overlord SI

by vamer

ok

1. 1

Gaming on a Whole New Level
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/21996361.
Rating:
Mature
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Category:
Gen
Fandom:
Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Relationship:
Reader/Everyone
Characters:
Reader, Original Characters, Sebas Tian (Overlord - Maruyama Kugane), Hamsuke (Overlord - Maruyama Kugane), Sunlight Scripture (Overlord - Maruyama Kugane), Ainz Ooal Gown Momonga, Narberal Gamma
Additional Tags:
New World (Overlord - Maruyama Kugane), Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Video Game Mechanics, Role-Playing Game, Reader-Interactive, Interactive Fiction, Violence, Rags to Riches, Self-Discovery, Self-Insert, Self-Reflection, World Travel, Blood and Gore, Choose Your Own Adventure, Light Novel, Chance Based, Success Rolls, Dice Friendly, Reader-Insert
Language:
English
Collections:
Sleep Thieves, 336 Hours: A Comprehensive and Preeminent Reader-Insert Collection
Stats:
Published: 2020-02-01 Updated: 2022-11-19 Words: 1,005,632 Chapters: 193/?
Gaming on a Whole New Level
by Tradestar
Summary
For several years, Yggdrasil has served as a career and battlefield for a secret boss played personally by the developer of the RPG, you. Now, with the game shutting down permanently, you log in one last time to reminisce and watch the servers shut down...or at least...that's what you expected...
Currently going through major revisions!
- Temporarily on hiatus -
START GAME
Chapter Summary
Your game, Yggdrasil, is ending and you decide how to spend your remaining time.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here, and welcome to...
I'm excited to share my fic with you all, as I'm a big fan of Overlord and RPGs. There's just not enough choice driven games out there! Too far driven and inbetween! That is why I've taken it upon myself to make a FULLY INTERACTIVE STORY. You have full control of your story more or less. It's NOT a voting system. I've taken it upon myself to make a MULTI-BRANCH STORYLINE that you can control!
Since this is an interactive story that will have branching paths, I advise you to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to choose from! When a chapter ends, you'll be left with choices to make. The options at the conclusion will be links that'll lead to a path of your choice! Some will be chance based to implement dnd aspects (such as rolling dice) but most will be solely in your power to make. You choose your destiny, have fun with your new power!
Please, read de end notes for important info!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
In the year 2138, there exists something called a âœDMMO-RPG.â
This stands for âœDive Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.â While connected via an intracranial nano-computer network called a âœneuro-nano interface,â which combines the best of cyber- and nanotechnology, players experience physical sensations as if they were really inhabiting an imaginary world.
In other words, you play as if youâre actually in the world of the game.
And among all the various DMMO-RPGs that had been developed, one stood above the rest:
It had been released twelve years earlier, in 2126, by a Japanese developer who had been waiting for just the right moment.
Compared to other DMMO-RPGs at the time, Yggdrasil gave players an incredible amount of freedom.
For example, consider the class system, a fundamental element of character customization. Counting the advanced classes as well as the base ones, there were well over two thousand. Since each class had only fifteen levels, players could have seven or more classes by the time they hit the overall level cap of 100. As long as they met the basic requirements, they could dabble as they pleased. Though it would be inefficient, a player could acquire one hundred classes at level 1 if they wanted to. In other words, the system was such that, unless they were deliberately created that way, no two characters would ever be the same.
Then, by using the creatorâs tool kit-sold separately- players could edit the appearance of their weapons and armor, as well as the advanced settings of their in-game residences.
The environment awaiting players who ventured into this world was enormous. In fact, there were nine worlds: Asgard, Alfhiem, Vsnaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.
A vast world, a staggering number of classes, and graphics that could be tweaked to oneâs heartâs content-it was precisely the amount of customization that poured nitroglycerin onto the Japanese creative spirit and led to the gameâs explosive popularity. It got to the point wherein Japan the word DMMO-RPG was practically synonymous with Yggdrasil.
But that was all in the past nowâ
â—
A wide white stage of the Gothic arena reflected that of the shifting pigments of the sky of which it floated in. The tiles that make up the floor are so reflective that it could be mistaken for a chunk of the sky as anyone could clearly see the space like clouds passing above off the surface.
At the center lays a humanoid figure lying on their back in a starfish position.
They are far from human though.
They have arms and legs like such with five digits and nails on each extension but other than that there isnât much more of their form that is similar to the humanoid races the game holds...or will soon have held.
Their body is bare and blank of all gender aspects most other races do hold. Genitalia and mammary papilla are completely missing while the rest of their form remains on the fine line between masculine and feminine. Not only is their torso bare but their head as well. Itâs blank of all features a face normally holds. Eyes, nose, mouth, and ears all absent; their scalp is no exception as it remains bald.
Their skin may be composed of ones with warm blood but the colors and shapes thatâd shift across it are similar to the mannerisms of a chameleon.
This is mainly due to the fact that you programmed your avatar to express your emotions clearer. It's simpler this way since facial recognition was simply impossible with the time, programming, materials, and cash thatâd burn. It was simpler to just have emotes in the game. This quirk you added to your avatarâs features also acts as a complement to some of your race levels as well as the mannerisms youâd expect from a faceless grotesque; so from the time on since you came up with the idea, you have always seen it as an act of brilliance on your part.
Though, now, it doesnât seem to matter as much.
Youâve been there, in the middle of what had been the downfall of many hardcore players and guilds, for what seemed like hours when in reality it had only been thirty minutes since you had logged onâ
...to the most successful and heartfelt game youâve ever produced, Yggdrasil.
How twelve years seem to just fly by, especially since it was solely focused on your creation.
To be honest, it was like living in a dream. What was it?... Oh, yeah, do what you love and youâll never work a day in your life? How true that is.
Ever since you first released the demo, the beta version, out on engine, your life has changed forever. You had never expected Yggdrasil to blow up the way it did.
In fact, you had only got the idea from a drunken dnd campaign.
A friend of yours was not only a sparky and annoying cleric throughout the entire campaign but is a hardcore gamer and had always given you rundowns of their favorite games since they knew you were a programmer. One night, when your entire group was online together nursing on various alcoholic beverages and about to get your butts handed to you by a spider witch, your friend had mentioned how cool it would be if you created a game that has as much freedom and diversity as dnd as well as great graphics to accompany quests, stories, battles, and much more. With all the drunken support from all the other players and the liquid courage running through your system, your had readily sworn to create a game even better than what they were asking for and then charged straight into the witchâs din only for it to end up as a team TKO.
Thankfully, your luck was more so with your game development than witch slaying.
Your avatarâs skin shifts to a series of light pinks and yellows as you giggle at the thought, mindlessly selecting a cheerful emote out of habit when interating with players.
You lived up to your word and created the game Yggdrasil.
Since then, youâve been swamped with attending conventions, assisting other games in development, and giving pep talks in front of thousands publiclly and millions digitally. Every day was a vacation for you.
Gaming became a part of your entire life.
But you also wanted to be a part of the game. You could have just played the game like every other player but you wanted to be an obstacle yourself for true players to overcome.
Games only have so many missions they can dish out, so many items that can be collected, and so many bosses to beat. You wanted to keep your players attention.
And what better way than to create an unpredictable final boss personally controlled by the creator of the game?
So seven years ago, you released the avatar that youâd personally play as. You named this final boss SÅsaku-sha. A simple name, yes, but it was straight forward enough for all players to understand.
This gave Yggdrasil a whole new dynamic in popularity for your avatar became known for its difficulty.
For one, youâd only log in and play as SÅsaku-sha whenever you pleased. This meant that players couldnât be prepared and camp out at your spawn point because you joined the server at random. Since this was the case, you had it programmed so that a mass notification would occur so that any time you logged in itâd be sent out to all the world tree's branch system, Creator Relics, monuments hinting to your avatar, and so on.
Your spawn point was a challenge in itself to get to. For one, to even access SÅsaku-shaâs realm, normally located on the edge of the nine worlds, players/guilds would have to collect nine super tier magic level items that each had their particular status effects. They were all shards, puzzle pieces to one important totem.
Each item was hidden at random, separate from one another, in each of the nine worlds. These super tier items could not be bought as cash shop items and wouldnât spawn again once found. This meant that there were only nine of the super tier magic items in the game of Yggdrasil at all times. This also meant that guilds would fight tooth and nail for the items if found in othersâ possessions because there would be no other way to retrieve all nine.
Once a player/guild was able to retrieve an item, enemy NPCs would suddenly have a twenty percent increase in hostility toward all players connected to whichever item theyâve obtained and will target them until they can steal it. Every time a player/guild retrieves another item the hostility, numbers, and strength of all enemy NPCs will increase by five percent.
If they collected all super tier magical items then theyâd fuse together to form into the single totem, shaped like SÅsaku-sha standing with their head bowed to rest their chin on their clasped hands, called the Faceless Key. The super tier item grants the holder all the status affects the nine separate pieces once held into one and will remain active until itâs no longer in the playerâs inventory. Once Faceless Key is formed, a mass notification would be sent out to all players that the totem is active and will show the exact coordinates in which it was formed and every enemy NPC active in the world the totem is in will do everything in their power to steal it. Faceless Key will also summon a rune with an empty acropodium at the center, called the Bridge of Creation, that only the player holding Faceless Key would be able to see on their map and if placed upon the pedestal it would act as a key to unlocking SÅsaku-shaâs secret realm.
Once your realm is unlocked the totem would shatter and randomly re-spawn around the nine worlds for players to find again. The realm would remain open for the player/guild that unlocked it for an entire year and then would lock them out and disappear after that allotted time is out. That gives them time to prepare and venture beyond the Bridge of Creation. The realm also locks out the player/guild if you defeat them three times. If they want to re-challenge you then theyâd have to hunt down the nine super tier magical items once again.
But the difficulty didnât end there.
SÅsaku-shaâs entire realm is protected by a bizarre environment, called Seiun, and NPCs that were unseen throughout the rest of Yggdrasil, called Kaonashis.
Players often nicknamed them instead. The popular ones being Cosmic Horrors, Hell Spawn, EW, da fuck is that, Terror Fetus' and so on.
Seiun, the space like gaseous storm that surrounds the Citadel, a sky arena which acts as SÅsaku-shaâs palace, was also renamed by players to the death cloud. While in the environment, spells will act high-wire and often times malfunction. Without any buffs, items, spells, or armor that protects against some type of environmental status damage, it was impossible to pass through. The Kaonashis, that were programmed to spawn and protect the hidden realm, are monstrous creatures and amalgamations, all level eighty. They swarm every crevice of Seiun or the Death Cloud and have randomly generated elemental and racial stats. This only allowed the strongest and adaptive players to pass through.
If any players did make it past all the threats that surround the Citadel then theyâd finally face you unless they chose to raid the palace underneath the arena. No one was ever able to make it past the second floor down into the palace.
Your avatarâs skin visibly loses some of its saturation at your disappointment and emote.
Saying youâre hard to beat is an extreme understatement.
Yggdrasil ranks levels from zero to one hundred. All players are limited by the point system and can only gain so many skills and stats before they max out. Unlike them, youâre on a level of your own.
You have higher level HP, MP, physical attack, physical defense, dexterity, magic attack, magic defense, total resistance, and specials than all other players because your max level doesnât stop at one hundred. You're avatar is still technically level one hundred in power scale but the classes and perks exceed that of what normal players can obtain. SÅsaku-sha has no weaknesses to any elemental stats nor has strength over any of them. Your avatar was programed this way so that it could have a fighting chance to stand against raids of mlgs and top elite guilds. Your avatar is your own army. If it werenât, you wouldn't have been much of a challenge to players. It was also programmed like this because your avatar represented the entity that created Yggdrasil, hence its name, so it had to be abnormally powerful.
Though, you still wanted your avatar beatable so you set phases youâd manually switch in between. Players would have no visual or audio indication of when youâd swap except how your health bar and magic points are affected so theyâd have to remain attentive in those areas unless they wanted to waste valuable items and attacks to end up killed. You had only two phases.
One completely focused on defense and became known as "shielded" by players. In this state, you wouldnât be able to cast any spells or use magic but youâre completely immune to all attacks. This gives you time for your perks to raise your MP and HP levels. You would still be able to use physical attacks and limited skills but nothing else. It was a way for your avatar to regain some strength and to give both you and your opponents time to somewhat heal and mentally rest before you swapped back to your second phase. Shielded has a set time limit it can stay active, being five minutes. You can deactivate it at anytime before then but the cooldown for its use was still another five minutes until you can activate it again.
The second focused mostly on offense which became known as "open" by players. In this state, you could use a wide variety of magic for whatever purpose you desired but your defense wasnât impenetrable like the other phase. You have high defenses but over time, players would chip away at your HP which your racial skills would keep replenishing until you were completely healed or run out of it.
Youâd keep switching in between the two to give players a run for their money. But you also had a single move that SÅsaku-sha became most infamous for and the bane of all players.
Eye of Providence.
It is a move that is unique to your avatar. SÅsaku-sha, when you willed it, would open a vertical eye that takes up its entire face which appears to be a bright white light. Players would have a warning as it takes five seconds at least to prepare and it appears as a thin white line across SÅsaku-sha's face. You can prepare it and hold it at trigger ready as you pleased but after thirty seconds you'd receive random disabilities that would continue to add up every thirty seconds until you open the eye. Any player caught in your gaze would automatically die and their HP and MP would be absorbed into your own. You only try to keep it open for a max of five seconds though; summoning it costs half of your remaining HP and after five seconds of you using the eye it depletes half of your remaining HP every second that passes. Youâd use the Eye of Providence at least once every time you fought. Your physical and magical defense/offense, speed, and accuracy also drops down fifty percent during the time you have your eye open and five seconds afterward before returning to their normal stats. Any skills or spells you'd use during and five seconds after are also cut in half on effectiveness. Among that, you can only summon it when you're "open". Any player who'd survive after Eye of Providence would often times jump you.
If they were able to defeat you there were two possible endings.
You would then plead with the player(s) to spare you and if they do theyâd receive a grand reward. If they accept, not only do they receive an in-game pure trophy that is a world tier level item good for one use, each player that fought you and won would have their gamer tags put out on display for everyone to see, and theyâd receive a real-life replica of the said trophy in the mail. A seven-day period of prosperity would also wash over the nine worlds that give all players various benefits. But if they kill you, then theyâd receive the same prizes yet the trophy in both the game and mail will be dark and corrupted. In addition, throughout the nine worlds, there will be spurts of bad weather, poverty, famine, higher-level enemy NPCs will spawn, and more following a week after. Your avatar remains slain until the week is over and then you can log in, resurrect, and re-spawn in the center of the Citadel's arena. After the player(s) receive the world item they would have a month to raid the Citadel before they'd be teleported safely back to the Bridge of Creation they entered from and the rune would disappear along with your realm.
These two endings prompted players to challenge you time and time again to receive one or both of the two endings...only to fail.
Out of the seven years you played as SÅsaku-sha, you alone had been beaten a mere five times.
You giggle again in your lonely arena because only one out of those five defeats were you actually spared. Players would get so riled up when theyâd fight you so when theyâd finally beat you they wouldnât spare you the ear to listen to your final plea. Ha! It was hilariousâ
Murky blue flowed over the flowery colors of your cheer as your mind travels back to the end of it all. You take notice of the ticking clock at the top right of your screen.
23:50:32, 33, 34...
Less than ten minutes until midnight when your game will shut down for good.
You didnât really want to shut the game down but over the years, players started to dwindle. Those who got burned out sought out other games to indulge in and such a complex DMMO-RPG costs a lot of money to keep up for so little players it contains now. Plus the hand of the developing corp you had partnerd with won't support your game anymore after today, quoting that "while Yggdrasil was a monument to games of the time, it's now an old relic not worth the crypto to keep running..."
That's putting what they really said kindly... Theyâre all just a bunch of users... Corporate assholes...
You donât plan on letting Yggdrasil fade into the dark of history, though.
Youâve already made plans for a very similar and updated version of the closing game to be produced. In fact, it may just be a Yggdrasil 2.
Still, you canât help but feel...lost? No, well, maybe, but...troubled, yes.
It kind of feels like throwing away a prized childhood toy because it has grown mold. You have sentimental attachments to the game and the grand diversity it was able to produce but you...understand why you can't hold onto it forever.
23:51:42, 43, 44â
A little over eight minutes leftâ
You had the mods put most enemy NPCs on peaceful mode for this last week. Theyâd certainly attack if provoked but you wanted to give players a chance to absorb the remaining sights of Yggdrasil-
-an idea pops into your head.
Normally youâd stay in the Citadel and wait for players to come and challenge you but you know for a fact that none of the present players have your realm unlocked and with so little time left no player is going to be able to reach the sky arena in time.
You have a chance to leave and really watch the Yggdrasil end with a sunset. You know the best spot to watch it too.
Yet another idea pops in your head.
You can remain in character and act as SÅsaku-sha in this chaotic realm of yours. You never really traverse the palace below the arena unless it was to build or adjust. The only others times you'd descend to the floors below was to peer through the Mirror of Remote Viewing you have in your possession and watch players throughout the game so, if you pleased, you could summon enemies for them to defeat or assist them where theyâre struggling. You can take the time to admire all the items and architecture all other players were never able to with the little time you have left.
You have a choice to make. You canât be in two places at once.
How will you use your remaining time?
I want to enjoy the sights of Yggdrasil one last time.
I want to act as a true ruler and remain at the Citadel until the very end.
Chapter End Notes
Are ya excited as I am to start this journey?! It'll be a LOT of work on my part but I think it'll be worth it! Get ready to set off because your choices here will decide the theme of your entire story! Some things to add before I end it here:
This is a fanfic! It is based off of Kugane Maruyama's amazing work, OVERLORD. I do not own any rights to it! I am just an advid fan wanting to share a similar adventure to that of Ainz's experience. I'm making no profit off of this work. I'm giving my time freely to produce GOAWNL!
This is a Mature rated fic. There will be content and images listed within that aren't suitable to everyone. I'm not jokin', it will get graphic. However, I will put warnings on the beginnings of those chapters so you'll know what lies within.
Secondly, to make it easier for you to track your route, there will be a timeline chain at the top of the End Notes of every chapter to show you your current progress. And, as said before on the top notes, there will be links in both note sections which will bring you back to a certain point. RESET brings you back to the very start of the story (Chapter 1), RELOAD brings you back to the start of a route (like a save point), and PREVIOUS brings you back a chapter. This is all to make navigating sections simpler for yall.
For this experience to be more immersive, Iâd suggest being honest in your answers and stick to what you select the first time around rather than going back for a better outcome. This includes the success rolls with the dice (select the number you get rather than the roll you wanted). Sometimes, even if you succeed in your roll, it doesnât mean itâll be the best outcome for you! This doesn't mean you can't go back later or have to listen to me now, but this is what I find helps makes the story more real.
Additionally, since this is choice based, your actions will affect SÅ's actions in the future. What you choose now in the early stages of your journey will mold SÅ into your ideal avatar, essentially making them more likely to repeat similar actions in the future.
If you have opinions on how I can improve the choice system or the story overall, don't be put off on telling me. I'm chill and willin' ta give ya 'n ear. You're the audience and I want to find the most enjoyable experience for you and me. Plus, it'll improve my writing skills for future updates. A win-win, I'd say! This goes for questions you have about the story too. Feel free to ask!
Don't forget to leave a KudoðŸ'– if you enjoy this work! It not only lets me know you want more content (comments also help), but it lets other readers know how much you enjoy GOAWNL! You can also follow me on Tumblr, DeviantArt, Twitter, and Reddit where I post schedule updates on which chapters are next, artwork, and other content. If you'd like to support me and have insight into this and other projects I'm working on, become a âStar member on my !
Finally, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
カオナシ (Kaonashi): Faceless, No-face
LOST ROUTE 1:1
Chapter Summary
You chose to enjoy the sights of Yggdrasil one last time before your game, Yggdrasil, shuts down for good.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite series to write. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I will!
Takes you to the first chapter of the series â†' RESET
Takes you to the start of your current route (here) â†' RELOAD
Takes you to the previous chapter you selected â†' PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
It wasnât a very hard choice to make.
Where you currently live itâs difficult to see sunsets on good days with all the buildings and polution in the way. When you get the chance to indulge in the splendor sunsets are, you fully do.
Besides, you never have left your realm as your avatar before.
Under your command, SÅsaku-shaâs form shifts as they begin to float, another perk of their race. Unfortunately, you canât use Gate, a very reliable teleportation spell that could cover any distance and had a failure rate of 0 percent, anywhere within your realm. The realm had been made to block out any major teleportation magic within so that players couldnât skip the Seiun and appear in the Citadel ready to fight.
This meant that you had to exit your realm by flying through the deadly cosmic fog that surrounded the Citadel.
It is no threat to you though.
It was programmed with the sole purpose to protect you and the Citadel from any danger so it would be going against its code if it harmed you.
With that last thought, you rise farther and farther from the surface of the arena until you pass the pinnacles that tower high over the shiny white dome walls covered with buttresses and elegant outcroppings.
The Seiun surrounds the Citadel like a shell but leaves enough empty space for players to truly admire the palace at the core of the storm and enough time to escape any Kaonashis that may have been pursuing them. The colors that shift throughout the stardust mimics your avatarâs skin as if it is an extension of you. At present, due to the series of emotes you had been shooting off, it's a culmination of pastel blues, pinks, and yellows which make it appear like sparkly cotton candy.
It would be an appetizing sight if not for the Kaonashis that emerge every now and again from the confines of the Seiun like maggots. Some actually appear as such as well as mutants of moles, anglerfish, eels, jellyfish, worms, bats, and more. Others took on a more fantasy form like leviathans, basilisks, penanggalans, hydras, lovecraftian horrors, and other world-ending monstrosities.
You canât tell whether or not itâs a good thing theyâre limited to the territory of the Seiun.
The only way players can escape the faceless NPCâs other than killing them, of course, is if the players make it out of the Seiun. If Kaonashis stay too long outside the Seiun they die by shattering into the star-like particles that make up the space like storm.
The colors of the Seiun become more saturated in hue at your change of emote but you didnât have time to waste. The system clock displays the current time.
23:54:16, 17, 18â
With almost five minutes remaining you shoot through the air like a missile, closing the distance between the Seiun and you but leaving the Citadel far behind.
You turn your head over your shoulder and watch as the sky fortress shrinks in size. Youâll never see it again in the game. You had made so many memories there. The NPCâs you spent hours producing in wait for players to arrive, the detail that had been put into the design of the Citadel, and the heat of battles youâve faced over the years flashes rapidly in your mind before it fades into the vibrant fog of the Seiun.
You leave it all behind in favor of moving forward and you turn your head to face the psychedelic storm.
The fm rate drops slightly as the entities and space are loaded within the confines of the storm.
Youâve been in the Seiun before but it surprises you every time you enter because of how randomly generated everything is. You had to admit that it was slightly nightmare-inducing sometimes. Tens to hundreds of Kaonashis, all varying in size and shape, fill your vision as bolts of lightning and star particles illuminated them. The lightning that shot through the colorful mist pops and fades into a blizzard before lighting up like an inferno. Like busy bees, the NPCs swarm the Seiun as if on the patrol for any intruders. They flew through the stardust much like how you can since most donât have wings, like the odd few, and upon your passing, they seem to follow as if noticing your presence.
Upon realization, you giggle at the Kaonashis causing the color of the Seiun to change into a variation of warm colors with a happy emote leaving you, âœWhat are you all doing? Are you all trying to see me off?â
Around thirty seconds of being trailed by a faceless and bizarre legion, like a mother duck leading her chicks through a hellscape, the Seiun starts to fade out into the sky beyond.
With one push, you breach the outskirts of the Seiun for the first time and come out far above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vanaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods. But you werenât interested in those worlds. You have another one in mind that withholds the sights you seek.
You turn back once again to face the Seiun. The round planet like star system continues to spin and thrash with the torrent of bad weather and creatures. The Kaonashis circle the area closest to you in the storm.
You slump almost in a bittersweet way. âœI had funââ You mumble before watching the storm reflect your somber feelings, âœThank you...for everything.â
To that you turn away and type in coordinates to open a âœGate.â to your final destination in Yggdrasil. A rift appears before you and you enter.
On the other side is a mountainous range with greenery and jutting rocks scattered across their peaks, all basked in an orange glow to where the sun kisses the land. The fjord, cupped in the hands of giants, swallow the world above as a mirror does. The sky no different, with clouds seemingly absorbing the fiery curtain of the eveningâs end to reveal the starry void beyond. All that isnât in reach of the retreating globe is encased in chasing purple shadows signaling the unending night, the death of Yggdrasil.
Truly, this was a sight to behold. Even though you canât feel the warmth of the dipping star, it truly is awe-inspiring.
Itâs poetic that Midgard, the world of mortal man, has more captivating sights than all the other eight worlds. You had it programmed it this way to bring awareness to Earthâs environment that is...has been tarnished by mankind and show that if we tried...really tried, we can enjoy sights like so in reality.
It is a hope of yours but truthfuly...deep down you already know. You'd never admit it to anyone but you know...
A sigh escapes you but youâre unsure of its emotional source. Even looking down at your own avatarâs skin doesnât provide much intel as itâs many.
...you already know it's too late to fix what man has done...
You check the time.
23:57:57, 58, 59â
Ahh, two minutes left. This is slight torture, watching the clock to your lifeâs dreamâs allotted execution come ever so closer with the ticking seconds.
You are going to lose it all yet you know that this will be a step up.
This fantasy world may be ending but youâll create new ones not only for you to indulge in but others as well. This was a stepping stone to better entertainment, youâre sure.
People need an escape from reality and youâre going to make sure to be able to provide it for as long as you can. You huff.
You have a break day tomorrow so you have no need to rush to bed as soon as the servers go down. But you love sleep so you plan to do so.
23:59:35, 36, 37â
You watch the descending sun and find words to form a eulogy of a sort.
âœI watch in rapt attention as you pass on in a silent fall but I too will follow in your leaving. My secret lover, how you lift me up when Iâm down even as your spirit is set aflame. I say rest now, for youâve fought the good fight and won.â
23:59:57, 58, 59-
You brace yourself as the scene fades into the blackout triggered by the forced log out-
0:00:00
...0:00:01, 2, 3â
âœ...Huh?â
The sight of forest captured in a sky full of stars fills your vision. You haven't logged out, you realize. You were still in the game?! And if you were, why did you get warpped here?
âœWhat-â Youâre cut off when you feel a gust of wind tickle your skin. Your mind blanks out for a second when you realize everything feels too real. You shouldnât be able to feel the wind in the game! âœWhatâs going on?!â
Before you realize it, youâre plummeting out of the sky to the Earth below, a screech escaping your lungs.
Everything becomes a blur as the wind whistles and whips past you in deafening gusts but somehow you distinguish screaming past your thrashing. It sounds disoriented but you pay it little mind in favor of finding a reason why Yggdrasil seemed so lifelike now but more importantly how to survive falling from the height you started at.
You donât get much time to contemplate as the shattering sound of cracking fills your ears as your back collides with a solid surface. You cry out in shock but surprisingly not from the pain that you expected to come yet never did. You continue to fall, though, seemingly going through whatever you landed on. The fall that follows is a far cry from the one you were just traumatized by because itâs only a split second before youâre swallowed up by a cushioning yet prickly substance you could only describe as necessary discomfort.
The sound of frantic and disgruntled animals is the next thing you become aware of as you try to escape your savior(?) but being completely engulfed in what you realize to be straw makes your movements sluggish. The musky smell of shit or a sewer is what hits you next and you recoil.
âœEugh! Disgusting!â You notice once more that your voice sounds off but you throw that up to screaming your lungs out and being smothered in the hay youâre trying so desperately to escape from.
You finally seem to gain leverage with an arm and free your head from the confines of the straw pile with a grunt.
You rapidly dart your head around and confirm that you are, in fact, in a dark barn with stables of animals scattered about. How youâre able to see it all blows over your head for the blaring fact.
This is definitely NOT Yggdrasil!!!
There is NO way your game can feel and act this realistic!
So where are you and how did you end up in the sky?!
You look up at the gaping hole in the roof of the barn that displays the starry night sky above as if confirming that your cardiac arrest inducing fall did indeed happen. Itâs a miracle in itself that you didnât die on impact! Without any injuries, to add! Maybe you are hurt and your adrenaline is masking your pain? You hope that isnât the case and youâre just magically okay. You needed to check and make sure youâre not harmed in any way but first, you must escape the haystack.
You struggle for what seemed way longer than what you thought it would take but you finally break free. You lean over and put your hands on your knees and huff out a triumphant sigh. Well...hah...youâre standing, albeit a bit shaky, so thatâs got to be good news? Upon further inspection, you notice something truly bewildering.
Youâre still your avatar, SÅsaku-sha.
You even lift both of your hands up to your face to feel around but itâs completely smooth.
Are you really still in Yggdrasil? You wouldnât be your avatar if otherwise.
Maybe you fell asleep in the game? No, thatâs not right. Maybe itâs a glitch in your neuro-nano interface which is causing it to malfunction. You did stay on until the forced logout. Maybe thatâs it? Seems plausible but that could mean very bad news for your real body. No one will be checking up on you for a while.
You rush to pull up your menu to see if you could log out on your own-your hand stops.
Your menu wouldnât come up.
âœCome onââ You barely whisper as fear starts to creep your way into your core. No, this canât be happening. Frantically, you try to use some other features.
Forced system access that bypassed the menu.
Nothing.
Chat.
Nothing.
A GM call.
Nothing.
A force quit.
Nothing.
You push on your blank face to remove the headset and claw your fingernails on the back of your neck in a feeble attempt to unplug yourself in real life.
You feel NOTHING.
You shake your head, smack your face, and pinch your alien skin to stimulate some kind of wake up in yourself.
You feel NOTHING!
âœCOME ON!â You screech into nothing in aggravation only to understand why your voice sounded disoriented before. You grab your throat in surprise, âœMy voice!â
When you spoke, two voices seemed to work in harmony to make up one. The two voices can clearly be distinguished as male and female by the pitches each carries.
"Ah-ah-ah...what the fuck is happening?" You attempt to clear out your thoat but instead your chest vibrates a rummbling sound so alien to you that you can't begin to describe it. "Foo-fu-wha?! HaHAhahahaha...I'm crazy. I...I-I-I-I-I must be! There's no way in hell this is happening. Why?!" After the surprise clears up you understand, in a way, how this voice of yourâs fits SÅsaku-shaâs personality or who they are as an individual. They represent a powerful and supernatural being that carries the likeness of both genders. In your opinion, the voice(s) for SÅsaku-sha is perfect but the game wasnât programmed to have a voice for the avatar, let alone anything else that has been occurring!
Along the line of voices, the sound of voices approaching your general location starts to register in your head.
Are they players who are experiencing the same situation as you? You mentally reprimand yourself for the relief that seems to wash over you, knowing you arenât alone. But that also meant that youâre going to be the center of ridicule as you are the creator of Yggdrasil. Suddenly, you arenât so excited about the prospect of being found by these players.
