Yggdrasil, the Online DMMORPG that exploded in popularity after the creation of the Dive virtual reality system. It was a massive hit with the world, and especially in Japan where it was created. It became the number one game to play overnight and had a player base in the tens of millions in only a short couple of years. It was a unique blend of rogue, roleplay, and strategy all mixed into one new genre. It was a fantastic game to play if you knew your cards, and an even greater escape from real life. Maybe too good.
Even still, Yggdrasil was not without its flaws. Glitches and bugs were as common as any other game for its time though the developers did a decent job of fixing, patching, and reworking specific classes, races, and items. Rather it was the player base and its relationship with the developers, and even the fundamental aspects of the game. The developers were hated and loved in equal parts by its player base for having the most versatile game out on the market at the time, but also cursed for having the hardest difficulty of any DMMORPG type game for years to come. Other issues like the absurd rarity of specific drops, rare items that had little value in the game, and the difficulty of establishing new players into the system made the game less appealing as time went on.
Many pointed to giant Guilds like Ainz Ooal Gown for hoarding so many rare and powerful items while killing any new players as a major deficit to the game's player base. Others saw how the developers couldn't keep patches and updates balanced for all the classes and races, especially the older variants who could seem almost useless in future updates, as they were just a lesser version of a newer class. But there was also the feeling of too much personal investment into a digital game. The Cash Item stores were a big investment for many of the larger Guilds in Yggdrasil, From Trinity all the way to 2ch Alliance, every guild that ranked in the top 10 had at least some personal investment in Yggdrasil.
This investment and very personal relationship also caused many to take the game a bit too seriously, or to become too attached to it and the player base. It didn't help that espionage, datamining, and other such activities were almost necessary to advance in Yggdrasil. Again, in normal situations this would have been just a function of a game, but with the large investments put in by players it became too personal. Too antagonistic and touchy.
Eventually people stopped joining Yggdrasil, no new players bought the game at a rate to fill in older players vacancy. Then even the more dedicated players stopped playing. Entire Guild halls were empty, monthly and annual events had fewer and fewer participants, and even the developers began to leave the dozen year project they had begun.
Yggdrasil was officially shutting down, in the year 2138, after much of its community had already left for reasons only they could answer.
Still, even in the end, some people couldn't let go.
Not that they had a choice.
He stretched his back against the wooden roof, staring up into the digitally generated sky. He couldn't really feel the wooden texture of the cabin, nor could he smell or taste anything aside from what was near his real body in the real world. Still, the view was nice.
Most players in Yggdrasil looked at the game as a form of escapism to get away from the real world and all its problems. Others saw a challenge in the games hellish learning curve. Even the top Guilds were guilty of using money and power to stay in their position, but they also had their communities to keep in touch. Shame they didn't have that connection with other Guilds.
Graham wasn't sure if he was different in that regard. He did have a lot of power compared to any other player, hell he was technically a cheat with the classes he had, not to mention the World Items in his possession. A challenge would have been a good change in pace to daily life and Graham always enjoyed raiding dungeons or slaying monstrous beasts, saving the townsfolk and rescuing the helpless NPC character. Stuff like that.
Not that I stayed just for that, Graham smiled with a twinkle in his eye. If that was all the game had I would've left years ago.
Graham thought of all the details he'd discovered since he logged into Yggdrasil. All the chambers and hidden castles, the dark palaces and forgotten chambers, the mountains and forests, graves and tombs, towns and cities. Everything about Yggdrasil was about love for the genre and adventure, of which Graham excelled at. Exploring the world and reading up on its lore was his favorite of past times to learn about the ancient history of Yggdrasil and its inhabitants.
Priceless memories from adventuring out into Midgard's forests, swimming past the World Serpent while in Muspelheim, and fighting alongside Valhalla in Asgard. The Raid Bosses, World Enemies, and all the mobs of monsters and creatures. Everything that made Yggdrasil awesome and crazy.
Still, it wasn't everything to Graham. His family and his schooling were still the most important thing he had, and he wasn't as deeply into his character as some other players. He enjoyed the environment and setting and admittedly the powers and items he had, but real life took precedence over fun and fantasy games.
But even still, he had enough time to feel melancholy over his favorite game ending.
Looking into Midgard's sky, Graham let his thoughts wander to when he'd first joined, to when he'd won his first Championship, killing the World Enemies, and to the War for Trinity. That was a crazy time, not to mention a huge pain for the developers who had to try to balance the entire guild system after that little incident. Fortunately for both the developer team, Graham was in contact with one of their lead developers.
