Ubel Online Age of Twilight ch1

I picked up a wasp nest the size of my head from the base of the apple tree I burned. Once our red apples turned yellow, the tree grew strong despite the lack of sunlight. The smoke had killed the wasps too late to do me any good. Even far from the shack where my mother cared for my sister, I still heard her ragged breaths. The hive in my hand smelled sweet, like apples after the smoke seeped into it. With my knife, I cut away at the blackened wood to see bright yellow wood underneath. I could still taste the sweet apples the tree produced, and we needed the money selling them brought in.

Being poor hadn’t bothered me when I had my sister. While I might never be rich working, our small field and orchard had been satisfying in a way. Our village helped with the picking and harvest and we all managed to scrape by. There was a girl named Yuna I was sweet on, and her father, Owen, the village blacksmith, talked about taking me on as an apprentice.

When the first yellow blemish on our tree appeared, I covered it with mud, hoping it would go away. We had a few trees that survived when the sun vanished. They had always been weird but never colored so brightly. I worked the wench on our well and pulled up a bucket of water to heat for my sister. The cook fire was stoked and burning brightly with a yellow flame. I sucked in a breath and let it out.

“Atom, hurry up; your sister needs it.” Mother said.

“It needs time to warm up,” I yelled.

Guilt crushed my heart, and if my sister died, I’m sure it would tear it from my chest. Our trees were healthy; they should have been able to fight off yellow spot disease. It must have been the lack of sunlight that was the only thing that made sense.

I stared down at the nest. Why had I picked it up? It was dead and useless to us. The only cure for the yellow death was from a nest much older. Royal nectar wouldn’t appear in such a small nest. I pulled my knife free and dug into it. Wasps poured out dead without even flinching. I cut higher, searching for the chambers where the queens were kept. If it was going to be anywhere, it would be there. I cut into a slightly tougher chamber, and something glowing fell on my knife.

A harsh wind blew clouds of dust up from the ground, blocked only by the hill in the distance. On that hill, despite the lack of sunlight, spider lilies grew red and vibrant, dancing in the wind. Under the dense cloud covering few plants survived. No one knew how long the famine would be, and the price of grain grew daily.

Getting our hands on royal nectar through a merchant was never going to happen.

I abandoned the heating water and ran home, holding my hand under my knife to keep the precious nectar from spilling. There wasn’t much, but it had to be enough.

My hand clutched the handle when the sound of breathing stopped, followed by a rage-filled scream.

My sister breathed her last as yellow death grew pustules on her lungs and rose as an undead faster than anyone I’ve ever heard of. I had left to heat some water over a fire, and I came back to see a yellow boil-covered monster digging into Mother’s guts with inhuman strength and hunger. My mother’s eyes found mine.

“Atom,” She said as my sister looked up from her meal and turned to me.

A scared boy of 14 would have stumbled and alerted the monster; a brave man of 14 would have crossed the threshold and tried to put the monster down. I closed the door and locked it. The key rattled in the door as my sister tried to break free to devour me.

How long before my sister fed enough to gain back some sanity? Would she call out my name and beg for help? I pulled at my hair, fell to my knees, and cried shameful tears. The sounds of feeding resumed once the zombie understood it wasn’t getting out. With enough feeding, a zombie could grow strong enough to break down a door.

I froze as a new thought occurred to me. Up on the side of the house, there was water damage, and the wood had long rotted. With my sister's Yellow Death, no one wanted me near them in town, and they refused my business. I wasn’t able to get the planks needed to fix the roof. When

Food and time were all that was needed for a zombie to rank up into a revenant with the strength to rip doors off their hinges and invade. Adventurers weren’t coming; that’s why there were monsters to begin with.

The village sheriff was a retired soldier and probably saw far worse than newly arisen zombies. If I hurried he should be able to put my sister to rest before she regained her sanity. After she came back, I wasn’t sure if I had the will to find help.

I left the windowless two-room shack behind me as I ran through the old animal path up the spider-lily-covered hill. The deadly flower grew more prevalent than any weed around here, and no amount of herbalist-bought weed killer would do them in. I felt sick seeing them so close, red like the color of blood. Monsters were sighted in the woods near the village, so I decided to use the hill to see my route.