As you listen, however, the voices donât sound like players.
âœWhat in the-What fell into the barn?!â
âœSomething big, it looks it! There may be a monster in there!â
âœDidnât you hear somebody screaming?! Someone must have fallen through the roof!
âœI donât care what fell or broke in, we need to prevent it from harming the livestock!
"Plus, what if the screaming was from one of our folks?! We have trouble on our hands either way."
Youâd be sweating if you could. Those are definitely not confused players but angry farmers to the sounds of it. If they find you, who knows what theyâll do! If they are NPCs from Yggdrasil, whoâs to say that they arenât as real as you are now?! Maybe theyâd be more forgiving to you if you were your real self but the way you are now they may not be so.
So what should you do?!
You could try to escape but if they catch sight of you, youâll look very guilty and may end up getting attacked by whoever is outside the barn. Besides, you donât know where you are. Even if you run, youâd just end up even more lost than you are now. If you are able to peacefully cooperate with the people outside, you may learn some information. Maybe even figure out whatâs going on.
That is if they even cooperate with you in the first place.
They may just attack you on sight.
Augh, would you still be in this situation if you just stayed at the Citadel? Maybe if you had youâd be out of the game! Your avatar wasnât made for leaving the realm in the first place! Gahh! Why did you have to be so damn sentimental?!!
âœYou three, enter through the front! Weâll enter through the back! Yell if you find anything!â
Ahh! You needed to make your choice now before youâre trapped!
How will you act?!
Escape and find a safe location to figure out your situation!
Face the mob and try to negotiate even if they may be aggressive!
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2
What shall you do?! Flee or talk for your safety? I'm all for seeing what your opinions are so feel free to leave a comment! I personally would attempt to hide myself and see when a good time would be to sneak out. I pride myself in being a competitive hide'n'seek player but there's reasons why hide isn't an option. One or more of those reasons will be displayed in the following choices.
PREVIOUS
Chapter 2: FORTRESS ROUTE
Chapter Summary
You chose to act as a true ruler and remain at the Citadel until the very end.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite series to write. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I will!
Takes you to the first chapter of the series â†' RESET
Takes you to the previous chapter you selected â†' PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 2: FORTRESS ROUTE
Although the thought of watching the world end in natureâs glory is enticing, roleplaying as SÅsaku-sha is even more tantalizing.
As if you truly are an unyielding warrior and ruler, not giving into despair during the end.
Sulking in the arena is doing you no good and you really have the itch to skim through the halls of the Citadel one last time.
Under your command, SÅsaku-shaâs form shifts as they begin to float, another perk of their race. You thought Ascend would fit your character quite well as the Creator class they are. Many NPCs such as the angels and other transcended mobs have this perk so it was only natural to design SÅsaku-sha the same. Also, since SÅsaku-sha is a kind of upper entity, they would avoid soiling their feet from the surface below (like the pompous being they are). Finally, SÅsaku-sha literally resides in a sky palace and would sometimes need to be able to fly to get around.
SÅsaku-sha can walk around but you find flying much more efficient. The only time youâd really be on your feet is when youâre âœshieldedâ and it would deactivate your perk Ascend.
You stare around at the arena, the first floor, slowly turning in the air to fully absorb the sights.
The arena is technically the roof of the Citadel as it has no further structure above to act as such. You designed the arena, the top of the sky palace, to imitate the Colosseum of Rome but you gave it a gothic and Nordic twist. With all the time on your hands when you awaited players and your love for designing, you drew your inspiration for the overall theme of the Citadel from gothic architecture like Cathedral Milan and Cologne but with Nordic patterns and a shift in the material that makes up the structure. Itâs reflective in most surfaces and where it isnât itâs either white marble, gold, or a variety of valuable gems. The arches thatâd normally be round on the Roman Colosseum all take on sharper forms as pointed arches. The piers that held up the pointed arches have intricate engravings that intermingle with one another with jewelry to form an array of shapes or imitations of SÅsaku-sha. Atop the ring that makes up the dome of the arena shootouts tall pinnacles that you know are attached to buttresses.
The stage in which the fights would take place is round and is a wide enough field to hold all the NPCs of the Citadel at once and hold large numbers of challenging players, like instances when multiple guilds would unite their forces to fight you.
If you recall, the most players that had challenged you at once was around two thousand with a few hundred NPCs, a portion close to or were level one hundred with maxed out items and armor. Sure, their numbers were quite overwhelming but a single use of SÅsaku-shaâs Eye of Providence wiped out half of their forces within the first second and replenished all of your lost HP, MP, and more in one go. About two-thirds of their forces couldn't even hurt you because their levels were too low, only ment to support those who could. Players soon learned that numbers didnât help, in fact, it made it harder to fight unless they could avoid SÅsaku-shaâs attacks. You still believe the lag was what hurt you the most during that charade.
Despite all the battles that have taken place in the arena, it shows no signs of one ever taking place here. Itâs very difficult to destroy the structure of the Citadel as a myriad of data was put into it to make it a divine level fortress. The arena repairs itself after every battle but everything below on the outside surface of the sky palace is practically indestructible. Even the stained glass windows adorned with rare gems are impossible to break. This was because the GMs and you didnât want players to skip the levels of which the Citadel contains.
However, as you remember before, no one ever was able to pass the second floor.
You leave the stage of the arena by floating your way under an archway into a corridor-like moving maze with tunnels and ramps all leading off to different areas of the arena, to traps, or down to the second floor of the palace. Youâve memorized the pathways according to what time of day it is so it takes you less than thirty seconds to traverse the pathways.
But with only six minutes remaining that doesnât give you a lot of time to reminisce.
You would use Gate, a very reliable teleportation spell that could cover any distance and had a failure rate of 0 percent, to teleport quickly between levels of the palace but unfortunately, you canât use Gate, a very reliable teleportation spell that could cover any distance and had a failure rate of 0 percent, anywhere within your realm. The realm had been made to block out any major teleportation magic within so that players couldnât skip the Seiun and appear in the Citadel ready to fight.
That meant that you also have to abide by the same rules and manually move across SÅsaku-shaâs realm if you wanted to get your avatar anywhere.
There's an item somewhere in your avatar's room that bypasses that coding to make traveling between floors easier but you just don't have the time to drop by it. Besides, you want to overlook your work.
You descend the white marble ramp with your end goal being the throne room on the fifth floor.
The second floor is whatâs known as the Heroâs Hypogeum. The rooms on the floor are stylized to act as a gatehouse to the rest of the palace as well as the armories, arsenals, prison cells, torture chambers, helipads, battleship docks, blacksmith workshops, locker rooms, green rooms, and more on the floor to provide for the massive army made up of humanoid, subhuman, and grotesque NPCs youâve picked up from across Yggdrasil. The floor also contains separate realm-rooms that are weak imitations of their biomes of which the NPCs originated from so they can feel comfortable and fight in their own element if an intruder ever entered. There are similar NPCs on most other floors of the Citadel but they have different functions. Even though most of the NPCs you had collected are races that often conflict with the others in the game, you personally reprogrammed all of them so that is no longer the case. This army is fittingly named Unmei no gundan to display the immense power they hold. Every NPC taken from Yggdrasil to reside in the Citadel was reprogrammed with a backstory and design unique to each but a similarity to all of their backstories remains constant:
They each willingly became faithful followers of SÅsaku-sha. Upon noticing their potential, SÅsaku-sha offered them a place to live in the Citadel if they leave their old life behind and become tools for their bidding. They agreed and SÅsaku-sha grants them immortality and power by giving them their blood, transforming them into the Reborn, loyal servants of SÅsaku-sha that are willing to follow their every wish and command to the best of their abilities.
The Reborn in the Citadel are all high or max level, with their own unique race and class levels. The Reborn that make up the Unmei no gundan number over four thousand (Not including the other Reborn who are residents on the other floors).
If players are able to bypass you and the arenaâs maze system then they would come face to face with Yggdrasilâs most powerful NPC army. Not only that but players would have to navigate the rooms of the Heroâs Hypogeum and avoid traps while fighting the Unmei no gundan in the elements theyâre strongest at. Plus, if they are spotted by any NPCs or trigger any traps, every floor will go to maximum security and will lock off floors until one of three things occur:
1. The intruders are killed.
2. The intruders flee.
3. The intruders find hidden keys hidden on each floor they make their way onto to unlock the ones below.
The Reborn regenerate on top of being powerful, due to them âœinheriting Life" from you. If an NPC is critically low on HP, the other surrounding NPCs are programmed to protect their injured warrior. If an NPC is bested and killed, it gives all NPCs engaged in combat a five percent boost on all attacks for five seconds. The fallen NPCs, a week later, would resurrect and respawn at the center of the arena due to their immortality perk (much like how you do when youâre slain). Once theyâd respawn, theyâd make their way back to the floor they take residence.
You truly believe that you made it too difficult for players to raid the Citadel but then again you went easy on players time and time again whenever they challenged you. You guess that it was only fair to create a true challenge.
You quickly navigate your way through the chambers to where you know the closest ramp down to the second floor is. Every Reborn you pass seems to stop whatever default task they were trying to accomplish to greet you with a curt bow.
You were descending down another wide ramp before the sixth minute burned out leaving only five.
The third floor is known as the Commune Workshops. It consists of the sowers ward, barber, medical bay, labs, kitchen, brewery, pantry, larder, buttery, freezer room, greenhouse, farm, butcher shop, emporiums, laundromat, the extravagant janitor's closet (there's one on each floor but this one has the largest variety and supplies all the floors with tools), builderâs/crafterâs warehouse, waterward, and more to make the Citadel self-sufficient. They are all run by Reborn who work under the command of Disciples, NPCs you personally took the time to design from scratch instead of reprogramming already existing NPCs.
Disciples are very similar to the Reborn but a few key diffrences. Theyâre all level one hundred, maxed out on stats, and made immortal by means of SÅsaku-shaâs blood. Additionally, they have all unique attacks, defense, armor, weapons, and races unseen throughout all of Yggdrasil. The Disciples could personally bring most of the guilds in Yggdrasil to their knees in their specified fields. Each Disciple acts as the big boss of particular districts such as food management, Citadel upkeep, army, finances, and more. Since the Commune Workshops is the third-largest floor with the most density in wards, this floor has the second largest population of Reborn and the largest population of Disciples.
You have descended into the crafting district where the Puppeteer, a giant animated wooden puppet, oversees. Typically, this district would be highly active because anything youâd want to be built concerning certain items, clothing, or features in architecture and design youâd like to add to the Citadel would be tasked to the Puppeteer. Their skills in class conserve multitudes of material, data, costs, and time that goes into crafting. It saved more than what you could when youâd cut corners. It saved you so much that youâd go to them for practically everything concerning construction. The only downside that comes out of the products made by the Puppeteer and the Reborn that are under the Discipleâs command is that they sometimes come out not exactly how you wanted them. Youâve never altered a product produced by the Puppeteer, though. Youâve always liked the imperfections in a way because itâd give whatever product produced with them a sense of personality.
But since you havenât had the need to build anything as of late, the crafting district is almost barren with the exception of a few Reborn who are on standby or making their way through as you are.
As the same with the third floor as the second floor, all you pass stop what theyâre doing to greet you with a bow. You even pass the Puppeteerâs workshop where they to do a personalized animated greet with the joints in their torso disconnecting with wooden creaks and spring pops as they spin in the air to give you a dramatic bow.
You giggle with mirth as you remember how lively you made the giant puppet. How ironic that theyâre a thing that doesnât live and can only imitate life but you've given it more life than what you typically exude!
You send a quick wave as if to humor the Disciple but you were in a hurry.
Another ramp you descend down to the fourth floor, the Living Quarters. This level you possibly had the most difficult fun creating. Not only had you have to create unique living quarters for every single NPC in the Citadel, including SÅsaku-shaâs, but you had to adjust every living arrangement (such as washrooms, spa, restrooms, bedrooms, apartments, bar, dining hall, garderobes, etc) to accommodate all the races Yggdrasil contains. Obviously, all fire elementals arenât going to enjoy baths that require water or bedrooms they set ablaze every time they enter. How will the giants and dwarves eat if all the furniture and dining utensils arenât adjusted to their size? How do the mermaids and other NPCs limited to water get around? What foods to serve to each race, what clothes do they each wear if they wear anything, when do they work and when do they have breaks, all that and more. It was quite the time consumer but youâre pleased to say that now the Living Quarters can fit the lifestyle of all types; from demons all the way to angels, their polar opposites, without the cost of discomfort between any of the residents.
You, however, must say that designing SÅsaku-shaâs royal chamber was hands down the most fun few rooms youâve built out of all the other rooms on all floors of the Citadel. It was your dream apartment, one that you could never possibly have in real life. You even bought very expensive additions to replicate some of your favorite real-world books, games, photos, toys, music, clothing, and more to truly make your vision real.
You wonât be able to visit it though as three minutes remain on the systemâs clock.
You descend what you know to be the final ramp to the fifth floor, the Great Hall. This floor consists of the tea rooms, library, ballroom, theater, art gallery, cabinet rooms, the royal garden, boudoirs, the throne room, and more. It is the grandest level out of all the six floors as it is to display the glory of the Citadel. The Reborn hardly visit this level but if they do it is typically the maids or the guards of the Unmei no gundan making their rounds. This leaves the Disciples, who oversee their districts, and the Anointed, named Alvara, on this floor.
The Anointed are ridiculously overpowered NPCs with abilities that transcend the level cap, like dulled out versions of SÅsaku-sha. They are, essentially, Disciples on steroids but instead of overseeing particular districts they are floor guardians. This meant that there are five in total because the first floor is reserved for battles pertaining to SÅsaku-sha. Truly, the first level is the easiest level for players to overcome, even if SÅsaku-sha was the most powerful opponent theyâd face, because the rest of the levels contain thousands of beings as strong as them and five NPCâs with levels equivalent to your avatar handicapped.
Though, if players were somehow able to defeat all five levels theyâd be able to descend to the final and sixth floor, the Treasury. It consists of the treasury (of course), trophy room, the victorious playersâ memorial, and a bolted vault. It contains one Anointed, named Majesty, that protects the trillions upon trillions of gold and riches as well as almost every obtainable magic item that vary from first tier to world items. The playersâ memorial is a hall containing the statues replicating all the players whoâve beaten you. Thereâs a bolted vault at the center of the treasury that contains one of the most game-breaking items ever programmed into the game.
The only way to access the item, though, is if they use Faceless Key to unlock the vault. You knew that there was no possible way any player would know that so even if they got down to the treasury they wouldnât have been able to do anything to gain possession of the world item.
It was really only something meant for you to use but the temptation of making it an unattainable prize was too much for you to resist.
Your smirk dissolves slightly at the sight of the system clock.
23:57:57, 58, 59â
Ahh, two minutes left. This was slight torture, watching the clock to your lifeâs dreamâs allotted execution come ever so closer with the ticking seconds.
Thankfully, the fifth floor doesnât consist of many winding corridors like the ones above as it is the second to the smallest floor of the Citadel. Despite that, you still end up craning your neck to stare up at the goliath sized double doors. Youâre very grateful for the Puppeteer's skills because theyâre so extravagant that youâre sure that you would have had to live off of proten packs for a week because thatâs how much money and time it would have sucked right out of your pocket to produce (If you didn't end up spawning it into existance with your admin privileges).
The two, fifty-foot doors are rectangular in shape but the doorway continues far above to form the familiar pointed arch, filling the space above the two doors with stained glass. The two doors are engraved with many golden and bejeweled figures that all represented different races giving praise to SÅsaku-sha who is illustrated in the stained glass above.
The cool part of the door is that the engraved figures are actually animated golems thatâd attack any enemies thatâd make it this far and the only easy way to defeat them since they are pretty impervious to damage, is if the replica of your avatar is shattered in the glass above the door. Once that occurs the doors would swing open, allowing the players entryway, but since youâre not an enemy the doors slide slowly open upon your approach revealing the throne room beyond.
And you must say...you truly went all out for the throne room.
You took heavy inspiration from the Sainte Chapelle in Paris when designing the grand room that could fit hundreds at once and still have room to fit hundreds more. Jewels, gold, and white adorned every inch of the ornamentation that made up the room, hardly excluding the triforium and the clerestory that held the towering glass windows that rained colors across the reflective flooring of the aisles and nave.
You strain your head to look up at the ribbed vaulting which crystal chandeliers descended, sending vibrant colorizations from the windows beyond. Youâre sure that even if you hadnât completely smothered the throne room in gems itâd still look like the one with all the rainbow sparkling lights.
On the far side of the throne room are a few main arcades that acted as a barrier, hiding the short flight of stairs that lead up to the throne of SÅsaku-sha, designed like the Baldachin. Itâs not a grand chair that sits at the top of the podium, however. Itâs a large round golden stool with silk-lined cushioning embroidered with golden, nordic knots. It was large enough for you to sit cross-legged at the center and still have enough room to spread about.
Beside one of the archways leading to a round flight of stairs is Alvara, the Anointed guardian of the Great Hall.
She is a pretty human woman with striking green eyes that compliment her doe-like appearance. Her brown hair is pixie like but her bangs fall longer than the rest of her hair, shaping her face. Her outfits are always changing as you designed her to have periodic time slots where she will randomly select outfits from her massive wardrobe to wear for a day. Today, her outfit mimicked that of a kimono warrior with a dark vest jutting out from her high waisted thai pants, that withheld waves of koi, to form pointed shoulder pads. The kimono underneath contrasted that of the dark vest to mimic the whites of the koi. The neckline of the kimono was like that of a turtle neck, enveloping her entire throat, and the sleeves were just as long. Geta sandals peak out underneath their flowy pants and they click in attention as they bow alongside the Disciple who stood by the other archway.
Jest is the Discipleâs name. They are a jester but their mannerisms are no laughing matter. They imitate jack the reaper, a second-tier undead, but way more deadly as they are a Sasabosam, a hybrid vampire. This species of vampire has iron-like teeth, pink skin, long red hair, extraordinarily long limbs, thin physique, and iron hooks for feet. You thought it was a great idea for such an acrobatic species of vampire to be a jester, and you still believe it to be a great choice. His bat like face is horrifically painted a pale white with dark paint running down their face from their beady red eyes that match the red paint (blood?) around their thin lips. He wears white and gold garb that is littered with stripes and diamond patterns, still matching the Nordic but medieval style of the palace. The wacky outfit puffed out large in some areas all the while remaining skinny in other areas, truly emphasizing how lanky Jest is. The golden bells attached to him ding as he also bows to your approach.
âœAre you two keeping each other company? Thatâs sweet.â You hum as you float above them to SÅsaku-shaâs throne, ignoring the stairs.
You settle down in the middle of the stool to face out to the wide throne room.
23:58:55, 56, 57â
âœI canât believe that this is the endââ You whisper, watching the clock sound off the last minute.
You are going to lose it all yet you know that this will be a step up.
This fantasy world may be ending but youâll create new ones not only for you to indulge in but others as well. This was a stepping stone to better entertainment, youâre sure.
People need an escape from reality and youâre going to make sure to be able to provide it for as long as you can. You huff.
You have a break day tomorrow so you have no need to rush to bed as soon as the servers go down. But you love sleep so you plan to do so.
23:59:35, 36, 37â
You space out in the grandeur of the palace and find words to form a eulogy of a sort.
âœOh world invisible which glitters out in sparkling glory, never touched, you fade away as do I. An echo of clashing past, you stand victorious even as your spirit dims like starlight. Dream on now, for youâve fought the good fight and won.â
23:59:57, 58, 59-
You brace yourself as the scene fades into the blackout triggered by the forced log out-
0:00:00
...0:00:01, 2, 3â
âœ...Huh?â
You werenât back in your room. You were still in Yggdrasil in the throne room.
âœWhatâs going o-â You grab your throat in surprise, âœMy voice!â
When you spoke, two voices seemed to work in harmony to make up one. The two voices can clearly be distinguished as male and female by the pitches each carries. The game wasnât programmed to have a voice for your avatar!
âœWhatâs going on?!â
The time is accurate. You should have been booted by now!
0:00:38, 39, 40â
Itâs definitely after midnight so why are you still here?!
You rush to pull up your menu to see if you could log out on your own-your hand stops.
Your menu wouldnât come up.
âœCome onââ You barely whisper as fear starts to creep your way into your core. No, this canât be happening. Frantically, you try to use some other features.
Forced system access that bypassed the menu.
Nothing.
Chat.
Nothing.
A GM call.
Nothing.
A force quit.
Nothing.
You push on your blank face to remove the headset and claw your fingernails on the back of your neck in a feeble attempt to unplug yourself in real life-
âœMy creator! Is there something the matter?!â
You jump, hands freezing behind your head at the sudden voice.
It was feminine, sounding warm and trusting but it didnât stop you from becoming paralyzed up with dread.
You blanch as you stare dumbfounded at Alvara, the NPC, who is still bowing but is now staring up at you in a very concerned manner for your well being.
âœU-uhââ Your mind becomes blank as you try to wrap your head around the fact that the NPC was talking!
âœPlease excuse me, my creator, is something wrong?!â They repeat themselves, standing up as if to assess you and see for themselves where the issue lies. Her motion snaps you out of your shocked daze enough to give a reply.
âœYes...somethingâs very wrong.â
Both the NPCs in front of you stand frantically, âœMy creator, whatever it may be?!â Everything, âœPlease, tell us and weâll make sure to fix the issue at hand!â
âœErmââ You fumble over your thoughts as your focus rapidly switches back and forth between the Disciple and the Anointed. There was something undeniably human about the way they spoke and move.
The situation you are in is off but you try your best to not let your predicament get the best of you, especially since the two NPCs are so lifelike now.
You really want to scream though.
You try to inhale to calm down-only to realize that you canât.
Your hands slap to your face in fright for a second but you calm down only slightly when you realize youâre not suffocating. The fear is replaced by bafflement by the fact that you can feel the smooth surface of your face, that youâre not suffering from asphyxiation right now, how you can see without eyes, how-
âœMy creator,â The scratchy voice that addresses you this time comes from Jest, âœlet us know what burden is weighing over you and let us exterminate it!â They hiss the last part as if they want to exact murderous intent on whomever or whatever is causing you distress.
âœI-em...I donât see how either of you would be able to fix this-â
They drop down to their knees immediately which makes you jolt in shock.
âœMy creator! Weâre sorry for being incapable to elevate your plight but please, nothing would give us more joy than a chance to make things right for you!â
âœYes! And if we truly canât help you then we are disgraces to the titles which we carry and will gladly pay with our lives to make up for our faults!â
âœThat wonât be necessary!â You shoot up out of your stool to stand and gaze down upon the two NPCs better, âœYour deaths wonât solve anything! In fact, it may just worsen the situation! Besides, you shouldnât have to pay for something thatâs beyond your control. Even I donât fully understand what is occurring.â
Youâre having a conversation with NPCs.
It was amazing and petrifying at the same time but guilt is whatâs having an overwhelming vice on you as you notice tears collecting in their eyes.
Ahh-ha ha ha...youâre being assaulted by too many emotions at once.
âœI also care very much for both of you. I created you and I wouldnât want to see any of you hurt because of me. So donât feel as if you failed me. On the contrary, youâre actually helping me keep my thoughts together. So please, neither of you have the need to shed tears.â
âœThank you for your kind and merciful words. We donât deserve them.â Alvara is the one who speaks up with a shuttering sob and Jest follows with a nod, his bells dinging as he does so.
âœYour wish is our command. How shall we serve you, my creator?â
You cringe at their loyalty but maybe you can gain some better understanding of whatâs going on by using them. Maybe you fell asleep in the game? No, thatâs not right. Maybe itâs a glitch in your neuro-nano interface which is causing it to malfunction. You did stay on until the forced logout. Maybe thatâs it? Seems plausible but that could mean very bad news for your real body. No one will be checking up on you for a while.
Whatever the cause may be, youâre still in the game (even if it is very lifelike now) and you have two very loyal and powerful NPCs willing to do your every will and whim. Collecting information is the most important thing to you right now.
What should you focus on collecting information from?
You want to focus on the realm.
You want to focus on the NPCs.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1 â†' 3
You know what the best part about writing branching pathways is? I can just copy and paste text from one chapter to another. It saves so much time!!! If I was in this type of situation, I would have chosen the other route because I'm such a bleeding heart; but I'm the writer! If you'd like, comment below why you chose to stay!
BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
LOST ROUTE 2:1
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation.
Chapter Notes
I know that this chapter is super short but it is a set up for the choices you'll make soon. I hope you all can enjoy!
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Youâre honest with yourself in that youâre far from favorable standing and shouldnât put yourself in harm's way in an effort to extend an olive branch even if it may be the upright thing to do.
Still...the decision makes you feel a little...off...for some reason...
Aggravated...
You shake your head as donât know the situation and are not in a position to try to negotiate with an unpredictable mob. Anger and fear are a crock-pot for bad decision making and thatâs whatâs probably brewing in these people at the moment. Youâre also not sure on how your stats in Yggdrasil correlate in this situation as youâre still SÅsaku-sha but itâd be foolish to put it to the test at the moment.
Things could really turn for the worst if youâre not careful.
You need to acquaint yourself to your surroundings before you can find your exit.
From what you could tell, with a quick surveillance, you fell into a fenced-off pin filled with piles of hay and other consumable goods meant to feed animals. The planks from the hole you caused seem to have fallen on some pots and smashed them open, leaving water and strange-looking spuds strewn across the dirt floor of the barn. Most of those spuds have actually rolled off under the fence into a pin where pigs are starting to gobble them up gleefully. The entire barn seemed to have fenced sections and stables to contain various livestock or goods along the walls of the rectangular building. In the center is a wide clearing allowing enough space for a van to make its way through happily swerving to either of the double doors. Ladders are built on to support beams that lead up to what looks like a second floor that contains more goods and supplies. You focus on the hole that you made and it seems that some of the produce kept on the second floor is damaged with some of the contents still falling down through the scar in the wood.
You back away to the railing facing the aisle to avoid a tumbling squash that bursts open upon impact with the grassy floor just shy of the haystack.
Wait, grass?
It was green, healthy sprouting grass with spurts of tiny colorful wildflowers that vary in array. The patch of grass surrounded a small area which you were standing with a splotchy trail that followed you to where you currently stand.
Question marks could have popped out above your head to better explain what you were feeling at that moment.
With an inquisitive foot, you drag your sole along the dirt floor in a hurried manner, not completely forgetting about the approaching mob outside.
Grass and wildflowers sprout out of the ground, trailing your feet as if to cushion or even make sure your feet arenât soiled from the dirt and mud of the barn.
A gasp escapes you but you donât get to relish in this new information as you notice flickering lights trailing through the wooden panels in both pairs of double doors.
You could try to run but with the grass that trails you with your every footstep, itâll make it near impossible to escape unnoticed. Itâll be a miracle if youâre able to do so!
Wait just a-youâre still SÅsaku-sha! You could use magic spells to escape the situation! The downside is that itâs still uncharted territory among your stats in this bizarre situation. You donât even know if you can use magic and now might not be the best time to test it.
If it works you may get out of here without a single soul taking notice of you but if it fails youâll be caught.
Thatâs a huge risk.
Thereâs another option though. You could attempt to sneak by without the use of magic maybe even use the grass to make dummy trails. That way, while theyâre distracted, you can weave through the stalls until you can slip through one of the doors or windows into the woods that you saw in the area before you plummeted from the sky. The downside is that youâll have to be quiet and stealthy to avoid alerting them to your fleeing presence. They'll be on the lookout for you but you believe you can slip by if youâre careful.
A clicking sound from both doors signals to you that theyâve unlocked them and your time to make a choice is nigh.
How will you escape?
I want to use spells to escape, sneaking is too risky to attempt.
I want to sneak to escape, spells are too risky to use.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4
Although this is only your third chapter in, what you do next will set the foundations of your story. They'll mold how characters will interact with you and the missions/goals you'll tackle in the future. In fact, what you choose now will either hurt you or will aid you. This is your first dire choice of the story. Hope you choose wisely!
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LOST ROUTE 2:2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
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Youâre honest with yourself in that youâre far from favorable standing but that shouldnât stop you from trying to extend an olive branch and do the upright thing.
It slips into your mind that this choice feels...right...for some strange reason. Not morally but more...characteristic wise.
If youâre compliant and non-threatening the mob may be more complacent and tame in how they treat you. Anger and fear are a crock-pot for bad decision making and thatâs whatâs probably brewing in these people at the moment so by being peaceful it may not add fuel to the flames. In addition, youâre not sure on how your stats in Yggdrasil correlate in this situation as youâre still SÅsaku-sha but itâd be foolish to put it to the test in violent acts.
But, unfortunately, you donât know what type of people these farmers(?) are. Thereâs a possibility that theyâre animated NPCs but you canât be sure. Things could really turn for the worst if youâre not careful.
Itâs in your best interest to remain passive no matter how threatening they may become. Your main goal in doing this is to gain information on your situation but if they try to harm youâ
You swallow down an unpleasant heat that flares up at the possibility.
Youâre not sure what youâll do. Run? Defend yourself? Take it?
Best that you think on it but you will focus on how you should interact with these people peacefully.
First though, you need to acquaint yourself with your surroundings before you can find a way to approach them in a non-threatening manner.
From what you could tell, with a quick surveillance, you fell into a fenced-off pin filled with piles of hay and other consumable goods meant to feed animals. The planks from the hole you caused seem to have fallen on some pots and smashed them open, leaving water and strange-looking spuds strewn across the dirt floor of the barn. Most of those spuds have actually rolled off under the fence into a pin where pigs are starting to gobble them up gleefully. The entire barn seemed to have fenced sections and stables to contain various livestock or goods along the walls of the rectangular building. In the center is a wide clearing allowing enough space for a van to make its way through happily swerving to either of the double doors. Ladders are built on to support beams that lead up to what looks like a second floor that contains more goods and supplies. You focus on the hole that you made and it seems that some of the produce kept on the second floor is damaged with some of the contents still falling down through the scar in the wood.
You back away to the railing facing the aisle to avoid a tumbling squash that bursts open upon impact with the grassy floor just shy of the haystack.
Wait, grass?
It's green, healthy sprouting grass with spurts of tiny colorful wildflowers that vary in array. The patch of grass surrounds a small area which you last stood, a splotchy trail following you to where you currently stand.
Question marks could have popped out above your head to better explain what you were feeling at that moment.
With an inquisitive foot, you drag your sole along the dirt floor in a hurried manner, not completely forgetting about the approaching mob outside.
Grass and wildflowers sprout out of the ground, trailing your feet as if to cushion or even make sure your feet arenât soiled from the dirt and mud of the barn.
A gasp escapes you but you donât get to relish in this new information as you notice flickering lights trailing through the wooden panels in both pairs of double doors.
Your focus is both narrowed in on both the fascinating new discovery and the doors of the barn. How you are able to focus on three things at once throws you through a loop but then again, how can you see without eyes?