He looked to the timer to his top right on his projection screen.
00:05:45
Less than six minutes till Yggdrasil's servers shut down. A shame. But everything ends at some point. Just as something new arises from it.
At least I have the seed. Playing solo in Yggdrasil's going to be weird, but it's a good deal.
…
00:00:55
Not long now. Good thing it's a weekend for me. This would suck if I had to go to school.
00:00:45
Are Jack and Vicky doing anything Saturday? Got to remember to text them, see if we can head to Will's shop and get drunk off milk and crackers.
00:00:30
Oh wait, Tournament of Crowns is on Saturday. Sweet, that means I can get sis on board too! Flame and guts, here we come!
00:00:10
Alright, last seconds here we come. Been a good run Graham.
00:00:05
00:00:04
3
2
1
…
…
Uh… wait what?
Graham whipped his head around, staring at his now forested surroundings. No longer was he in the lightly forested region of Midgard, its grasslands and calm lakes with snowcapped mountains and green hills in the background. Now he was surrounded by a dense green forest, dark green permeated his vision as he looked upwards towards the now night sky, no longer pale blue with the waning of day. Everywhere he looked, thick trunks and dark bark occupied his vision.
Ok, not what I expected, Graham scrunched his brows together. Was this a glitch? A delay? Did they seriously release Yggdrasil 2 without telling anyone?
No, they couldn't have. He knew their development team didn't have the resources or time to have mapped out, tested, and finished a game like that and to release it in such an underhanded manner. That wouldn't have marketed well with audiences, so what was this?
Graham tried to access the menu system from his Hud to log out or contact the devs and see what was going on. He raised a finger in the air and made a tapping motion, to which nothing happened. He tried it again, with similar results. He then began to frantically tap at the air with his finger, resulting in little more than him pointing at the air.
Ok…
Was this a prank? Did his sister remove his access to the menu or disconnect him from the server? Was he in the new Yggdrasil already? Too many things to consider.
I can't see anything that says i'm in Yggdrasil. Can't access the menu and I can't seem to get in contact with the real world. Ok… ok ok…. ok ok okokokok.
Panic attacks never helped anyone, but at that moment Graham needed a touch of madness to help process the impossibility of what he was experiencing. As he steadied himself on the roof, placing his hand on the cold and firm wooden roof of his cabin, crafted from Dark Oak and Red Pine, he tried to steady his breathing. He inhaled the scent of pine, oak, dirt, grass and pollen from the cabin and the surrounding forestry. It was a pleasant sensation to smell the blooming flora, to scent the woods and the nightly dew that sparkled from the trees, to taste the sweet scent of-
SMELL, FEEL, AND TASTE?! Oh no…
Yggdrasil didn't have those features, in fact he was pretty sure nothing in the Dive gear had that kind of function. Feeling the wooden roof, smelling the surrounding forest, tasting the acrid scent of the air. Definitely not in Yggdrasil
Maybe not on Earth either.
Shit. No, I… I'm going to be sick.
He leaped down from the roof onto the mossy forest floor. He wobbled at first trying to get a grip on his slowly crumbling reality. He looked back at the plain wooden door to his cabin and the little lamps attached to the side of the door frame, between the windows on either side of the front of the little house.
"Ok, just get a grip me. Get a grip. Ffffreaking grip."
Graham investigated the glass window to see his reflection. Or rather his characters reflection.
Brownish-golden eyes stared back at him with a sharpness that his real body never had. There was power in those eyes that didn't exist in the real world, power that could slay a hundred men or a thousand monsters. It scared him to look into his own eyes and not see himself, how they reflected the power and ferocity of someone who had performed greater deeds than he ever had. Like they were judging him unworthy.
He glanced down at the rest of him, afraid of being lost in the swirling vortex of gold and brown that was his eyes. He was taller and leaner, limbs more defined from fighting countless enemies, traversing lands only seen in the dreams of children. While he'd increased in height, he felt unnaturally light, like he could leap up into the sky and float down like a piece of paper. Everything was just… off. His body was still human, still shaped like before, but there was an alien quality to how different his proportions were, yet it felt familiar enough that he could sense his limits. But it was the power he felt that disturbed him the most.
I have to test this out. See if this is really my characters body or if it just looks the same.