Something was charging the village. The old oak on the hill greeted me like an old friend with a familiar climb; tall and reliable, it was the perfect vantage point. I recognized what I saw from an old story called the body thief. White mist flowed through the forest faster than the wind.

Rational thought left me as I ran downhill, knowing I would never reach the village in time. For a moment, it seemed that I was gaining progress, but that was my delusion. The mist entered the village.

I stopped between a village soon to be turned into a hive body for a mist elemental overmind and the undead in the only home I ever knew. At 14, I had no prospects save my ability to read. More than likely, the moment I entered another town, I would be conscripted into the militia. 14 was a good age to be trained, but when my body had a choice of fight or flight, I calmly locked the door. What did that say about me? I still wasn’t terrified like the stories said I should be.

Oh, my options weren’t limited to the roads leading to Fort Rykers or Anders Town. There was a forest filled with all manner of new and interesting things that couldn’t wait to kill me. All I had to do was take a chance, and I knew for sure my death would be unique.

I felt like I should be terrified, but all I felt was numbness. Was that why the monsters hadn’t gotten to me? Was my numbness not tasty enough for them?

A wasp stung my sister when she was happy playing around our house while Mother was gone. It wanted to turn that happiness into dread. Monsters fed on fear; the dread of our inevitable demise was a delicacy to them. Maybe if I had been more afraid, the wasp wouldn’t have stung my sister. Everyone knew that defiant and brave men always fell to monsters.

Was that how the Cathedral of Sabbath planned to save us? With their tales of our deserved torment, an afterlife full of pleasures and delight, it was tempting to let the fear in. If I gave into the nihilism and blackness, maybe I would be spared.

No terror filled me; I pushed it down because there was no time for fear.

The mist parted around the Sabbath Church in the distance, and the sun glinted off the thorned collar atop the church. Pain led to fear, and fear led to purity, was the saying of the church.

Maybe they were on to something else; why were they safe from a mist elemental attack. It might have also been the difference in knowledge. Cathedral Sabbath had one of the foremost libraries on the monsters of the world. Most of the stories I heard were recordings from priests of the deaths of their charges. We were less worshippers of flocks of the religion and more test subjects. For all I knew, they attracted the mist elementals through some means.

Rumors aside, I wasn’t going to expose myself to them. I’m sure the priest would be by my home soon to see the results of Amanda’s sickness.

I made my way to my secret spot and fished for a book out of the hole in the tree. My village was dead; it would stand until someone came by and then left to report the casualties. It’s how things worked here.

“How now,” I jumped and turned to see a grey-skinned girl, rather buxom, dressed in the finest clothes I’d ever seen. She wore all black like she was a wealthy noble lady professional crier after her husband had an accident. A small, curved sword on her back looked like it was expensive. Everything the woman wore seemed to be the height of some noble’s fashion. “Thy eyes perceive Black Rei the justice of the wronged and savior of the forsaken.”

I’ve heard of her kind. Impossibly powerful immortals that request jobs from people. The world itself is said to put gold in their pockets, and they get stronger from killing monsters. A few generations ago, they were everywhere, and monsters weren’t such a problem. It is why our generation was called the worst because there were hardly any of them left. We were the generation not worth saving.

“Did you just arrive? My sister could have used some help half an hour ago, and the town is depopulated.” I said.

“Methinks the overworld has seen better days since my compatriots forsook their vows for greater lands to plunder and colonize. With no adventure seeker to clear the dungeons, monsters continue to spawn uncontrollably, and raid bosses don’t cull themselves.” Don’t use common sense with adventurers; that was the mantra I repeated in my head. “Well, since thou art the only one left and I’m not a priestess or a part of the villainous monster faction this run, I have no need to do any Sabbath quests. Pardon harsh turns of phrase but this was a waste of time. I desired a pleasantly gay adventure in the land of Ubel, one last hurrah before the system shuts the doors to this domain.” The woman said.

I watched her touch the air and narrowed my eyes. Adventurers were the ones who slew monsters. “Could you train me to be an adventurer?” I asked.

