"The blades of these brazen fools are still more deadly than those spoiled in comfortable incompetence." -Mal Saf on Pirugan Militias
Chapter 14-Masked Ones
Seattle, Washington
United States
May 26, 2020
Real World Time- 2:48 AM
The Gamemaster sat forward in his seat at the head of the control room as he watched with fascination as a group of Players in a dungeon brilliantly fought off hoards of seemingly invisible enemies. The enemy didn't seem to end. The Players and their monster partners formed a strong circular formation and used the force of the Player barriers in their puzzle modes to make their way across the natural stone bridge of the dungeon. The Gamemaster switched cameras to follow the Players as they made their way through winding caverns while fending off their pursuers. After a few more minutes passed, they seemed to be in the clear and the enemy monsters backed off. The whole display was so exciting! It was non-stop action for the viewers in the real world to sate their appetite. It was a great way to wind down the evening for all those viewers out there with the nocturnal genes.
He turned his attention to one of the ten other monitors at his station and accessed some of the main cameras to see what other Players were doing around the major cities. The secondary cameras didn't reveal anything particularly interesting save for a few conversations about a new guild being formed called the Grand Hunters. By opening up the Player profiles of these individuals in conversation, he saw that they were of a fairly high rank. It could be interesting if the guild gathered some competent members.
Before he could check in with the goings-ons around Sarkast, one of his monitors issued an alert about a camera that he had on standby. He moved back to the camera in Flint Peak as the Players and monsters seemed to be fully rested and moved on through the tunnels. He pulled up their Player profiles and read off their names: Ray Andylon, Yukiko Kazehaya, and Kurtis Braxton. He added the three Players to his own list of favorites in the Puzzle and Dragons Viewer app. He hoped that these three stuck around for a good while. They worked well together.
The Gamemaster was taken off guard seconds later as he attempted to shift cameras into what appeared to be a cavern that the Players entered. An error message appeared that read: Error: Source Not Available. He frowned at this and assumed it was a glitch. He decided to switch to the camera that provided free movement. He moved the camera forward to enter the dark cavern the Players had entered but found that the camera froze in place.
"Dah hell?" he muttered in irritation.
He refreshed the camera and moved it back with his keyboard. It moved backwards at his bidding. He pressed the forward arrow key and, once again, the camera froze and refused to pass through the threshold. The Players were now long gone and nothing could be seen beyond the darkness.
The Gamemaster was about to run some troubleshoots to discern the problem when the door to the control center opened and in walked a familiar face. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and a dominating appearance that could gain the attention of anyone in his presence.
The young men and women at the other stations working under the Gamemaster gave the newcomer a respectful nod before returning to their work. Even the Gamemaster rose from his seat as the man approached him.
The Gamemaster gave him a friendly nod that masked his exhaustion. "Good to see you Mr. Malkin."
The CEO of Future Artificial Networking, Thomas Malkin, shook the Gamemaster's hand in greeting. The heaviness under his eyes was obvious, but he still managed to retain a confident smile as he spoke. "Good to see you too Zack. Anything to report?"
The Gamemaster shrugged and sat back down at his station and pulled up a few cameras that involved Players of interest. "I've managed to get a grasp on some of the Players I think will really draw the viewers in. Also found a couple of glitches that I'll send to some of the guys downstairs tonight."
Malkin laughed. "Do you even realize what time it is?"
The Gamemaster's face clearly showed that he didn't. He minimized the views of the cameras on one of his monitors and his eyes widened.
"Heh. No wonder I feel like passing out. I'm getting in too deep."
"That's the real reason I came up here. To tell you to get the hell to bed." Malkin laughed again and the Gamemaster, Zack, joined in with good nature.
As Malkin scanned over the monitors he pointed to one that piqued his interest. "Who are they?"
The Gamemaster used his mouse to zoom in with the camera in question to reveal a group of masked individuals standing together in a copse of trees. Next to these Players were monsters standing off to the side analyzing their surroundings or in heated discussion. What was strange about these Players was that their white masks were fairly similar save for the strange, unique designs on one half that separated them from the others.
