"There is no real sense of mourning with this war. We are all submerged in a dense melancholy. If only they could see through the fabricated pasts." - Mal Saf on Aftermath of Great War

Chapter 16- Marked

The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Fluorestris

In-Game Timer: Day 20

4:27 PM

Ray and company stared in wonder at the towering spires that emerged from the grand city of Fluorestris. While Sarkast had taken on more of a dark undertone of stone and steel, Fluorestris assumed a glowing appearance in a wash of bright colors and intricately designed towers. Sarkast was a rough city in contrast to the flourishing beauty that was Fluorestris.

What was most remarkable about the city was the refractions of light that emerged from the rays of the sun. Magic stones, the life essence and one of the most valuable resources in the virtual world, was being put to use to distribute energy throughout the city. The stones had been forged together in long, thick strands that circled many of the towers in a spiral and entered at various sections through the smooth stone walls. Magic stones had been flattened and merged together to create squares that acted much like solar panels.

The city itself was set similar to Sarkast with the outer suburbs circling the inner city. However, no wall separated the districts. The inner city sat atop a massive hill with dozens of large buildings built into its side and propped up with metal supports.

Ray began to wonder how people were able to travel up the steep face of the hill when he noticed an absolutely massive machine-like gondola moving up the side of the hill. Its top was attached to a thin line of merged magic stones that provided it with power. The gondola could easily fit a few hundred individuals. There was plenty of space for horse-drawn carts and pieces of equipment. As one gondola rose another descended for efficiency. They dotted the hill in a number of key locations.

At the top of the hill stood a fortress. Its walls dug into the side of the hill at an angle and then curved upward to make any movement up the side of the walls impossible. Four towers stood equally apart in a square formation with lines of netted magic stones reaching toward a central structure with another wall and heavy defenses.

The city was, in a word, breathtaking.

"I'd say this city could rival one in our own world," Kurt said in awe. Then he corrected himself, "But its setup is superior to any I've heard of."

No one had anything more to add to the statement. It really was a wonder of architecture. They had thought Sarkast was impressive, but this city was a work of art.

The gates of the city now stood before them, imposing and carefully etched with the orb elements that the Players and monsters were familiar with. There were even orbs that were foreign to them; attributes that had once existed in the past with names and qualities long since forgotten. It showed that perhaps the city was older than expected but constantly improved upon over the years.

A line of guards wearing glorious rose-gold armor with silver edging stood at attention with their lances at the ready, all angled in perfect harmony. Eight guards standing at the gates donning armor with elaborate pauldrons and wrist guards examined carts and analyzed permits if contents seemed questionable.

As the three Players with their monster partners approached, they noticed a group of individuals off to the side wearing light armor with matching swords sheathed to their waists. Some of them were covered in thick, white and gray robes with hoods lowered, concealing their intense expressions. They marched forward unfazed by the guards who now leveled their lances to chest height.

One of the guards in refined armor returned a permit he was analyzing to a merchant and ordered his other men to continue carrying out their business. He held an outstretched hand to the men wielding lances and they began to relax themselves with the poles of their weapons lightly brushing the dirt.

The two sides halted a few yards from each other with the sole guard standing before the group with hate growing on their faces.

"You are not welcome here," the guard said, his voice muffled by the helmet that encompassed his head and masked his features. The thin visor over his eyes and the fine marks to the sides gave him the intimidating appearance of some otherworldly machine rather than a human.

One of the robed males stepped forward unfazed. "We are the loyal servants of Lo! Unlike you heretic filth! You will anger Lo by defying the words and safety of her children!"

More furious shouts rose from the crowd behind him, extending praise to the Lady Overlook and expressing their fanatical devotion to her will.

"In Fluorestris, freedom of speech is a privilege," the guard said ignoring their yells of deference and fury. "You forfeited this freedom as well as admittance when you caused harm to the royal line. Begone with you, or I shall have the sleeping lances of my men awaken."

At these words the guards lining the wall once again readied their weapons and balanced their heals on the edge of the wall that met the ground. They cocked their elbows together in unison. Their synchronization was frightening.

Many of the Lo worshipers took a hesitant step back, save for a few of the robed men, including the one who had spoken.