She paused as I saw a glimmer of something appear.

“Tis a quest never seen in our recorded histories. Mentor class, I shall drink deep of this fount of wisdom. Methinks once mentor is mastered my primary class of dark paladin will be without equal. I could double up on buffs if only this game was going to be around a little longer.” She bit her lip. “Tis fate mayhap that my last hurrah would step upon such a revelation. Accept the quest,” She said.

“My name is Black Rei. I’m a vampire day walker dark paladin prestiged with subclasses in Political Assassin, Doom Bringer, Sun Eater, and as of now, mentor. Mentor was not a class dreamt within this dream of our most learned scholars. I’m lvl9999 and ranked 666 in PVP.” She walked around me, staring, poking her fangs out on occasion to show off. Then she clapped her hands. “Methinks I know just what you need. Thou cannot turn back the clock and transmigrate thy self into the body of a newborn. My dear, I fear for thy only true life seek not the immortality of we who shall leave thou destitute. Mayhap we need to focus on ways to make thou effective at striking while sustaining thy life. What need thou in the race of man when there art other option?” Black Rei asked.

I had no idea what most of what she was talking about meant. Knowing there was no way to gain an adventurer’s immortality was a fact of life. At any time, I could die. This adventurer could kill me like many of her kind chose to do in this worst generation. She had told me herself that these were the end times when adventurers lost interest in our fading world.

“Why bother if everything is about to stop existing?” I asked.

“Thou art not everything. I seek to make permanence this discovery for all time. Methinks bragging rights are reward enough for sharing my knowledge with thee. We have a few days, so about a season game time; I can probably get thou to a brag-worthy level by then.”

She started placing items in front of me.

“These art microscopic machines made to transmute flesh. They’ll make thou a machine person, but in exchange, thou would need an item called an MN drive to use magic. Methinks the last android village was wrecked by mecha Nil’ Tron, so maybe not that one unless thou desire a physical build. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s not choose the first option. Do thy eyes perceive this little squid?” I nodded. “It goes up thy nose to replace brain matter slowly and transforms thy body into that of an illithid. Tis thy death, but a squid with all your memories takes thy place. Basically, no change on my end. Thou art not much a talker.”

“I don’t want to try anything that will replace me. Why can’t I remain human?” I asked.

“Humans art boring variety is the spice of life. If I’m going to mentor thee, then thou better bring the heat.” In other words, if I refused her, she would abandon me and find someone else. She placed a ball with a black flame on the ground. “I forgot this one. Fire vampire from one of the raid bosses a few expansions ago; it should be just about ready to respawn. That will be fun.” Black Rei said.

It’s as I thought; all adventurers were insane.

She held a glass container in her hand with glowing blood within. “Tis elder blood, it will unlock eldritch classes and change thy race over time. Options art important; specialization is the ultimate goal. There were some H scenes with some monsters with these that were freaky. But it will give thou a weakness for order. Watch out for Angels, Valkyrie, Geometrons, Devils, and Elemental lords. Methinks this one is a keeper.” Black Rei said.

I heard of angels and understood how the servants of YWH would be considered of order. The church of Messengers was well known for leaving towns to die and closing their doors to the starving masses. It was just like the people on top to continue pissing on me.

Black Rei placed a black feather in front of me. “Tis a feather tainted black by the blood of a thousand angels. Take it, and thou will become fallen with all the benefits and negatives the race entails. This halo will turn thou into an angel with almost no weaknesses except chaos and darkness. I think this horn will make you an Oni. It's like the nanites except for Oni and opens up a lot of physical classes. I wouldn’t recommend it. Ogres have slow stat gains outside of class levels. I’m not even sure thou can level up or gain access to the system. I’m not sure how any of this will work without the system. I guess we’ll play it by ear.”

The idiom didn’t escape me, but it did confuse me. How do you play music by ear? Did she mean we would make it up as we went along? That seemed to be on point to the madness of adventurers.

I picked up the vile of elder blood. The benefit for me was the slow process. While I would change, I was led to believe it would be a gradual thing. Odds are, the adventurers would be gone long before that happened.

