soon.

  Joshua didn’t let his guard down just because that worm wouldn’t be back. While he hadn’t taken any damage in the encounters, the worm had taught him to be cautious. The irradiated wastes weren’t like the town surrounded by dangerous, albeit normal, zombies. There were things out here smart enough to target him and fight back with actual intelligence. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t able to get the EXP from another kill, but he was lucky enough to walk away with his life.

  A few short minutes after the worm’s last attack, Joshua spotted a building in the distance. How a building could last in this wasteland was unknown, but the Wight had a sneaking suspicion as to why. It was a skyscraper, stretching high above, serving as a landmark in the empty wastes. As Joshua approached the tall structure, his suspicions were confirmed.

  The building was surrounded by dozens of Ravenous Freaks in addition to numerous other monsters he had never seen before. Among them were several Tier 2 players fighting them, trying and failing to gain entrance, dying in the process. The skyscraper was a powerful dungeon, infinitely more dangerous than the supercenter had been.

  It represented great potential, but the risk was too great. Joshua turned in another direction and kept walking, content to let the other players have the bounty that the dungeon offered. These new monsters were too strong to fight in groups as he had the regular zombies, and if a Tier 3 version of a Brute showed up, the fight would end in an instant. No, it was better to roam the wastes and slowly rack up the EXP one kill at a time.

  The area surrounding the dungeon proved to be too dangerous of a hunting ground. Monsters near the entrance constantly wandered off from the fighting, causing the nearby area to be full of powerful Tier 3 monsters. More Darting Worms tried to attack occasionally, but Joshua was wise to their trick by now. They still curved around his sword every time he tried to fight back, but they weren’t able to land a hit.

  The freaks, on the other hand, posed a much greater threat. They were everywhere. Attempting to fight one would draw several others, and they were dangerous enough alone. Finding loners was nearly impossible due to the radiation destroyed any Plague Eyes as soon as they formed. None of this was even considering the other zombie variants that were wandering around, none of which Joshua wanted to be anywhere near until he was a good few levels higher than right now.

  The farther he got from the tower, the thinner the monster numbers were, but the more warlike the area became. Trenches and craters populated by monsters dotted the landscape for miles in every direction. There were still significantly more roaming monsters than before, but at least it was down to a manageable number. The large variety of different monsters made it hard to pin down another Ravenous Freak but engaging any other monster without learning their capabilities first was suicide.

  Joshua quickly realized walking out in the open was practically suicide. It would make him visible to every monster that stuck its head out. The trenches made locating a specific monster harder but would hopefully stop monsters from swarming. It might also just limit his escape routes when they did swarm, but if that happened he was dead anyway.

  None of the trenches went more than a few hundred feet before ending or sharply turning into another trench, creating a twisting maze for Joshua to navigate. There were tunnels and bunkers dug all throughout the labyrinth of trenches, any one of which could hold dangerous irradiated monsters, something Joshua learned the hard way.

  You have taken 400 damage

  Remaining HP: 974/1500

  As he turned a blind corner, a massive spike lodged itself in Joshua’s chest. The spike was connected to a tentacle, itself attached to the back of a monster that had been waiting around the corner.

  Spiked Aberration

  Tier: 3

  Level: 8

  HP: 1350/1350

  A zombie that has spent an extended amount of time in an irradiated zone. The radiation caused the parasites that existed inside the zombie before its death to become a part of the zombie, growing to an extreme size. These parasites serve the role of ranged weaponry, taking the shape of long tentacles with spiked endings. They can strike with enough force to penetrate steel, but the zombie’s main body is weaker due to maintaining them.

  As the description said, three long tentacles extruded from the back of the otherwise normal zombie, one of them currently lodged in Joshua’s chest. While the attack had gone through his armor, The Plague Plate had likely saved his life. Had it not been there the spike would have gone right through his chest and out the other side.

  Joshua grabbed the tentacle with his left hand, gripping it hard enough to deal a few points of damage. The attack may have been an ambush, but he had been preparing for an ambush since entering the trenches. Being caught by surprise wasn’t going to slow his reaction down by more than a second or two. With the spike unable to retract itself, Joshua used his right hand to unsheathe his dagger and cleave the tentacle apart.

  Critical Hit! Tentacle Decapitated! Spiked Aberration has taken 100 damage

  Remaining HP: 1250/1350

  The attack had been critical but had dealt a feeble amount of actual damage. The Aberration itself had barely seemed to notice the loss, immediately sending its two remaining spiked tentacles to finish the job. This time Joshua was prepared, dodging one and catching another. The tentacles were certainly fast, but they were slower than the Mutant Darting Worm.

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nbsp; Joshua cut off the other spike, dealing another 100 damage. While these tentacles served as the monster’s main attack, they were also nonvital. He needed to attack the main body to do real damage. Joshua pulled out his pistol and unloaded six shots into the Spiked Aberration. It died before the sixth could land.

  Ravenous Freak has taken 270 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 225 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 211 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 242 damage

  Ravenous Freak has taken 243 damage

  Ravenous Freak has died!

  Zandrius gains 450 EXP

  The lowered defenses of the Aberration had made the fight child’s play, earning him a quick 25 maximum Pestilence. The pistol was still proving its worth, but Joshua wasn’t happy with the result. He didn’t want to rely on how overpowered the gun felt against unarmored and low HP opponents, but there was no denying its effectiveness. Even the Pestilence he had used to make the bullets would completely regenerate in less than six minutes, three if the radiation wasn’t constantly damaging him. Maybe it was time to stop pushing the whole knight aesthetic he had been going for and try something a little more practical.