Graham looked around the forest floor before coming upon a rock no bigger than his fist. Picking the solidified mineral up in his hand, he felt it first, noting its jaggedness and smoothness, how hard it was and its dark gray color. He crushed it. His fist wrapped around and applied tons of pressure onto such a small surface that it shattered the rock into fragments, of which he shattered into smaller fragments that also shattered, until all that was left was a powder of minerals and dust.
Holy…! I didn't even put any effort into that, I just flexed and… dust! Graham nearly panicked, both amazed and horrified at the ease it took to annihilate that poor rock.
"Super strength, check. Now magic; does magic work?" Graham muttered nervously. He needed something small, something simple and non-damaging that wouldn't annihilate everything in his current area of residence. What to pick…
"A light spell! That's perfect, it's not an attack spell and all it does is illuminate the area." Graham focused as best he could, trying to feel out his magic abilities. "Alright, let's give it a go."
Graham closed his eyes, displacing any outside stimuli other than his own heartbeat. He breathed in. Breathed out. And then he spoke.
"[Guiding Orb of Light]"
And light shone. He immediately opened his eyes to behold a shining orb of light just feet away from his face. Floating like a leaf on a lake, bobbing ever so slightly just like the animation in Yggdrasil it shined a brilliant yet gentle blue hue.
"Woah." Graham was breathless. He had just used magic. Real magic, magic that he could see and feel right in front of his face. This was… beautiful. But also, terrifying. He could use every spell in his arsenal, some that could maim, kill, curse, even steal the soul from its enemy. Was all the magic the same? What was different about magic now than in the game? Were summons sentient creatures or just masses of magic? How did magical items and gear work?
Graham cringed when he considered that final thought. He forgot about his World Items. World Items that now might literally embody actual worlds if the lore was correct.
Maybe I should do more experimenting before I cross that bridge. And promptly burn it afterwards.
After testing out, among other things, several lower tiered spells to judge both his power and the mechanical functions of magic in whatever world this was, Graham found himself wandering the forest. While initially uncertain of leaving his cabin, which was chock full of neat trinkets and other knick knacks, he found that the portable space-shifting ability of his little abode was basically the same as in Yggdrasil. The entire cabin just shrank into a little cube that he could carry in his inventory. His inventory also worked like it had before, and he could sense that every item he had before Yggdrasil was still with him. Even the Seed.
So, without having to worry about leaving his home and a better grasp on his abilities, he set out on a hopeful journey to discover some semblance of civilization.
"Oh my god I'm so booorrreeeddd."
He just wasn't having much success.
It was still dark out and impossible to tell how much time had passed since he had been displaced into this new world, which he was pretty certain was not Midgard or any of the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil. As he walked and traveled across the forest the only encounters he'd had been birds, some deer like creatures, a couple frogs, and trees. Lots and lots of trees.
Seriously, if something doesn't come out to kill me I'm going to die from the absolute bore fest of a forest. Ugh just something-ANYTHING-happen already! Graham dragged a hand over his hair and face, exasperated at his lack of progress.
The entire "journey" had been more an encounter with the seemingly endless forestry around him than anything else. He was now well acquainted with the various trees across the forest and every bolder and mound of dirt he passed.
Too bad they all looked the same.
"Maybe I should just use [Fly] and get out of here. Not even sure why I bothered walking." Graham grumbled while preparing to cast his spell.
Then he took a whiff of the air and smelled something off. An ashy, warm scent not too far from where he was. Something was burning.
Smoke? A fire? Possible civilization?!
He turned his head in the direction of the scent. Perhaps walking was not as terrible an idea as he had thought.
The city of Agosvale was one of the more eastern territories of the Dragon Kingdom. Located closer to the border between the Dragon Kingdom and the Beastmen Nation, it was common for raids of Beastmen to come through and pillage many of the local provinces. While Agosvale was close to the border, it was perhaps the last city before one entered the Dragon Kingdom proper. Thus, while less prosperous than other cities west ward, it was better off than its sister cities that skirted the edge of the eastern border, many of which had fallen to the advance of the hordes of Beastmen in recent years. The inhumane stories that sprouted from brave and foolish travelers only solidified the desperation of the kingdom and its people, with many attempting to flee west into the heartlands or to the other nearby realms of man. The people of Agosvale had little chance to escape if the Beastmen invaded, as they were trapped between dense forests that forced them to follow a well-defined and well-known path north west of their city.
With a decent garrison of soldiers, and support from some local adventurers, Agosvale had more freedom than other nearby cities as they could afford to chase off any Beastmen raid or attack. Agosvale had become a place of refuge for many after the eastern cities had been overwhelmed by the Beastmen armies. The population had increased rapidly in the past years as a result and many could be found within and without the city in little more than shacks and shanty houses.