Although plants growing at your touch and your wide sight is astonishing, there are more pressing matters at hand and you ultimately decide to file this tidbit of information for later.
A few seconds of searching the fence, you find a lock to a gate that gives access to the aisle and you proceed to unlock it and push it open.
No plants or grass sprout upon touching the fence so you deduce that there must be certain conditions for such growths to take place.
The doors of the barn click, as both groups have seemingly unlocked them, along with the fence gate that locks upon your exit. Walking out to the center, you watch in interest as more grass and wildflowers bloom under your feet but pay special attention as the double doors to your left start to open up and voices reach you among the chatter of the livestock.
âœIâll peek in and see if I can spot whatever it is.â
âœBe careful Nate.â
The man named Nate slowly creeps into view. First through the doorway is a worn-out brown leather boot followed by a hand holding the door for leverage as he peeks his head in. Heâs a seemingly young fellow with a sharp complexion. He wears a frown as his dark brown eyes scan the room which passes over you twice. Confusion blossoms forth from you.
Why canât he see you? You can perfectly well see him.
His faux hawk, that matches the color of his eyes, sways as he turns his head back to whoever is on the other side of the door with him.
âœHand me the torch, itâs too dark to see anything.â
Uh-oooh, yeah, thatâs right. SÅsaku-sha has night vision due to their race. That explains why you can see everything with clarity even when itâs lunarâs peak.
However, it doesnât explain why you can see the double doors on the other side of the barn start to crack open with your back turned to them.
Your mind switches attention as the young man named Nate pulls through the doorway a torch and holds it above his head as he rakes his eyes across the barn once again.
Simultaneously, both sides seem to see you at once with the flames and you decide now might be best to make a friendly greeting.
âœHe-â
âœW-what is that?!â Yells out some men who see your silhouette from behind you.
âœI donât know!â Nate yells back in reply as the doors on both sides of the barn start to cautiously slide open for more to catch a glimpse at you. âœIt has the form of a human but the thingâs face is blank! Some kind of monster it looks it! Whatever it is, it isn't good.â
You stand still, kind of at a loss for what to say.
Youâre human too, you wanted to say but currently, that isnât true. Youâre SÅsaku-sha. Still, their words throw you off for a second...but you find the courage to form your own.
âœErr, hello?â
âœIs that it speaking?â A boy with caramel caesar cut hair, who looks around the same age as Nate, questions as he peeks his way around the corner with wide blue eyes.
Heâs ignored as Nate steps out from his cover into view, âœWhat the hell are you and why are you here, breaking into our barn?!â
Throwing a lot of assumptions and overall rude...but itâs in your best interests to cooperate rather than to try and correct them.
âœMy name is-â Ack! You almost slipped and said your real name! âœEhem, my name is SÅsaku-sha and I didnât do this intentionally,â You point over to the spot which you landed with a slight turn, âœI was flying over when I fell. Iâm sorry for the damage and distress Iâve caused. I hope itâs not too severe of a hole Iâve made but it was quite the fall, you see.â
Your words seem to have calmed them down slightly. Even the men from behind you who had drawn out weapons, probably thinking you couldnât see them with your back turned, start to lower them a few inches.
Good, you were getting very...off there for a second. Warm in the chest...
âœI hope so too.â Nate hisses with a crinkle of his tan nose as he starts to walk very slowly towards the damaged area fenced in keeping an eye on you. He is followed closely by two young men while two others stand by the door with their torches. Three men also follow from the other side, much older though.
You stay in your spot, not wanting to risk scaring them, but you turn slowly to watch them approach you. Doing so, you truly notice how tall you are compared to the weary men.
Your avatar, your current body, was designed with a height of 213.36 cm, approximately seven feet, so as they draw closer they have to crane their heads back to look up at your blank facade. You can tell that your stature unnerves them.
âœHow can you fly without wings?â An aged fellow with a gray speckled beard asks with a rumble in his voice as he approaches you. You turn your head to the man since itâs the respectful thing to do but it seems to unsettle him at the motion.
Theyâre making you very self-conscious about your appearance.
âœHow can I see without eyes? How can I speak without a tongue? How can I hear without ears? Similar questions with similar answers. I donât know the logistics. All I know is that magic is involved.â
âœA magic caster?â Nate scoffs his rhetorical question near the pin where the hole hangs above, finally taking his eyes off you to observe the damage dealt.
âœWhy were you out flying in the first place?â The older man asks once again, making this feel like an interrogation.
âœDo you question the birds why in the sky they keep so?â
You...don't know why you said that like that. Maybe your anxiety is getting the best of you.
All visible seem to gain mixed emotions upon your answer so you decide to answer his question directly. âœI wanted to gaze upon the wondrous sights in the realm of man before...â A-ah shoot...you can't exactly say what was happening. You can't tell if this is your game or not yet...so best not to bring too much meta...or, err...break the fourth wall by saying 'My game shut down.' Would NPCs be aware they're in a game? You guess not. You'd look like a freaking idiot if you started spewing the tale of, 'Oh, you all aren't alive, you're just code!' Yeah, no. Not doing that nonsense. Besides, you can't be certain this is Yggdrasil yet... But you have to say something. You can't leave your answer open ended. They may make wrong assumptions. Gah! Better finish what you were saying but be vague! "...the end."
âœThe end? What load of bull-hockey is that?â Nate huffs out a few airy laughs while he kicks a mashed squash to watch it roll.
The sound of the boy mocking your comment...for some reason...triggers an unbridled fury within you. Before you can bite down your non-existent tongue, venom blares out from your core, rattling the air with tension. "It was going to be the end of everything to me! Donât. F u c k i n g. Giggle. At that.â
At the sight of the six men swiftly taking a consecutive step back from you, you realize your mistake of dropping your friendly demeanor, even though you never meant to.
"I-I apologize. I didn't mean to snap. It's a...sensitive subject for me. Your *ahem* joke..." Something harsher nearly slipped out again but, this time, you were able to reword what your agitation was encouraging you to say. "...well, ah...it felt like a low blow and what I said was a knee jerk reaction. I'm aware you don't understand the magnitude of what you did but I do request that you don't poke fun at that matter forevermore."
...W-why... Why are you so serious about Yggdrasil's shutdown all the sudden? Sure, you were a little sour about it but...were you seriously considering taking the jaw off of that boy for a little comment like that?
Absolutely-
W-what?! Why?! WHY?!! Why would you EVER, in you right mind, do something like that?! Especially in the situation you're in right now?! Yes, it felt that he struck a heart cord, but that doesn't justify acting on the wrath that came forth in such a manner, let alone the way you did... Have you ever felt uncontrollable anger like that before?... I-it...
It's worrying.
The six stay backed away from you but Nate tsks, breaking the silence that settled over them, and continues his evaluation.
The old man clears his throat, âœSounds like the end was supposed to be your death. Am I right?â
You hum, thinking of a way to word yourself without giving too much away. âœIn a way, yes, but itâs much more complicated than that.â
You still donât know if this is Yggdrasil and the NPCs are just as lively as you are orâ
The fantasy world has become the real worldâ
Typically youâd throw up that idea to being impossible but the way your situation has unfolded is making you believe it to be the truth and since that is a possibility you want to play it safe.
âœYetâ it seems that âœthe endâ never occurred, had it?â
âœMmmâ not exactly. To say that it didnât occur as I expected it to is an understa-â
âœShit! The pigs have eaten the black dust sprouts!â Nate screams and throws his hands up into his hair while all who heard show clear shock and distress.
âœBlack dust sprouts?â You ask nervously, wondering what the severity of that meant.
An older man with a tuft of dark hair finds the words to answer you. âœThey are a highly valuable anesthetic but poisonous when taken raw.â
...Uh oh.
Not only have you damaged their barn but youâve possibly killed some of their livestock and destroyed part of their produce as well.
âœWill the pigs die from consuming the sprouts?â
âœJudging by how much theyâve eaten, itâs certain. Weâll have to butcher them for their meat but it wonât be a lot since most of them are hardly piglets. Shame they couldnât have been a bit older to live up to the price they cost.â The old man with the beard laments but Nate is furious.
âœDonât you think that the loss of sprouts is more problematic than some pigs?!â Many seem to agree with the young fellow which is not helping you in any matter. âœThe dealers expect there to be fifty pots full by the monthâs end! The stalks have already been reaped of what weâve sowed and they wonât grow more until the next season! They wonât be happy to hear their drugs had been fed to the pigs by a faceless naked freak!â He points a finger at you accusingly as he says the last part.
Dickwad.
âœThatâs enough, Nate.â The old manâs voice is stern as he addresses him before turning to those around you, âœThereâs no need to get aggressive-â
âœThereâs no need? No! What we need is compensation!â Nate interrupts and waves his arms up at the hole in the ceiling of the barn, âœWeâve all worked hard to get the things it has just destroyed; some of us with sweat and others with blood. To mend and replace all of it is going to cost us the skin off our backs!â
Most of the men present nod their heads or state their affirmatives at Nateâs rant.
They believe that you should pay for the damage youâve dealt to them. Under normal circumstances, youâd have no problem with doing so but right now you feel like thatâs the least of your concerns.
Nate continues, âœI believe this thing owes us where itâs due.â He points at you again, âœYou should cover our losses and make amends for the damage you dealt.â
âœWhy do you think âœthis thingâ stayed to face you all rather than flee? Iâll pay what youâre due.â You huff, stomping down your strange simmer, because you know that while this is the least of your concerns, itâs going to have to take priority as of the moment. These people are stepping stones to figuring out your situation and if you refused to pay for the damage then you could potentially make them hostile and lose your chance to learn from them. You would have gained more from fleeing than refusing payment so it would have made facing them pointless. To top it off...if they're good to you-you plan pay more than whatever price they set. It'll not only look an act of goodwill but to also get on their good side more so. âœRelay the price but be wary of my payment; Iâm obscure as death for their methods untelling, except through fateâs eye, yet theyâre inevitable with their promise of delivery.â
What the heck?! Why did you say that?! You sound so ominous now! All you wanted to do is tell them that you may not be able to pay them exactly the way they may expect you to! Is your manner of speech messed up too among other things?!
The menâs reactions are similar to how they acted after your first weird comment. The old man with the beard sighs in a relieved but withering way after turning to Nate, âœWhatâs the estimate on the damage sought, boy?â
Nate tsks, âœCanât say for certain because I havenât seen the extent of loss but I can already say that itâll definitely cost some heavy coin. There is nearly gold worth of silver.â
Oh hey, you have gold. Plenty of it too. It was the main form of currency in Yggdrasil and maybe itâs the same here.
...Yet youâre hesitant on using gold.
You donât know their monetary system and the value of gold may be more or less than the gameâs currency was. Also, youâre in uncharted territory and flashing your wealth may not be the brightest of ideas. Doing so is only asking to be mugged and/or found by some unfavorable people. You want to remain under the radar for quite a bit until you can get your bearings. Atop of those concerns, you have a finite amount of gold in your inventory and you donât want to use it willy nilly. You donât know how long youâll be in this situation and it may be in your best interests to conserve them.
Besides, you can clearly see that most of their issues can be solved with magic. Back in the game, using magic was like a flick of the wrist for SÅsaku-sha. The downside is that itâs still uncharted territory among your stats in this bizarre situation. You donât even know if you can use magic and now might not be the best time to test it. These people are fearful of you and if you start performing magic they may become hostile. It may be easier for you to just flash your coins to these people and give them what they want because magic can also attract unfavorables.
Another problem with those two choices is that these people will most likely want you to leave once youâve paid your dues. You could work for them to pay for your debt but...you must be prideful now because you don't even consider it as an option. You'll just have to find a way to make them keep you around...
The old man turns to you, âœWill you be able to pay somewhat more than that?â
âœI can and more.â The question is thoughâ
How will you compensate them?
Iâll pay with gold.
Iâll pay with magic.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'5
So they're willing to listen, but which method of payment will you select? I'd want to try magic but, even with its help, I don't think I'd know how to use it to benefit either party successfully. I believe I'd eventually concede and give them the coin they ask for even though I wouldn't want to... ( ╥ω╥ )
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Chapter 3: LOCATION
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
I've removed the relationship tags for this bunch of chapters due to request and the fact that it's a hassle to plug them in every time I post a chapter. I'll start to add them when the actual characters start to come into play. Also, this chapter is so freaking long that I had no time to write one of the other chapters!!! It was almost thirty pages long in google docs! Crazy but I did it. Yay! Hope you all enjoy!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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Chapter 3: LOCATION
Your main blaring anxiety wavers around the question of why youâre still in Yggdrasil. So to focus on reconnaissance only seems like the natural thing to do if you were lost and were trying to find your bearings.
âœJest.â The Disciple seems to grow with glee upon you calling them but still remains serious, âœSpread the word that all levels of the Citadel must go into maximum security but do not allow any of the floors to lock up any passageways unless an intruder is spotted. Also, collect five of the finest Reborn scouts the Citadel contains and bring them up to me on the first floor of the arena. Iâll give you all more instructions once you arrive.â
âœI will do so swiftly, my creator.â
âAh, but can you even leave the throne room?â You think in your head. You had programmed him to guard this grand room and even though you hadnât bound the vampire to this space, by leaving, heâd be doing something no other Disciple has done under circumstances other than retiring to their chambers.
âœGood. Iâll be seeing you in twenty minutes. Youâre dismissed.â
Jest stands with a curt bow and a jingle before spinning on his sharp sickles, clicks following his hurried pace.
You watch Jest make his way across the throne room and approach the tall double doors on the other side. Much to your curiosity, the doors open and allow him to pass on his merry way.
âœCuriousââ You hardly mumble still at a loss for whatâs happening. Not only are the NPCs very lifelike now but they can follow your commands without using command phrases as if they can understand your intentions. It makes you question whether or not this is limited to just the throne room, the entire Citadel...or...all of Yggdrasil. So many things to test out to understand the limitations of your situation but you donât want to get carried away by overthinking it. Youâre still in Yggdrasil, your game, so there shouldnât be too many differences. Baby steps is the pace youâre going to set for yourself. Thereâs no point in rushing and possibly disorienting yourself more than you are already.
So you turn to the Anointed with your second priority in mind, âœAlvara.â
âœYes my creator?â She inquires, seemingly eager to do your every will and whim.
âœI want you to contact all the Anointed and have them join me on the first floor. Once Iâve dealt with reconnaissance Iâll meet back up with you Anointed and will have more to say.â
âœAs you wish, my creator.â
âœWith that said, I donât want you to rush and miss important factors as I also want to know the conditions of the Reborn, the Disciples, and the goings of the floors while Iâm away but Iâd much prefer it if you five are all collected by the time I get back, as that is your priority. Iâll try to notify you when Iâm returning."
You need to test the extent of your influence. Jest and Alvara may be life-like but who's to say that all the other NPCs are? Whoâs to say theyâre loyal like the two? By commanding her to skim the floors of the Citadel, you can check on the conditions of them without having to do so yourself. It may not be an in-depth search but with the Anointed checking the floors for you sheâll test those waters. Sheâs the best NPC to do so too since sheâs one of the five most powerful NPCs of all and youâve programmed her with a background to be very sociable. If thereâs any disloyalty blooming in the Citadel towards you, sheâll know. Besides, you have to make your way through the floors yourself so youâll see soon what is the case.
A top that, since Yggdrasil seems so life-like at the moment, it makes you question your avatarâs abilities. You may be extremely OP in the game but is it still the case now? SÅsaku-shaâs main source of power resides on magical ability, although they still are very powerful in physical terms. You needed to confirm that you can, in fact, still use magic because not only is it a vital part of transportation in SÅsaku-shaâs realm and supports your information-gathering skills but it will drastically affect your combat ability.
SÅsaku-sha is supposed to be the most powerful being in the game, the final boss, the deity that created ALL of Yggdrasil, and the ruler of the Citadel, home to the most powerful NPCs out of all the nine worlds in the fantasy DMMO-RPG. So far everyone youâve met is loyal to you but whoâs to say theyâll follow a powerless leader? And if your avatar still has the same stats thereâs the Anointed who come close to your own. You need to make sure that theyâre still loyal to you.
Thatâs why youâre having Alvara, an Anointed and possibly the only available ally to you who could stand their own against the other four, bring them before you so you can see how much authority you hold over them.
It does raise questions thoughâ
If they are loyal to you, how much so? You had programmed all Anointed, in fact, all NPCs in your realm to have extreme love and loyalty towards you. Are they willing to do anything you ask of them and to go out of their way to go up and beyond your expectations because of their coding or do they go against it? If your stats are weak will their loyalty to you dwindle? Will they start to lose faith in you if you make stupid choices? If thereâs the possibility of their loyalty to you being able to change due to circumstances, how will you maintain it?
âœMy creator?â
Oh right, Alvara is still here waiting to be dismissed. Before you could utter a word though, her alarmed face catches you off guard. âœIs...something the matter?â
âœIf it isnât too rude of me to inquire...what did you mean when you said youâll be away?â
Oh, thank God. You thought it was going to be something else entirely.
âœJest will be delivering the scouts he acquired to the arena to whom Iâll be joining. Iâll be gone for a short while during our reconnaissance outside the realm but Iâll return soon enough.â
âœB-but my creator! You mustn't! Youâve never been outside your realm before!â Her outcry almost makes you jump again but youâre starting to become numb to the constant surprises youâve been receiving.
âœYes, that may be the case...but where do you think I existed before I constructed my realm?â The question seems to throw her off judging by the puzzled look she makes, âœAnd just because I created the Seiun to act as a barrier, I never intended it to keep me trapped here. Besides, the only ones whoâll recognize our surroundings and understand their conditions are a select few Reborn and me. Since I canât be sure that Jest will find scouts among those select few I must go. I want to see for myself if our...bizarre situation is also the case beyond here.â
Sheâs silent for four breaths, processing your words with various expressions before finally accepting your decision. âœ...Very well...but please...let me beg you to let me be selfish and request that you have an escort. If something were to happen to you weâd never be able to forgive ourselves. We exist because of you so itâs only right for us to lay down our lives to act as your sword and shield. At the very least, let me prepare a guard for your excursion.â
You wilt under her extreme devotion but thought of that as unnecessary. You'll have five NPCs thatâll be following you out during your investigation and theyâre all going to be level one-hundred. Besides, SÅsaku-sha is the most powerful avatar in all of Yggdrasil so what good will a guard do for youâunless youâre powerless...and...the scouts Jest brings before you arenât loyalâso...having guards whoâre commanded by Alvara to protect you might...be...a good idea.
In Yggdrasil, the system would judge mobs and NPCs within SÅsaku-shaâs realm as belonging to you. Friendly fire was always on as not to give intruders an advantage but...is that still the case? If youâre attacked, will it not harm you?
â.
âœ...If doing so will calm your worries then Iâll gladly accept your offer.â You turn towards the short round flight of stairs, all the while still being able to see Alvara with your back turned somehow until the barricade obscures your vision, and start to descend down the side the Anointed is closest to. âœAs it pains a mother to see her brood suffer, I too am pained by your heartâs cries and Iâm moved to do what I can to alleviate your distress. Although I say this, we will be putting more in physical danger by doing this...so...â you exit the staircase and walk underneath the archway to stand before the still kneeling NPC, âœ...there should be no more than five in this guard and they shall only be members of the Unmei no gundan. Have them ready and on the first floor before Jest arrives with his selected scouts. While they are being selected ask the candidates if they wish to guard me. If they do not then find someone else.â
âœMy creator, itâs a privilege to serve you!â Alvara claims with a loud voice as if her statement is fact and that the mere mention of what you said was beyond offensive, âœIf oneâs to say they wish not to protect the one who has given us everything then they do NOT deserve to live!â
You cringe but youâre able to keep your composure after such a powerful and passionate proclamation, âœI understand your reasoning but I shall not ignore the welfare of my creations. We will be outside the protection of the Seiun for quite some time. The Disciples and Anointed have never been outside my realm because I had created all of you here in the Citadel. Since this,â You wave slowly to your surroundings as you walk around her, âœis all you know, I do not want to expose you to the worlds beyond without easing you to them. The Reborn are the only ones with such prior insight so thatâs why I desire them to assist my search...â You turn your body back in the direction of Alvara who is looking up to you where sheâs kneeled. âœ...but all have ties and backgrounds connected to the worlds beyond. Theyâve all left their past behind. Families, friends, possessions, land, and more...so the temptation may be grand.â
âœNo one would dare choose anything over you-â
âœAnd Iâm not saying they will. Iâm saying that it may distress them to face the life they left behind. Not only that but many of the Reborn are active in doing the work theyâve been assigned. We canât afford that kind of distraction in the situation we are in and itâll throw the Citadel in disarray if we donât handle this accordingly.â You take a few small steps up to the NPC who looks so small from your avatarâs 213.36 cm (seven-foot) height, âœI know your intentions are from a concerned and loving standpoint...â You kneel down before her and you catch the scent of pine and honeysuckles from her, much to your surprise, âœ...I too want whatâs best for all of you but I need you to trust my judgment.â
She looks awestruck. Her mouth hangs agape as her glossy green eyes seem mesmerized by whatever colors that may be shifting across your face(?).
You feel like you should encourage her. Maybe a fleeing grace or a good luck before you send her off to complete her assignment?
At that moment, you realize that you havenât yet tested to see if the NPCs really are alive or if theyâre just acting as such. Watching Alvaraâs chest rise and fall makes you question if the former is true but that...canât be...well, none of this should be happening...but youâre praying that this is all faulty coding and that youâre not actually...in a fantasy world.
A good way to test this is to reach out and feel herâ
Once you actually register what that implies the thought makes you want to sweat.
Alvara is an attractive woman with a beautiful body and a giving heart. With the way she looks at you plus the fact that she seems to be willing to do anything for you makes you feel sick...the good kind of sick(?). The kind that people call butterflies in the stomach? Yeah. You feel as if youâre going to do something naughty by how hot youâve suddenly become but you are, by no means, going to do anything like THAT. In fact, your only real goal is to see if she has a pulse. Doing so will truly prove what is the case. âThis is necessary!â You tell yourself.
To that, you bite down your anxieties with your anticipation to raise your hand and place it upon her shoulder-
Admiration, inspiration, love, compassion, baited, realization, shock, honored, privileged, gleeful-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with Alvara.
Both she and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âAlvara is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of her skin through her clothes and a beating, like a drumâs symphony, of her heart's pulsations. It was a steady ba-bum, ba-bum, until it sped up to her realization of your contact. Not only that, you were assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the Anointed to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœU-um,â Alvaraâs voice brings you back to reality, âœMy creator-â
âœDo you understand everything you need to accomplish?â
âœYe...yeah-I mean yes my creator! But-â
âœThen youâre dismissed.â
You wanted nothing more than an explanation of whatâs happening but you knew that the answer wouldnât be served to you on a silver platter. If youâre ever going to get what you want then youâll have to be patient.
But Jest is going to be up on the first floor soon and you wanted to test your abilities before then so spending any more time with Alvara is possibly more information you canât gain.
You move your legs to turn and leave but the feeling of the smooth cold floor doesnât register. A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating. It seems that SÅsaku-shaâs perk Ascend still works which gives you hope that not much has changed stat-wise if at all.
You force your vision off of the Anointed as you float across the throne room to the large doors. Like before, when you first entered, they slowly slide open upon your approach.
Youâre swift in your pace but you regulate your speed to allow yourself to observe what other oddities there may be. As you continuously ascend the floors you get more and more proof that this may not be the game you used to know. Every NPC you pass, whether it be Reborn or Disciples, acts very much alive and thankfully very loyal to you. You are trailed by humanoids, subhumans, and grotesques prostrating themselves, voices of praise, and proclamations of âœMy creator!â in every district and corridor you make your way through.
Itâs all quite overwhelming and all youâre able to do in return is wave, nod, and give short answers to their inquiries.
Youâre starting to have a growing concern about your...title. Although they are accurate in calling you âœcreatorâ...it sounds like theyâre calling you God, more so than a programmer. Youâd probably be able to tolerate being referred to as âœcreatorâ if they said it any other way. It doesnât make you feel good. Youâre nowhere near a God. Sure, you designed SÅsaku-sha as a type of deity-like being but not a God. Nowhere near a God. An elevated being? Yes. A God? Absolutely not! Especially not a God while youâre possessing your avatarâs body.
If these NPCâs believe you to be some type of God, do they expect you to be perfect?! No! You know you make mistakes and youâre not about to pretend to be something youâre not just to avoid shattering their expectations of you. So how are you going to break it to them without them turning on you?
Ahh.
Itâs no good.
Maybe you should sit on this thought but ask the Anointed what they think when you return. You shouldnât worry about something that may not even be the case...but itâs a wise choice to store it for later.
It takes six minutes before you make it up to the floor of the arena. Itâs completely bare of all life and you sigh in relief.
Finally, you can breathe!...well, figuratively-but it just feels so right to be where you are even though nothing is right in this situation.
Youâll enjoy your solitude while it lasts...and you know it not to be long.
And youâre going to use that time wisely.
First off, you want to see if Ascend still allows you to fly around without the need for spells. You may be floating but if it canât get you more than a few feet off the ground then youâll be burning a lot more MP from now on if you can still use MP.
Thankfully, when you will yourself upward, you easily gain distance between the ground and you but you learn something else...
You become aware of your vision expanding as you try to look around the arena. A realization hits you. SÅsaku-sha doesnât have eyes so for them to be able to see is different from how you...used to see. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, intern, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter. When you turn, it makes you feel as if youâre on a swing you twisted the rope or chains on and let it spin you. If you could describe how it feels it would be that the world revolves around SÅsaku-sha.
You catch yourself rapidly turning your head and body in the air to get some sense of your new sight but it only leaves you disoriented and slowly drifting back down to the platform below to get some sense.
This isnât right but youâll have to grit and bear it for now until you can find a way out of the game or until someone gets you out.
âœMy creator!â
âœHuh?â You turn and focus on five figures running to you. You recognize them all. âœOh, so you all are going to be my guard for our reconnaissance?â
The five members of the Unmei no gundan make it to about eight feet away from you before falling to their knees and bow in a line. Youâre relieved to see that they too are loyal to you.
âœYes, my creator! We were commanded by Dastgir to do so!â Ah, Dastgir. He is one of the Anointed, guardian of the Heroâs Hypogeum (the second floor), and general of the Unmei no gundan. Alvara must have gotten in contact with him and informed him of my decision. Smart move on Alvaraâs part. Instead of choosing members herself, she left it up to Dastgir who would know better than anyone else which of his subordinates would be best to assist you (if he has your best interests at heart and it looks it). âœWeâll do our utmost to protect you!â
The one who answers is a large Reborn hobgoblin that was renamed by you to Erx. He dons his best armor and weapons (that youâve designed) much like the other four. His white and gold uniform covers up all of his large body excluding his flat square head and pointy ears. His dark brown sideburns cover up most of his rough redwood skin but you can still see his tusk-like teeth sticking up and over his top, thin, overturned lip. To you, it appears that Erx is wearing a menacing mien and you contemplate whether it could be the effect of the weight of his duty to protect you, his default expression, his mood, or if itâs his intimidation stats having an effect. His small beady yellow eyes bore into you, making you feel even more uneasy than you already are.
âœMy creator,â A Sheikah in more ninja-like-garb catches your attention. Her tightly fitted clothing and thin armor, which help her with speed, consists of the Unmei no gundanâs themed colors white and gold. Her white long braided hair blends with her uniform but her red eyes stick out like blood stains on silk and rubies on her olive skin. Despite that, she has a kind appearance that pairs with her muffled words behind her shawl mask. âœIâd much prefer it if you wouldnât put yourself in danger like this. If I can request, Iâd like it if youâd stay here and have the reconnaissance go out on their own.â
A Zmei, in his human form, by the name of Ynnam hisses in reply, âœAkkar! Do not doubt our creatorâs decision!â
âœYou agreed with me on the way here! All of you did! Iâm only saying such things with the best intentions for their welfare! Do you all not also wish it to?!â
âœDonât drag the rest of us into your treachery!â
âœAnd how is it treachery?â You ask out loud, honestly wondering how Akkarâs request is traitorous.
They all stare up at you with open mouths.
âœMy creator! Iâm sorry about our shameful display. Itâs not how proper members of the Unmei no gundan should conduct themselves.â Ynnam bows his head further down causing his pure gold dragon armor to click. Akkar follows in action but says nothing.
âœI do not mind,â You wave dismissively but then cross your arms, âœbut I would like it if you could answer my question, Ynnam.â
âœY-yes. I believe that Akkar is showing you great disrespect by contradicting your orders with her heart and tongue. You are absolute and itâs complete blasphemy to go against it.â
âœ...is...that it? I see your reasoning but I donât view Akkarâs request as anything of the sort.â
Your question could have been a bat that hit the Zmei in the teeth by the way he recoils and blinks rapidly as if he was trying to see if he really just heard what you said.
âœKuh-who-wha-â
It seems like he canât fathom why you donât see it the same way. Maybe if you explain your viewpoint then maybe you can calm the situation down. âœThe fawn who ignores the murderâs forewarning is fair game to a hunter but the one who heeds the crowsâ call will become wise with age and experience.â
You...don't know why you said that like that. Maybe your anxiety is getting the best of you.
All visible seem to gain mixed emotions upon your words so you decide to speak with more clarity. âœI wonât ignore kindly suggestions if it means that I can avoid disaster or better improve myself.â
âœBut youâre perfect! How can you possibly be able to improve?!â Aragog, a Drider, hisses in disbelief.
She, among the Reborn in attendance, has the least amount of armor and clothing on due to the fact that most of her body is a spider. A highly venomous one at it too. Even the hairs on her body, that stand up every time you look her way, can become poisonous needles at will. She has a hard exoskeleton and it poses better than any suit of armor could with her thin, hairy, long limbs. The part of her that looks human is sharp and hairy in some parts. Her skin is mostly dark purple with green markings that fade with the purple into her light yellow underbelly but at the end of every point and limb is black. Aragogâs face is shaped like a human woman with wide cheekbones and short blonde hair that match the hair on the rest of her body and her light yellow underbelly. The difference is that she has pointier ears (not so much as elves but like someone pinched them at the top), no visible nose, eight green orb-like-eyes, pedipalps that act as the bottom jaw, and black, sharp, needle-like-teeth.
âœYes, do not humble yourself, my creator. There is no need.â Erx shakes his head as if getting any other idea of you being any less so out of his head.
âœA construct of mortal perception, perfection is. Although you all may see me as the epitome of such, all have unique outlooks due to their upbringings, culture, race, and so on. We all see the world in a different light so just because you may say Iâm perfect doesnât mean another could contradict such a claim.â
âœWhoever says so is a blind dead fool!â
âœAh-AHhhââ You cringe. You might be right in the fact that they may think youâre a God. âœ...now hereâs the thing...since perfection is the viewpoint of an individual that means that perfection can be everything and nothing at the same time. As such, to say that perfection exists is false because it's an obscure opinion as it could be themed around a person, place, thing, subject, eccetera. How can one thing be perfect when another completely different thing can be perfect? Simply put...it canât. Nothing can be perfect...well...except a few things-err-but, Iâm not among those few things. I have my own flaws, as we all do, and by listening to any advice you give me I can become my version of...not perfection but...hmm...my best self. All of us can improve and itâs best that we strive to do so.â
You really tried to word your explanation in the right way to the best of your ability but even then you canât help but feel like you should be sweating under their wide-eyed gazes. Hopefully, now they wonât see you as such a high and mighty authority figure and more as...well...you donât know.