"You are fools! The will of Lady Lo is the true way! The Creators have been given a false power by her decree! We are failing her test of resolve!" The cultist noticed Ray and the others and turned in their direction with the extension of his hand. "Look and see the test that she has sent us! These Players are sent by the Creators to sow the seeds of chaos. We must return power back to our one true savior, Lady Lo!"

Ray and the others glanced around warily as they noticed some people to the side who were nodding their agreement to the cultist's line of thinking; however, to Ray's relief, it seemed the majority shook their heads with disapproval.

The guard spoke again with the threatening tone in his voice swelling, "Leave now or I will not hesitate to give the order. You are no longer citizens of Fluorestris. We now have every right to cut you down where you stand." He lifted his hand once again with all fingers spread wide. One finger curled towards his palm, followed by another, as he began the countdown. The silence that settled outside the wall was stifling.

"You wouldn't dare!" the cultist shouted. Everyone could sense the tinge of fear in his voice despite the words.

When the guard didn't answer and continued his countdown the cultist followers began to back up towards the direction they had come. A few of them had to step forward to pull back the cultist leader and they retreated towards the hills that lay westward. For now, at least, it seemed the defenders of the city had won.

The guard relaxed himself and his lancers followed suit. Only the slight turn of his head indicated that he was looking at the new arrivals: the group of Players and monsters. He approached them in a nonthreatening manner and gave them a curt bow with the fingers of his right hand brushing the pommel of the sword at his hip.

"Apologies," he said. "I am afraid you have seen a rather bitter part of Fluorestris."

"I'm sure every city has that sort of people," Kurt said. He didn't even realize that he had held his breath most of the time during the exchange. Speaking came as a relief.

"Granted," the guard responded. He looked each one of them over carefully before continuing. "Are all of you new to the city?" he noted.

"Some of us," Leilan answered for the group. "I have visited here a few times."

"A Guardian monster," the guard observed. "I see."

Yukiko was still staring off in the direction where the cultists had disappeared. "So what do they call themselves?"

"Loetions," the guard said with distaste. "A fanatical and rather violent religious group with an unhealthy obsession of the Lady Overlook."

"You said they attacked royalty," Yukiko pressed further.

The guard didn't seem to have any reason to hide information from them concerning the event. "Indeed. It was an assassination attempt on the life of the princess. The attack was easily foiled by the royal guard." The soldier added emphasis to this last statement with a hint of pride for his men.

Before they could ask anymore questions the guard halted the conversation. "Unfortunately, I must return to my post. We are being overwhelmed these days. You are in no need of permits being Players with monster partners." His last words were less enthused at the idea though. It seemed reasonable that he was hesitant to let Players and monsters into the city just because of their titles. But it was one of the few requests of the Creators in the real world, and the denizens of the virtual world saw little choice other than to abide by them.

The guard returned to his post and clapped one of the lancers on the shoulder as he went down the line.

The Players and monsters entered the city with no further hindrance.

The roads of the city seemed as if they had been finely polished, and the stone gave off a smooth appearance like ice bespeckled with salt. The buildings that had been hidden by the wall varied in taste with some built like sculptures and others constructed of carefully scraped lumber fitted by some unknown plaster. Such a mixture of structures should have seemed out of place, but it somehow fit, and they even managed to compliment each other in an off way.

After a few minutes they had reached a bend in the road that opened up into a vast park. The sidewalk traveled through the lush green grass and winded around cherry blossom trees with branches full of pink and white splendor. The trees dotted the park like low-hovering clouds. A clear pond sat slightly off-center of the park with people sitting in rowboats and floating docks.

"It's beautiful."

Ray turned to regard Yukiko who had a cheerful expression on her face as she stared mesmerized. A full smile was on her face and her eyes gave off an enthusiastic glow. It was a pleasantness that Ray had not expected to see from her. As of late she seemed to be coming more and more out of herself to reveal another part of her person.

She sensed Ray staring at her and made a hasty turn of her head when they locked eyes for a fraction of a second. Ray also found himself shifting a bit to the side and pretended to observe something in the distance.

The awkwardness was pushed aside as Kurt pointed to a building that was akin to a fortress mounted a short ways past the park. A number of banners swayed in the soft breeze with dual bows and crossbows displayed with attribute orbs encircling them.

"I think we've found the Grand Hunters."