While the refugees had placed a strain on local resources and manpower the city still held enough dominance in its region to stave off its issues. Food supplies were decent enough for the new winter, the public was calm enough to continue their daily work but cautious enough not to cause any riots, and the soldiers and adventurers were well paid and well maintained. A very fortunate situation given circumstances.
Yet none of this could stall the advance of a true Beastmen army.
Fire as far as the eye could see had spread across the city's outskirts and to its housing districts. Slaughter followed the mad beasts that now pillaged and looted the city to their dark hearts content, the blood of hundreds now soaking the streets and dirt with its copper scent.
Those humans who remained had either died from the hands of the Beastmen, fled into the forests to risk chance with some of the local wildlife, or were fighting desperately for their lives against the savage creatures. The majority of those still in the city were cramped and herded to the cities center at the church, hoping that the onslaught might be staved off by those soldiers and adventurers that remained. Few who realized the situation for what it was believed they were going to survive but kept quiet as it would only cause further distress.
Tagar Hammar, Captain of the Guard in Agosvale, was fighting for his life against several Beastmen. From the onset of the invasion the local garrison had been nearly overrun with only the adventurers and the defenses of the city holding back the tide of beasts. His superiors had either been separated from the main body of soldiers to other areas of the city, or where dead. Tagar had been tasked with defending the southeastern quadrant of the city along with several dozen of his men.
He panted as he narrowly dodged a blade, lunging back at his enemy and thrusting his blade into their unprotected chest cavity. His sword pierced into the Beastman's rib cage, making a squelching noise before he retracted his blade. The hyena like Beastman screeched before falling over in a bloody pile, while its comrades were only egged on by the brutal bloodletting. Tagar grunted while returning to a defensive stance, sword held parallel to the ground, and prepared for a further onslaught.
He cursed at the misfortune of his people's situation. Why had they been thrown to the wolves like their sister cities? How could this have been allowed to happen, to allow them to either be game or food for these monstrous fiends? What could be done to save those who were left to pick up the remaining pieces of their past lives? What hope was there after this first assault?
Another beast ran at him at such speed, that Tagar only had a moment to direct his sword to its charge. The large boar Beastman slammed into Tagar, knocking him straight to the ground and forcing him to loosen his grip on his sword. As his blade fell just a foot in front of him he could hear the ringing in his ears from the impact, and the sounds of more Beastmen stomping and screeching in praise to his imminent demise. He could feel the exhaustion finally setting in, how his breath was ragged, and his lungs felt like torn cloth, his arms burned from abuse and the constant combat, and he felt that the fall had dislodged something in his right arm.
The Beastman that had charged him stood triumphantly over Tagar, taking the time to look over its prey before it made the kill. It placed its hoofed foot down on Tagars breast plate, denting it with the force of its impact, and bruising at least several ribs, while Tagar hissed in pain and frustration. It smiled in anticipation and joy at the pain it caused him, feeling superiority for crushing a weaker being beneath its own hooves. With its kin roaring and cackling behind it to finish the weakling off, it raised its clubbed weapon above its head to deal the finishing blow.
Tagar saw the beast about to crush his skull. He could only close his eyes and utter a silent prayer to the gods, hoping that by some miracle of chance the people could escape from the city before the beasts could break through the church. If not, he could only wish they were granted a quick death rather than to suffer.
As the Beastman was just seconds away from bashing the Captains brains out onto the dirt, a sudden light shot down from the heavens and engulfed the downed human, shocking both the Beastmen and the Captain, who had frozen in shock and fear at the pillar of multihued light that had engulfed him.
The boar Beastman retreated from the Captain and the cascade of light surrounding him, holding a hand over its face to block out the oppressive light assaulting its eyes. The rest of the Beastmen reacted with similar aversion to the glowing light, some of the more cowardly going so far as to run from the area entirely. The remaining horde of Beastmen gripped their malformed weapons tighter, eyes wider, talons and claws unsheathed, and fangs bared at the unknown assailant that had interrupted their amusement. The largest amongst their members, a vicious looking tiger, growled as it scented the air and smelled an unknown scent.
It growled towards its companions as it faced the new adversary. As they turned to face this newcomer, Tagar had finally snapped out of his shock, looking around him at the light enveloping him and the now occupied Beastmen.