She clapped her hands at my choice and spun around, letting her skirt fly upward. “Very good choice. I can’t believe thou picked something so fun. Now don’t down it; we have to do this right with a blood transfusion.” Black Rei said.

From nowhere, she pulled a brass tool free and jabbed a needle in my arm before poking another in the vial. Then she worked a pump. My blood flowed out of my arm and mixed with the blood from the vial before going back down the tube into my arm. A burning sensation swept through me, and my heart started racing.

My mind felt like it had risen, and I saw beyond the world and through a screen to see a man staring at me while controlling Black Rei like a puppet. I felt like I learned something I shouldn’t have before falling  back into my body.

Atom lvl0

Race: Human/Old Blooded

Select Class Category

Mage, Warrior, Rogue, Trade

I screamed as I stared at the floating apparition in front of me. My name was on full display, along with the class that the adventurer was talking about.

“I can select thy class good that means thou won’t choose something stupid like illusionist. We want something that will help thou kill something way beyond thy current level without putting thou in danger. A mist elemental Lord recently came through, and they do have a weakness to lightning. Ok, that has to be the best option thou should get a lightning-based perk. This will also take half the damage out of holy lightning. At level 20, you gain a profession; if we make it jeweler or ring maker, thou can craft magic rings that boost your lightning damage. Ubel only allows 4 rings, with the right materials; thou should be able to boost thy damage significantly.”

Atom lvl1

Class: Lightning Elementalist lvl1 +2INT +3 WIS per level

Race: Human/Old Blooded

Perks

Old Blooded: Gain access to Eldritch-only classes and gain +5WIS per level

Human: Welcomed in all human settlements and +2INT per level

Second Strike: All Lighting spells hit twice.

HP 100

MP 120

Stats

STR 10

DEX 10

VIT 10

INT 12

WIS 15

CHA 10

LUK 10

Black Rei tapped her foot while taking on a thinking pose before twirling around. “Methinks I know why your human bonus is so low. Thou art a human with no noble title or hero bloodline. Mayhap thou does not receive any Noble house bonuses from nobility or hero stat bonuses.” She raised a mirror that appeared out of nowhere. Its surface rippled before revealing the people from the village. Yona, the girl I liked but never had the guts to ask out, looked around, confused as her body moved on its own. The sheriff was speaking, but I couldn’t hear the sound. “They seem to be around level 50, so if thou can pull off a powerful lightning spell, you should be able to kill all of them. Lets set thou up with an early game dragon lightning spell mage assassin build. Killing enemies above thy level with a single attack is addictive, and there are lots of them in a group.” Black Rei said.

“Why can’t we save them? You are more powerful than anyone I’ve ever heard of.” I said.

She gave me a look that I remember seeing from my mother when I asked why I couldn’t court Yona. That was before Owen’s offer.

“Mayhap I could and have as have others, tis not hard if thou know the way. In the calculus of value, we discovered low-level villages art not worth the price. The xp gained from killing them is worth more than the quest reward for saving them. Tis simple math potential drops from killing them, and xp is more valuable than most side quest rewards. A few silvers from a town become worthless over time.” Black Rei said.

With a few silvers, my family could live comfortably for a year. Mother wouldn’t have to invite strange men to do horrible things with her. A few silvers was enough to turn my life around.

“What about the Sabbath Church won’t they save them?” I asked.

“I forgot thou were a peasant. The Sabbath Church would sooner butcher a human for their meat than rescue them from a terrible fate. Now read these scrolls.” Black Rei ordered.

She handed me three items, and I opened them, and they vanished. I flinched as a new screen appeared.

New Spells

Dragon Lightning: Conjure lightning in the form of a dragon in a revolving circuit.

DPS = 5 * INT * lvl

Cost: 5000MP

Uses: 5

Solomon’s Wisdom: Gain the powerful wisdom of the greatest wisemen for a time.

Time Limit: 30s

WIS +100

Uses: 5

Enki’s Blessing: Gain The divine intelligence of the Sumerian God of Intelligence for a time.