Bastet rushed down the hill with her arms spread behind her in a full-on sprint. The others glanced at each other for a second until Leilan moved to follow. They all dashed through the grass with the goal already in mind. In no time the companions were in an unspoken race to the finish line.


The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Teril Outskirts

In-Game Timer: Day 20

4:27 PM

Siegfried lowered himself into an army crawl and dragged his heavily armored body forward to the edge of the cliff so he could get a better view of the massive group of dark mystic knights that marched in the canyon below towards Dragon territory. This was the biggest contingent he had seen so far and he felt an itch in his fingers that prodded him with worry. He instinctively reached for the imposing sword on his back but stopped himself when he realized he would not actually be engaging in combat with the mass of black figures below.

He heard Cu Chulain speak from behind him, "Is it that bad?" Chulain could see the twitching of Siegfried's fingers even from his position far to the side. They had been together for so long that it was easy to read the mood of the other.

Siegfried's silence was answer enough.

"There is nothing more we can do," Cu Chulain reasoned. "Until Verche reaches Plesios we can only gauge the enemy's numbers."

Siegfried knew Cu Chulain was right, but it was frustrating all the same. He was bred as a warrior, not a scout.

"There are demons wandering the area," Cu Chulain pressed.

That was all Siegfried needed to hear. He now had an outlet to vent his frustration. He stood up from his prone position and drew his sword.

"Then let's teach them a lesson."


It wasn't hard to locate the demons. They took no care in their steps and their movements were easily picked out by the rustling of the foliage and the trampling of the undergrowth. The demons stood in a clearing at the edge of the forest and wandered near a short cliff that overlooked the small trade town of Teril. Most of the demons practically jumped and fell back startled when the two armored warriors emerged from the forest.

Siegfried led the way with his cerulean armor taking on a greenish hue from the dense light of the setting sun. The blade of his massive sword rested on one of his shoulders and he stood before the demons in a casual stance.

Cu Chulain trailed behind in his dark green armor with his lance/halberd resting across his shoulders. He stepped forward at ease.

The demons drew their weapons: pitch forks, tridents, and spears.

Siegfried and Cu Chulain noted the attributes of these demons. They were dark, fire, and water. So it was true. The demons of various attributes and clans were now fighting together.

Good, Siegfried thought.

Siegfried halted his approach a few yards away from the weapons that prodded the air with a poor attempt at intimidation. It amused Siegfried.

"So what might you demons be doing here so close to Teril?" Siegfried asked as he readied his weapon.

The demons didn't answer as they took another step back towards the cliff. All it took was Siegfried's nonchalant attitude to place them on their heels. There wasn't much ground left between them and the cliff.

Cu Chulain motioned for Siegfried to lend an ear and whispered, "We are being watched."

Siegfried was undeterred. "More demons?"

"No. Stronger. This enemy hides presence well."

"Then let's make short work of these demons."

With that last statement Siegfried rushed forward with his massive broadsword leading and cut through one of the startled demons. The force of Siegfried's sword whipping around in an arc sent the other demons sliding along the ground. Many fell on their backs with others losing the grips on their weapons.

Cu Chulain took advantage of Siegfried's attack to mount his own. His spear-halberd impaled the nearest demon through the back and he swung the demon's body into another nearby and sent the second demon screaming down the cliff. One of the few brave demons of the group moved in on Cu Chulain with its spear raised high above its head with all thoughts of defense removed. Chulain drove his weapon through the foolish demon's chest and used its body against another demon much the same as the last one. He leaped upon the demon that collided with its ally's body and slashed along its chest, leaving a horrid gash that reached from shoulder to thigh.

Siegfried was still in the midst of his drawn-out, powerful attacks that shook the cliff and disturbed the air around him. The sheer force of Siegfried's swings left the demons on their rears and knees with weapons spread outward. The enemy didn't stand a chance with all of their defenses exposed from the sheer ferocity of the devastating weapon. The demons fell, bodies falling within seconds of each other until none remained.

Siegfried turned to Cu Chulain to see his progress and saw that the knight was finishing off his last enemy. The green knight pulled his weapon from the corpse and strode to Siegfried so they could assess the situation together.

Cu Chulain felt his body lift ever so slightly off the ground and his shoulders rise. At first he attributed this to a slight chill until his warrior instinct kicked in with a sharp warning to his senses.

"Move!"