âœSuch insightful words!â
âœThatâs what we should expect of our creator.â
âœAhh, you truly are perfect! You even deny it for our sake!â
âœSo thoughtful!â
âœMy creator, to know that you believe we can give you insight to your unlimited knowledge truly warms our hearts.â
Wait! No! No! I didnât mean it like that! Augh! Youâve probably just made your position worse!
*sigh* This is so nerve-rackingâmaybe you can help them see you differently someday but you can tell itâs going to take some time.
âœ...Mmm...I say all this because I believe Akkar was suggesting that I stay here at the Citadel with the intention that my safety is priority. I see no harm nor treachery laced in her words and Iâm warmed by the thought that she would speak out despite my choice in the matter.â You turn your body fully in the elfâs direction who seemed to be glowing with joy to fully address her. âœAkkar, despite adversity and the pressure that you may disappoint me, you have shown true love and to thatââ You float down to the ground in front of her before kneeling and lightly grabbing hold of the sides of her head with your surprisingly large hands.
Overjoyed, blessed, elated, mystified, curious,...
Emotions once again flood your system and you come to the conclusion that you must be able to sense them by touch. You canât sense thoughts though. Just emotion. Itâs strange and it overlaps your own to the point that you canât tell whose is which. Though...to be quite honest...her positive emotions are overpowering your anxieties which is very relieving on your part. You...might have to start having frequent contact with more NPCs.
Youâre able to retain your recoil this time and you bring the Sheikahâs head up to your face so you can place a light kiss upon her forehead (you donât have lips but youâre sure that the gesture was understood as a kiss). Her skin lights up as red as her eyes and her long ears twitch rapidly, following the tremors and goosebumps that run up and down her body.
âœMuh-m-my c-creator?!â
âœI thank you. A falcon may have the best vision among all other living creatures but it only has two eyes. With another pair, they can see the world anew and understand it from a different perspective.â ...whatâs with you and using all this...imagery to explain tough subjects?... Is your manner of speech messed up too among other things? You let go and float away backward once her emotions became too much for you to even think. âœAhem...I hope that others will follow your example. Even if you all,â You address everyone now who looked as if they were trying very hard to hide their jealousy, âœbelieve that I cannot improve...I know that I can. On top of that...I see it as a way for all of you to improve. If you question my motives then it gives me a chance to teach you why I choose to do the things I do; then not only will it motivate you to do as Iâve asked but itâll help you understand how I think. Do you all not agree?â
Once again, they all stare at you with open mouths and glittery eyes before going on another spout.
âœWoah!â
âœMagnifisant!â
âœWe can never fully comprehend your extensive thoughts but weâll try our hardest to do so!â
Mmmm, you expected them to react as such and thatâs why you add a question, âœMmhm...so it seems you all understand my other motive?â
Their demeanors plummeted.
âœU-uhm, another motive...my creator?â The heavenly voice comes from your final guard. Lamassu, an Aasimar. Sheâs angelically beautiful, as it is a trait of her race to be so. Her blonde hair flows down her matching paladin armor like golden rivers and the white robes do her large feathery wings and glowing eyes no justice as they seemed purer than the cloth.
âœEmhm, yes. You see...I may know much but I donât know everything and neither do any of you. One of those being...the qualities each of us holds. I may have created all of you but beyond the...anatomy...biology...mmm, the makeup of your forms...I donât know much about your characteristics. Your personalities. The same could be said for all of you. You donât know much about me...but...the more questions we ask each other the more we learn and understand one another. The more we understand about one another the friendlier weâll all become.
Gasping, Ynnam blirts, âœYou donât mean-â
âœYes, I desire to become friends with you all. That is my other motive.â
They explode with vigorous refusal.
âœWe donât deserve to!!!â
âœN-no, my creator! Please! W-we canât ever hope to-â
You're supersized by their refusal but you interrupt their naysaying, âœDo you all not wish to be my friends?â
That completely changes their sudden disapproval like a switch.
âœNo!Nonononono! We-we do! We do!â
âœIt would bring us no greater honor to be called your friends!â
âœPlease, let us slave to become such someday!â
You nod, âœGood...so do you see why Iâd like you to question and advise me where you see fit as Iâll do the same?â They give you affirmatives, âœMmm, good, good. Now...â You turn back to Akkar who is still red-faced and you draw your attention to your surroundings. You stay still not to disorient yourself.
Hmm, it seems that Jest hasnât arrived yet with the five reconnaissance members. You still have a bit of time to test a few things out.
âœ...I will give you my reply as soon as Jest arrives with the five Reborn he has selected. They will most likely have the same protest as you as I have not notified them of my involvement in this mission. With that as the case, I do not want to have to repeat myself and waste valuable time now, trying to explain my choice, when Iâll be relaying it within the next few minutes. Iâm sorry for having you wait.â
âœItâs n-no trouble!... In fact...Itâs quite generous of you to take account of my worriesââ She trails off, making you believe she was finished, before speaking up once again. âœIs it okay...if I ask another question in the meantime?â
âœOf course. Go ahead.â You were quite interested in what she had in mind and by allowing her to ask away itâll most likely encourage others to warm up to you.
Akkar is silent for a few beats before she musters up the courage she needed, âœ...When you touched me just now...I felt a wave of emotions that werenât my own. Were those yours?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â
âœWow! Amazing!â Akkar is ecstatic, seemingly mistaking your question as a statement.
âœYou felt our creatorâs feelings?!!â
âœ*GASP, m-my creator! Could you also touch m-me?!!â
The five Reborn dissolve into a furious debate but your own riddled inner thoughts overpower their yelling, making them seem like hums compared to your whirlwind. Your vision goes dark as if youâve closed your eyes to fully enter your mind and focus on just that.
Others can feel your own emotions if you touch them?! What had Akkar felt from you?!
What had ALVARA felt from YOU?!!
You feel your stomach fall.
You had been feeling some very intense emotions when you had touched Alvara-Kieaaah! Itâd explain why she acted the way she did afterward and the fact that you left her there right after must have looked bad on your part!
Ah! YOUâRE SUCH AN IDIOT!
âœO-oh! My creator!â A familiar raspy voice draws your attention to the approaching group from behind. âœAre we late?! Iâm terribly sorry if we are!â
You turn to Jest midair to watch him approach with five others and to show that you acknowledge their hurried arrival.
Taking note of their races, the ones following after the Vampire are a Wraith, a Sluagh, a Wendigo, a Draugr, and a Kenku (All of whom you recognize as Malum, Skinner, Nictis, Ukara, and Lexx in that order).
Although you notice that all of the Reborn Jest had selected are, in fact, great for reconnaissance...you canât help but find his...personality apparent in such. The five Jest chose are all either undead, have evil auras, or have a dark and trickster nature.
You know that they are likely allies if theyâre following Jest so easily but you canât help but feel wary. âœNo, no, donât be. Youâre actually a bit early, I believe.â
Jest is visibly relieved to hear such as he comes to a bowing halt with the otherâs before you, âœAh~Thatâs good...but youâre here before me withââ He tilts himself side to side to better see around you and take note of the other five Reborn, âœ...others? Had I made you wait long?â
You shake your head, âœNnuhn. I came up here to test some things before youâd arrive but I was soon pleasured with their company.â You float aside for both sides to better see each other, âœIâm sure most of you all know one another. If not, Iâd like you to get up to introduce, greet each other, and share some snippets about one another so that this operation will run smoother. While you do so I will test a few things away from here before we can continue.â
You expected them to tell you that theyâre all acquainted, since all the NPCs that youâve witnessed up until this point seemed to have prior knowledge of each other but to your surprise, all of them get up and start to do as youâve asked. Jest, more so, as he seems to not know anyone.
You feel a twinge of guilt as you realize that this may be the case because heâs a Disciple and theyâre programmed to guard singular parts/rooms in the Citadel. His is on the Fifth floor which hardly any other NPCs visit. He becomes cheerier as he talks with the ten Reborn it seems and it makes him look lonely because of that.
Is this the same case for most of your Disciples?
Maybe youâll implement time periods when NPCs can socialize? A thought to put on the back burner.
You give them some space to test out your magical abilities. Magic and spell casting are very important to your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, and you want to at least make sure that you have some measure of defense before you go.
Are the mechanics the same?
You look at your multicolored hands which the Seiun is echoing. Itâs hard to tell which specific emotions are moving across your avatarâs skin but most are dark with sparks of lighter blues, purples, yellows, and greens. It looks ugly. Like skittles in puke, you compare with a sigh.
Even with the odd position, you are still your avatar and itâs still Yggdrasil. It must not be too different?
You start to consider the magic you had been able to use in the game. The total number of magic spells in Yggdrasil, from tiers one to ten, plus super tier, was well over six thousand. These were split into various trees thatâd be compatible with some races while it wouldnât with others. Some spells require certain conditions to work like the type of biome the player is in, needed tasks completed beforehand, items that need to be held, can only be used on certain levels, and so on. Normally a level-100 player could use about three hundred but there are some instances where players have found loopholes and were able to have more. You avatar...since it was the being that created Yggdrasil...is able to access all the spells contained in the game (though the conditions for the spells still have to be met for you to use them).
This is an insane amount, you know, but itâd only make sense that SÅsaku-sha would have that kind of ability if they were able to provide the rest of the nine worlds with magical powers. And since you programmed them into the game you had memorized them all.
You flex your fingers a couple of times, thinking how to go about using a spell.
There are no icons to show you your long list of spells you can cast and select. So how can you cast spells now?
You think of your perk Ascend by looking down past your hands to see the glossy reflective surface of the stage show you your reflection as you hover about two feet above. Youâve seen your avatar plenty of times...but now itâs...differentâ. You shake your head, forcing yourself not to become memorized in your own reflection, and focus on why you looked down. Ascend is a magical perk so it shows that you still can use magic...maybe...
How did you activate it? The perk hadnât been active until you had jumped away from touching Alvara. It couldnât have been from touching her. It must be something else. What had you done?âmmm...maybe it was because you actively wanted to get away from her? Hmmmâwantâmaybe you can use magic if you actively want to or have the will to use magic?
You look back at your hands. Well...It canât hurt to try?
You have a perfect grasp of what the area of effect would be and how much time it would take before you could cast again. Locking your sights on the empty space you've set out before you-you raise your dominant hand and in a loud voice you call out, âœChaos Bolt!â
The crackle of lightning meets your non-existent ears as a stream of electricity shoots out forward from your palm then fizzles out as it reaches no target.
If you still had eyes, theyâd be as wide as saucers. Youâre happy to know that you can still use magic but thatâs not what surprised you. You had felt the energy in that attack. Like...an inner source of...something leave you to manifest itself into the attack.
âœAmazingââ You mumble to yourself before huffing out a laugh in disbelief. This added to the life-like reality you are situated in now. What you had felt must have been your MP depleting! Chaos Bolt is a first-tier magic spell so it wouldnât do a whole lot to your huge magic bar, which is why you used it, but it still requires MP to use. For the first time since the shutdown, you feel secure. Like you finally have something you can lean on for support. This ability came with a serious high-the fulfillment and satisfaction of knowing that this power was truly yours. Your skin shows your evident change in mood as bright greens, yellows, and pinks spark to life like bleeding dye.
âœWoah!â âœSo cool!â The voices of the eleven NPCs are audible from where you hover and you feel something akin to a smile grow on you. Coming to the conclusion that magic wonât be an issue to use, you turn and make your way back to the group.
âœHave you all become acquainted?â
Affirmations follow in response but Skinner, the Sluagh, raises a boney, anorexic hand. âœMy creator,â The thin gray figure lets out a sorrowful yet rough moan, âœFrom what our...associates have informed us...you...urge us to ask questions when we have ones?â
âœThat is correct. Do you have any? Feel free to ask anything but donât feel that youâre pressured to do so. Iâm sure these five have filled you six in on why?â
All nod in response and Skinner continues, âœDo you really plan on leaving with us on reconnaissance?â
âœYes. I am coming with you all or...in actuality you are all coming with me since I intended you all to assist me in the first place.â
Nictis lets out a rumbling growl, âœAll servants of you are more than capable of fending for themselves and will not risk disgracing you with any type of failure! You don't need to put yourself in harmâs way like this!â Drool leaks from his maw as he speaks and some of his saliva drips on the Reborn around the Windigo as he shakes his head.
You almost laugh at the faces they make when wiping off the spit from themselves but you reel it in with a huff, âœI know. Akkar had the same objections and thatâs why Iâve waited until now to explain myself...â And with that, you almost repeat exactly what you had conversed with Alvara. The group takes a bit longer to settle though but eventually they begrudgingly stop trying to persuade you against your choice and they make their vows to protect you no matter the cost. There was just one little thing that was bothering you. âœJest.â
âœYes, my creator?â
âœI didnât intend on having you join us on our reconnaissance but I feel that if I turn you away now itâd be harsh on my part. I donât want you to feel unwanted so if you have the desire I will not prevent you from coming along even though Iâm hesitant on the idea. You are a Disciple, a being I had created here in my fortress. Youâve never been outside my realm, let alone the Citadel, so I donât want you to become overwhelmed by the worlds beyond. The choice is yours though. If you feel that you can handle yourself then I welcome you. If not then you can return to the throne room and stand guard. What would you like?â
He looked troubled, âœMy creator...Iâm...not a burden to you, am I?â
âœYou are not a burden!â You shout as a matter-of-fact, âœOnly if you become a disturbance on our reconnaissance will you be so, that is why I say you can come if you will control yourself. Is that clear?â
âœY-yes.â
âœSo what shall it be?â
Heâs silent for a few beats as he turns his red beady eyes downward in contemplation before itâs masked with a resolute one. âœI want to come along! I want to assist you, my creator, and nothing would make me happier than to do so! That is my purpose for existence!â You donât utter a word because you can tell heâs not done talking as he pauses to look up at you with determination clear on his features, âœBut I must request something of you.â
âœOh? What is it might I ask?â
âœYour concerns are legitimate ones and if you say the...things that exist beyond your realm are overwhelming then they must be. I will try to maintain a level head but the moment I become a distraction I want you to tell me so I can retreat and no longer remain one.â
âœMmm, very well. Just know, Jest, that if I do end up sending you away donât feel as if youâve failed me.â
He bows, âœThank you for your kindness.â
Mhmm...he didnât agree with you on that last part. You hope you donât have to end up sending him back to the keep in fear of how heâll think of himself afterward. Moving on, you address all eleven NPCs in attendance, âœBefore we make any advances to leave I shall give you all buffs to aid us in our venture.â
âœYouâre too kind to us.â Aragog sighs blissfully as you raise your dominant hand.
Youâre not certain that you can use buffs but the mechanics in Yggdrasil for them werenât much different from the spells and that gives you confidence that you can do this. âœMass Fly.â The NPCs light up for a second and you recognize it as the animation for the particular buff. Success! Now you continue with vigor, âœDamage Immunity. Foresight. Hatred. Stealth. Invisibility. Detect Ally. Haste. Hunter. Greater Resistance. Absorption. Mental Barrier. Lionâs Heart.â You lower your hand once youâve buffed everyone, even yourself.
âœWow!â âœThis is amazing! Our creatorâs magic is flowing through us!â âœI feel so empowered!â
âœ...Letâs go.â You try to ignore their antics by flying upwards but unbeknownst to you your skin reflects the cheery attitude your lifelike allies are rubbing onto you. You rise farther and farther from the surface of the arena until you even pass the pinnacles that tower high over the shiny white dome walls covered with buttresses and elegant outcroppings.
The Seiun surrounds the Citadel like a shell but leaves enough empty space for players to truly admire the palace at the core of the storm and enough time to escape any Kaonashis that may have been pursuing them. The colors that shift throughout the stardust mimics your avatarâs skin as if it is an extension of you. At present, its a culmination of the bright colors you saw on yourself before, bright greens, yellows, and pinks which make it appear like a field of flowers.
It would be a cheerful sight if not for the Kaonashis that emerge every now and again from the confines of the Seiun like maggots. Some actually appear as such as well as mutants of moles, anglerfish, eels, jellyfish, worms, bats, and more. Others took on a more fantasy form like leviathans, basilisks, penanggalans, hydras, azathoths, nyarlathoteps, and other world-ending monstrosities.
You canât tell whether or not itâs a good thing theyâre limited to the territory of the Seiun.
The only way invading players could escape the faceless NPCâs other than killing them, of course, is if the players make it out of the Seiun. If Kaonashis stay too long outside the Seiun they die by shattering into the star-like particles that make up the space like storm.
The colors of the Seiun become more saturated in hue at your change of emotion as you receive more praise from your followers.
âœWoah!â âœItâs been so long since Iâve been outsideââ âœThe Seiun is so pretty!â
âœMy creator?â Jest inquiries and you urge him to say whatever is on his mind, âœWhat are those creatures up there?â He points up at the psychedelic cloud and you automatically know what heâs inquiring.
âœIâve dubbed them with the name Kaonashi. They are monstrous and powerful beings that are among our outer line of defense and Iâm hoping they donât attack us once when we approach.â
âœWhat?!â âœWhy would they dare attack their creator?!â
âœI created them to be mindless killing machines with their only purpose in being to kill all intruders and protect our realm and the subjects who reside in it. Although they shouldnât attack usâsomething has changed. Iââ How do you word it right? âœ...felt it a while ago back in the throne room. Things are different...majorly...even you all are different in some ways.â They look shocked as you continue, âœ...and Iâm cautious in the fact that it might be the same for the Kaonashi and the Seiun. Nevertheless, we are going to push through.â
âœMy creator!â Erx hurries in front of you with arms raised stopping you as you start to drift towards the celestial mass. âœI must insist that you have a member of your guard go off ahead to test the waters before we progress. As a member of the Unmei no gundan, I cannot allow you to be put in harm's way and Iâm willing to go to see if itâs safe.â
What?! No! âœCanon fodder may grant victory in a war but is it so for its commander? And what good am I to cower in fear what Iâve created that I allow my subordinates to face?â You shake your head and place a hand on the Hobgoblinâs shoulder.
Fear, love, conflict, pride, confusion, focus,...
Erx is a whirlwind of emotion but you try to project your own onto him, âœBesides...I created you all...and it pains me to see you risk yourselves for meâ. Have any of you considered that I feel the same way you do for me?â
Heâs flabbergasted and so taken aback that he actually backs out of your grasp with a wide mouth and a blush. âœM-m-myââ
âœWe will advance...together.â Even though this may become a huge battle. When no one else objects you shoot through the air like a missile, closing the distance between the Seiun and you but leaving the Citadel far behind. Itâs only seconds before your group breaches the gaseous shield.
Youâve been in the Seiun before but it surprises you every time you enter because of how randomly generated the Kaonashis and the environment are. You had to admit that it was slightly nightmare-inducing sometimes. Tens upon hundreds of Kaonashis, all varying in size and shape, fill your vision as green flames and star particles illuminated them. The inferno that shot through the colorful mist pops and fades into acid rain before hardening into boulders. Like busy bees, the NPCs swarm the Seiun as if on the patrol for any intruders. They flew through the stardust much like how you can since most donât have wings, like the odd few, and upon your groups passing, they seem to follow as if noticing your presence.
âœDo not engage any of them unless they become a hostel!â You yell over your shoulder as you expand your sights to envelope all angles. Time passes in tense beats but none of the beasts engage any of you nor show any hostility. That's when something dawns on you, âœTheyâre seeing us off.â
âœAn escort?â Lexx, the Kenku, echoes back in disbelief. âœAre you sure?â
You hum an affirmative, âœWeâd be amidst a battle if they werenât. They must know that we are allies and are trying to guard us against any possible threatsâ*sigh* Thankfully...â
Around thirty seconds of being trailed by a faceless and bizarre legion like a mother duck leading her chicks through a hellscape, the Seiun starts to fade out into the beyond and you feel the temperature drop. Before you can exit voices call out to you.
âœMy creator!â
You stop when you see your guard slow in their tracks, âœIs something the matter?!â
âœIt has...suddenly...grown hard to breathe.â Ynnam says in choppy and labored breaths as where all the other guards plus Lexx. You become legitimately worried for them.
âœWhen did this start to occur?â You float back to them with hovering hands. Is it the Seiun that is causing this or perhaps something else? You find the connection that all those who need to breathe are affected but not the four undead Reborn nor Jest. It would explain why youâre not also affected.
Lamassu whimpers, âœJust...a few moments ago.â Why would they suddenly...you turn your attention to the direction that leads to the exit of the Seiun. It is possible that this could be two things:
1. Status effects from the Seiun.
2. Thereâs depleting oxygen due to the environment beyond.
Either way, you can only see one solution butâ âœHmmm...this certainly cuts our numbers.â
âœMy creator?â
âœAragog, Lexx, Lamassu, Akkar, Ynnam, and Erx. You will all immediately retreat back to the Citadel.â
âœW-what?â âœBut my creator!â
âœStop!â You snap at them, âœI know this is very important to you all but what good is a guard that is weak or, God forbid, dead?!â You knew you were being harsh but you needed to be. They will keep finding reasons to stay with you otherwise. âœI still have others to protect me...â You gesture with your arms to the five others you hadnât listed, âœand I, for one, can also handle myself. We will return soon and hopefully, we can find the reason why this occurred so this doesnât happen again. So please, donât blame yourselves for something thatâs beyond your control. Retreat back to the Citadel, this is my order.â
Theyâre still in shock, obviously having some major inner turmoil but Erx is the first to snap out of it. âœAs you wishââ He bows, âœWeâll take our leaveââ After him, the others follow in his steps and one by one they all turn back to fade into the storm, also to followed by some Kaonashis.
âœ*Sigh* I feel kind of bad for doing that but it was for the best.â You whisper to yourself as you twist your body to face the remaining five. âœShall we continue?â They all nod and you all do so but the trip was hardly long as with one push, you breach the outskirts of the Seiun for the first time as your avatar-
And your mind goes blank.
You were supposed to come out far above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds, but nye! Theyâre absent.
Instead youâre met with a planet! A planet that reminds you of Earth but the continents were nothing like the ones that should be there. You can see clouds moving across its surface and you can see the waters that separate the land. You can see its lunar satellite orbit the giant and you can see a distant star illuminate the surface below. Nowhere in sight a familiar sight beyond the Seiun. All else is just...space...youâre in space. Outer-space.
âœI donât recognize any of this...â Ukara, the Draugr, mumbles to you with Message once they realize that their voice canât be heard with darting glowing blue eyes, âœI remember there being...lands of gold and magic when I was summoned by our creator.â Well at least message was still an option in this strange situation.
âœSo what is all of this?â Malum, the Wraith, hums in Message with a rattling in his misty voice. He turns to you, the wisps of its ghastly dark body muted in the cold plain.
You shake your head slowly as you float past the five, silently trying to wrap your head around whatâs going on. This isnât a part of Yggdrasil. You have a detailed memory of every inch of the nine worlds, despite how large they were...and nothing from Yggdrasil looks like this. You had thought this was still the game with you still being your avatar and the Citadel and the NPCs still intact butâ
âœI donât know. I donât know where we are. I hadnât made any of this.â You say out loud, knowing they wonât hear a word you say. Who knows what the heck is happening! âœBut...this may explain why everything is different.â You sigh and become resolute. Assume, if you were truly SÅsaku-sha, what would they do? Would that help? What would they think? The NPCs confusion makes you consider a final question. What would SÅsaku-sha say?
âœOkay!â You clap your hands together and turn back to the undead with a Message. âœHereâs what I assume occurred. The change I felt wasââ Um-um-make up something! âœ...myyyy whole realm being teleported to some unknown location.â Nailed it. âœAs of right now I donât know why it happened, only theories to guide us. The only way weâll get answers though is if we explore. We will continue but weâll break up into groups of two, three in each. Malum, Skinner, and Ukara, youâre Reborn and are the most likely to tell the differences in our surroundings among the others. Encircle the Seiun and see if there are any familiar sights beyond my realm. Once youâre done...ermâ use Message to contact me."
âœYes, of course, my creator.â Skinner nods.
âœGood. Jest, Nictis, and I will continue forward and gather more information until you Message me. Once you do, weâll hurry to return and go back to the Citadel to meet up with the Anointed. Are my words clear?â
âœYes, my creator!â They all call out in Message at once.
âœThen weâre off.â You turn towards the planet and fly towards it while being followed by the Wendigo and the Sasabosam. Speaking of which, Jest hasnât said a word since youâve all entered the Seiun. You admire him through your extended vision and he looks...wild. Concern grows within, âœHow are you fairing, Jest?â
He turns to you with the scariest look, his makeup not helping, and you see him open his mouth to speak, blank out, then snicker in silence. What?! Whatâs funny?! Donât laugh like that! He gets his act together then Messages you. âœForgive Me, my creator, even though this situation is dire, Iâm enjoying myself. Iâve never seen such a wide expanse of area before. Iâve always thought the arena held space but the space out here is nothing compared to it. It just seems to go on forever!â
âœMhm, I can agree.â It did look like it could go on for eternity...and that doesnât give you hope in your situation so you force yourself to focus on the fast-approaching planet ahead. Youâre now able to distinguish landscapes in which you can see mountains, rivers, deserts, greenery, and others but not to the point where you can see any details.
âœWhere are we going to look?â Nictisâ inquire enters your mind and you slow to a stop to decide. The other three will be done with their search soon so itâll only be enough time to briefly skim one area.
So where will you search?
The mountains.
The forests.
The green-lands.
Chapter End Notes
Hey, hey! So I want to let you readers know that now that the branching pathways are starting to become greater in number so I might not be able to get chapters out quick and on time. I wrote some of the chapters I posted this month last month but I still wasn't able to post as many chapters as I wanted. This is due to the fact that college, work, and life circumstances get in the way. I'm also in the process of writing a book of my own. I hope you all understand. Also, just a hint, where ever you choose to go will decide how soon you'll come into contact with the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
カオナシ (Kaonashi): Faceless, No-face
Chapter 3: COMMAND
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to build up relations.
Chapter Notes
Hi, BBS here. Another freaking long chapter on your way! Sorry this one didn't come out with the others! Finals are in a week so I wasn't able to put out more pathways like I wanted to. I hope you're all staying healthy and enjoy this chapter!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 3: COMMAND
Your main blaring anxiety wavers around the question of why youâre still in Yggdrasil but the loyalty of the NPCs in the Citadel is going to have a detrimental effect on how youâll figure out your situation. So to focus on them seems like the smart thing to do if you were lost and were trying to find your bearings. You need all the help you can get.
âœJest.â The Disciple seems to grow with glee upon you calling them but still remains serious, âœSpread the word that all levels of the Citadel must go into maximum security but do not allow any of the floors to lock up any passageways unless an intruder is spotted. Also, collect five of the finest Reborn scouts the Citadel contains. Dastgir can help you obtain suitable choices if you have difficulty selecting them.â He is one of the Anointed, guardian of the Heroâs Hypogeum (the second floor), and general of the Unmei no gundan. The Centaur hybrid would know better than any other NPC in the Citadel which Reborn would be best to assist you (if he has your best interests at heart), so itâd be smart on Jestâs part to get guidance from him. âœHave the five prepared for travel for they are to traverse and venture beyond my realm. Have them confirm our surroundings but warn them not to stray too far as to avoid conflict with any possible NP-Erm...any enemies. If they are met by any, they are to retreat.â
âœI will do everything as youâve commanded and inform them of the possible threats.â
âœMmm, Iâm glad to hear it. Also, another word for warning for you to relay. The Kaonashi and the Seiun are very dangerous and unpredictable. If they are or even feel like theyâre in danger, they are to retreat immediately. Even if they feel a slight change to their stats, health, or anything of that matter, they are to retreat. Their safety is my priority. We can always try again after we know what there is to look out for.â Yeah, that would be best as you could know what to prepare for when youâd go out. In the meantime, you want to go to your quarters and use your Mirror of Remote Viewing. That way youâll be able to get a sneak peek yourself instead of just hearing a description of the surroundings. Even though youâre tempted to go and check it out now...youâll save it for later. You have more pressing matters to attend to. âœHave them ready for their departure in fifteen minutes and they are to return before an hour has passed. Iâll be waiting for them on the first floor. Do you understand everything Iâve told you?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœGood. Once you have finished youâll return here and remain guard. Youâre dismissed.â
Jest stands with a curt bow and a jingle before spinning on his sharp sickles, clicks following his hurried pace.
âCan you even leave the throne room?â You think in your head. You had programmed him to guard this grand room and even though you hadnât bound the vampire to this space, by leaving, heâd be doing something no other Disciple has done under circumstances other than retiring to their chambers.
You watch Jest make his way across the throne room and approach the tall double doors on the other side. Much to your curiosity, the doors open and allow him to pass on his merry way.
âœCuriousââ You hardly mumble still at a loss for whatâs happening. Not only are the NPCs very lifelike now but they can follow your commands without using command phrases as if they can understand your intentions. It makes you question whether or not this is limited to just the throne room, the entire Citadel...or...all of Yggdrasil. So many things to test out to understand the limitations of your situation but you donât want to get carried away by overthinking it. Youâre still in Yggdrasil, your game, so there shouldnât be too many differences. Baby steps is the pace youâre going to set for yourself. Thereâs no point in rushing and possibly disorienting yourself more than you are already.
So you turn to the Anointed with your second priority in mind, âœAlvara.â
âœYes my creator?â She inquires, seemingly eager to do your every will and whim.
âœYouâll be joining me. I want to check the conditions of each floor and those residing with them.â
She lights up immediately with a huge, toothy smile which takes you back slightly. She looks crazy!
âœEek! Of course! Itâd be my pleasure!â
You can only hum in reply as you couldnât find the words to make one. You need to do this, you tell yourself. You need to test the extent of your influence. Jest and Alvara may be life-like but who's to say that all the other NPCs are? Whoâs to say theyâre loyal like the two? By commanding her to follow you through the floors of the Citadel, you can check on their conditions with one of the best guards Yggdrasil has to offer. On top of that, the Anointed is the best NPC to help you since youâve programmed her with a background to be very sociable. If thereâs any disloyalty blooming in the Citadel towards you, sheâll know.
Youâre confident that sheâll aid you...but...since Yggdrasil seems so life-like at the moment, it makes you question your avatarâs abilities. You may be extremely OP in the game but is it still the case now? SÅsaku-shaâs main source of power resides on magical ability, although they still are very powerful in physical terms. You need to confirm that you can, in fact, still use magic because not only is it a vital part of transportation in SÅsaku-shaâs realm and supports your information-gathering skills but it will drastically affect your combat ability.