Time Limit: 30s

INT +100

Uses: 5

“Did thou notice the uses down on the bottom of the spells?” I nodded. “Scrolls can impart spells but only for a fixed number of uses. While they art not one use, they aren’t much better. Methinks after this encounter, their value to thou will decline. Don’t get your hopes up for the buff spells. More will be available.” Black Rei said.

The more she spoke, the easier it was to identify what her words actually meant. An early game meant early in life, from what I could tell. As a young not adventurer these spells would be useful.

“How would I make them permanent?” I asked.

“Don’t seriously; there art a limited number of spells you can choose, and I don’t know if a spell delete is still active. Resources art limited; thou receives 1 spell slot every 10 levels and start with one. Scrolls bypass that rule, and you can at anytime access spells through your class. But trust me, save every slot for level 100 spells instead of wasting thy time with lesser spells. Shock, even with buff spells, can’t match a level 80 thunder judgment spell. If I had someone helping me cheese the early game, I would have loved it.” Black Rei said.

“How does dragon lightning compare?” I asked.

“It’s a level 30 spell perfect for the misty elementals but shit late game without some buffs. Even the buffs would be better to get from thy class late game. That goes double for perks. Thou gains one every 25 levels, and trust me, you don’t want to waste your picks at the low levels.”  Black Rei said.

I nodded slowly.

…

My fortunes had reversed. Black Rei summoned a horse and let me ride it as she casually strolled through the monster-infested forest. When a goblin saw her, the green skin turned tail and ran. Dire wolves that ate men alive and tore through flocks of sheep showed their bellies at her passing. Even the horse I rode on was clearly a monster with its red eyes and black coat. Its body felt firm, more like a solid tree than mere muscle and flesh.

The mount stomped down on an ant hill and, instead of attacking the insects, fled underground. I could sense their fear, another thing that changed with me without my notice. Along with seeing things clearer, I could somewhat feel the emotions of the monsters around me. This new sense must have had something to do with my new eldritch nature.

Deep in the woods, where even the sheriff would have refused to enter, I dismounted and followed Black Rei to a ridge overlooking the gathered villagers surrounded by light clouds of mist. All of them were naked and huddled together.

“I’ve never been more glad for built-in censorship. Normally, when NPCs take off their clothes, they have a white loincloth covering their private bits, but I guess the Devs added a little something in the final days as a prank. We live in the end of days. Well at least we get to enjoy some new experiences at the closing of the book.” Black rei said.

Was that what this was all about, finding something to do at the end of the world? I didn’t understand why it had to be this way. The adventurers were leaving as they were needed most. The world was falling apart before its ultimate death. I was barely different, entertainment to pass the time.

“Here, take this, staff. I just bought it with my true coin money; it's for newbies like you. If people knew I gave it to an NPC, they would flip.” Black Rei said.

I clutched the golden staff she gave me and felt a new energy suffuse my every humor. My blood sang with electrical might, ready to call down the judgment of Inanna upon the wretches that took her. Yona was still there; her skin was touching the others, and I could see them melting together.

“Focus on your magic and call upon your buffs before you use dragon Lightning. Oh, before I forget, put these rings on.” She handed me ten rings. “I know you can only use four, but they aren’t all the same. Mix and match them.” Black Rei said.

Each ring was a masterwork of shining gold and glittering jewels. I put a sapphire on my thumb and an emerald on my pointer finger. I continued until every finger was covered.

Her eyes sparkled when she looked at my hands. “NPCs can wear more than 4 rings. That’s incredible; we art going to take advantage of this. Wait, how many necklaces can thou wear?” Black Rei asked.

“That depends on how many you can fit over my head,” I said.

The sparkles in her eyes had turned feral as she tossed necklace after necklace on me. Little flashes of light appeared until she stopped.

“Those are the only necklaces I have that aren’t level-based. I used to sell anything I didn’t need anymore, so I don’t have any good necklaces for a level 1. Those should help buff your damage even more.” She peered down on the conglomeration of body-snatched villagers. “Attack now before they form a cocoon and liquify their flesh.” Black Rei said.

“Are you sure there is no other way?” I asked.

She lifted me up by the shirt and shoved me against a tree.

“This isn’t about another way. Kill them all and put them out of their misery, or let them become a threat, and I’ll leave thou here to face it alone. Make thy choice.” Black Rei said.