What magic is this? Who could have- the Captain was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of earth upheaving and flesh being pierced.
Looking through the surrounding curtain of light, he could see that every Beastman encircling him had been gutted through their torso with what appeared to be stalagmites made from some type of red gem or rock. They rose from the ground in a hellish fashion, with the blood of every Beastman running down their frames, mimicking the teeth of a large monster or beast gripping prey in its jaws.
The few Beastmen still alive died howling and screaming upon those bloody spikes, and in seconds there was nothing but the sound of distant fires and voices echoing from afar.
Tagar said nothing as the pillar of light evaporated from around him, only crawling to his feet to notice that his injuries had miraculously healed and that even his armor and weapon had been repaired. With all the Beastmen dead, and with his body and equipment repaired, perhaps the gods had truly heard him?
Hearing footsteps ahead of where the Beastmen had been focusing their attention, Tagar whipped around to see a young man approaching him. From what he could see, the youth appeared to be in his early twenties and of decent height with a build that suggested he could fight, shoulders slightly broader than his own and arms that seemed to have a good deal of strength to them. His most striking features were his light brown skin, something that was uncommon but not unheard of in the Dragon Kingdom, and his white-gray hair, a very unusual combination that further highlighted his foreign appearance. He was clad in a dark blue coat of fine material, with a dark leather undershirt and black leather boots and gloves that had golden metal decorations on them.
But his most attention-grabbing aspect was his eyes. When Tagar glanced into them, he could see the common brown color that his own eyes share with him, but he could see the gold within them. As he stared at them, he could see the golden colors swirl slowly around in his eyes, twisting and shifting gently in a dance of watery calmness that contrasted the bloody slaughter around him. For just a moment he felt calmness, as if everything would work itself out, and even the darkest of days would have light shown upon them.
"Hey, you feel ok now buddy? You looked like you were in pretty rough shape before."
Tagar snapped out of his revere to see the man before him speaking to him, his own eyes twisted in concern at Tagar. The Captain struggled to have his brain meet his mouth but managed to pull out a somewhat coherent sentence.
"Y-yes. I'm ok."
The man smiled, relaxing now that the only other human near him was safe. Then he frowned before tightening his stance and tensing his body.
"What's going on here? Those animal people, what are they, and is there anyone else in the city?" The man asked expectantly.
Tagar had to take another moment to remember he was still in a warzone, and that the enemy had almost entirely breached their defenses.
Then he remembered the church, the civilians, his men and the other defenders.
Tagar latched onto the man's shoulders, full of panic and desperation for his city and its people.
"The remaining civilians are in the center of the city within the church, any soldiers still alive are either near there or to the west gate," Tagar gripped the man's coat tighter, grasping at what thread of hope remained in him. "Please sir, I beg of you. Too many have died already. Don't let them take this city. Please."
The man's eyes widened at Tagars pleading, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tagar still held strong to the man's coat, tears pricking his eyes and breath ragged and harsh from the overwhelming feeling of despair and hope. He couldn't make a single promise to the man, because of being little more than a Captain with only so much wealth and influence, so relying on a stranger's generosity was his only hope of doing something to help his homeland.
The stranger's eyes narrowed. Tagar flinched, letting go of his shoulders and taking a step back. Had he angered the man? Most likely, he couldn't imagine anyone helping a city already on the cusp of defeat, especially when it was only a single man with no hope of reinforcements.
"I'll do it." The stranger answered, a steel to his tone.
Tagar collapsed to his knees, exhaustion overtaking him while some amount of relief flooded his frame. The stranger kneeled next to Tagar, before reaching into his coat and producing an item of sorts.
"This flute is a magical item, you know what that is?" Tagar nodded. "Alright, then if any of those things come after you or anyone else, blow the flute and two dozen warriors will be summoned to you. You only got one shot at using it, after that it'll disappear, got it?"
Tagar nodded his head again, and the stranger smiled.
"Good. Go to the center of the city and help protect the church, I'll help those guards at the west gate and anyone on the way." Before Tagar could comment on his plan, the stranger had leaped into the air and flown directly towards the western section of the city with the aid of some magical spell.
Tagar stared momentarily as the magic caster disappeared from his view before rising to his feet, he was still in dangerous territory and it wouldn't be long before more Beastmen flooded the area. With the thought of facing more of the monsters in the open, and the strange magic casters orders still ringing in his head, he sprinted towards the center of the city, careful to avoid any large bands of Beastmen, to hopefully find any soldiers or adventurers to round up in a defensive position.