SÅsaku-sha is supposed to be the most powerful being in the game, the final boss, the entity that created ALL of Yggdrasil, and the ruler of the Citadel, home to the most powerful NPCs out of all the nine worlds in the fantasy DMMO-RPG. So far everyone youâve met is loyal to you but whoâs to say theyâll follow a powerless leader? And if your avatar still has the same stats thereâs the Anointed who come close to your own. You need to make sure that theyâre all still loyal to you.
It does raise questions thoughâ
If they are loyal to you, how much so? You had programmed all Anointed, in fact, all NPCs in your realm to have extreme love and loyalty towards you. Are they willing to do anything you ask of them and to go out of their way to go up and beyond your expectations because of their coding or do they go against it? If your stats are weak will their loyalty to you dwindle? Will they start to lose faith in you if you make stupid choices? If thereâs the possibility of their loyalty to you being able to change due to circumstances, how will you maintain it? In Yggdrasil, the system would judge mobs and NPCs within SÅsaku-shaâs realm as belonging to you. Friendly fire was always on as not to give intruders an advantage but...is that still the case? If youâre attacked, will it not harm you?
âœMy creator?â
Oh right, Alvara is still here waiting. She probably thinks your silence is more than you just dozing off. âœSorry, I got lost in thought for a second.â You observe Alvara where you stand. You havenât yet tested to see if the NPCs really are alive or if theyâre just acting as such. Watching Alvaraâs chest rise and fall makes you question if the former is true but that...canât be...well, none of this should be happening...but youâre praying that this is all faulty coding and that youâre not actually...in a fantasy world.
A good way to test this is to reach out and feel herâ
Once you actually register what that implies the thought makes you want to sweat.
Alvara is an attractive woman with a beautiful body and a giving heart. With the way she looks at you plus the fact that she seems to be willing to do anything for you makes you feel sick...the good kind of sick(?). The kind that people call butterflies in the stomach? Yeah. You feel as if youâre going to do something naughty by how hot youâve suddenly become but you are, by no means, going to do anything like THAT. In fact, your only real goal is to see if she has a pulse. Doing so will truly prove what is the case.
âœAlvara.â
âœYes, my creator?â
âœI want to run a test with you.â You turn towards the short round flight of stairs, all the while still being able to see Alvara with your back turned somehow until the barricade obscures your vision, and start to descend down the side the Anointed is closest to. âœYou have every right to deny me if youâre not comfortable with going through with this. Something has changed. Iââ How do you word it right? âœ...felt it a while ago. Things are different...majorly...itâs also the case from what Iâve seen of Jest and you.â You exit the staircase and walk underneath the archway to stand before the still kneeling NPC who looks so small from your avatarâs 213.36 cm (seven-foot) height. âœSo I want to...erm...t-to touchyouandseewhatâsdiffrent.â
Nailed it.
She blinked, processing your words with frozen breath. AaAhhha. Please pleeease donât take that the wrong way. A blush climbs up her face when it finally clicks and you almost scream at her to forget what you said, just to save you both the embarrassment, but she speaks up before you.
âœI seeââ She stands up, not even reaching your shoulder with her height, âœThen please,â She spreads her arms as if offering herself to you, âœdo as you must.â
DONâT SAY THAT LIKE THAT!!! Youâre going to die of embarrassment at this rate! âœA-are you sure youâre okay with this?â ShutupShutupShutup! Youâre making this worse!
âœOf course I am.â Her blush deepens making you doubt that she told you the truth. âœPlease, go ahead.â
A swallow is hard on your throat, tempting you to just stop this now but youâre already in this deep and itâll make you look bad if you back down now. Besides, you need to do this. âThis is necessary!â You tell yourself.
To that, you bite down your anxieties with your anticipation to raise your hand and place it upon her shoulder-
Admiration, inspiration, love, compassion, baited, realization, shock, honored, privileged, gleeful-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with Alvara.
Both she and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âAlvara is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of her skin through her clothes and a beating, like a drumâs symphony, of her heart's pulsations. It was a fast ba-bum, ba-bum and it only sped up upon your contact. Not only that, but you were also assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the Anointed to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœU-um,â Alvaraâs voice brings you back to reality, âœMy creator.â You donât want to hear what she has to say but you nod for her to continue. âœI...I believe...did you project your emotions onto mine?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â When she nods you let out a huge sigh as you grow hot with embarrassment. Great. She probably thinks youâre a huge pervert.
âœWhen you touched me just now...I felt a wave of emotions that werenât my own. They wereââ
Please donât say it!!!
âœ...fearful. You seem very anxious.â
Huh?...oh. Well...maybe sheâs being nice to you and worded it differently than what she actually felt from you, to spare you the embarrassment, or thatâs really what she got from you.
Either way, you appreciate it and watch silently as she places her right hand over her heart and lifts the left as if she was reaching out to touch you. âœPlease...let me beg you to let me be selfish and allow me to help you any way I can. I canât stand by knowing that youâre in distress!â
Beats of silence pass between the two of you as you run her words through your head like a record on loop. Thereâs nothing you could say. If you told her the truth, that everything seems to be wrong, itâd probably hurt her. Itâs better to just assure her of what sheâs doing now. âœThank you for your concern but youâre honestly doing wonders already.â Yeah, thank God you donât want to kill me. âœYouâre helping me understand this strange situation better. For exampleââ You extend your hand for her and she quickly accepts the invitation, once again flooding you with alien emotions. Youâre able to retain your recoil this time. âœ...it seems that we are able to share our feelings through physical contact.â
âœShare?â
âœMmm, yes. Iâm also feeling yours, Alvara. I canât sense thoughts though, through this method. Just emotion. Is it the same for you?â
âœY-yes. Iâm only getting feelings.â
Thank God. âœThen itâs mutual. I say this because I feel your positive emotions and they are overpowering my more negative ones. Itâs quite...relieving. I...might have to start having frequent contact with others...though, bless the poor soul thatâll be on the receiving end.â
âœMy creator!â She bows her head and holds your hand against her very soft hair. âœAnyone of your servants would fight tooth and nail for the opportunity to hold your hand as I am, more so if they knew what it means to you!â The fact that you can feel she means every word makes your heart flutter. You canât see the joyful smile that climbs up her face at your warming emotions. âœDonât think that youâll hurt us by letting us help. Please, take it from me, an ant youâve allowed to be graced with your touch.â She looks up at you once again but tears flow down her rosy cheeks this time, âœIâve never been happier in all my life! Allow me to do this again for you anytime you need it! Iâd be more than honored to!â
âœ...â You donât think youâve ever been this speechless in your entire life. How could you even begin to respond to something like that?! Instead, you opt to wipe her tears away with your thumb. She cries a little while longer before she seems to gain control of her emotions, you continuously cleaning her face all the while.
âœForgive me for my outburst. It was uncalled for.â
You shake your head. âœThere is nothing to be forgiven. Truly sweet is the honey that flows on behalf of a yellow rose.â
You...don't know why you said that. Maybe your anxiety is getting the best of you.
She seems to gain mixed emotions upon your words so you decide to speak with more clarity. âœYour tears are nice. They show that you care about our friendship.â
âœFuh-Friendship?!!â
You envelop both of her hands in yours, now only realizing how small herâs are in your own. âœYes. I desire to become friends with all of my subjects.â That way youâll all be less likely to turn against me, âœItâs one of the reasons I want to traverse the floors. Do you want to be my friend?â
âœOf course I do, my creator!!!â
When she almost busts out crying again you let go and move backward, her emotions becoming too much for you to even think. âœMmm...Then Iâm sure others would like to be too. Let us be off. Time doesnât stop for anyone.â
You move your legs to turn and leave but the feeling of the smooth cold floor doesnât register. A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating. It seems that SÅsaku-shaâs perk Ascend still works which gives you hope that not much has changed stat-wise if at all.
You will yourself to float across the throne room in the direction of the large doors but you move at a reasonable pace so the Anointed isnât left behind. âœAlvara.â
âœYes, my creator?â
âœI aim to work our way up the floors so that when we finish weâll stop at the first floor on arrival of our reconnaissance. If we arrive early then weâll spend that time testing a few more things.â Your split vision shows you that Alvara is excited at that concept, âœBut since we are on the fifth floor weâll need to go down to the sixth firstâ. Do you know who Majesty is?â
âœThe Anointed who guards the treasury? Yes, weâve had many insightful conversations over the years. Iâve even made them a mask once. They said they appreciated it but it was hard to tell with their lack of face.â Ah, yes. Just as you thought. The background you had given her is working like her memories.
âœGood, weâll be paying them a visit.â Upon your approach, the large double doors to the throne room slowly slide open upon your approach, like before when you first entered. The grand hallways look the same as they did in-game. Extravagant and screams rich. The fact that this all may be real makes you sick. What was the saying? The richer you are the more worry youâll have? Yeah. Youâve never been more worried in your life but you donât think the grandeur is the cause. You hope that somehow, this all ends soon and you can return back to reality.
You slide easily through the corridors, knowing every inch of this place, and you make small talk with Alvara as you both make your way to your destination. You both agree on taking turns asking each other questions to pass the time. You knew practically everything about her so most of your questions consist of theories and puzzles until youâd come up with one thatâd really help you. She, on the other hand, is very interested in you. She wanted to know what's your favorite color, what hobbies you enjoy, if you prefer fluffy animals over scaly ones, and more. You answered everything truthfully, seeing no harm in doing so, but sometimes you have to alter them to fit your avatar. When she asked you what you liked to eat you were honest but had to point out that you donât have a mouth to consume such things.
The more questions she asked the more you start to realize that you have a lot to learn about the anatomy of SÅsaku-sha. If youâre stuck here, you need to find out how to live in this body or thereâs a possibility that you'll...youâre not even sure if youâll resurrect if you die but youâre never going to test that out. Not while you still donât know how permanent this situation is.
By the time you both reached the ramp that leads down into the sixth floor Alvara was the only one asking questions. The Anointed noticed and when she inquired about it you simply made the excuse that you like teaching others.
At the bottom of the ramp is a small hall that leads to a giant golden statue that mirrors your avatarâs form cut in half at the torso. It holds its hands, fingers interlaced, at its midsection almost as if clutching onto life but have come to a peace that it is the end. You made it so that it symbolized the end of the gamerâs journey, the final phase into the absolute completion of Yggdrasil. The whole statue is as large as the double doors to the throne room but you know that the entrance to the Treasury is much smaller as it is just behind its hands.
And those hands will remain closed until one can pass the statue of riddlesâ test.
Upon your approach the statue takes notice of your presence and moves its blank head to follow you with a familiar yet echoey version of your new voice. âœI speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?â
âœOo! I know this one!â Alvara suddenly calls out and you turn to her with muted surprise. The action causes her to grow shy under your gaze. âœ...If youâd allow me I can solve this riddle for you, my creator.â
âœ...Heh...I see.â Sheâd have to pass the door of riddles to visit Majesty so of course, sheâd know a good portion of riddles. The only concerning thing with that sediment is that you didnât program her with that knowledge so the implication that she has âœmemoriesâ you hadnât given her to have is troubling. The other NPCs may be the same you realize.
A swallow pushes down your anxieties as you gesture her to step forward. âœVery well but do note that if you fail youâll have to dodge the statue's attacks until you get an answer right.â You doubt that sheâd volunteer to do something thatâd harm you if she didnât know full well what she is doing, considering how she has conducted herself so far. Besides, you know all the answers to all the riddles the statue could ask and if she gets it wrong youâll correct the error.
She nods and steps forward, drawing the attention of the golden giant, âœMy answer to your riddle is an echo.â
You feel something akin to a smile when you pat her twice on the shoulder with a sigh as you make your way past her towards the opening hands. Her joy is made more apparent as light floods the area in which you two leave behind knowing that youâll soon pass through here again.
What you step out onto is a quartz bridge suspended hundreds of feet above a sea of gold like a dungeon filled with lava. The bridge stretches out into the small expanse which is the Treasury, held up by engraved pillars and arches, leading any wandering soul into the few subsections the chambers contain. Stairs would depart from the pathways, which would descend into the indefinite gold horde below. The ceiling stretches high, mimicking the ones of the other floors and the stained glass windows let in colorful light from almost every angle. Although the space isnât the largest floor, it still holds a great portion of space which could take half an hour of searching for the Anointed. Thankfully, though, at the center of the treasury, where all the bridges connect into a single large platform under the largest chandelier the Citadel holds, hovers the animated mannequin.
Their exterior form is an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a Chockwe mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space and progressively becomes more pronounced as Alvara and you close the distance between the Anointed.
Majesty hovers lower to the ground, tilting their colossal head downwards, and puts their right three fingers across their chest to perform a mock bow. âœMy. Creator. . What. A. Privilege. It. Is. To. Have. You. Along. With. My. Favorite. Colleague.â Their choppy, rich voice remains bland in pitch, not clearly expressing their joy to your arrival, as they raise their head. âœTo. What. Do. I. Owe. You. For. This. Fine. Occasion. Question. Mark.â
You almost ask why they said "question mark" at the end of their statement when you realize it was a question. Your Avatar nods in approval as you stop before the nine-foot giant. You like their voice. It completely embodies their character not only in personality but on their robotic side. In addition, it seems that they are alive(ish) and loyal to you. This gives you hope that all the other NPCs are too. âœMajesty, itâs nice to see you again too.â If they were affected by your sentiment you canât tell for they make no indications of such. âœHowever, our situation is not one to be taken lightly. Were you informed that we have been placed in maximum security?â
Gears click in response, âœYes. My. Creator. . I. Was. Messaged. By. A. Disciple. By. The. Name. Of. Jest.â Your skin flashes shades of green, not only because youâre pleased with the vampireâs work but you learned that you could possibly still use Message. âœHe. Had. Informed. Me. Of. Your. Plight. . Have. You. Come. To. Have. Me. Help. Dispel. It. Question. Mark.â Their voice betrays their question but you understand it was one.
âœYes. I am gathering all of the Anointed personally to the first floor to await the report from reconnaissance from there weâll be able to take ample steps to give you all proper orders to carry out. For nowââ Wait, you could make this a thousand times easier than just looking for the Anointed like a big doofus! âœMessage Dastgir, Bizerk, and Kendria to make their way to the Arena.â Yes! That way you donât have to test your ability with Message, possibly making a fool of yourself, and you get to see how it is conducted! âœAs you do so you will follow me along with Alvara. Is this satisfactory?â
âœVery. . I. Find. Great. Pleasure. In. Knowing. I. Can. Assist. You.â
âœGood. Then let's be off. Time is of the essence.â You know youâre acting hasty but you want answers and the quicker you are the more likely youâll get more.
When you turn to leave not only does the clacking of Alvaraâs sandals follow you but now the humming of Majesty. You notice, with your odd vision, the robot bring two of their thin fingers up to the side of their real head and start to speak out.
It seems that Message generally works the same way as it did in the game but without the list of contacts that typically appears to choose from. Youâll have to figure out how that works more intimately later.
By the time you all reach the fifth floor Majesty has finished Messaging the other Anointed and Alvara takes the opportunity to speak. âœHey, Majesty?â
âœYes. Question. Mark.â
âœDid you know you could feel our creatorâs emotions through physical contact?â
Loud static noises erupt from Majesty which has you turning midair in the direction of the two Anointed despite being able to see them just fine before. You continue to float backward, still aware of where youâre headed, while you worriedly eye the robot. âœAre you alright, Majesty?â
âœDonât worry about them, my creator.â Alvara hums with pinched brows, âœThey often do this when theyâre processing a lot of information. I must have surprised or overwhelmed them. When Majesty finally understands...or computes what Iâve told then theyâll stop making the noise.â
Just as Alvara finished speaking a click finishes the static, âœIs. This. True. Question. Mark. â
This time it was harder to understand that Majesty had asked a question, âœYes. This is true. It is also new news to me, among many other changes.â
âœOther. Changes. Question. Mark.â
âœMmmhm. Many things are different. For example,â You point your dominant hand to your face while supporting your elbow with your other hand, âœmy vision is different than before.â
âœHow so?â
âœIt...seems to be...extended...somehow.â You nod to yourself as you cross your arms. Yes, that is the best word you can come up with especially since you havenât bumped into a single thing despite not facing the direction youâre all heading in. âœIt changes from time to time but essentially Iâm able to focus on more things than what Iâm acquainted with.â
âœAhh.â Alvara is the only who gives any physical reaction to your words.
Chatter down the hall catches your attention and you turn around in the air just in time to see a maid and a footman make their way around a corner. You immediately recognize the Reborn Vedalken and Shifter and they too seem to recognize your group, faltering in their step and voices becoming hushed. Your attention narrows on the female and male NPCs. Their white and gold outfits sway as they move and you notice them expanding as their breaths quicken. Your sight zooms in and narrows down to their whitened knuckles that grip their cleaning tools and supplies tightly. You even see the goosebumps travel up the exposed skin of the Shifter because heâs wearing much less clothing than their associate.
This practically confirms that all the other NPCs are no longer just codes but very much alive like Alvara is.
âœThey are different too.â
âœMy. Creator. In. What. Way. Question. Mark.â
âœSame way everything is now.â You hardly care to elaborate as you draw closer to the pair that now steps aside and bows, waiting for your group to pass. When youâre within forty feet of the couple you address them. âœMorpho. Claw. Itâs nice to see the two of you.â
âœLikewise, my creator.â Morpho bows deeper, her blue skin shifting to a purple hue as a blush creeps up her features. âœItâs always an honor to be present amongst such perfection.â Ermmâ although the comment sits weird with you-you understand that she is a Vedalken. They are a race that is obsessed with finding perfection even though they believe it is unobtainable...so the fact that she calls you perfect-
Claw hums in agreement but it sounds more like a purr to you. âœYes. It is also wonderful to see two of our Anointed.â The Shifter looks up to nod at the two with a sharp smile. âœAlvara. Majesty.â
Majesty remains quiet but Alvara shares her greetings with the two as you pass, leaving the Reborn behind. Before you round the corner the two came from you see Claw jump excitedly around Morpho who holds a hand over her chest in bliss.
D...Do you really mean that much to these NPCs?
Youâre starting to have a growing concern about your...title. Although they are accurate in calling you âœcreatorâ...it sounds like theyâre calling you God, more so than a programmer. Youâd probably be able to tolerate being referred to as âœcreatorâ if they said it any other way. It doesnât make you feel good. Youâre nowhere near a God. Sure, you designed SÅsaku-sha as a type of deity-like being but not a God. Nowhere near a God. An elevated entity? Yes. A God? Absolutely not! Especially not a God while youâre possessing your avatarâs body.
If these NPCâs believe you to be some type of God, do they expect you to be perfect?! No! You know you make mistakes and youâre not about to pretend to be something youâre not just to avoid shattering their expectations of you. So how are you going to break it to them without them turning on you?
âœMajesty. Alvara...I...would like to ask something of you both.â
âœWe would be elated to do anything you asked of us!â Alvara lightens up and walks a bit closer to you seemingly impatient to hear what youâd say next. Majesty mimics Alvaraâs body language and also drifts closer to you.
âœUhââ âHey, do you think Iâm God?â Yeah, probably not the time to be asking such things. Youâll sit on the thought but youâll definitely ask the Anointed what they think when they are all together in one place. So when you get to the first floor youâll have to find a way to bring it up.
Ahh.
Itâs no good.
You shouldnât worry about something that may not even be the case...but itâs a wise choice to store it for later. âœ...would you like to continue our conversation from before?â
âœWhat. Conversation. Question. Mark.â
âœOh! Iâd love to!â Alvara claps her hands together as she turns to the large robot. âœOur creator allowed me to ask them any question I desired and would answer them.â
The static noise that followed was very brief. âœReally. Question. Mark.â When they see the Anointed nod and that you do not correct her, they accept the fact before inquiring you. âœMay. I. Ask. You. Questions. Question. Mark.â
âœYes.â
âœWill. I. Offend. You. If. I. Ask. You. Personal. Questions. Question. Mark.â
You shake your head even though it was slightly a lie. âœYou canât ask anything worse than what Alvara did.â
âœHuh?!â
âœWhat. Did. You. Ask. Our. Creator. Question. Mark.â Majesty actually sounds shocked despite nothing changing in their voice. Maybe you just imagined it.
Purple and green colors dance rapidly across your skin as the mischievous thoughts flow through your head. âœOh, just what sex positions I like.â
âœWUh-WHAAT?!!â Alvara explodes red with embarrassment as she stops in her tracks and rapidly shakes her head and arms at Majesty who has also stopped in their tracks but doesnât dare deny your words.
With loud static filling the air, the robot places their âœhandsâ in a position in imitation of sitting them on their âœhipsâ as they look down at the other. âœI. Thought. You. Were. Better. Then. That.-â
Your boisterous laughter stops the two in their tracks and they proceed to watch you double over in the air, clutching your abdomen. âœHAhaha!-Ma-Majesty! Itâs, itâs okay! *Sigh* Ahh, sorry Alvara. I couldnât help but mess with you.â You turn to the two with one hand still on your stomach as the woman lets out a huge sigh. âœI hadnât had a good laugh like that in a while.â It probably felt that euphoric because youâre really stressed out. âœI wonât get offended by any personal questions. I just...Iâll probably not be able to answer them all like youâd expect me to.â You continue to move and the two anointed follow in tow.
âœNow I know where Bizerk gets their personality from.â Alvara airily jokes to herself that you actually bark a laugh at.
âœYeah, well, I did create all of you.â
You regulate your speed to allow yourself to not only help Alvara and Majesty in sticking with you at a comfortable level but to observe what other oddities there may be.
As you continuously ascend the floors you get more and more proof that this may not be the game you used to know. Every NPC you pass, whether it be Reborn or Disciples, acts very much alive and thankfully very loyal to you. You are trailed by humanoids, subhumans, and grotesques prostrating themselves, voices of praise, and proclamations of âœMy creator!â in every district and corridor you make your way through.
Itâs all quite overwhelming and all youâre able to do in return is wave, nod, and give short answers to their inquiries. All the while this was occurring, Majesty and Alvara take turns bombarding you with questions. Majestyâs were honestly very hard to answer. When they asked you for your gender you had started to answer with a, âœI am a-â when you stopped and realized that they werenât asking you but SÅsaku-sha. You had designed your avatar to be both male and female but also...neither one...you really didnât know how to answer them. You just ended going up on an entire rant about the anatomy of SÅsaku-sha you know for most of the trip up to the first floor.
It takes around fourteen minutes before you all make it up to the floor of the arena. Typically it would be barren of all life, the exceptions being player raids, but at the center stands five familiar individuals.
Two Reborn stand amongst the three other Anointed, seemingly conversing with them and paying particular attention to the Centaur. It takes you a little while longer to notice but you recognize that the two Reborn who are talking to Dastgir are members of the Unmei no gundan. Before you could think of a reason why guards of the Citadel would be present on this floor when you hadnât called for them Alvara calls out with a loud voice, âœOOOI!â She waves to the five whoâve now taken notice of the three of you.
The three anointed all have different reactions to seeing your approach.
Dastgir is a giant of a Centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance facing you and his long goat ears stick up high, causing his many earrings to clink together.
Bizerk is not so reserved as he seems to be fangirling and fanning himself. Although heâs currently wearing his white and gold robe, thatâd cover his whole body if he stayed still, it is wide open from the neck down. The rubber hose and cartoon-like entity is odd in shape, almost mimicking that of the grinch, and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. His single white eye glitters comical sparkles behind his hood and you can see his pupil expand at the sight of you.
Kendria cowers behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from your sight. She is a young but very shy angel. She hardly ever comes out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total, at the moment. Despite her hiding, you can clearly see her big blue eyes peeking out from behind her pristine wings glittering in the same manner as Bizerkâs who is now dramatically fainting.
âœI see youâve gathered here as all requested. This is very good.â You comment idly while thinking of what next to say to all of them. You honestly should have planned on that.
âœWeâll always do as you request of us, my creator.â Dastgirâs voice is deeper and richer than youâd imagine it to be. You thought itâd be raspier because of his dragon-like skull. He bows his humanoid torso slightly and pounds his chest with his right as he does so. âœBizerk!â
âœAIIIEEE!â The dark gremlin screeches out as Dastgir kicks him with one of his many legs, causing them to roll twice and fumble in their cloak as it wraps around them.
âœStop fooling around. You are in the presence of our creator. Show some respect.â
âœGah! I know! Ya donât ave ta kick me like dat!â When Bizerk finally stands back up his hood has fallen off revealing his face which consists of giant red lips that form into two of the three horns on his head. He sticks out his tongue, which also functions as his eye, at Dastgir through his many sharp fangs before he looks your way. His entire head moves up into a smile. âœMy beautiful, radiant, strong, awe inspirinâ,â He scoots closer ever closer to you with reaching arms as he continues to list adjectives to describe you with until heâs almost touching you, âœlovinâ creader,-â He claps his hands together, âœ-for what reason ave ya seen fit ta gather us all ere?â
âœMmmâ*ahem, I must apologize for keeping you all waiting and pulling you from your duties,â Before any of them could wave off your apology you continue, âœbut I have good reason for doing so. May all of you stand before me before I continue? I donât want any of you to feel left out because I wonât turn to look at you as I speak.â
They all hurry to do as you asked, forming a line like preschoolers attentive to a teacher. They all stand far enough back so that you could properly see them, even if your new vision wouldnât expand, and straight in attention except for Kendria who is still cowering away from you.
Dark blue spots spread across a small portion of your chest, right under your collarbone, as a chill settles down there. The feeling almost wants you to pout because the small angel reminds you how skittish animals would shy away from you when youâd want to pet them.
You stomp the feeling down because now wasnât the time to get lost in your thoughts.
âœAs you all know I have commanded that all floors go to maximum security. I have stated this because Iâve taken notice of anomalies in this world of mine. I am still in the process of finding them all and identifying the source of the issue. So until then...Iâll very much appreciate all your cooperation in my endeavor to understand...this.â You wave absently in no general direction to give emphasis on âœthisâ. âœIf you all would like too that is. You have every right to deny me.â
Indignation and denial answers.
âœWhoâd dare deny you, my creator!â Itâs clear that Dastgirâs hiss is not a question. âœI shall correct any heretics and see to it that their outlook is corrected if not silenced.â
You feel that threat to your very core. Your skin must show it because the Seiun darkens considerably.
Although the other six NPCs agree with their own inputs you shake your head.
âœI appreciate your loyalty but we can't force others to be the same. Itâs not morally correctââ
Your voice grew weaker as you spoke, not truly meaning those words. You really do want as many...creatures? NPCs? Living beings wanting to help you up until you are able to log out of the game. Although youâd like to, forcing others against their will to serve you just doesnât sit right with you. It almost makes you feel as if youâre condoning slavery. Besides, if you did that then youâre sure that youâll more than likely get on the bad side of these beings.
âœSo if someone wishes not to follow an order of mine then let them state the reasoning behind it. The fawn who ignores the murderâs forewarning is fair game to a hunter but the one who heeds the crowsâ call will become wise with age and experience.â
...whatâs with you and using all this...imagery to explain tough subjects?... Is your manner of speech messed up too among other things? All you wanted to say is that if you receive criticism you might be able to improve yourself and the choices you make!
You clear your throat with a cough and clear up the imagery with an explanation. âœI wonât ignore kindly suggestions if it means that I can avoid disaster or better improve myself. If they question my motives then it gives me a chance learn and to teach them why I choose to do the things I do; then not only will it possibly motivate them to do as Iâve asked but itâll help them understand how I think. Do you all understand? Iâm not just saying all of this to protect those who doubt me but encourage you all to do exactly that.â
âœYou want us to doubt you?!â One of the Reborn screams at the idea as if they havenât heard you right.
The one who does so is a large hobgoblin that was renamed by you to Erx. He dons his best armor and weapons (that youâve designed) much like the other four. His white and gold uniform covers up all of his large body excluding his flat square head and pointy ears. His dark brown sideburns cover up most of his rough redwood skin but you can still see his tusk-like teeth sticking up and over his top, thin, overturned lip. To you, it appears that Erx is wearing a menacing mien and you contemplate whether it could be the effect of the weight of his duty to protect you, his default expression, his mood, or if itâs his intimidation stats having an effect. His small beady yellow eyes bore into you, making you feel even more uneasy than you already are.
âœIn a way...yes. Itâs so that we can all achieve the best outcome for every given situation and for us to learn from one another. I donât see everything so be that extra eyes for me. Does that sound reasonable?â
They are all silent, sharing glances with one another for a few seconds to show how uncomfortable they are with the idea but they all reluctantly bow, stating that theyâll respect your wishes.
*sigh* This is so nerve-rackingâmaybe you can help them be more comfortable with you someday but you can tell itâs going to take some time.
âœMy. Creator.â The automaton hums. âœIf. You. May. Allow. Me. Let. Me. Elevate. The. Confusion. . Will. You. Correct. Me. If. I. Am. Wrong. Question. Mark.â
âœ...Yyeeesssââ You were hesitant but you were curious of what Majesty has in mind to tell the other NPCs.
All eyes turn to the robot as they begin to speak. âœDuring. My. Trip. Up. To. This. Floor. With. Our. Creator. And. Alvara. It. Became. Apparent. To. Me. That. Our. Creator. Enjoys. Teaching. Others. . I. Believe. That. They. Want. Us. To. Ask. Them. Questions. Because. It. Makes. Them. Happy.â
âœAwwwh!â All in attendance lighten up at the prospect of making you happy and suddenly arenât as hesitant to the request you made. It slightly peeves you that thatâs the reason they suddenly warm up to the idea but you swallow the feeling down.
âœAm. I. Correct. My. Creator. Question. Mark.â Majesty asks for your approval. When all look at you with glittery expressions you sigh.
âœAlthough that isnât the only reason I want to be inquired of...youâre not wrong. I do enjoy teaching others as much as I do learning.â
âœSo not only can we be taught by our creader but we can make dem happy at de same time?! Kieeah! Itâs like a dream come true!â Bizerk hugs himself, getting lost in a fantasy. Many nod in agreement with him and you fight to let out another sigh.
Well...as long as it motivates them not to kill anyone that you can possibly win over through words...then itâs fine.
âœSo I must remind you, if someone doesnât agree with me let them state their reason. But...some situations will require...different actions to take place if Iâm met with resistance. When the time comes...I will-WE will find a solution to deal with such matters. In the meantimeââ You turn your head over to the two reborn. âœI want to know why you two are here.â
Dastgir steps forth, âœMy creator, they were a part of the reconnaissance group Jest and me developed.â
âœOh?â So they werenât here for no reason-Wait! âœSo you ran into an issue?â
âœYes, my creator. We returned here shortly after departing because Erx and I started having difficulty breathing in the Seiun.â Aragog, a Drider, hisses in self-loathing.