I sucked in a breath and let it out. Why was I such a coward? At least if I had faced my sister, I could have died with some dignity.

Water rushed past my ears as I buffed myself. The small thunderstorm of power within me had swelled to encompass a village. I raised my hand, and lightning sparked, stretching out in all directions before twisting as a dragon took shape. Out from my arm, a dragon of lightning emerged before splitting into two. The skin around my hand had charred black, but I couldn’t feel it; most likely, something in my arm was fried. Wings of lightning emerged from the creatures as they circled once before roaring and crashing down into the crowd. Lightning bursts filled my view with golden brilliance as I cried tears of shame.

“I’ve heard of this: when a man makes their first kill, they sometimes throw up or cry. That means thou art not a psychopath. Thy compassion for the lives around thou makes killing abhorrent. I can respect that my student believed he killed someone when, in reality, they were dead long before we arrived.” Black Rei said.

“Was it really too late for them?” I asked.

“Check your stats and see what you gained from thy slaughter. I heard it's often better when death has a purpose.”

Perks Gained

Slay an enemy 100 levels above you with lightning.

Heaven’s Spear: All lightning spells have piercing.

Slay an enemy 1000 levels above you with lighting.

Heaven’s Wrath: Equip Lightning Spells to any weapon; if unarmed, equip them to your body. When dealing damage, unleash spell effects on enemies.

“Piercing and a delivery system art not bad. Check out thy level; it's impressive even if thy xp was nerfed.” Black Rei said.

Atom lvl23

Perks

Ancient Seed: +5 increase to MP multiplier

Ancient Sprout: +5 Increase to MP Multiplier

Heaven’s Spear: All lightning spells have piercing.

Heaven’s Wrath: Equip Lightning Spells to any weapon. If unarmed, equip them to your body. When dealing damage, unleash spell effects on enemies.

Human: Welcomed in all human settlements and +2INT per level

Old Blooded: Gain access to Eldritch-only classes and gain +5WIS per level

Second Strike: All Lighting spells hit twice.

Spirit Seed: +5 Increase to MP Regen Multiplier

Spirit Sprout: +5 Increase to MP Regen Multiplier

HP: 2,300

MP 47,840

Stats

STR 10

DEX 10

VIT 10

INT 104

WIS 199

CHA 10

LUK 10

Black Rei coughed in her hand. “Nice, thou gained piercing before thy second class that’s one of the prerequisites to be effective in PVP. Otherwise, all thy attacks would be blocked by equipment. Anti-piercing enchantment art still a thing, but the spell should be useful until you max out your first class. Now we need more mobs to raise your strength; maybe we should try a little boss fight near the coast.” Black Rei said.

I was in agony. My head throbbed as the world faded out of focus. Beings with far too many eyes and mouths for my comfort dressed in colors my eyes had never laid upon seemed to be in an argument over me. My gaze turned to a creature dressed in yellow robes, and I lost control. I stretched out with my blackened hand, slowly flaking away to reveal red scabs as lightning crackled around my hand once more. There was a connection between myself and this strange space where even stranger entities dwelled. Swirling constellations of stars took notice of me as I screamed and unleashed my spell.

A heavy hand restrained me, and before I could do a thing, I was taken away from that place.

“Tis too early to challenge the raid bosses. Lore has told of connections to realms from power flows. Methinks thy sudden jump in power has formed such a connection. An NPC would hardly rely fully on the system fading for power.”

I wrestled with myself. There were two spell slots available to me, but if I trusted Black Rei, then I would wait until I reached lvl100 to gain spells of my own.

“What are we doing next?” I asked.

“Mayhap, we will test if thy inventory activates upon discovery of loot. Who but the high Devs know if an NPC can claim the vaunted position of loot mule without being a companion. Thy own drops will be most valuable to thee. I am taking back my own equipment to teach thee value.” Black Rei said.

I remembered the man asleep wearing a mask beyond the lights and wires. When I looked at Black Rei beyond the numbers there was a path to another world. I didn’t think Black Rei was here to begin with. Like gods were said to wield avatars, Black Rei used a body of numbers to interact with the world.