He prayed once more for the magic casters success.
Graham knew when things were going south. When you played Yggdrasil, and you were good at it, you tended to learn when a given situation was going to become unwinnable especially when it was near the end. Graham had been through plenty of situations to warrant a kind of sixth sense to that type of danger, some of which he learned the hard way after dying, and others he learned by others dying. If he had to be honest it was part of the fun of Yggdrasil. Explore, thrive, or die.
When the smell of fire and blood became stronger the closer he got to its source, the faster he ran towards it, despite his instincts telling him not to. When he saw what he could only describe as animal people, part animal and part human, surrounding a downed human in armor, he instinctively cast a 9th tier protection spell [Pillar of Protecting Light] and followed up with [Greater Healing] just in case the guy was hurt.
After the animal men backed off he began to approach when he saw them turn in his direction. Graham wasn't certain of their abilities, levels, or what they were classified as, but he knew that getting ganged up on would end poorly for him. With practiced ease, his body and mind acting on reflex, he casted [Vlad's Red Impalement] to throw them off and distract them, then he would use [Greater Teleportation] to get the guy away from the animal men. After that he'd either fight them to gauge their abilities and weigh his chances at victory, or he'd escape with the guy to somewhere safer if it became too much.
Imagine his surprise when a weak 6th tier AOE spell killed every animal man there.
Flying to the west of the city, easily identified by the sound of battle and screaming in the general direction of the city, Graham scowled at himself.
I am such an idiot, who the hell just pops in and casts a spell in that kind of situation! Slowing down his flight pattern, Graham began to make landfall. Ugh, whatever. I saved that soldier, and now I have an idea of how powerful these animal things are… wait a minute, if all I wanted to know was how powerful they were…
He almost wanted to punch himself when he membered he could have used [Discern Enemy] or any other magic that could analyze the physical and magical limitations of enemies. He could have used it, should have used it, on those monster things when he first saw them then engaged them after saving the soldier.
And now they're dead and I'm about to try to fight a hoard of them. Aw well, in for a penny out for a pound. Graham stopped midway in his flight before landing down near the western gate of the city near several human soldiers who blanched at the sight of him landing amidst them.
"Wh-who are you?" One of the soldiers asked, holding his spear tightly.
"Not important right now. Who's the highest-ranking man here?" Graham hastily asked.
The soldiers looked to each other, gripping their weapons in uncertainty before a man of dark hair and brown eyes approached Graham.
"I am Welheart, Commander of this group. Are you here to support us?" Spoke the now named Commander, who also glared at Graham slightly.
Graham nodded before pointing at the battle happening ahead of them.
"Getting those men out of that fight is a necessary. I'm going to see what I can't do about those animal things after I get them out. You and every other soldier should get to the center of the city, protect the civilians and wounded, then try to regroup." Graham ordered.
The Commander scowled at Graham, his face reddening slightly at the undermining of his ranking. Then he looked back at his men, scared and already ragged. The man seemed to fall out of the sky and offer his assistance, and his mother always said to never look a gift dragon in the mouth. Mostly because you'd get burnt to death. Welheart turned back to Graham.
"You sure? They already breached the gate, half the damn wall is broken in from their last attack, and that's too many Beastmen for a magic caster, even one that knows 3rd tier magic." An honest answer, given that thousands of Beastmen were still in the battle.
Graham's brow rose at that last part. Just 3rd tier? Something to keep in mind.
"I'll be fine. Just let me recall your men, and then get to the city's center." Graham walked to the continuing battle, ignoring the questioning look on the Commanders face and the confusion of his men. None of them had any idea what this strange man was talking about, but if he could help them with his magic against the Beastmen then who were they to question it. Hopefully it wouldn't back fire on them.
Graham's full attention was focused on the ongoing battle. He could see the ramshackle defensive structures set up by the city's defense forces, some fences with metal tipped spikes, caltrops to stop potential cavalry dispersed around the battleground, some manholes that were filled with the bodies of Beastmen, there was even a trench dug around the ground that separated the battleground and the city's entrance with several Beastmen corpses already rotting in them.
But these traps only seemed to delay smaller and weaker Beastmen, the main bulk of their army was still in the field of battle with the remaining human forces trying to assemble into some semblance of order. Across the battleground men were dying by the dozens as the Beastmen happily slaughtered their way past the defenders, their clubs and axes hacking men to pieces as their comrades tried to hack and slash their way past the animalistic monsters, only to receive the same treatment not moments later. Graham felt his teeth grind, the back of his eyes felt like they were going to ignite into fire, and his stomach clinched at the wanton slaughter occurring before him that seemed to have no end to it.