She, among the Reborn in attendance, has the least amount of armor and clothing on due to the fact that most of her body is a spider. A highly venomous one at it too. Even the hairs on her body, that stand up every time you look her way, can become poisonous needles at will. She has a hard exoskeleton and it poses better than any suit of armor could with her thin, hairy, long limbs. The part of her that looks human is sharp and hairy in some parts. Her skin is mostly dark purple with green markings that fade with the purple into her light yellow underbelly but at the end of every point and limb is black. Aragogâs face is shaped like a human woman with wide cheekbones and short blonde hair that match the hair on the rest of her body and her light yellow underbelly. The difference is that she has pointier ears (not so much as elves but like someone pinched them at the top), no visible nose, eight green orb-like-eyes, pedipalps that act as the bottom jaw, and black, sharp, needle-like-teeth.
âœAlthough we retreated just you instructed us to, we still feel as if weâve failed you.â The two reborn bow deeply. âœForgive us.â
âœI will not. Neither of you are at fault for anything. Iâm proud that you listened to me instead of putting yourselves in danger. I would have been terribly guilt-ridden if you continued and something worse occurred to you both.â
âœWe donât deserve such kind words!â Aragog whimpers while Erxâs stiff form relaxes.
âœMmm...this is concerning news though.â You turn your head upward to stare at the psychedelic cloud. âœThe Seiun has many status effects that it can place on passersby but I created it with the sole purpose to kill all intruders and protect our realm and the subjects who reside in it. They shouldnât attack or affect any of us but...things have changed.â
You look back down to the two reborn. âœWhat occurred while you were in there?â
âœWell...it was a very humbling experience.â Erx scratches his hairy chin. âœI mean no disrespect but itâs utter chaos in there. More than once I thought we were going to be attacked by the Kaonashis but all they did was follow us.â
âœThe Kaonashis didnât show you any hostility?â
âœNo. I donât believe they did.â
Well, that was good news, they are the largest threat in the Seiun. But that doesnât explain why Aragog and Erx started to struggle to breathe. âœWhen did you start to suffocate?â
âœFar into the Seiun, I believe. we had been flying straight for half a minute when it occurred.â
So they were near the exit when they couldnât breathe well. This changes things. If it was a status effect of the Seiun then they would have been affected far sooner than thirty seconds, let alone with just breathing problems. This makes you believe that it isnât the space field but rather what lies beyond it. The terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds, should be outside. Maybe it had something to do with oxygen levels? The worlds of the immortals wouldnât be affected by such petty things so I'd make sense.
âœAnd it only affected you two? Who was among your team?â
âœYes, my creator, we were the only two affected. The other three among us were Cruella, Nut, and Sparse and they claimed not to be affected.â
So that meant that a skeleton, a warforged, and a festrog werenât affected. âœThat would make sense. Cruella and Sparse are undead while Nut is an automaton. They donât have the need to breathe while you two do.â
But that does bring to question, do you have a need to breathe? You donât have the...parts to do so but you may be like some kind of toad now and you breathe through your skin. Would that mean youâd also suffocate if you left? Are you trapped here? Hmmm...maybe itâs a good thing that you didnât go with reconnaissance but you donât like the thought of being caged here, let alone in the game.
You sigh, rubbing a hand down your face as you look back up at the Seiun and watch it shift along with your skin. It appears as a sickly stormy sky, foretelling misfortune with its murky gray, greenish-yellows, and blues with very dark splotches.
Hopefully thereâs light after the stormâ
âœThank you, Aragog, Erx, for informing me. Youâre allowed to stay until the three return if you wish but if you have dutiesââ You look back down to turn to Dastgir, silently asking him if they do.
âœIâve already had other guards cover their absence. The Citadelâs function isnât negatively affected while they are here.â The centaur firmly nods with a stomp of one of their front hooves, standing in attention.
You nod and turn back to the Reborn. âœIt is for you to decide.â
âœI would love to stay!â Aragogâs body hair stands straight as they wiggle in a slight dance. âœSpending time with you is always a privilege!â
Erx, upon seeing their fellow Reborn jump at the chance to spend more time with their creator, is motivated to do the same. âœI also want to stay.â
âœHmmââ You didnât know how to reply. âCool.â or âNice.â doesnât seem to be the right things for you to say. Maybe you should just drop the subject. The time you have left until the scouts return is dwindling. You should test or seek out more information. âœIn the meantime, why donât we spend our time wisely until the three return.â
âœWhat shall we do, my creator?â Alvara peeps up, looking excited.
There were actually a few things you want to figure out.
You want to see if the NPCs think youâre some kind of God. Not only that but you wanted to get to know the NPCs in front of you personally. Asking them questions could give you tons of information and expand your knowledge of your new(?) allies. You may have programmed them but evidently, they have minds of their own now. Not only that but you also want to learn more about your body. You can see but you have no eyes. You can hear without ears. You donât know if you can eat but you can talk, albeit with two voices. You can smell but you have no nose. You can feel but evidently, your feelings can project onto others. Can you even use the bathroom anymore? Do you even have a need for it anymore?? What gender are you now??? Youâre utterly confused in that department. Although this all might be something you should find out in private the Anointed and Reborn could possibly help you find out something you donât even know about yourself.
Then thereâs the issue with magic. Magic and spell casting are very important to your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, and you want to at least make sure that you have some measure of defense yourself in case you have no one else around to protect you. Are the mechanics the same? You are still your avatar and itâs still Yggdrasil so it must not be too different. So, the way you see it, the best way to test out your abilities is in a fighting match.
You look up and eye all the NPCs.
This could totally go wrong real quick. The Reborn are all more or less level 100 while the Anointed are only slightly less powerful than you. If this goes wrong...you could really be hurt or you could possibly hurt the others.
...But...by doing this you could learn so much about your avatarâs abilities and possibly see what the others have in their stock. You already know their abilities but youâve never been able to see them in action.
So what should you do with your remaining time?
Make small talk and get scientific.
Letâs rough house!
Chapter End Notes
So I've been through a lot during this time in quarantine and I think I'm going crazy because of it. Finals, for one, is really sucking up all my time, with summer classes and internships rushing up on its tail. I'm a morning person but it's making me stay up until the late at nights turn into early mornings working on assignments. My sympathies for any college student. I also ended up saving my little brother's life. The dumb dumb swallowed a plastic bottle cap, even though he knows better than to do that, and I ended up preforming the heimlich manoeuvre on him. That scare plus I haven't left my house in two months is getting to my head. SOS. I hope you are all doing better than me and enjoyed this chapter.
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
カオナシ (Kaonashi): Faceless, No-face
LOST ROUTE 3:1
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
In the next instant you decide that trying to slip away when you literally have flowers trailing your every step is going to be impossible. Youâre still your avatar and this still has to be Yggdrasil. You must be able to use magic!
You hurry to stand back under the hole to peer out at the starry night sky.
You have no idea whatâs going on but there must be some things that have remained constant!
Ascend could easily assist you since it is a racial perk. It allows you to fly around without the need for spells so it could definitely help you float quietly out of the barn.
But there is a concern-
âœIâll peek in and see if I can spot whatever it is.â A male voice makes your head jolt to the direction of the doors to your right, just in time to see that they have opened slightly.
âœBe careful Nate.â Another male voice meets you but it sounds lighter than the other.
When you see a worn-out brown leather boot slip through the crack you duck down so that the hay pile could hide you.
How do you activate it?! How do you activate Ascend?!
It should just automatically turn on when you move around butâ
Looking down at your feet you see that they rest on the hay and grass bed that now surrounds you.
You shouldnât be standing on the ground. You should be floating in the air, at least by a foot, at all times! The only time Ascend doesnât work is when SÅsaku-sha is-
O-oh...
âœOh no.â You whimper out as you come to a realization. SÅsaku-shaâs perk Ascend is nullified when they are shielded. Not only that but you wonât be able to cast any spells or use magic while youâre shielded. You wonât be able to escape like this!
It would be an easy fix if you could pull up your menu but for some reason, itâs not working!
So then how did you end up activating it?! You donât remember doing so! You were up in the sky one minute then-
âœHand me the torch, itâs too dark to see anything.â
âœShit!â The curse escapes you with a silent hiss. They're going to find you at this rate if you canât get your stupid magic to work!
Maybe itâs a voice thing?? You donât remember everything you said while falling but maybe you said âœShieldedâ out of desperation?! Itâs best worth a try!
In a low voice, as not to be heard, you utter âœOpen.â while staring intently at your feet.
â
Nothing happens.
âœS-shit.â You try again, whispering âœActivate Open.â
Again, nothing.
âœPlease activate Open.â
Nothing!
âœPlease, please, for the love of God, please let me-â
âœI donât see anything.â You jump at the maleâs voice who now sounds like he is fully inside the barn. âœLet's spread out and search. It must still be in here.â
A heavy feeling befalls you and your body starts to quake.
âœTwo of you stay at the door and make sure nothing gets past you.â You suddenly hear, at the other side of the barn, an older manâs voice to your left.
Youâre trapped!
âœShit!â You silently scream as you claw your scalp, giving up on trying to activate your abilities with voice commands and try to think of another way.
This is the first place theyâre going to look so youâre not going to have a lot of time!
S-should you play dead?! Could you even try?! If you truly are shielded right now then nothing they could do to you will hurt you while you do so. But shielded is set on a time limit. That could put your life at risk! That is if it still only lasts for five minutes. How long has it been?! Ah-ha, crap, uh...not long enough it seems! What if youâre not shielded and your magic system is just messed up? Wait, you donât know if your magic system isnât messed up! You havenât even tried using one spell yet! The menu for spell slots is different from the typical menu! Maybe you still have access to magic!
Raising your hand you try to pull up your spell slots-
Nothing.
âœCome oooon.â You want to cry.
Are you going to die?! Are you really going to die like this if you canât get your shit together?!
Can you play dead?! Youâre really considering it now but youâre sure that theyâll find a way to see if youâre alive one way or another! Your skin changing color might be a BIG hint after all! Not to mention your breathing. Wait a minute-
âœThereâs the hole. It must be in that pin.â
Nevermind about whatever you were just thinking, it doesnât matter. You need to do something, NOW!!!
And in that instant you look up at the hole and come up with a crazy and desperate idea that you donât think twice about.
You jump up.
In the back of your mind you knew it was a stupid choice but you just didn't think, you just acted. All you wanted to do at the moment was escape so, in a blind panic, you just leaped for the one escape route left open for you.
To your surprise youâre actually able to jump high enough to grab hold of the broken planks of the second floor and, with remarkable ease, haul yourself to the floor.
âœITâS THERE!â âœWhat the HELL is THAT?!â
Youâre arenât startled by their voices as much as the feeling of something bouncing off your leg but youâre still startled nevertheless.
You pull yourself to safety and listen as they run about, calling to one another; some alerting while others give instructions on your location.
âœVance shot it with an arrow! It just...bounced off the monster!!! I saw it!â
WHAT?!! Was the thing you felt really an ARROW?!!
Looking down at your leg while crouching away from the place you crawled out from, you try to see if there are any cuts. You turn it this way and that but find nothing. You even run your thumb over the place you felt get hit but you feel nothing. It didnât even hurt when it hit you either.
âœ*SIGH* Thank God.â At least shielded is good for one thing. It really did just save your ass. If you had been shot right then and there...you donât think that there would have been a chance for you to escape.
At least now you know you have one...however...the audacity of the attack has a strange heat boil in your chest.
Annoying rats, you growl inwardly.
Youâre not free yet. You could hear them at the bottom of the ladders discussing what to do now while more people are rushing here to surround you. Time is running out so you need to find a way out and soon!
You eye the hole on the roof that is just a few feet away from you. You could climb out there but youâre sure that there are people waiting for you to jump at the opportunity presented to you. There is no way youâd risk being shot with another arrow or worse despite the fact that it didnât do anything the first time.
Youâll just have to find another way or plan something else.
Looking around, you spot two other exits than the one you made. Window shutters are on either end of the barn, closed but you can see light flickering dimly through both. There are people on each side of the barn, possibly waiting for you to jump out but you estimate that either one will be a better choice than the hole. Itâs like a huge target mark and the moment you stick even a toe out through the hole youâll be in the line of fire.
They suspect that youâre a monster and possibly some kind of dumb creature that will jump at any chance for survival...and while that may be true in some ways, you have enough brain to come to a conclusion.
Thereâs one hole and two windows. They are gathered at the hole because they saw you climb through it. That leaves fewer people gathered underneath the windows so your chances of escape are better if you go for one of the windows. The odds are practically even for both sides...
But you could make your odds even better and you know just how you were going to do that.
Moving quickly you pick up four hard items, not even paying attention to what they actually are, and try to move as quietly as possible to the window on what was your left before but now is behind you to your right.
After raising your dominant hand with one of the items in your fist, you chuck that son of a bitch hard in the opposite direction. A huge crash follows with shattering of wood that draws the attention of the mob.
âœItâs heading for the back window!!â âœEveryone move!â âœHURRY!â
If they think youâre going one way then even fewer people will be gathered at the other window!
You keep the joy of your successful plan to a minimum and continue to move at a slow and regulated pace backward, not wanting to alert your actual position to anyone.
Your strange vision allows you to navigate around the pots and barrels around you as you throw another item but this time farther than the one before. You cringe at every step that causes a creek but it doesnât seem anyone other than you hears them because they continue screaming at each other about their perceived location of you.
Youâre almost to the other side of the barn when you throw yet another item. You donât know how you achieve it but youâre able to hit a crate sitting on the far wall all the way on the other side of the barn with expert precision. The thing explodes to splinters, drawing the attention of all below.
Your back was now against the wall adjacent to the window. Your head turns right to face your goal. Youâre positive that if you still had a mouth, youâd be biting your tongue in anticipation.
You only had a little way to head now. Just a few more steps and youâll be right up against it!
Never in your life have you ever wanted something more than to reach that window without being caught, youâre sure. Just a little more...
You raise the final item above your head and prepare to throw it as close as you can to the other window when your arm freezes. A blond man climbs up a ladder a couple of yards from you holding a weapon that looks like a hoe but much shorter in length. A hand from the ladder passes the blonde man a torch so that the other could climb up. They werenât the only ones who climbed up a ladder. You see all throughout the barn that people had climbed up with various weapons, all facing one directionâ
To the corner that you werenât at.
You didnât dare move even an inch. It wouldnât help at all to stay in your spot but youâd rather wait for them to move away from you before you make a move. The further they are from you the better.
God, how you're not sweating bullets right now is a miracle in itself!
âœI donât see it.â The blond whispers to the other as he hands him the torch back.
âœItâs probably hiding.â The skinny older man says as he pulls out a knife from his side. The glint of it makes you swallow from worry but also grit your facial muscles in building anger. âœCome on. Frank and Joseph are up there closer to it. Let's go and back them up.â
You watch as all the men whoâve made it up to the second floor slowly close in on the corner they think youâre in.
With each step they take you relax further and further. In a minute theyâll be far enough for you to continue to sneak your way to the win-
âœHey, wait, Seth.â Your thoughts shutter to a halt when you see the blond man stop with an arm on the skinnier manâs shoulder. Why did he stop?
âœWhat is it Mat?â The skinny man inquires and looks down to where the other man is looking. You too shift your gaze to what they were looking at-
Your heart plummets with an unbelievably hard thump in your chest.
They are staring at a patch of grass and flowers.
A patch of greens that allows their gaze to travel up a path all the way to youâ
â
There are a shared few seconds of staring at one another before all Hell breaks loose.
âœAHHH!!!â âœTHE FUCK IS THAT?!!â
You donât think as you chuck the item in your hand as hard as you can at the skinny man before making a mad dash for the windows.
More screaming envelopes as you scramble to the shutters and fling them open.
It is a high drop, around thirty feet youâre sure, but you have no other way now and thankfully it seems that no one dangerous is nearby. Upon an arrow whizzing by your head, you ignore the building heat in your core and hurry to sling your body out of the side of the window before dangling your body by just your hands to lessen the height of the fall.
You let go and land on your feet-right in front of three men who pounce at you with clubs and pitchforks!
Jumping must be your reactive instinct to life or death situations because you leap right out of the way of the first manâs pitchfork, which was aimed to impale your chest. Although you were able to sidestep that kiss with death, the second manâs club has a date with you and almost makes itself home in your face, if you hadn't broken your neck moving your head out the way.
âœKill this freak!â The third man screams out as he swings his pitchfork at your stomach when you turn to run.
Mangy flees! you better back the hell-
Another maneuver out of a weapon's range interupts the sudden spiteful inner spill. You canât keep dodging forever and you really donât want to find out if youâre actually shielded. Plus, if they keep you dancing here then more are going to join them.
You need them to get off your ass!
So when the first man swings his pitchfork back at you, you catch it. The other two men see it as their chance to attack and both aim at you at once.
You predicted this would happen.
Bending your legs quickly, you spring your entire mass in the direction of the man with the club, tackling him with your back. While you do so, you swing the pitchfork, with the man still holding on, to the one charging you.
Courage, rage, and dread fills your senses for a split second but it fades just as fast as it came when you realize that the three men were now on the ground trying to pick themselves back up.
You hear screaming all around you but you take it as your cue to haul ass and you do just so. You run in the direction away from the barn to get as much distance away from you and the men who want to kill you. There is a small crowd of women and children gathered around the barn but upon seeing you heading their way they disperse immediately from the path you take, screeching some of the most haunting sounds a fearful human can make.
With your split vision you watch as some men chase you while others shoot arrows. Only one got close to hitting you but the archers didnât give up until they realized that there was a risk of hitting the ones pursuing you.
You almost laugh, feeling as if you had finally escaped as you slip in and out of alleyways in the small village to avoid the ones chasing you. They could follow your trail, sure, but theyâd have to rely on their torches and you seem to be faster than them. This may be their turf but all you need to reach the forest. The moment you finish that thought, you round a corner that leads straight to a line of trees. âœYes! YES! Sweet lord, thank you. Haha! I got out! I got-â âœâŸªMAGIC ARROW!⟫â
Your attention snaps back out of your jubilee to a familiar voice. Shifting your focus you notice a bright light but before you could react, hot pain shoots through your neck causing you to trip on your own feet, with a gargled yelp, and face plant on the dirt path. Flowers sprout up upon your contact but you pay them little mind as you clutch your throat, that you feel is pouring hot spurts of blood, and thrash on the ground in agony. Any screams that leave you are silent or are reduced to whimpers as the pain starts to mellow out. You watch in horror as a pool of bright, molten gold starts to seep down into the soil below you through the greenery.
I-it's BLOOD! YOUR BLOOD!!!
âœI GOT IT!!! ITâS OVER HERE!â
The voice calls out again and the spark of recognition you had before informs you that the one speaking is the man named Nate. That didnât matter much as you mull over the fact that you have a hole through your neck.
How you're not dead yet is mind-boggling but you didnât want these people to finish you off.
Keeping your focus on the young man who is waving to the approaching men, you try to stand up to limp away-
You donât feel the ground.
Freaking out and thinking it may be the blood loss, you look down to assess the numb feeling that has spread across you...only to see that you were floating.
â
Youâre Open...NOW?!!
âœH-hey, what the hell?!â âœI thought it was DEAD!!!â You hear shouting and you know that they were seeing what youâre seeing.
Suprized, Nate quickly holds up his arm, his palm facing you, as he takes a wide and determined stance. It immediately clicks what he is doing and you gasp.
âœâŸªMagic Arrow!⟫â âœâŸªDimensional Move!⟫â
A bolt of light strikes through the space you held only a second prior and you appear five feet away from its path to its left.
Your back is now against the forest with the mob facing you. The words âœMagic casterâ and âœDangerousâ are echoed amongst the crowd but youâre not thinking straight to consider what else theyâre saying. You are frayed, mentally. So much so that you donât even feel the pain of your neck anymore. You also must be hallucinating because you no longer feel the wound around your neck and drop your arms in response.
Rationality is out the window. All you want to do is survive at this point and you know that these people will just keep pursuing you until they can kill you.
You didnât show these people any hostility and yet they attacked you.
Something...vile starts to boil deep down inside you as you stare at the men in front of you with a newfound feeling.
You feel unbridled wrath.
You just wanted to be safe but theyâre threatening your life. You will not let that stand.
Unbeknownst to you, the men watch as your skin as it shifts to black and fiery red colors that contrast the gold liquid that is dripping down from your hands and healed neck. They all take a consecutive step back as you raise a hand, a last thought flickering through your mind before you let go-
Are you really going to attack these people?
Yes. I want to be safe!
N-no. Why would I-
If you said no, roll a D20 and select the number you get:
(You can use your dice or use this â†' LINK)
1-13
14-20
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8
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LOST ROUTE 3:2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation.
Chapter Notes
Ayeoo! BBS here. Hope y'all are doing well and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Long one, again!
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In the next instant you decide that trying to slip away with magic is too big of a gamble in a life or death situation. Your menu wouldnât work so why would your spell slots? Besidesâ
Looking down at your feet you see that they rest on the flower and grass bed that now surrounds you.
Ascend isnât working right now. Whatever the cause for it may be...it is a sign that your magic and spell casting abilities may share the same issue. Youâll try to find a solution for that later but for now, you have to find a way out.
First, however, you need to make sure that they donât just follow the trail of grass and flowers to you.
Turning to the gate that gives access to the aisle, you throw yourself over it surprisingly easy with the help of your arms to support you. Wasting no time, you jog up to a ladder, across the aisle to the right, and make sure to rub your feet as much as you can around the base of it.
âœIâll peek in and see if I can spot whatever it is.â A male voice makes your head jolt to the direction of the doors to your left, just in time to see that they have opened slightly.
âœBe careful Nate.â Another male voice meets you but it sounds lighter than the other.
When you see a worn-out brown leather boot slip through the crack you hastily turn to retrace your steps, cursing internally and praying that you wonât be spotted. You hop, one foot after another, careful not to add to many more grass splotches as you make your way back to the pin. You had hardly hurled yourself back over the gate when the young man, who goes by the name of Nate, peeks his head in through the doors and scans over the room with a frown.
He hadnât seen you.
The realization plus the close call releases a relieved sigh from your chest as you stay low, backing away from the fence to the hay pile to better hide. With the distraction in place, all you needed to do now is get out of this pin without making too many more grass patches.
Your vision seemingly spreads, allowing you to look around for possible escape routes. The aisle is off-limits so it only leaves three options: The hole you fell through, the pins to your left, and the pins to your right.
The hole is a straight shot out of here but without magic, you donât think you can sneak out that way without getting spotted. Thereâs definitely people on the other side of it, no doubt about it, waiting for you to crawl out like a worm. Besides, you donât think you could jump high enough or find something to stand upon in time to climb out. That leaves the pins as the only two options-
âœHand me the torch, itâs too dark to see anything.â
You realize that you donât have a lot of time to decide so you quickly try to see which way would provide you with the most coverage. The pins to your right contain various farm animals with low fences while the ones to your left contain stalls with various goods, supplies, and horses to what it looks like. Although going right would be easier to traverse, you donât think youâll be able to hide easily. Plus, the fact that the path you made leads to the right is only another indicator that your best option is to go left.
It truly wasnât a hard choice to make.
As silent as you can possibly muster, you start to make your way to the barrels that line the left side of the pin youâre in and make sure to stay as low as possible. While crouching you grab bunches of hay and start to throw them over the grass and flowers, covering your trail. You had barely crawl over the first fence when you hear Nate speak up once again.
âœI donât see anything. Let's spread out and search. It must still be in here.â
This will be the hard part. Trying to stay hidden while they search for you. If you can find a wide enough opening to slip by youâll take it but these men wonât easily give you the opportunity.
âœTwo of you stay at the door and make sure nothing gets past you.â You suddenly hear, at the other side of the barn, an older manâs voice far behind you. At least now you know that the doors arenât an option anymore as you make it to the first stall. These are way higher than the fences but you can tell you could still jump up and grab hold of them. Youâd love to do that and continue making your way farther away from the first pin but, now that there are men coming from both sides, you donât think that youâll be able to jump over the stall without being noticed, at least from behind. Youâll have to wait until theyâre distracted enough by your dummy trail to even try to attempt to climb out.
Curling into a ball where the crates and bags are most compact, you wait for them to do so with a sick feeling settling on your stomach.
You donât like this. You donât like the feeling of being cornered like this. Like a rat hiding from a cat. It's...wrong...
The only solitude you have is your own mind and even that is betraying you. It just keeps replaying scenarios where youâre found and killed.
A-are you going to die if youâre found? Could you even die? This all might still be Yggdrasil and something like that probably doesnât mean much...hmmm...youâre not even sure if youâd resurrect if you do die. Youâre not even sure how permanent death is now. Would you return to your normal life or something finalâ.You donât want to find out...you wonât let yourself find out because how real your situation is. S-should you play dead if youâre spotted? Could you even try?! No, you know you wouldnât be able to. Theyâd know youâre alive. Not to mention that your skin changing color might be a BIG hint. For now, you just have to stay still and watch.
From in between the cracks of the barrier that surrounds you now, you watch the three men draw closer and closer to the pin that you had already left.
âœThereâs the hole but what the fuck is all this?â Nate hisses as he approaches with two younger men to the other group just outside the pin next to yours.
âœFlowers?â A boy with caramel caesar cut hair, who looks around the same age as Nate, mumbles as he walks up to the gate with a dark-haired boy who is holding a bow with an arrow strung and ready to draw at a moment's notice. âœWhy are there flowers?â
âœThereâs no sign of a creature in the pin either.â The young man with the bow turns to the group. âœOnly grass and these flowers.â
âœHmmââ The old man worriedly trails his eyes down the path which you set. âœI donât know, boys, but Iâm starting to get the feeling that we might not be dealing with something we can handle. It may be a magic caster.â
âœIt would explain the odd growth.â
âœIs it a fae?â The caramel haired boyâs question prompts Nate to step forth.
âœCould be. Only one way to find out.â The moment they all turn their head to the ladder you shoot up from your spot like a spring and start to make your way over the stall. âœIt must be up there. It's where the path leads but we shouldnât pursue it just yet.â You notice Nate crouch down to the patches of grass in the aisle before you lose sight of the scene, slipping into the next pin searching for an exit, but you still listen in. âœItâs bipedal, evident by the patches of grass if these are its footprints, but thereâs something concerning.â
âœWhat is it?â
âœThe spacing between these steps. A full-grown man could only have this much space in between his steps if he was hurrying to get somewhere. The creature we are dealing with could have been rushing to get to the ladder...but that still means that the creature is at least six feet in height.â
âœSix feet tall?!â
âœAt least, it could be taller.â
'Yeah, my avatar is taller than that. Seven feet tall to be exact.' You think to yourself in response, sliping over the next stall as they continue to talk. You cringe at every sound you make. Thankfully, no one other than you hear th-*SSsfFFn*
You jump, freezing in your spot as something wet sprinkles onto your back. Quickly you shift your vision to see what had just sniffed you-only to see that it was just a brown horse. You sigh, relieved that you werenât caught, as you slowly turn towards the horse to get a better look at it. Its mane is darker than that of its body, almost appearing black in contrast and it has one splotch of white in between its eyes. Its eyes are the most striking features on the horse as one is as dark as its mane but the other contrasts with a bright blue color. It sniffs you again, splattering more of its snot on you.
âœEahk! Hello to you too.â You whisper as you wipe yourself off with your hands, watching as the horse bends its neck down to nibble at the grass and flowers that have sprouted bellow you. As it does so you take a moment to pat its neck, relishing the feeling-
âœWe'll need more men to kill this thing.â
âœS-shit.â Youâre suddenly pulled back from reality by the blatant fact of what they intend to do with you. You need to find a way out, NOW.
The horse lifts its head to watch you climb up on a crate to look around for exits. The only things that seemed to be available to you are the small windows that line up the sides of the barn. They are very small. So small, in fact, that you wouldnât be able to fit through them, let alone SÅsaku-shaâs head. Youâre positive that the windows are just a form of medieval ventilation, but that knowledge doesnât help you. You quickly scan about, slowly realizing that the doors on either side of the barn are the only real exits on the ground level.
A heavy feeling befalls you and your body starts to quake.
Youâre trapped!
Is this karma?! Have you done anything to deserve this?! No. You canât think of anything that would warrant this. This must be fate or something along those lines. Magic wouldnât work, you know it wouldnât have, but you at least thought that youâd be able to slip by. You want to cry-
A nudge at your side informs you that youâre not alone.
Shifting in place to face the horse, it returns your gaze as it sniffs you, your body slumps as hopelessness slowly envelopes you.
You canât escape. Youâre only waiting to be found and killed now. You donât even think you can talk your way out of this anymore. âœâ You stare at the horse, seemingly the only thing that you find solace in. Raising a hand, you start to pet its snout. It is very hard, not as soft as you thought a horse would feel, but still finding some comfort in the form of acceptance. âœI donât know what to doââ
âœLiam, go inform either Hyatt or Joseph to go get more men.â You cower in place pulling the horse's snout closer to you, almost hugging it now. âœWeâll need to surround this thing.â
âœI donât know what to doââ The whimper that comes out of you is barely audible as you desperately try to think of a way to avoid death-
The horse lifts its head out of your grasp causing you to snap out of your festering panic attack. You watch as it hurriedly trots over to the corner of the pin where some crates covered with a beige drop cloth. Biting down on musky tarp it struggles to pull off the blanket from what it is covering.
Seeing this odd act you hesitantly come over to assist the horse, mainly because you didnât want it making too much noise trying to do whatever it is doing.
When you grab the cloth, green spreads like dye around the areas you touch with your hands. You pay that little mind as you assist the horse, more concerned with overhearing many footsteps go past the stall. You even see a couple of men walk past the one low gateway into the pin but, thankfully, there are high walls on all other sides so they donât see you jump as they pass. The dirty cloth slides easily off the barrels once you have lifted the corners and most of it tumbles straight onto the dirt floor.
The horse, lifting the tarp in its teeth, drapes you with the moldy cloth.
Holding back a gag at the sudden overwhelming smell of muck and shit, the feeling of the blanket becoming enveloped in bright green moss and tiny colorful flowers at your touch gives you some form of comfort, it apparently protecting you from the filth the tarp carries.
âœWhy did you cover me with this?â The inquiry is light as you wrap yourself in the makeshift cloak or hood. Surprisingly, the awful odor slowly fades into one youâd describe honeysuckles to smell like and while that was surprising in itself, you are more intrigued at the animalâs actions. It genuinely seems like it is trying to help you...wait.
Animals couldnât suddenly understand you, can they? Isn't this one of your Beast Tamer perks?!
âœCan you understand me?â Your question goes unanswered as the horse lays down beside you. You start to think that it just wants you to cover it with the blanket but then the horse starts pulling your left leg closer to itself with its snout. Confused, you move closer to the point that your shins are touching its hard side. You always thought horses were a lot squishier than this but it seems like they're all muscle. You dismiss the thought and ask the horse another question, âœWhat are you trying to make me do?"