Walking down the ridge made me feel different than before. I didn’t feel quite as fragile and there was a power within me vast and on the edge of my senses. More than that, I felt like I could draw in more power at a moment's notice until the Dragon Lightning spell became negligible. Only there were drawbacks to my build, as Black Rei called it. I was lvl23 next to a lvl9999 adventurer. The difference in our power was the distance between heaven and earth.

Down the ravine, I saw a yellow tree with a wasp nest larger than my body, slowly wrapping around the middle of the tree. Other trees had little yellow spots on them, much like our own apple tree.

“Tis important not to bother such structures until a quest is given. Methinks such a quest will assist thee in gaining levels. The King in yellow has spawned in this land and invited into the dreams to retake lost lambs to his home in Carcosa. Thou will know them by the yellow rot.” Black Rei said.

“How strong do I need to be to defeat the king in yellow?” I asked.

“With the right equipment, 1000 should see to a victory with order type spells under thy command. The Kings are low-tier raid bosses, but they can grow stronger given time. Methinks many of the patches the high DEVs put in place have eroded. As time draws to a close, raid bosses become unbound by limitations.” Black Rei said.

“How do I reach its home in Carcosa?”

“Methinks thou art not ready. Search for the quests, and they will lead thou to the dreaded lands of Carcosa. Be warned: those who fight alone die alone in those dreaded lands. Thy inhuman blood will not save thee without preparation. The Kings in art well used to battle their own kind, and thy seeds of prosperity have yet to sprout.” Black Rei said.

She smirked at me before picking up a long spear that appeared after I killed the sheriff. I took it and saw a series of requirements and the spear’s DPS. While it wasn’t bad, I would be a fool to choose close-range combat. I found a ring that summons a mist elemental under my control. It, unfortunately, required far more charisma.

“What am I going to do?” I asked.

“Loot finds its best home in thy inventory.”

“Inventory,” I said, and a tear in space appeared. I stared at the tear, imagining all the stuff I could store inside it. I could store food in there, and no pests could get to it. Building supplies would remain dry year-round, and it would save so much storage space.

A list screen appeared with practically infinite space.

“Take pleasure in the luxury. No longer will thou require a pack to travel with convenience?” I picked up a wand that could be fed with mana to use a shock spell. The hardwood, slight sparks, and hum of the wand made me feel better. “Methinks my time today has come to an end. Take heed to search for quests and take on mobs to grow stronger. When thy strength reaches the coveted level of 99, search out the bosses within the caves near the Glossy River. A secret dungeon awaits thee with a foe guaranteed to bring thy level to 100 and prestige. Seach for a profession at level 20 one became available.” Black Rei said.

She vanished on the spot, leaving me in the woods. With my wand in hand and a cloudy blue robe that boosts my magic resistance and casts a single barrier on me, I walked back.

Goblins jumped from the shadows in trees, dug bluffs behind hills, and from the water. Each time, I raised my wand and blasted them. Thick crystalline balls fired from the wand, opening upon a hit and shocking the green skins. Xp rolled in while I used my wand.

The protection I enjoyed riding into the forest was absent in my retreat.

Level 24 arrived when I reached the edge and slew a stout level 30 goblin. It charged me with daggers, and I blasted it. My stats made my lightning balls truly deadly. The shock spell was simple and easy to abuse by firing them rapidly.

I arrived back to see my sister’s hand reaching through the rotten roof of our shack. The key was gone; the door had been opened and closed again. Someone had come here and ventured inside. Another death was my fault.

“I know you aren’t here anymore. Black Rei loved to talk mostly to hear her own voice. She made it clear that when you’re infected, the King in yellow takes you to his land and leaves behind a husk. Tell me that I’m wrong and there is something left of you in there. Please tell me I don’t have to kill you, Marie.”

Yellow talons scraped rotten wood away before the creature exposed its yellowed skin and blood-splattered mouth. Her eyes glowed in the eternal dusk that had killed so many crops.

I heard footsteps and turned around to see a man dressed in the fanciest armor I’d ever heard of. He gave me a look over before snorting. “Why bother starting a new game when the server is about to shut down?”