"Do you mind if I listen in?" Malkin asked with clear interest. "I've spent all day cleaning up someone's mess and I could use some entertainment."
The Gamemaster knew what Malkin was referring to. "Still having a problem with Kurosaki's dilemma?"
"Yeah."
Malkin and the Gamemaster had become close friends over the course of the development of the PADW project. Even though the Gamemaster was in the entertainment sector, he and Malkin worked closely together since Lo, Malkin's artificial intelligence, would be relaying some of the information gathered directly to the entertainment sector's control area. In passing, Malkin had mentioned the problem with the universal code for the game world and how it was currently out of their reach. The Gamemaster still wasn't sure if it was the wisest course of action to let such information slip, but he was honored that Malkin had deemed him worthy of being in the loop with events outside his sector. He promised to not pass word to anyone else, and Malkin seemed satisfied.
"But yeah go ahead." The Gamemaster offered his seat to Malkin as he stood up. "I'm gonna catch a few hours hopefully. Sitting in front of a screen all day doesn't help, but I'll see what I can do." He chuckled as he made his way to the sliding security door at the back of the control center.
After the door confirmed his hand print and numerical code he was admitted from the room.
Thomas Malkin surveyed the rest of the control center with the Gamemaster's departure and analyzed the other workers typing diligently at their consoles. Malkin had to admit that he was impressed with the results of their efforts. Hundreds of millions would be viewing the virtual world by the end of the week thanks to their efforts.
Malkin zoomed in on the masked Players and their monsters as the arguing began to intensify. He increased the volume just enough so that he could hear what the argument entailed.
Malkin first heard the masked Player on the right, "This is stupid. We should be moving in on the capital city by now. Sarkast is already a lost cause. What is the point?"
The Player on the left seemed to be in more control of her emotions than her male companion. "We need to discern the intentions of the Players in this area before we can move west. It doesn't matter whether we head for Fluorestris now or later. The Grand Hunters have made their intentions clear and we can do nothing to sway other Players with our differing goals."
The female Player's monster, who stood off to the side leaning against an outcropping of rock, spoke up next to add weight to her Player's argument, "She speaks truthfully. The Grand Hunters seem to be in line with the goals of the Guardian monsters. We can do nothing to sway them."
"Then why the hell are we bothering with Ray Andylon? Sure, he and the boss are the only ones with two monsters right now, but look at his rank. It's pathetic! He has a second monster by dumb luck! Both of his monsters are also a part of the Guardians. Why are we even bothering?"
"That does pique my interest," the female Player answered. "Erenheim does seem to have a particular interest in the trio that entered Flint Peak. I will question him about that later. But for now, we wait patiently."
The disgruntled male Player seemed finished with the conversation and waved the other Player off dismissively and strode into the forest with his monster partner following closely behind.
When it seemed as if nothing more of interest was forthcoming, Malkin minimized the camera and turned off the sound. He opened up the Player search engine and typed in Ray Andylon's name. After a few seconds a camera revealed a male Player with a female monster wielding a halberd heading for the exit of the dungeon within Flint Peak. Two more Players, two monsters, and what appeared to be a non-playable character followed behind them.
Malkin opened up all of the Player profiles to see what the masked Players meant about their rankings. When he reached Ray Andylon's profile he began to understand what they meant about him being a low rank. Most of the Players in the virtual world had rankings well over a thousand. The original Puzzle and Dragons game had been around for nearly a decade so it made sense that Players would be well into the thousands by now. However, Ray Andylon was a different story. Ray Andylon's rank had just barely surpassed six hundred.
Why would a Player with such a low rank be invited to test the new game?
Malkin decided he would look into this a bit more when he had the time. The masked ones were also an interesting group. There was still much to learn about this new world.