Not on my damn watch. Graham lifted his right arm to the battle, hand open, and spoke.
"[Widen Magic, Allied Recall]!"
In an instant the entire battlefield began to glow with a bright white light. Every human that was still alive, wounded or otherwise had been enveloped by the blinding rays of white. Then just as suddenly the entire area was barren of all human combatants, with only the confused grunts and snorts of the Beastmen army remaining. Across from the Beastmen, the defenders nearest the city gasped at the disappearance of their comrades, most assumed they had been targeted and disintegrated by the magic spell, but had their breath taken away when all the men appeared a moment later behind the gate no worse then they had been moments before. Quickly, the defenders at the gate rounded up their remaining men, focusing the meat of their forces on the center of the city where they could protect the wounded and civilians.
Graham glanced back to the city's wall to see Commander Welheart barking orders at his men, directing them to the city's center while leaving a contingent to guard the walls. Graham also noted that he could hear the Commander and everyone all the way from his location, which had to be at least two hundred meters away from where he was. Good to know he had heightened senses.
Now to deal with the other half of the problem. But which spell to use? He'd already casted several attack and support spells, so maybe… of course.
"Summoning it is then." Graham smiled, hoping that a summon worked in the same way it did in Yggdrasil. No better time to test it than now.
"[Summon Ancient Treemen, 4]!" Ancient Treemen were roughly at level 75 to 80. They were great defensive monsters that had a high resistance to wind and earth elements, and they had a high HP pool that made them effective tanks against mobs. They had a notable weakness to fire and lightning, but they also had a rapid health regeneration skill along with their [Summon Dryad Court] ability. Overall, they were a perfect summon against weaker, numerous mobs of NPC's and monster especially when they summoned their Dryads.
Expecting the Treemen to pop up in front of him as was normal in Yggdrasil, Graham was surprised to see several of the trees nearest him begin to deform and uproot themselves from the ground. The surrounding forests encircled the city almost entirely, except for a small opening near the north west of the city. Plenty of trees and forestry created a sort of barrier against any outside force, typically this would have been a boon to the city's defenses and a deterrent to any invading army. But the Beastmen were no typical army, and the size of their forces and their superior natural strength allowed them to plow through forests with ease to reach the city. Now it seemed the forests would deter the Beastmen in a completely different manner.
Graham blinked as the four Treemen he summoned approached him, he could feel a sort of mental connection to the giant creatures and he could feel their own thoughts in his head. Interesting. Seemed they were still able to take orders from him, and that to be summoned they required a physical medium to manifest into the world. Trees for Treemen, and whatever else for any other summon. Good to know. Just in time too, the Beastmen had recovered from their collective confusion of all their adversaries disappearing and were heading towards the city in the thousands. There had to have been almost nine or ten thousand of them charging or jogging towards the city.
Graham looked towards the gnarled and wooden bodies of the Ancient Treemen, standing at an impressive four stories tall, rippling trunks for arms and legs, and the glowing green eyes each looking down upon him. They all stared back at him expectantly, waiting for a signal or order from the one who had created them. Words were unnecessary, and with but a nod of Graham's head, the Treemen roared a hollow and reverberating cry before making a lumbering charge towards the oncoming Beastmen, intent on meeting the beasts head on. While watching the charging Treemen Graham readied his own form of attack. With having tested out his spells through summoning, direct attacks, and support spells, it was time to see where his physical limits lied in this New World. If his stats and abilities translated into this world in a similar manner as in Yggdrasil, then it stood to reason that he should have enough strength to fight a great number of these Beastmen, who seemed to be of a similar level to low tier monsters. Even with three of his limiter rings on, and using mid-tier summons like the Treemen, Graham could tell from the Beastmen's aura that none of them could be above a level 30 monster.
Too easy.