Siegfried obeyed the warning without hesitation and pushed himself back towards the cliff as Cu Chulain dove to the side, barely avoiding a pillar of purple, pulsing energy that ate into the rock where he previously stood. He swatted aside the debris that blocked his vision. Then he saw the black spike that extended in his direction. He brought his pole weapon up just in time to deflect the sharp projectile. He fell into a backwards roll, pushed up with his flexed shoulder blades, and landed on his feet to deflect yet another spike that anticipated his maneuver. The spike glanced off the pole of his weapon and cut across the side of his helmet instead of striking head-on.

Cu Chulain now saw that Siegfried had been in a similar situation as a spike was halted by the flat of his blade. The knight in cerulean armor stretched his arms to recover from the heavy impact of the rigid missile.

Their attention was then seized by the female monster that stood between them.

She rose from her crouch and stood tall with a hand on her hip. She clenched her fist and the black circle of caricthmian metal that floated behind her assumed its true shape as more spear blades grew on the outer rim of the metal. A malicious smile was splayed over her beautiful face as she examined the two knights on either side of her.

Siegfried and Cu Chulain knew her all too well.

The female conjured a sphere of dark energy and twirled a stream of blackness over her other hand as she prepared a second sphere.

"As sharp as ever. Well met Siegfried. Cu Chulain," Hera said.


The Virtual World

Pirugan Continent, Flint Peak

In-Game Timer: Day 20

4:27 PM

The Dragon of Prospects, Prophet, stood motionless in the Tomb of the Saints much like he had for most of the life he had been given. He was alone, save for the particles of data that ventured through the cavern with the rare death of a dragon to keep company.

The Players that had visited him some time ago still weighed on his mind. He had reached out with his mind to Ray Andylon for a short time as the Players and monsters had departed, analyzing his coding and discarding options that had seemed impossible at the time.

Now he was not so sure. Perhaps one of these possibilities that he had so readily filed away in his subconscious was actually the conclusion. This meant that all previous hypothesi were useless. Never had he felt so foolish, and now Ray Andylon and his comrades were far out of reach to the west.

It was Prophet's own curiosity that needed to be sated. There was no rush. The Players needed to get stronger. The Age of Monsters was merely in its infant stages. The time would come when the Players entered a role that would determine the course of battle.

Prophet halted his thought processes as a figure crossed the threshold of the cavern entrance. The invisible barrier he had erected sent him a warning signal. He muffled it once he recognized the approaching monster.

The female monster emerged with the clank of her fanged, iron feet echoing off the walls of the dungeon. Her violet hair flowed to her waist and brushed against the ruby-gold of her armor. Her eyes varied in color, one red and one bright yellow, scanning the tomb attentively.

Prophet could smell the faint trace of dragon blood flowing from a wound on her thigh that was already showing signs of healing as the skin stitched itself together and staunched the bleeding.

Prophet greeted her. "Well met, Sonia."

The Marvelous Red Dragon Caller, Sonia, crossed one ruby-scaled arm over her chest and let the other fall stiff to her side. "You summoned me Dragon of Prospects," she said in her cool voice.

"I am surprised the Dragon Callers saw fit to send you here."

"I volunteered."

Prophet went silent for a time as he considered this. Volunteered. It was unnatural.

"What do you request of us?"

"I wish for you to carry a message for me."

Sonia frowned at the simplicity of the request. "And who is the receiver?"

"It is a Player."

The lowering of her arm was the only indication of surprise that Sonia betrayed along with the ever-so slight twitch of the mouth. Dragon Callers were more than willing to assist their dragon comrades, but Prophet now wondered if she was considering whether this task was beneath her since it involved a Player.

"Whenever time is of convenience, I wish for you to inform him that I would like to converse with him when the time is appropriate. We have much to discuss."

"He is merely a human," Sonia said. "Players on their own are weak."

"For now at least," Prophet interjected.

Sonia remained silent.

"I was unable to decipher him. I believe since he was a Player I made a lapse of judgment and removed a possibility as to the nature of his coding."

Sonia did not even try to hide her surprise this time. She lifted her head and locked eyes with Prophet. Prophet knew she could see the foreign emotions that were playing behind his eyes. It was a mix of curiosity and a human feeling of disappointment at his shortcoming.

"What's this Player's name?"