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Flint Peak
In-Game Timer: Day 14
5:10 PM
Ray and his comrades finally saw the exit to the dungeon within Flint Peak as they rounded a familiar bend in a widening tunnel. A purplish glow emanated from thin carvings in the rock that indicated the doorway to the outside that was once used as an entrance. Ray could practically sense the relief coming from his comrades.
They had been given a considerable amount of time to ponder after the meeting with the supposed dragon known as Prophet: The Abyssal, Thomas Malkin, the Legion monsters, it was all so much to take in, not to mention the fact that Yukiko and Kurt were now aware of how dire the situation was. Ray felt it wouldn't be too long before other Players began to figure out what was going on with the virtual world. If they did find out, which stance would they take concerning the war of the monsters? Ray felt he could trust Yukiko and Kurt to some degree, but he wasn't sure about the other Players.
They all walked through the dungeon in silence after the discussion with Prophet (and after Sophie had respectfully asked to harvest some of the ores in the cavern). There was no need for discussion when it came to their suspicions about Malkin and his malicious AI hiding somewhere in the data stream. Even though Malkin was the main suspect, they had no way of proving that he was a part of the organization that had been hunting Takamura for the universal code. Furthermore, even though the AI known as the Abyssal was similar to Lo, how could they know if it was really Malkin who had created it and placed it in the virtual world? Could someone else be capable of creating an AI like Lo? It was entirely possible. Without evidence there was no way Ray and the others had any chance of exposing anybody, and jumping to conclusions and posing accusations in the real world would just get them booted from the virtual world where they were needed the most. All they could do now was wait and continue as they had been from the start.
But if the Abyssal was hiding, then what exactly was it waiting for? What was it plotting?
Ray nearly walked into the stone door of the dungeon as he was lost in his thoughts. A tap on his shoulder woke him from his reverie and he turned to see Sophie smiling at him but with a look of concern in her eyes. Ray nodded to her appreciatively and to indicate that he was alright. He pushed the stone door open and they were all temporarily blinded by the bright orange of the setting sun.
As their eyes adjusted to the world outside, they froze as five individuals came into focus near the outskirts of the forest at the base of Flint Peak. Two of them were Players who wore white masks with a strange design to one side in black ink. One of the Players had his arms crossed and stood off to the side with his short messy blonde hair blowing in the evening breeze. The second one stood with his hands on his hips unmoving as he observed the Players, monsters, and NPC that exited the dungeon.
Next to the blonde Player stood a monster with a monstrous scythe mounted behind him with a carving of a three-headed dog etched into the metal. His bone-like mask-of-a-face made it impossible to read his expression beneath the hood that covered his head. The ominous black cloak he wore that blew in the breeze gave him an intimidating appearance.
Two monsters flanked either side of the other Player: one wearing a heavy-looking cloak and hood laced with fine gold silk and black cloth, while the other wore a violet coat outlined with thick animal fur. A crazed grin was splayed over the monster's face with the purple coat, and the top half of his head was covered by a wild helmet of similar color with a matching visor that covered his eyes.
For a short time, both sides stood motionless and mute until the masked individual with the two monsters let his arms hang loosely at his sides in a non-threatening posture. He strode forward and the other Player and monsters followed suit until they were merely ten feet from Ray and his companions.
The masked one extended his arms to his sides in a gesture of greeting. "Well met fellow Players. You have put on an impressive display. Normally it takes a full team of Players to complete a dungeon like that at this level. Well done."
The enthusiastic greeting took Ray and the others off guard and they found themselves at a loss for words.
Ray glanced over to Leilan who stood beside him for guidance. He practically choked as he saw the look of plain apprehension on Leilan's face. Her eyes quivered and he could see that her hands were shaking slightly. It wouldn't have been so noticeable if Ray hadn't been focused on her.
Ray followed her eyes and realized she was looking at the hooded figure in black with the bone face. Now that the hooded monster was closer, he could see the yellow eyes underneath with the ink designs. His eyes were also locked on Leilan.