The Treemen and Beastman charge had finally met near the center of the battlefield, where it became apparent that even with the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Beastmen, the Treemen's power and durability was too much for them to handle. With almost contemptuous ease the Treemen were able to squash, quite literally, a large portion of Beastmen with their bare hands. Groups of Beastmen went flying across the battleground as Treemen flung and kicked them around, squashing their bodies and shattering their bones to dust. Some of the savage monsters were smashed straight into the ground by a Treeman's rooted feet, or were strangled with their branch like hands, while others were treated to a gruesome round of spine ripping and skull removal. Even with the insane numerical disparity, the wave's of Beastmen only seemed to crash upon an unmoving wall of branch, trunk, and oak that flung their broken bodies across the forested soil. The slaughter became even more widespread when the Ancient's casted their spells and activated their unique skills on the waves of Beastmen, drowning them in a fiver of crimson liquid and dying their oak a rough red. Rocks spearheaded the earth as they rose by magic, piercing hundreds of Beastmen in the process, and fissures opened up from the earth to allow living roots to come out from the cracks to drag their helpless victims in the dark depths of the planet. Carnage was an apt descriptor for the scenery unfolding.
Every Treeman present had activated their unique skill [Summon Dryad Court] to call forth a host of a dozen Dryads. The Dryads were scaled to be around level 55 and were the perfect complements to the Treeman's stats and abilities. The Dryads had less health and resistance than their giant counter parts, and were less than an eigth their size, but they made up for this in their speed, agility, and their unique ability [Weapon Mimicry] that allowed them to shape their arms into a multitude of weapons, from swords and blades, to maces and axes, even ranged weapons like javelins and slings. They were the perfect duo of creatures, the large lumbering Treeman pulverizing handfuls of Beastmen every step of the way, while the Dryads ran swiftly past their prey, slicing them to bits before they could even react.
As he watched the carnage unfold, Graham felt no satisfaction or joy from the bloodshed, only that he knew it might stop these monsters from harming the people of the city any more than they already had. Graham reached into his inventory, a shining white void that tore into reality, and withdrew a sword that held a shattered blade. The hilt and guard were decorated with a depiction of creatures with many names, creatures that possessed both human heads and lion bodies, serpents that had a hundred legs and eyes, and large giants that were made of ice and fire. The blade showed a strange zig-zagged pattern on the dark iron, where it ended as the blade broke off into an uneven, jagged edge.
With only a moment to admire the sword's artistic quality, Graham rushed into the field of battle, a blur to the eyes of those observing. Moving at speed's never dreamed of, Graham cut down entire groups of Beastmen with The Broken Blade of Babylon.
Speeding across the entire area, dashing between herds of Beastmen, Graham found that he was too fast for any of the monsters to catch, let alone block his attacks. Already, from Graham and the Treemen's assault, a quarter of the beast army had been rendered a bloody paste. Yet still they continued to fight, as Graham and his summons felt no fatigue or weakness, and the Beastmen were too stubborn in their assault. But the cracks of fear began to show, as more and more Beastmen began to flee from the counter attack.
Five minutes was all it took. Over half of the Beastmen were annihilated, the other half making a mad retreat across the forest to safety. Beastmen were trampling over their allies to escape the unstoppable forces at work, dropping their weapons and eschewing their shields in favor of speed and a quick retreat.
When it became clear that the Beastman attack was over, Graham broke of his and the Treemen's attack. Watching the retreating forms of the animal like monsters, Graham sighed in exhaustion, though not from physical exertion. While he had ran, fought, and for the first time in his life, killed like a mad man, in truth he had only put a minimal amount of effort into his attack, not even utilizing any buffs, spells, or skills. His exhaustion was an emotional one, brought upon by the unbelievable circumstances that he had experienced thus far.
First, I get transported to another world, save a guy from monsters with magic, then I just go and summon giant tree monsters. Oh, and of course, I proceed to just jump into a battle and kill a thousand Beastmen (nice to know what those things are called) all before my first sunrise! Graham rubbed the bridge of his nose, exasperated. Looking back at the city, then to his Treemen and Dryads, who appeared to stand at attention while he was looking away, Graham grimaced.
"Let's hope the locals are welcoming. I sure hope doing that much damage is normal around here, else this is going to get really tough to explain." Graham sighed, already walking with his entourage of tree creatures towards a damaged, and likely frightened city.
Character Sheet
Name: Graham
Race: Human
Position: Loner, no affiliation
Residence: Unknown, wanders often
Titles: The Human that Scares Monsters, He Who Can Not Be Named, The Unsung Hero
Level: 100
Racial Levels: N/A
Job Levels: ERROR
Alignment: Good (+500 Karma)
Stats
HP: Unknown
MP: Unknown
Physical Attack: Unknown
Physical Defense: Unknown
Agility: Unknown
Magical Attack: Unknown
Magical Defense: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
Special: Unknown
More to come. Graham's power will be reveled soon. As will a certain Overlord.