It either doesnât understand you or it ignores you because it continues to try to move you closer to itself. However, you know you have no more room to move. Youâre already right up against its side and if you go any farther youâll just be standing right on top of-
You feel stupid...and you summarize that it may be a reason why youâre in this situation. The horse clearly wants you to get on its back and youâre just standing there like a dunce, drooling and whining about your situation.
Not wanting to waste any more time, you lift your leg over the horse before carefully sitting down on top of it.
When it suddenly stands you almost fall off but you steady yourself by squeezing your thighs together and wrapping an arm, the one not holding your cloak together under your collar, around its thick neck.
Ye-youâve never ridden a horse before! You donât even know the first thing about riding a horse!
Evidently that means little as the horse cautiously moves closer to the gate, carrying you to the opening.
Upon seeing this, your head shakes violently as youâre brought closer to the open space. âœNo! No! No! What are you doing?!â You scream the whisper, almost having enough sense to jump off the horse but then you notice the mob. Many of the men that make up the group are climbing the ladders to the top floor, leaving very few on the ground level. Those who are on the same floor as you have their backs facing you, the men's attention narrowed down to the area above.
Not focusing on your corner.
The horse, turning its body to the side, lines you up with the gate allowing you to see that the double doors also only have three men guarding it but they too are distracted.
Upon seeing this...a plan pops into your head.
Itâs a crazy plan but...if...if you do this...youâll be able to escape. You might die...but its the best idea you can come up with besides breaking and hiding in a box in a dark corner of the barn for the rest of existence. Plus, you think that the horse already had the same idea.
You shift your body closer to the gate, maintaining your balance with your thighs tight around the horseâs torso, before slowly moving your right hand down the front side, keeping an eye out while you do so. No one seems to see as you fumble around the surface of the gate for something in particular. Your vision shifts and is suddenly extended from your arm. How you can see out of your arm is a mystery but it points you to the item you were trying to find.
Bingo!
The lock to the gate is easy to lift as your hand went quickly to work with it.
The click of the gate did draw a few eyes but the deed had already been done.
Zipping your hand back into the pin at lightning-fast speeds, you grab at your moss hood and the dark mane of the beast youâre on, as the horse spins at a jolting speed, almost throwing you off in the process, to face the gate. It then bursts through the unlocked gate, drawing the attention of everyone in the barn, as it sprints left to the barn doors where three men stood in shock.
âœTHE FUCK?!â âœThere, THERE!â âœSomeone's taking the HORSE!â Many yell from behind but you canât see them with the cloak around you.
The men at the door canât do anything as the wall of muscle comes charging straight at them. Two had enough sense to jump out of the way but the third got plowed as he tried to jump on.
âœBWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I canât believe that actually worked!â You scream in a cocktail of adrenaline and pure bliss, turning your head to look over your shoulder as you see the menâs figures frantically sprinting about. You turn back to the horse and wrap the one arm not holding onto the cloak around its neck in a hug, âœThank you! Thank you so much! I love you! I fucking love you, holy shit, haha! Iâm going to keep you forever!â You almost freaking try to kiss it but instead, you opt to just start laughing again.
You honestly had no idea it would be that easy of an escape plan. You had assumed that since most of the men had gone up the ladders and the few others were distracted, that the ones inside the barn wouldnât be able to act fast enough to pursue and there wouldnât be enough men outside to block you before you disappeared into the shadows of the night. You honestly should have thought of that plan sooner but you didnât know that you could ride a horse. You still donât know how youâre riding one. It just seems to know where you want to go and thatâs completely fine by you. Beast Tamer must be comming in clutch! As long as it takes you far away from this village then you are a happy camper, yessiree!
The side of the barn you came riding out from seems to be the side that leads to all of their crops. Thin wooden fences block off most of the crops so you have to maneuver around them but a few others donât have anything to protect them. The horse still tries to avoid trampling over their crops much to your pleasure. Although those people wanted to kill you-you still didnât want to give them a reason to do so. Well...more reason than you stealing a horse and busting a hole into their property.
Beyond the crops, it's just grassy planes as far as the eye can see with a few scattered trees sticking out of its expanse. It probably would have been better for you to have ridden into the forest instead of being out in the open like this but you recognize the issues in doing that. Monsters and threats unbeknownst to you could lurk behind the deceiving safe haven. You assume that things as such would exist in there based on the things those men had discussed back in the barn and the fact that this may still be Yggdrasil. Youâd also have to turn back and risk being caught by those men.
So you werenât about to look a gift horse in the mouth...quite literally, haHA!
You look back once again to check on the condition of the mob and to see if they are following you. Like you guessed, the few who had jumped onto some horses had pursued you but only as far as the middle of their crop field because beyond the light the small village could provide, their torches do little to aid them in chasing you.
Thankfully SÅsaku-sha has night vision due to their race so you have no issues going across the terrain!
You hum happily and pat the horse below you in thanks. Youâll have to continue to ride off as far as you can into the distance because the villagers will more than likely try to get you back. That one man named Nate, especially. He seemed to be good at things such as that but...for now, you are safe.
You sigh as you look up toward the night sky...and see one truly for the first time.
It is...stunning. You had never seen a night sky with such clarity before. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your closed in balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. There is scenery in Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what had been developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as the hood falls off your bald head, expanding your vision even further now that the mossy cloth no longer obscures it, âœIt's like a sea of pixie dust or even jewelsââ
Hmmm...Jewelsâ
You look down to the horse that had slowed down some but was still galloping away from the village. âœI need to name you now that you and I will be sticking together.â You direct your statement to the horse with a tilt of your head. âœIt doesnât matter to me what gender you are, I shall name you Jewels...for you shone a light of hope for me in the shadow of uncertainty and safeguarded me from death's cold clutch. In turn, I shall treasure you for your namesake and make sure to adorn you with true prosperity plus a long fulfilling life.â
You...donât know why you named a horse like that but you shake your head, tossing your passionate outburst to the back of your mind, and turn your head back to the sky sighing. The wind tickles your skin as you travel farther and farther out into the open fields knowing...
You have successfully escapedâ
â—
You wake up to the feeling of soft lips nibbling at your neck and you propel high up into the bright blue sky with a loud banshee screech; violently flailing and spinning your limbs in every direction to ward off the threat, turning hot pink at the ticklish feeling.
Jewels jumps away from you with a similar, high pitched, startled noise, then a snort as it trots back over to you as you float down to the ground. You clutch a hand over where your heart should be as you pant. It was only the horse, you realize with a grateful yet ragged sigh. You honestly thought something was trying to eat you for a hot second or that a weirdo had the nerve to come up to you, while you slept, and k-kiss yo-
Hey, wait a minute. Jewels is still here...so does that mean-
You look around to confirm your surroundings and, indeed, you are met with the scenery you remember settling down at the night before. A breathing hilly expanse of green as far as the eye can see as well as the occasional scattered trees and bushes, one of those patches being near you to provide you some form of cover. Yellowish-orange butterflies with dark spots peppering their wings flutter all around you, some settle down on the flowers you grew while others land on you, much to your joy. A single small pond, with some reeds growing out of its edges, is a few feet away from where you currently float. It has a stream flowing through it that stretches out in two separate directions to the horizons. The water glitters from the sunlight above and when you look up blue meets your sight. The clouds slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green world below.
Beautiful...
So...it wasnât all a dreamâ
You really are stuck in your avatar SÅsaku-shaâ
â
âœ*Sigh* Well, crap.â
Great...you should have expected this. No way that could have all been a dream. It was too vivid. But howâ
How in the world are you your avatar?
You lift your light pastel arms to look them over. Some butterflies fly onto your arms as you do this and, while it does intrigue you why the small insects would choose you as their perch, you focus more on your limbs. These are your hands...yet they look nothing like the ones you know to be your own. For one, they are nowhere near your natural skin tone. They don't have any of the calluses you've grown onto and show you which fingers youâd use to write. They have no hair...just like the rest of your avatar, plus they now have reasonably sized nail beds, small cuticles, and long enough nails to scratch your new companion, Jewels, who you now know is a female.
âœYou scared me, girl.â You do a sprinkling motion with your fingers so that your nails can really do their work, trailing them down Jewels' snout from in between her eyes. You donât know if youâre petting the horse right, as youâre only repeating what youâve seen actors do in movies, but it doesn't object to your ministrations so you continue to stroke and scratch it.
Youâre pleased that the horse stuck around with you. Very pleased actually. Jewels could have just wandered off at any time yet she stuck around here with you. Maybe she wants to stay with you. You hope she does. You really want her to stick around. You want any type of friendly company you can get while in this strange world. You don't know how to take care of a horse other than the limited study on horse care...but you'll figure it out, you're sure.
You stop petting the horse with one last pat and turn, mid-air, to the pond nearby.
Ascend now works, thankfully. After going for what felt like hours, Jewels and you had settled where you are now so that she could drink some water while you could test out some things about SÅsaku-sha. You came to many conclusions during the time you were lucid.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. Itâs...still a hypothesis and you donât know yet for a fact if that is or what is true yet. All you have to back up your theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots.
2. Voice commands mean very little unless you mean to cast a spell. You also have to be âœopenâ to do so.
3. Youâre open when you feel secure while you stay shielded when you donât feel in control of the situation.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs speed and physical strength showed when you were climbing about in the barn as well as how fast you were able to act in some instances.
5. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy showed when youâd aim at objects with either spells or hand held objects with the intention to hit specific things, even if theyâre crazy far away.
6. SÅsaku-shaâs skin color is reliant on what they are feeling rather than emotes.
Jewels starts to eat the bed of flowers that had cushioned you while you slept, during which you proceed to float down into the pond to wash up, the butterflies on you flying off as you sink deeper. The grass and flowers that grow out of almost everything you touch seems to be good for at least one thing besides feeding animals and leading murderous people to you. It makes one damn great makeshift bed. If youâre honest, you feel that if you were actually tired when you had laid down there the night prior you probably would have never woken up out of your slumber. No wonder you see so many characters in movies sleeping on the ground while camping!
Youâre surprised at the clarity of the water, despite it being in the wild. Youâve only seen distilled water, back in the real world, that rival such purity. You proceed to start rubbing handfuls over your new body to clean yourself. It's cold but doesn't bother you. Not 100% a bath, just missing some hygienics, but itâll make do.
Youâre able to cancel out Ascend despite you being open now. As your hypothesis suggests, it wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float. If you really wanted to float then youâd start to like the many times you tested it out last night. Although typically, youâd jump at the opportunity to fly, after the traumatic fall and the fact that it could cut off on you at any time, youâre hesitant to rely on it. Plus, you wanted to stick around with your new pet horse.
You splash your face and neck, scrubbing at the areas where you felt the most grimey, despite nothing actually being there, and start to think of what would have happened if you hadnât escaped with Jewels.
You probably would have hidden but it would have been hard with all the grass and flower trails. The mob would have searched the entire barn eventually and would have spotted the trail. If they still couldnât find you after that, you probably would have stayed in whatever spot you found for three days or more before even trying to escape again. However, if they did find you-you would have most likely tried to run or fight them.
You sink underwater into a fetal position at the dark thought, knowing from tests the night prior that you donât have a need to breathe anymore (it's still an alien feeling though).
You wouldnât have been able to use any magic of course because you realize now that you were shielded back then. However, you still had SÅsaku-shaâs physical attributes. They wouldnât have been able to hurt you even if they tried and if you had decided to fight them...none of them would have stood a chance. But...what if you had suddenly become open during that time? If they attacked you like that...could you have died? Players need to be at least around level eighty to hurt you but how does that correlate to this world? Good thing you never had to find out.
You stand up out of the pond and watch as the water blurs your vision. Thatâs another oddity youâve found. SÅsaku-sha doesnât have eyes so for them to be able to see is different from how you...used to see. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
So when anything gets on that bubble it obscures your vision. It was the moss cloak you wore last night but now it is the water that's the blinder.
âœ*Sigh*...what is going on?â Mumbling with an empty voice(s), you look down at the surface of the pond to stare at your reflection. Youâre actually able to see it...or...see a reflection of someone who isnât you. None of your facial features meet your gaze, just a plain, smooth, colorful skull of something inhuman.
No longer wanting to stare face to face with something youâre stuck with, you turn and float out of the water onto land, finished with your bath. You try your best to wipe the excess water off of your body before grabbing the moss cloth, which you used as a blanket the night prior, to towel yourself off. Itâs not very absorbent and it leaves little plant particles on your skin but it is easier to pick those off than trying to wipe off water. Thankfully, the cloak still smells like honeysuckles and as you wipe yourself with it the sweet smell transfers onto you like a cologne or perfume.
What do you do now? You donât even know where to go.
You canât go back to the village. Well...you could with a disguise spell but you honestly have no desire to return as it is. You donât think youâd be able to fit in anyway. Grass and flower trails don't help you in any manner.
Shifting your vision you look down at your feet, completely cushioned by the greenery that blossomed underneath, untouched by the dirt bellow.
If you had shoes then maybe this wouldnât happen...Still, how would you fit in? You donât know anything about how this world works. Obviously, people are fearful of things inhuman. It may have been circumstances but you could read in between the lines. They decided to find and kill you based on the fact that youâre...not human. Sure...you probably would have been defensive like they were if you saw something like your avatar. Even thenâ*sigh*
You donât have clothes either. All you have is the moss and flower cloak. You never had a need for armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical strength when you fought, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. If you had stuff like that, no players would have ever been able to touch you in-game. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls (that you don't have any use for at the moment), and a few other items that you have no use for. You still have gold, though. Using what you have can really help you secure yourself and possibly even get you the supplies you need. Although you have plenty of it, you really don't want to rely on that just yet nor too much.
You donât know the monetary system of this world. The value of gold may be more or less than the gameâs currency was. Also, youâre in uncharted territory and flashing your wealth may not be the brightest of ideas. Doing so is only asking to be mugged and/or found by some unfavorable people. You want to remain under the radar for quite a bit until you can get your bearings. Atop of those concerns, you have a finite amount of gold in your inventory and you donât want to use it willy nilly. You donât know how long youâll be in this situation and it may be in your best interests to conserve them. You at least want to learn a bit more before considering them...unless you run into an emergency, of course.
You sigh once again, suspecting that you'll be doing that a lot more often now. Many of your burdens would be alleviated if you could access the Citadel or even its supplies...
The thought of teleporting back to your realm did cross your mind at one point, the night prior. Youâd be somewhere familiar. Somewhere you knew youâd be safe and surrounded by NPCs that you had programmed to serve and protect youâ
Lifting your hand, you try opening Gate once more...but nothing occurs.
âœTsk...Just like last nightââ You had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. In fact, when you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. Doubts are starting to blossom within you on whether this is all still really Yggdrasil...but until you gain some information... ...you're completely lost and have nothingâ You thought of going off to look for your realm in this new world but, realistically, you understand why that's a pipe dream of a pipe dream. Given your current circumstances, you have more pressing matters to attend to. Plus, it's not guaranteed that your realm is here, in this...whatever this is. It's not worth searching. Not yet at least.
âœ...Great.â You wrap your cloak around your shoulders before slumping to the ground, flicking a small wildflower with a finger absentmindedly while letting the butterflies take residence on you once again.
You feel naked...well, you are, but more vulnerable than before. Like a baby, completely confused.
Like, why are you stuck here in the first place? Is this even Yggdrasil? It doesnât seem like it. And why do plants grow from yo-SÅsaku-shaâs touch? You really have no clue about how that works. That's something you never added to your avatar. Why are animals attracted to you?
You lift a finger and watch as two butterflies try to land on the tip at the same time.
Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
â.
*Sigh*
You have very little to help you...and nothing to guide you...what are you going to do? You donât know where to go...Not back to the village, thatâs for sure...but that couldnât be the only civilization. No, that couldnât have been. There must be more...if...thereâs more...maybe you have a chance at learning. You donât want a repeat of what had occurred last night so youâll have to approach this differently. If you find another civilization that is. You see it as your best course for survival. You donât know the first thing about surviving out in the wilderness and frankly, you donât want to.
Looking up, you try to gauge what time of day it is. It must be somewhere late in the morning as the sun as it appears to be off to the side a bit in front of you.
That gives you roughly nine? Ten hours to search around...if the sun moves at the same pace across the sky as Earth. Ascend would surely cut down on time but you donât want to leave Jewels.
You shift your vision over to the said horse and you see that she had taken your spot in the flower bed, her long eyelashes hiding her two different colored eyes from the world.
You shift your focus back on your surroundings. You technically could stay in your spot for however long you want...but youâre sure that those villagers are going to want their horse back. If you stay here youâll risk being caught up by them. Besides, thereâs nothing you could gain from remaining here. So the way you see it...you can go in five directions. Anywhere from the West all the way to the East, as long as it isn't North. You donât know what will lie beyond those directions but itâll be better than going back. You know it will. Soâ
Which direction will you go in?
East to where the sun rises from.
South East to the wide plains.
South away from the village.
South West along the stream.
West to where the sun will set.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9
You avoided your first skirt with death and you gained a buddy! Yay! In fact, the horse that is with you now is based off of my favorite childhood toy. It's a bean sack toy horse that can fit into the palm of my hand. The one blue eye it has is a bead that got super glued into place of the one that fell out. Because of it's crystalline look and the white mark on the middle of its head, I had named my toy horse Jewels. So, when I was writting this chapter, I remembered what Momonga said about the starry night sky (a box of jewels) and I took my chance to add a bit of sentimental spice to the story.
Never mind that, the real question is which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world and try to estimate where you're currently located but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it's more exhilarating this way.
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LOST ROUTE 3:3
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
Rrawgg! BBS here! This is a short one but this defines a big way your character will act near others.
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âœThankfully, I can pay as you asked. However, before I flash any coin, I want to know the full estimate of the damage. I donât want any of you getting the idea that you can rob me just because Iâm not entirely in the best position to negotiate.â You nod while crossing your arms, confirming that you can pay in gold...and hoping that you can access your inventory. It'd be very bad if you canât pay them like you said you can. Bet that they wonât enjoy you lying to them.
You donât trust SÅsaku-shaâs magic ability at all quite yet, despite the benefits. You donât want to potentially ruin what little relationship you have now with these people by scaring them.
âœThat sounds fine to me.â The old man mimics your body movement before turning to his associates. âœWe will give them a fair price. Am I clear?â
The men don't look happy, some mumbling their displeasure under their breath, but they concede with his request. âœAs long as it pays us in the end.â
âœGoodââ The old man turns back to you, a hand stroking his beard in contemplation, âœNow...what to do with youââ
âœI suspect that you wonât want to let me out of your sights until Iâve paid my debt. Am I correct?â
âœMmmm, yes...I hope you understand why.â His expression saddens some but remains as stern as ever. âœWe donât earn much as farmers. Despite that, we still have families to feed. Every coin matters to us. Even a copper piece can go a long way...which is why we canât exactly brush off this incident.â
You hold up your hand to show that youâve heard enough. âœI understand. I take no offense...but...will we be staying here or will you keep me someplace else until I pay? I suspect that until the sun rises, no one will be able to properly calculate what Iâve destroyed. Iâd like to think that weâre all civil. You all donât want to stand around until then, Iâm sure. We can-â
âœDonât think you can trick us.â Nate spits as he walks out of the pin to you with a slight strut, swinging his legs in a cocky way. âœYou can fly, canât you? Whatâs stopping you from flying away once we bring you outside?â
âœThatâs true.â You lean your head slightly towards the young man. âœWhy donât I do that? Hmm? In fact, why didnât I do that before I revealed myself to you? That would have been the perfect opportunity to slip away, donât you think? So why didnât I run away then, hm? Why donât you tell me that since youâre so smart.â You know that the huge factor that played a part in making that choice was because of the fall you had just experienced. Youâre sure you have a phobia of heights now, however, none of these men know that. So, youâre going to use that knowledge to paint yourself in a good light.
âœWatch your mouth, freak.â Nate hisses, puffing out his chest to you in a challenging way but before he could take another step towards you the boy with caramel hair places a hand on his shoulder, halting his movement.
âœI donât have a mouth to watch.â You shake your head with an irked tone, âœIâm only saying this so you donât sound like an idiot. You may be a sharp young man-â You quickly flick him on the forehead before he could even react. You feel a spike of fear at the act yet you continue, âœ-but you sure arenât observant enough.â
Nateâs face turns unbelievably red once he processes what you had done, âœWHY YO-â âœIâve already made it clear that I want to cooperate and cover all of your losses!â You interrupt him, knowing that whatever he was going to say was born from anger and would've ticked you off more. âœI was being considerate and taking into account your needs and comfort. Please donât mistake that as me trying to trick you. Iâm perfectly fine with waiting here...despite the smell. My only ulterior motive was to gain information because...Iâm kind of lost.â You look about at the group of men and scratch your neck awkwardly, âœI thought we could talk over tea or...just talk. Iâm...not from around here so anything you can tell me would be great.â Turning back to Nate you extend your dominant hand out to him. âœIf you truly donât trust me then, if I am taken somewhere...you can hold my hand while we walk?â
You frown slightly at the offer you're making. In Japan, it's a big no-no to touch others without permission. Even though you are asking for permission, this isn't something...you're used to...physical contact... With the hazards surrounding it, with the Earth as it is, you haven't touched anyone in a...what is it?...touched anyone in a domesticated manner?... Yeah. That was a long time ago.
There are handshakes with business minds and fans, rare side hugs for photos, pats on the back by some of your close friends...and that's really all you've partaken in over the years. Growing up you hadn't received much physical attention from your family either...
How do you feel about physical contact?
I...desire it.
Iâm...okay with it.
I'm...uncomfortable with it.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'5â†'10
This doesn't change the plot of your story at all but it will affect how your character acts. For me, I'm uncomfortable with physical contact. I may appear very fluffy and welcoming IRL, but I'd rather not have contact with anyone if I can help it. I've had people close to me approach in tears, asking for a hug, and I always responded negatively and denied them. I have no idea why I respond to physical contact in such a manner but I get angry and sometimes aggressive if someone touches me. How do you feel about physical contact?
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Chapter 4: I GOT THE MAGIC IN ME
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
Aye! BBS here! I'm half way through my summer internship now so I may be a bit slow on my updates until then. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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Chapter 4: I GOT THE MAGIC IN ME
âœBut as Iâve said before, my form of payment may not be as you all suspect. Iâm a creature of magic and I know that I can fix my fluke easily with such.â You shake your head side to side as you cross your arms, silently telling them that you will not be paying in coins. You just hope that you can get your magic to work. That would be very bad if you canât repair the damage like you said you would. You bet that they wonât enjoy you lying to them.
You donât know if you can access your item box at all and even if you could, you donât want to let go of what limited coins you have. You donât know how long youâll be stuck in this situation and you want to cling onto all of the lifelines you possess for as long as you can. If magic is a suitable substitute then youâll use that because that always replenishes itself.
The old man cringes slightly, âœWeâd just prefer it if youâd pay us. Do you have coin? You just told us that you can pay.â
âœI can pay and thatâs why I said Iâll use magic. That will be my form of payment.â Youâre firm, standing your ground and unmoving as you stare at the old man. âœAs Iâve said three times now...how I handle matters may be different from how you folks may. I only offer my services this way because I know for a fact that coin canât cure pigs.â
âœCure?â âœWhat the hell's that supposed to mean?â The two men who came in with the one youâre addressing mumble amongst themselves while the three younger menâs expressions each morph into something different.
âœYou said that you were going to slaughter those animals because theyâre poisoned by those black dust sprouts. Isnât that right?â You only move your dominant hand to point in the direction of the pig pin. âœIf coin could buy them a cure you wouldnât have said that, now would you? You would have asked for the money to purchase it. The only other...reasons youâd say such a thing is if there is no antidote created yet or if the source for the antidote is far from the vicinity of your village. Whichever reason, I can cure the pigs easily. That way youâll lose less of your...livestock.â
âœWell, whoop-de-fucking-do!â Nate throws his arms up in the air to show his frustration, âœYouâll save the pigs! That wonât save our asses though, nor cover the damage!â
You turn your head to the furious young man with a sigh, âœDo you really believe all I can do is cure pigs?â Before he could answer, you turn your body to face him. âœNo. I fully plan on repairing your barn and replenishing your supplies. That includes the spouts youâre so worried about. You said it yourself,â You wave casually to emphasize your point, âœâThe stalks have already been reaped of what youâve sowed and they wonât grow more until the next season.â You already know that you canât grow more in time for...what was-oh yes, the dealers to collect your harvest. Coin canât even save you in that department unless youâre planning on compensating them with it. Iâm acting with your best interests at heart, I assure you.â
âœSoââ The blond boy raises a hand with arched brows as he addresses you, âœYou can fix all of this...with magic?â
âœThat is what I have been saying-â An idea suddenly strikes you and for a small moment youâre thankful that you donât have a face to show your smirk, âœIn fact...if you all desired, not only could I replace your produce but I can greatly increase its amount. More than double what you all had before, might I add...easily.â
âœAwaahh!â The men upon hearing all delight on the idea of plentiful produce but Nate spits, not as quickly bought over by the idea.
âœWhat do you expect from us in return? I donât believe youâd do that for free.â
Hmm...sharp.
âœThatâs true. I wouldnât.â You lean your head slightly towards the young man. âœI do want something in return for my service. Information is what I desire.â
âœInformation?...What kind?â The old man squints at you as he speaks, âœWe are but lowly farmers. We donât have much information to give.â
âœYou have more than enough, Iâm sure.â You completely dismiss what the man pleaded with a raised hand, âœIâd like information because...well Iâm...kinda lost.â You look about at the group of men and scratch your neck awkwardly, âœI thought you all could tell me where we are...in this world, that is. I have no idea where I am or how this world works. Anything you know could help me to be honest. I was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane in Midgard, the last I knew of.â
You know that thatâs a hard deal to decline. These farmers seem to be...lower class...poor, as to say. Theyâre obviously desperate. They must be hard workers that receive very little pay by how they reacted to your offer. You know almost for a fact that theyâll accept. This way, you can learn more about what's going on without manipulating them with any charm magic and hardly exerting too much MP. But...there's more to your ployâ
âœSo...essentially, what Iâm going to do is replace and fix everything Iâve...messed up. Iâll double your produce if you agree to give me information...however...I have another offer.â
âœWhat else are you offering?â The old man strokes his beard as he contemplates your first offer but is open to your next one.
âœLet me live amongst your village.â
âœHell NO!â Nate hisses as he stomps out of the pin to you with slight sass, swinging his legs in a cocky way. âœMonsters arenât welcome in our village!â
Ouch.
âœEven one that plans on making sure that youâll never go hungry again?â In a blink, Nateâs scowl turns to one of shock at your calm reply. âœHow about one that will make sure youâll never get sick? One that will heal broken and weary bones? Ward off any threat that will come close to this village? I can make your village prosperous if you allow me to be its guardian. Itâs the least I can do if you allow me to stay.â
âœYouâd really do that all for us?â A thin older man clears his throat before stepping forward from behind the one with the beard.
âœQuiet Seth.â The blond, to the thin manâs right, shushes him as the old man hums.
âœSawsocku-sha,â The man pauses to collect his thoughts as you give him credit for at least trying to pronounce your avatarâs name right, âœwhile your offer sounds nice...we cannot accept it at this time. In this village, we make deals like that through vote. It is not my place to decide for us.â
âœ...that is...reasonable.â Placing your hands on your hips, you drop your head to look down at the flowers surrounding your feet. âœIf clouds didnât join to mourn, scarce would be the springs of green-â You cut yourself off, catching yourself speaking strange again, and with a shake of your head you continue, âœItâs only fair that the majority should have the final word. No single man should hold the weight of the world on their shouldersââ You look up to the old fellow as something clicks, âœI assume youâre the one in charge around here based on how you act.â
âœAh, yes. I am the chieftain of this village.â
âœNoble of you to come with your men to face me.â Nodding, with the knowledge that he is a very selfless man, you continue, âœI donât believe relying on me to fix the barn would have to have the input of your village. Wouldnât you say?â
âœUh, mm. Thatâs...right.â
âœYes. So will you allow me to fix your grievances?â
The chieftainâs brows knit even further together at your words. Looking to his left he eyes the hole in the wood panels that line the second floor and roof. His frown deepens as he sweeps his gaze to the shattered pots and scattered debris that litter the pin along with the ruined produce. Sharing a glance with every man in the barn, he sighs before meeting your face once more. âœI will allow it. We donât earn much as farmers. Despite that, we still have families to feed. We canât afford to recover something like this on our own. We will hold you to your word that youâll fix this.â He holds out his right hand for you to take, âœThis is the deal, for now.â
You smile in appreciation, despite them not being able to see it.
They are starting to take the bait. With this little bit of trust now put in place you can build upon it. Although they didnât accept your other deals that doesnât mean that they wonât in the future. However, in the case that they donât accept any of your propositions, youâll be taking your time rebuilding the farm and replacing their stock. If you really do still have your magic you know you could knock this all out in under an hour if you really wanted to. Even so, youâll make sure this will take a couple of days...maybe even a week so you can collect as much information as you can during that time. Youâll get what you want one way or another.
Once thatâs all said and done...what then?
You could start by searching for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world. *sigh*...Well, whatever happens, youâll need to fit in for the time being.
Obviously, these people are fearful of things inhuman. It may be circumstances but you can read in between the lines. You eye the weapons in all of their hands and think back to how they have treated you thus far. They were and still are prepared to kill you based on the fact that youâre...not human. Sure...you probably would be on your defensive like they are if you saw something like your avatar. Even thenâ*sigh* So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix if your magic works. You have a couple of spells that can do the trick but you have only one in mind.
Disguise Self
It isnât a high-level spell as it is just a simple illusion. Players can make themselvesâ"including their clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on themâ"look different until the spell ends or until they dismiss it. Players can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. They canât change their body type, so they must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Other than that, the extent of the illusion is pretty flexible. The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection, however. For example, if a player used this spell to add a hat to their outfit, objects will pass through the hat. Likewise, if a player used this spell to appear thinner than they actually are, the hand of someone who reaches out to touch them would bump into them while itâs seemingly still in midair. In addition to that, the spell only has an hour duration so, until you can find a more permanent method of disguising yourself, youâll have to recast it every hour.
An hour is enough time to replenish the loss of MP so, even though youâll have to keep casting it over and over again, it wonât hurt you to do so. As long as you have your perk Life itâll restore your MP double the speed normal players MP can. You did consider using Transmutation but you worry that it may be a painful process and would require you to use other spells to make it more tolerable.
So, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen the village as reference. Youâve only seen the men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
In fact...THAT can be the first spell you could try out! It wouldnât hurt to use it. AhHAAA! You got it! If it doesnât work then youâll fain that youâre tired! That way youâll have more time to plot how to either get it to work or worm your way out of this situation! If it does work then youâll be able to fit in a-
âœDo...you not know what a handshake is?â The chieftain tilts his head a bit with a small timid smile, âœYouâve been staring at my hand for quite some time now.â
âœAh! Sorry! I just got lost in thought for a second.â You awkwardly laugh as you stretch out your own right hand to grip his-
Distressed, anxious, cautious, shy, troubled, worried, fear-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with the old man.