The voice of the masked Player tore him away from the silent exchange. "Ray Andylon I presume?"
Ray turned his attention to the masked Player. "Yes, that would be me. And you are?"
The masked Player bowed. "Ah, of course. Where are my manners? My name is Erenheim." He gestured to the other Player. "And this is my second-in-command, Kaplin."
The Player named Kaplin gave them all a slight, barely discernible nod.
Erenheim gave a soft chuckle. "I'm afraid he isn't much of a conversationalist. But enough of the pleasantries. I'm sure you would like an explanation for why we were waiting for you. I suppose that much is obvious."
"Yeah that would be a start," Yukiko spoke up with a bit of force and impatience.
The masked one named Erenheim seemed to regard her with some appreciation. "You have spirit. You are the no-nonsense type. I like that. Very well. I will oblige."
He typed in his passcode into the database on his wrist and opened a file under one of his custom tabs. The words "Depths Legion" appeared as a hologram in front of him. He waited a few seconds for the name of the guild to sink in.
Ray felt a shiver run down his spine. He had assumed they were the enemy monsters judging from Leilan's reaction, but seeing it for himself was a different story. Two enemy Players stood before them along with three Legion monsters. Ray recognized Hades and Beelzebub as he recalled his time playing the app game on his phone, but the other one was a mystery to him. Perhaps it was a new monster unique to this world.
The only reaction from Yukiko was the narrowing of her eyes. Kurt clenched his fists and glared at the members of the new guild known as Depths Legion.
Erenheim spoke when it became apparent that the members of the Guardians would not humor him. "Normally I would extend an invitation for you all to join Depths Legion, but I believe I already know what your answer is."
"Yeah, pretty much," Kurt said for his friends.
Erenheim shrugged. "A pity all the same. This meeting of ours is only to confirm your stance on the war. I am inclined to believe everything is assumption until proven otherwise. I thank you for your confirmation."
Erenheim waved his hand to his right-hand man Kaplin to indicate their departure. Kaplin nodded his assent and began to make his way back to the forest after giving the other Players and monsters a curt nod. His monster partner, Hades, did not follow immediately.
Erenheim stared at Hades for a moment in puzzlement before saying his farewell. "I bid you all a good day," he said. "Our next meeting will not be on such, well, kind terms. We will meet again as enemies." He turned his attention to Ray specifically. "I look forward to your continued success. You are so very close to having a full team of monsters."
Ray froze. "What are you talking about? It takes five monsters to have a full team."
Erenheim tilted his head in confusion. "Oh? You didn't know? There was a special meeting after we underwent our intrinsic scans in the real world describing some of the finer details of this world."
Ray thought back to his conversation with his friend Keiichi. It was during the time when the equipment for the intrinsic scans malfunctioned and delayed him from attending the meeting.
"Had some trouble with my intrinsic scans," Ray answered. " I got a little held up."
Erenheim laughed. "Oh my! Then you are certainly in for a treat. Well, yes, you are correct about a full team being five monsters in the original game. However, a full team of monsters in this world is only three."
Ray's mouth nearly fell open at this news. Only three monsters? That meant he only needed one more and then...
Ray could feel the smile splayed out on Erenheim's face with his next words, "I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield Ray Andylon." He then added, "I enjoy a challenge."
With those last words he gave them a swift bow and motioned for his monsters to follow him into the forest behind Kaplin.
Ray noticed that Hades had still opted to stay behind for a short time. Hades gave them a once over before turning his attention to Leilan.
"Persephone is still a little sore about your last encounter," he said offhandedly. "She looks forward to a rematch."
Leilan managed to stop her body from trembling and expelled the stutter from her voice, "Tell her the feeling is mutual, but the result will still be the same."
Hades was silent for a time as he interpreted her words. Finally, his body relaxed as he accepted the answer and left without another word.
Ray, Yukiko, Kurt, Leilan, Bastet, Parvati, and Sophie stood at the base of Flint Peak for a short time after the enemy monsters and Players disappeared from sight. An aura seemed to emanate from the Players and monsters of Depths Legion. It was a killing aura. It was a merciless aura.
The mood had been grim before, but now it was deepened by the knowledge of even more ominous events on the horizon. They were events that would escalate to total war.
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Sarkast
In-Game Timer: Day 15
6:00 AM
Ray finished the last of his inventory check as he made his way down the steps outside of his home in Sarkast. It was surprising how he actually considered it as a home. He had only been in the virtual world for a little over two weeks (in-game time of course), but he already felt that he belonged.
He gazed at the new armor attached to his database. Upon their return from Flint Peak, Sophie had insisted that she use some of the ores she harvested to enhance his defenses even further. His pauldrons felt slightly heavier, but it was barely noticeable and would not be cumbersome in battle. Sophie had even mended their shape to fit his shoulders more comfortably.
"You make sure you come visit every once in a while now. Okay? Bring me whatever you find and I'll make you the best in all Pirugan."
Ray smiled as he thought back on Sophie's words as they separated the night before. He was sorry he had ever doubted her. She was a good girl and a fine smith. He made it a note to return.
Leilan and Verche were already set to head out. The discussion with Verche after returning from Flint Peak had made the mood even worse the night previous if that were possible. The news that a massive of army was being built in Dragon Territory signaled that Depths Legion was going to take the war to a whole new level. It indicated that their goal really was complete dominion over the whole Pirugan continent. It was just as Verche and Leilan had feared.
Ray's somber thoughts melted away as he saw Yukiko and Kurt approach with Bastet and Parvati from a short ways down the street. He wasn't alone in this war anymore. Sure, he had Leilan and Verche, and he couldn't ask for better company, but having people from his own world that he could trust mended his sense of insecurity.
Ray and his monster partners met their comrades halfway down the street and they stood silent for a time appreciating each other's company.
"So, are we just going to stand around staring at each other like lovers or are we going to get going?" Bastet said in her typical demeaning tone.
They all merely smiled. All of them.
"We head for the coast then," Verche said. "We must find Plesios and warn him of the army that sits within the borders of his homeland."
"We should also stop in Fluorestris on the way," Yukiko added. "The Grand Hunters have established their main headquarters there. If we join up, we will have access to a vast information network and reliable contacts."
Leilan turned her attention to Parvati and Bastet. "So, what have you both decided?"
Leilan had asked them the night before upon their return to Sarkast what their stance would be in the war. Up until now, they had been content with a neutral stance and to let the Guardian and Legion monsters battle it out. But now, it seemed there would be no sitting on the sidelines for them.
Bastet crossed her arms roughly. "I don't plan on joining you Guardians or whatever. But I won't let these Legion guys start a war. I'm in."
"I am as well," Parvati assented as if the answer was obvious.
"Things are going to get a little crazy," Kurt chimed in as he rested his hands behind his head. "War huh. Well shit."
Ray grinned. Even with their differing personalities they still managed to mesh well as a team. Even Bastet and Yukiko seemed to have warmed up in their company.
"Time to head out."
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Fissure of Blades
In-Game Timer: Day 15
6:00 AM
Hades walked to the side of the group as they made their way to the dangerous Fissure of Blades.
The fissure received its name during the First War back during the times when dragons occupied the country of Flerin that was now home to and ruled by humans. It was said that a great dragon of immeasurable power had created the fissure during the battle and most of the forces on each side fell into its depths. It is called the Fissure of Blades due to all of the weapons of the fallen warriors being consumed by the fissure.
There were now four Players of Depths Legion in the group along with the five other monsters. Among the monsters were Beelzebub, Hades, Lucifer, and two other monsters who were mostly unknown even to Hades.
The first new monster, a rather repulsive looking creature with long gray hair, stiff black wings, and four layers of teeth introduced himself as Senoy. The monster's black armor consisted of dozens of rivets with lines of thin, rounded nodules like veins. The second monster was more reserved and hadn't spoken a word since their meeting. He seemed to keep to himself within the hood of his gold-rimmed, silk cloak.
The group approached the edge of the Fissure of Blades. Their leader, Erenheim, was the first to approach the wooden drawbridge. On the other side was the ruins of what had once been a massive fortress. All that remained was a pair of crumbling stone spires and the skeletons of smaller dwellings that might have been barracks. The rusted chains of the bridge were long unusable and the bridge was now permanently lowered for any traveler to pass through.
Erenheim rapped on the metal of the bridge with his knuckles and a dull echo responded.
"Heh, a bridge of caricthmian metal. Probably back when it was in abundance. Such a waste."
As Ereneheim made his way across the bridge, his Player underlings followed with their monster partners in silence until Beelzebub spoke up.
"So, Leilan is looking as fine as ever."
The other Players and monsters ignored him as they continued on.
"Seriously, a could look at those legs all day. Could just eat off them. Got a nice pair to stare at too. Heh heh."
One of the male Players towards the front of the group turned to Beelzebub in irritation. "Should've known this quiet would be short-lived. Does this guy ever shut up?"
Beelzebub pretended to not hear him. "But they don't compare to Perspehone's. Seriously, I'd like to just take them and put my face-"
Beelzebub was cut short as he was grabbed roughly by the collar of his fur coat. Beelzebub now found himself teetering just off the edge of the bridge that beheld the maw of the fissure with the teeth of blades hidden below. The sudden interruption startled him for a moment, but he grinned as he saw that his comments had touched a nerve with a certain monster.
Beelzebub's eyes met the hateful glare of Hades. Beelzebub could see the quivering anger on Hades' bone-like face as his hand clenched the collar of the coat tighter.
"Oh my. Was it something I said?" Beelzebub jeered. He laughed as the grip on his coat stiffened once again until it began to cut off his air supply.
"Do not include Persephone in your twisted perversions Beelzebub. Bite your tongue if you must. If I ever hear you utter Persephone's name again I will cut out that tongue for you."
Beelzebub laughed hysterically at the rare fury from Hades. "You know Hades, we can't fight each other. There are rules we can't break. Besides, we are stuck working tog-"
Beelzebub halted his reasoning as the blade of Hades' scythe suddenly rested against his throat. He swallowed involuntarily as the sharp blade pressed against the soft flesh of his neck. However, his grin did not waver.
"You and I do not walk the same path," Hades corrected him with venom in his voice. "Our paths merely run parallel. You can be sure that when our business is over, if our paths should ever converge, I will cut you limb for limb, starting with your smallest parts. I will be the first to ever make you scream."
Hades shifted his hand from Beelzebub's collar to his neck and now held him over the pit of the fissure. "The blades below are not subject to the laws of the Creators. Shall we test my theory?"
"Haha! I can't die you fool!"
"Perhaps, but I'm sure it will be painful enough to satisfy me."
Beelzebub's smile finally vanished at this and he found himself scrambling to form words.
He was only saved by the interjection of Erenheim who had been watching off to the side with the other Players and monsters patiently.
"At ease Hades," he said calmly. His speech was not in the form of an order, but was uttered in the tone of a respectful request.
Hades only considered releasing Beelzebub when his Player partner, Kaplin, rested a hand on his shoulder and shook his head slowly. Hades flung Beelzebub onto the edge of the bridge and stepped over his choking form.
Erenheim shook his head in exasperation as Beelzebub rose to his feet massaging his throat. One could see Hades' grip by the growing red spot on his violet skin. He spat out a stream of curses under his breath and shoved past Erenheim to follow the rest of the group.
Erenheim looked to his other monster partner who was still hidden beneath the hood of its cloak.
Erenheim shrugged. "Don't worry. It's only temporary. In due time."
He gestured for the monster to follow. It was a long trip to the capital city, and he wanted to make sure they arrived well before the other Players and monsters that were still making their way from the east of Pirugan.