Both he and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âThat man is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of his skin and the clammyness of the sweat that had built up on it. You felt how he was shaking and how his grip on you tightened. Not only that, you were assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the man to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs shaking hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
You think you know the reason why but how you didnât think more of it is beyond you. The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœWhat did you DO?!!â Nateâs furious voice brings you back to reality, âœWhat did you do to Barry?!!â
âœWha-I...I donât know what youâre talking about. I didnât do anything!â You weakly cry out as you watch the men around you grip their weapons with new fever, their knuckles turning white around the handles. You swallow and raise your hands in surrender. âœH-hold on! I think this is all a big misunderstanding-â
âœAll of you, hold your horses!â The old man raises his voice to halt the younger menâs advances on you. âœSawsocku-sha didnât hurt me. They justââ He looks at you in a strange way before continuing, âœWhat...what was that? It was...I was feeling...more. More emotions, that is...did you put your feelings into my head?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â
âœI believe so.â All in attendance watch as Barry scratches his head. âœI know they werenât my own...it sounds like you donât know what you did and based on how you recoiled from my touch I can guess you realized something happened, though. Have you ever done that before?â
Beats of silence pass between the group as you run his words through your head like a record on loop. Thereâs nothing you could say. What could you even say? This is all too strange and new to you! Who knows what the heck is happening! But...this isnât too bad. Youâre learning new things about your new body and this isnât any different. Maybe it's just another hidden trait of your avatar? Youâre finding out new weird ticks so maybe this is one of them? You sigh and become resolute. Assume, if you were truly SÅsaku-sha, what would they do? Would that help? What would they think? Gazing at the anger and confusion among the six men makes you consider a final question. What would SÅsaku-sha say?
âœNo.â You decide to lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœIâve never touched another creature in this body before. It seems that we are able to share our feelings through physical contact.â
âœShare?!â
âœMmm, yes. I also felt yours, sir. I didnât sense any of your thoughts though. Just emotion. Was that the same for you?â
âœY-yes. I only got feelings.â
Thank God. âœThen itâs mutual, though...that is bizarre.â You drop your hand and contemplate how that even works. So anyone you touch now will experience the same thing as you do? Thatâll get annoying real quick, not to mention burdensome. Will you have to act...what is it called again?...*sigh, whatever. Fear of being touched. That way things like this wonât happen again. Augh! Is it something you can turn off? Is it something along the lines of magic-
Wait, magic!
Is this a sign you can still use your magic?!
âœH-ha...well thatâs good.â The boy with the blond hair interrupts your train of thought with a nervous laugh, pointing in your direction but low. âœAnd I see how you fly now.â
âœHm?â A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating. âœOh! It seems that Ascend still works.â Yes, yes! This is further proof that your magic may still work and that your stats werenât affected. You must have been shielded. It would explain how you were able to survive a fall like that...though...that might mean that youâre open now. In other words, vulnerable to attack.
Youâll have to continue playing safe.
âœDonât even think about escaping!â Nate hisses with his fist balled at his sides, taking a wide stance as he gets into an offensive position. âœI promise it wonât end well for you!â
A frown would be visible on your face if you had one, âœIâm not going to do that.â
âœAnd what makes me believe a word you say? How do I know that you wonât fly away the moment you find the opportunity to?!â
You lean your head slightly towards the young man. âœWhy donât I do that? Hmm? In fact, why didnât I do that before I revealed myself to you? That would have been the perfect opportunity to slip away, donât you think? So why didnât I run away then, hm? Why donât you tell me that since youâre so smart.â You know that the huge factor that played a part in making that choice was because of the fall you had just experienced. Youâre sure you have a phobia of heights now, however, none of these men know that. So, youâre going to use that knowledge to paint yourself in a good light.
âœWatch your mouth, freak.â Nate hisses, puffing out his chest to you in a challenging way but before he could take another step towards you the boy with caramel hair places a hand on his shoulder, halting his movement.
âœI donât have a mouth to watch.â You shake your head with a sigh, âœIâm only saying this so you donât sound like an idiot. You may be a sharp young man-â You quickly flick him on the forehead before he could even react. You feel a spike of fear at the act yet you continue, âœ-but you sure arenât observant enough.â
Nateâs face turns unbelievably red once he processes what you had done, âœWHY YO-â âœIâve already made it clear that I want to cooperate and cover all of your losses.â You interrupt him, knowing that whatever he was going to say was born from anger. âœIn fact, I offered even more than that. I was being considerate and taking into account your villageâs needs and comfort. Please donât mistake my intentions as an act of trickery. If you truly donât trust me then donât. Youâll see soon enough that I meant every word I said.â
âœTsk! Whatever!â The tan boy keeps his glare centered on you. âœFor your sake, you better.â
You only hum in reply as you decide that it might be close to the time you should attempt to settle on a new form, âœI can get started with my work as soon as possible. I-oh! Thatâs right, I have night vision so the shade of night shouldnât be able to hinder me...mmm...however, I am aware that you all might want to keep an eye on me and make sure that I work as I say.â
âœYes. We canât exactly brush off this incident.â Barry nods slowly with a squint of his eyes. âœAre you suggesting that we should wait until morning so we can watch you easier?â
âœItâs just as you say...but...will we be staying here or will you keep me someplace else until then? I suspect that until the sun rises, no one will be able to properly keep an eye on me if I worked. Iâd like to think that weâre all civil. You all donât want to stand around until then, Iâm sure. No, Iâm not using this as a way to escape.â You quickly add as Nate opens his mouth. âœIâm simply trying to find the best method for...interacting with one another? Best course of action...so we donât become hostile with one another.â You look directly at the chieftain to address him. âœWould this be a matter needed to be voted upon orââ
The group exchange glances, all seeming to have various opinions on the situation, but they all turn to the old man before you who strokes his beard once again, closing his eyes with a sigh. âœI will bring you to my house. I live alone so it shouldnât be much of an issue.â Some try to object but Barry had made up his mind, waving them off with a hand, âœI have plenty of room to house Sawsocku-sha for the night. If you men are so against it, why donât you come over and give this old man some company?â
âœThen I guess we three will be spending the night at your house.â The dark hair boy, who hadnât spoken a word up until this moment, cooly nods to the chieftain.
âœWhat?â The blond exclaims before his ear is being pinched in between the fingers of Nateâs hand.
âœDamn straight we are.â He tugs a bit roughly as his captive starts to whine. âœWe arenât letting Barry spend the night alone with a monster!â
Ouch.
âœGuess thatâs settled.â The old man nods. âœYou four will spend the night with me. When the morning rises, Sawsocku-sha can start to work under supervision.â
âœU-um, I donât mean to be rude sirââ You raise your dominant hand to point up, in a matter of fact, âœbut my name is pronounced SÅsaku-sha. Iâm not offended. I know it is a long name to say. You can just call me SÅ if it is easier for you.â
âœOh, my bad.â
âœHey, like I said. Itâs no problem.â
âœHa, well...SÅ...you can follow me. Iâll take you straight to my house.â
âœWait.â The old man was mid turn when he stopped at your call, âœThereâs a few things I need to do before we leave the barn.â
âœWhat are they?â
âœFirst, I want to change my form. I feel that my appearance may beââ You look over to a grouchy tan man who bares his teeth at you, âœ...unsettling. I do not want to cause panic among your people so...Iâm going to cast a spell that will make me appear human ag-*ahem*â You cough to try to cover up your almost slip up. You donât know what these people would think if you told them that you used to be human. For now, youâll play your role as your avatar until you can find a way out of this mess.
âœYou have magic that can do that?â The young man with the dark hair once again surprises you by asking you a question.
âœI horde many spells. One may have the likeness to the pages of a book but Iâm a library-â What is with you and ALL OF THESE ILLUSTRATIONS?!! âœI...yes. Is it alright that I do so?â
âœI donât see an issue with that. Do as you must.â Barry nods, giving you permission to test out your magic for the first time since youâve come to this strange plane.
You nod and raise your hands with your palms facing out at your sides as you try to settle on a form you are comfortable with. Magic and spell casting are very important to your avatar, SÅsaku-sha and if that is jacked up then you'll be in a very hard position. While you're a little bit more confident, now with Ascend active, you don't know how to summon magic...
Are the mechanics the same?
You look at your multicolored hands. Itâs hard to tell which specific emotions are moving across your avatarâs skin but most are dark with sparks of lighter blues, purples, oranges, reds, and hardly any green. It looks ugly. Like M'n'Ms in shit, you compare with a sigh.
Even with the odd position, you are still your avatar and...there's a possibility itâs still Yggdrasil. It must not be too different?
You start to consider the magic you had been able to use in the game. The total number of magic spells in Yggdrasil, from tiers one to ten, plus super tier, was well over six thousand. These were split into various trees thatâd be compatible with some races while it wouldnât with others. Some spells require certain conditions to work like the type of biome the player is in, needed tasks completed beforehand, items that need to be held, can only be used on certain levels, and so on. Normally a level-100 player could use about three hundred but there are some instances where players have found loopholes and were able to have more. You avatar...since it was the being that created Yggdrasil...is able to access all the spells contained in the game (though the conditions for the spells still have to be met for you to use them).
This is an insane amount, you know, but itâd only make sense that SÅsaku-sha would have that kind of ability if they were able to provide the rest of the nine worlds with magical powers. And since you programmed them into the game you had memorized them all.
You flex your fingers a couple of times, thinking how to go about using a spell.
There are no icons to show you your long list of spells you can cast and select. So how can you cast spells now?
You think of your perk Ascend by looking down past your hands to see the lively garden that surrounds the spot which you stood as you hover about two feet above. Ascend is a magical perk so it shows that you still can use magic...maybe...
How did you activate it? The perk hadnât been active until you had jumped away from touching the chieftain. It couldnât have been from touching him. It must be something else. What had you done?âmmm...maybe it was because you actively wanted to get away from him? Hmmmâwantâmaybe you can use magic if you actively want to or have the will to use magic?
You look back at your hands. Well...It canât hurt to try? But for this to work, you need to settle on a look...so...
You want to appear asâ
A male.
A female.
Chapter End Notes
When was someone going to tell me that Overlord had a GAME called MASS FOR THE DEAD?!! I've been playing it nonstop since I was recommended by a friend to check it out! I'm only in the first few chapters of the story but I'm getting new ideas I could implement into this fic. If you guys want to co-op or friend request me, either ask me for my player ID or send me yours in the comment section bellow. I go by the user name BBS so if you receive a request you'll know it's me. I'll only be able to accept the first thirty since there is a limit but I'll accept you nevertheless.
So...even though the villagers are still super weary, you were able to negotiate and start your quest on settling into your new situation. Congratulations. But how will you fair in the future? That has yet to be laid out on the table for you to gamble with. The choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll identify as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and small differences from the other gender path way. Don't worry and think it'll change the story completely, it won't really. All this means is that it can relate to you more as a character and that I can also post chapters far more frequently since they'll be similar. It feels like cheating on my part but I see it as a possibility to immerse you more into your adventure, so I'm taking what I can.
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
Chapter 4: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Aye! BBS here! I'm half way through my summer internship now so I may be a bit slow on my updates until then. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 4: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
âœLetâs head for those mountains.â You point to the collection of white located to the North of the forest and plains, âœAlthough there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed.â That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in spreading scouts. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants, not to mention it appears to stretch out toward an ocean on its Northside.
âœA wise move, my creator.â Nictis bares their teeth at you in what you suspect to be their form of a smile(?), their spit slinging off into space as they turn their head to face you. You hum an affirmative in Message as you watch the globs of drool freeze as they drift off into the dark vacuum of the starry void.
You suspect that the reason you all arenât popsicles at the moment is due to the protective spells and buffs you've cast on the party. Thankfully theyâll last long enough for when you suspect to return.
âœStay close together as we approach. There may be dangers that lie ahead.â Although very unlikely if this situation was that of Earth, Yggdrasilâs mountains were a hot spot for high leveled beasts. If this world is the same as Yggdrasil you suspect that you may run into trouble. âœUntil we secure an area, we are not to separate by any means. Is that clear?â
âœYes, my creator!â Jest and Nictis call out simultaneously, signaling you to start forward.
As you plummet to the planet below the two NPCs take stride, sticking very close to your sides as you draw near to what you suspect to be the planetâs atmosphere.
âœIâve already cast protection spells on each of you so when youâre enveloped in flames do not fear. You will come to no harm.â You say this because you start to feel a sudden shift in temperature. You know that it may be a possibility that, at the speed your group is traveling, it may come about as a reality with your limited knowledge of rockets and meteors. Undead are weak to fire so you donât want them to freak out and think that theyâre going to die.
âœI will not fear anything while Iâm beside you, my creator!â Jestâs cackle echoes in your head while he does raise a hairless brow, âœHowever, I donât understand why we would-â He cuts himself off as a bubble of orange envelopes your bodies, immediately warming your forms from the freezing plane youâre now leaving.
None of you share any words as you all strive to breach the planet's natural shield together. It is very difficult to see past the flames, even with your expanded vision yet you are able to make out bits and pieces.
This is all so serial...you feel as if youâre watching a movie unfold rather than doing all of this yourself. This is...an out of body experience...literally...None of this could ever occur in real life. In fact, it shouldnât occur even in-game! This is all way more than a simple technical glitch and too realistic to be a fabricated dream.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre leading an expedition into the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the arenaâs mirror flooring, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
The fire that surrounds the three of you dissipates as you slow down in your descent, the mountains drawing near.
âœMy creator, what was all that about?! I donât believe that was a magical attack.â Jest Messages you in surprise as he takes a look back from the direction you all came from.
You donât know how to explain the logistics of...astronomy or the facts behind atmospheres so you try to find a very up in the air answer. Knowing youâre no longer in space, you speak out loud. âœPlanets, such as the world below, have natural barriers, called atmospheres, that prevent outside threats from making landfall on them! A way to counteract that is...by regulating speed! The reason why we caught fire is because we approached it too fast! However, time is of the essence and I knew the buffs would protect us!â
Nictis howls at your explanation, no longer using Message to communicate, âœPerceptive, our creator is! To be able to foresee the danger ahead!â The embers of light that serve as his pupils narrow down as he turns to the now visible snowy cliffs. âœSo how should we go about eliminating the threat?!â
Huh?
Jest growls as he glares at the surface below, âœShall we destroy the planet for daring to harm you, my creator?!â
âœHAHA! Destroy the planet?! That was a good one Jest-â The joy that spotted up to you shrivels up when you see the vampireâs serious expression. He wasnât joking. Not at all. âœAehhaha...No, Jest! We arenât going to bring any harm to this planet!â You shift your vision back and forth between the two undead, only now realizing that Nictis has the same desire and understanding what he meant by âeliminating the threatâ. âœNone of us are going to. This planet may contain answers to our situation. We didnât play by the rules of the world so thatâs why we got burned. Thankfully, thoughââ You slow your descent as you prepare to land on the snowy peak of one mountain, âœI have ways around those rules.â
Deactivating Ascend, you land on the rocky snowy surface in a puff of snow, the cold only now starting to seep its way into your core.
Metal clanking to your right and a heavy thump to your left audibly signals to you that your scouts have landed.
âœMmââA rumble echoes in the wendigoâs chest causing you to turn your head in their direction as they step forward to gaze across the hilly landscape, pupils dilating in doing so. Their breath fogs out of their mouth as they sigh, âœThis is similar to the mountains I used to live on...back before I was summoned by our creator.â
âœWah! Really?!â Jestâs mouth stays agape as they look frantically around, appearing way more pleased by the second. Itâs only a moment before he finds out that his breath fogs up from the cold. Once he does, he breathes out puffs of air reminding you of a child in his goofy acts. His smile splits his face as he starts to dance around you. âœMy creator, look at me! Iâm an ice dragon!â He bellows out a puff of air to emphasize his point with a bizarre pose of his limbs.
He is able to win a bubble of laughter out of you as you watch him dance. At the sound of your joy, he looks incredibly pleased with himself and starts to dance even more vigorously to get another sound of laughter out of you. He continues to do so while you spread your vision to take in the environment.
It is a frozen, alien world.
Youâve never seen a mountain in person before...well, one that isnât covered in houses and trash. It appears as a crystalline paradise. The snow appears to be like powdered sugar atop the cliff faces though the damp wet cold beneath your feet tells you otherwise. For miles, this rocky ocean stretches out to the horizons enveloping this world, as you know it, in a sheen of ice. You can tell that these mountains arenât incredibly high since the few clouds that scatter the landscape calmly drift above, shying from the light breeze that tickles fingers across your skin.
Tilting your head back to see if there were any clouds overhead you were met with a glorious sight.
It is...stunning. You had never seen a night sky with such clarity before. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as Nictis struts back to you. You continue as you expand your vision even further to take in more of the sky, âœIt's like heavenâs tears or a rich womanâs throatââ
âœMmm, I agree.â The chirps of Nictis' jaw pull you out of your thoughts to see him looking up as you are, âœOn most nights when I couldnât find a good hunt, Iâd stare up into the skyâit was of great comfort to me...it still is...â
âœIs it really?â
Nictis nods lightly as they pull down their skull to look at you, âœDidnât you create it, my creator? The night sky...back where you summoned me from?â
You mull over Midgardsâ constellations from Yggdrasil and try to compare it to this...You couldnât. âœYes. I did.â
You don't know why but you feel that Nictis sends you a small smile as their pupils dilate some. "...Thank you."
âœOh! My creator!â Your attention snaps back to Jest as he is currently doing a handstand to your left, âœThere are flowers beneath your feet!â
Huh?
You look down and sure enough, a patch of healthy sprouting grass with spurts of tiny colorful wildflowers that vary in array surround the small area in which you are standing.
Oh, jeez. You literally had to land in the one spot where there were flowers...but...you donât remember seeing them when you landed...In fact, how is this greenery sprouting in such harsh terrain?
You take a few small steps back to investigate the strange growths-
Grass and wildflowers sprout out of the ground, trailing your feet as you move.
Gasps escape from not only the NPCs but from you at the strange display.
âœWell...this is quite bizarre.â
This whole situation is bizarre! This is only a grain of salt compared to everything else!
âœIs this not your doing, my creator?â
âœIf it is then Iâm completely oblivious to it. I donât believe that I have perks that would cause such growthsââ You lift your foot quizzically to look at the bundle of green. âœ...In fact, I donât believe that thereâs a perk that can do thisââ The plants donât wither without you, neither do they seem to be affected by the climate! There are various spells that could allow this to occur such as Grow Plant but youâre not using any magic. You know this because you clearly donât remember casting any...and you didnât feel the same sensation that came with casting or depleting MP. You place your slightly damp foot back down on the cushion below to steady your stance.
They both gasp as if they realized something.
âœThe grass is making sure their feet arenât soiled from the dirt! Amazing!â
âœWoaaah! Even the soil knows when to bow down to our creatorâs majesty!â
...What?
âœErm...well, I...I donât think thatâs how it works.â You huff before facing the opposite direction from them, âœNevertheless, that is not of importance at the moment. Let us investigate this region.â You face the two undead whoâve now seemed to grow serious at your words. âœNictis...this terrain is similar to your homeland. Youâll have an increasingly better time noticing tracks, scents, and any leads that can help us draw conclusions about this world. In addition, youâll probably be able to guide us through the safest routes. I will trust you to lead us. Is this a task youâre willing to take?â
The wendigoâs eyelights seem to bore into you as they quickly mull over your words, letting out a grunt of an affirmative. âœI may only have limited experience beyond hunting but I shall do as you ask. Iâve already taken the initiative to look around and Iâve found some decent paths which we can travel.â
âœThat is great news. Jest.â You hear the scratching of the jesterâs hooks clanking on the ground as they stand upright, âœYouâll be our lookout. I want Nictisâ full attention on finding clues and securing this immediate area. You will keep an eye out for any threats or anything of interest. Iâm trusting you to keep us safe.â
âœI will not fail you.â They bow and, upon seeing his loyal act, Nictis follows suit, both becoming resolute and determined to make your will reality.
âœThatâs good to hear. Before we hurry off I want to cast a few more spells among us. I held off on some of these before because I didnât want to waste MP on buffs that may be of no use. Since that is no longer the case I will do so now.â
The two undead nod as you raise your hands.
âœOdorless, Mass Silence, Rabbit Ear, Rabbit Foot, Focus Magic, Complete Vision, Hawk Eye, Shield Wall, Mass Strengthen, Undeath Slave Sight.â
You finish uttering the spells you wished to cast and the glittery lights fade off, the spells taking effect. When your vision is tripled youâre not as disoriented as you thought you would be, just surprised that the spell worked. Undeath Slave Sight lets you see through the eyes of the undead you summon. However, Nictis and Jest werenât summoned by you...well, they kinda were so you guess thatâs why it worked but they werenât summoned by the required means-
âœMy creator...may I ask you something?â Jest asks while reaching up atop his head to feel the bunny ears that have sprouted out of his jester hat.
âœOf course.â
âœWhy did you cast Odorless among us? We are undead and not the rotting ones, so we donât produce smell.â
âœAh, yes. That is true...but I wanted to play it safe. We donât know how strong the enemy is or if they can smell even the slightest scents. Unlike you two, Iââ Actually, you donât know what your avatar is...You donât know why you can share emotions with others now, just like why plants grow underneath your feet but you assume that it's just one of the few things youâll have to deal with now. You hadnât programmed those traits into SÅsaku-sha. You know that. In fact, the only traits you had given SÅsaku-sha were ones to help you around your realm, benefits in producing products, and to fight players. Beyond thatâ
Your avatar doesnât even have a race category like many others in the game. You had completely customized your avatar from scratch to be like nothing seen throughout the rest of Yggdrasil so you canât even try to find some explanation in your memoryâs knowledge of the other races. SÅsaku-sha doesnât even fit in with the angelic and God-like races even though they are a type of deity.
You have nothing to compare your avatar to...and you feel that youâve only scratched the surface of the mysteries of your situation. Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
A sigh escapes you as you shake your head, âœ...Iâm not an undead...well...I donât breathe so...maybe...I donât think Iâm an undead. I am...warm blooded unlike your races are so...there is a possibility that I could be producing a smell.â
âœYou donât smell, my creator. Even before you cast Odorless, you didnâtâ Jest hums with a slightly stupefied look before the wendigo raises a clawed hand
âœWell, that isnât all trueââ Nictis' comment causes the vampire and you to turn your heads in the undeadâs direction. âœThey have the slight smell of spring. I know this because Iâm familiar with the season. Itâs the smell of life returning with the sweet flowers and dew drops. Itâs also a smell that tells me that hunting will be easier for the time beingââ Nictis trails off, looking distant as heavier globs of drool start running out of their mouth.
âœA-aha...so Iâm guessing I donât smell bad, right?â You almost take a step back from Jest as they start sniffing in your direction, seemingly forgetting that youâve cast Odorless on yourself already. Youâre starting to guess that Jest may be a very...straight forward thinker...or...one-track minded...simple headed...yeah.
âœOf course, my creator.â Nictis chest rumbles as they start to walk, âœOver here is a path we can take. It may be a little slippery but Iâm sure we can manage.â
âœAh, then please, lead the way.â You activate Ascend to keep from making more grass and flower trails. Itâd be a waste to put so much effort into making sure that you threeâs presence will go unnoticed just to give it away with your feet. âœRemember, Mass Fly is still in effect so if any of you have trouble then you can use it.
âœYes, my creator.â They both say at the same time as you all start to search the area.
After a few minutes, you realize how nimble Nictis is.
The wendigo wasnât lying when they said that the terrain reminded them of their old home. Youâve all only been on the mountain for a handful of time, yet he maneuvers over the rocks and ice like itâs the back of his hand. Like a gorilla swinging through the branches of the jungle, their long slender arms allow themselves to grab onto ledges inhumanly far away and their hooked claws allow them to find even the smallest of outcroppings to hang onto as they make their way across the terrain.
Jest isnât so different in anatomy and proves to be very agile in the cold environment. You had thought that his hooked feet would make it difficult to keep his footing but he seems to use the blades as an advantage, utilizing them as picks. Sometimes he reminded you of a trapeze artist by how heâd swing around with a slight smirk on his face.
You just continued to float between the pair as you all looked for clues.
There isnât much to find, however. The mountains seem completely barren of all life.
You expected to at least seen an animal crawling over the rocks or even a bird flying in the distance by now...but nothing. When you voice your concern to Nictis he simply hums, âœThat is a natural occurrence, my creator. It is typically hard to find game in environments like this. There is no vegetation up here so it gives no reason for the living ones that eat such to come up this high. The same can be said for the meat-eaters since their prey doesnât come up here."
âœOh... Then, should we fly to a lower altitude to save on time?â
âœWe will if you desire.â Nictis stops in place to turn their head to you. âœHowever, those seeking shelter will typically go up here to hide from predators and to protect the things that they hold dear...I believe that itâd be wise to continue as we are. Creatures of higher intellect are typically among those who reside at these levels...ones that may have enough sense to interrogate.â
Huh. He does have a point there...and if you continue as you are and are unable to find anything that could potentially be dangerous then you can start making moves to set up base here.
âœI will trust your judgment. Weâll continue as we are.â
Nictis nods, âœAs you wish.â He turns and continues in the direction he was heading in.
Itâs only a matter of time until the other group will use Message to call off your search so the possibility of finding answers in the near future starts to dwindle off as the seconds tick by. You sigh at the thought but try to keep your hopes up.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making camps in this general area to spread out like a web of information. Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society. Yeah, and the more that they will spread the more information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless everyone else here is like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?!
You look out to the starry horizon with a newfound emotion.
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. Youâre lucky to have such loyal NPCs...Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start here and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
âœHold up.â Nictis stops in place, causing Jest and you to freeze as you watch the bunny ears on top of his head twitch. âœI hear something...â
âœI donât hear anything-â Jest whispers causing the wendigo to hiss.
âœQuiet. Listen...â
The three of you stay very still, practically statues as you all desperately do as Nictis said. A breeze as light as the flap of a butterfly wing is all you hear. The whole world seems empty besides your group. You frown despite not having a face at the thought of the whole planet being empty. Not a single soul living beside the NPCs and you.
âœThere. This way.â Nictis moves incredibly fast. Faster than what you thought could be possible on a terrain like this.
âœWhat?! What did you hear?!â Jest calls out again but Nictis continues without as much as a slight glance over his shoulder. You too didnât hear a thing even with your own pair of rabbit ears and it makes you wonder what he could have possibly heard in this silent world.
Jest and you follow close in suit as the wendigo runs. Only a minute or a half passes when he stops again to listen. Itâs a still, short moment before a quick âœThat way.â is thrown out and heâs running once more. He repeats this process and every time he does you can only try to assume what heâs hearing. You can see through his eyes but you canât hear with his ears. You prepare yourself mentally for what he believes he hears. You donât want to ask him since you donât want to break his concentration even though you know that he will answer you. Soon enough, youâll figure out what heâs looking for since heâs stopping less and less frequently to listen.
âœHere!â Nictis skids to a halt in front of a hollow cave that leads to...a wall of rocks?
âœWhatâs this?â Jest plops down beside the undead as he starts to feel around the surface, rabbit ears twitching as he does so.
âœCanât you hear it?â
âœHear what?â
âœThereâs air moving around here.â Now that he says it, you do hear a small hiss of something. Is it really the rocks? âœThereâs a tunnel beyond these boulders.â
âœHow can you tell?â Jest spreads his arms out as the other climbs up the rocks in search of something. You can see through his eyes that heâs looking in between the crevices of the pile for that said thing.
âœIâve memorized every sound a mountain can make so that I could find prey easily. Any obscurity canât escape my senses...even if it is as little as a peephole of a whistleââ As Nictis finishes speaking he sticks a claw into a crack, finding the source of the noise. He jumps down, satisfied by what heâs found. âœAlthough it is common that avalanches cause pile-ups such as thisââ He turns to you two, pupils dilating as he speaks, âœthis is not the case here. These were intentionally placed here to block off the tunnel on the other side. I can tell by how it is piled.â
Wow, you are truly grateful that Jest picked out a wendigo for this mission. You donât think you could have had a better pick for this biome. âœCan you tell what kind of creature had this placed here?â
He shakes his head lamentingly, âœUnfortunately not, my creator. These boulders have been here for around for a century or more. It shows how much ice and snow has fused to the rocks even when this area is protected from the weather. If it was a creature that could produce scents then I can no longer smell it.â
Hmm, that is peculiar...Could it be that whoever placed it here is dead? It is very likely. If they were still alive and had gone to visit this tunnel then Nictis would have probably picked up a sent. That means that this tunnel is long abandoned...well unless they donât produce smells like undead. That means that this structure is most likely not man-made...as in not made by a human but some other kind of fantasy creature.
So this world may share more similarities with Yggdrasil that you originally thought.
If they closed off the tunnel from the inside how could they get out? Are there other tunnels that connect to the surface like this scattered around the mountain? That is a good possibility...but then why would they need to close off this entrance? Was it to prevent something harmful from coming in...or was it to lock something inside?
âœCan you tell from which side the tunnel was blocked off from?â
âœIt was closed off from the inside. There are no boulders out here, farther from the entrance, and when I felt along the inside of the hole I found out that the pile goes in further.â
So they were inside...What does that mean for you?
Well, at least you know that youâre not alone in this world...or that there used to be living creatures here. If anything, this is your first big lead in finding information.
âœMy creator, what do you suggest we do?â Jest looks up to you as if ready to take on any assignment you could dish out at him.
You glance in between the two undead. They both look like they want to storm into whatever is on the other side...and youâre not going to lie and say that you donât.
In fact, you want to bust down the wall of rocks yourself and waste no time scrounging around for any information you can get your hands on.
As youâre about to confirm your intent, a familiar ping goes off in your head.
Itâs a Message.
You waste no time answering, âœHello?â
âœMy creator, it is I. Skinner. I wanted to give you our report on the surrounding terrain outside the Seiun.â
Ah! Thatâs right. âœSo youâve finished your search then. What was the result?â
âœMalum, Ukara, and I found nothing of familiarity. Besides the planet and its moon, there are no other nearby landmasses. It is more of this night sky in every other direction.â
Youâre all out in the middle of nowhere...just as you feared youâd be. Sigh...well...it could be worse. You could have been dropped off amidst enemy territory without the support of your NPCs. Thank God that didn't happen. âœThank you for informing me of this.â
âœOf course...my creator? Will you be returning soon then?â
Augh! Thatâs right! You had said that youâd return once they had Messaged you and youâd all go back to the Citadel to meet up with the Anointed. Those five are probably in the arena, awaiting your return.
But that was before you found a clue!
You really want to find out what kind of information this cave holds. While it is true that you can return at any time to crack it open, this may be your first true step forward. Maybe you can find out what had happened to the creature that had built this barrier. Even if you find a pile of bones, scraps of clothes, anything...itâll fill a lot of burning questions weighing on your mind...It may add more but itâll answer something.
However, unlike this cave, the spells you cast on your group wonât last forever. The three NPCs waiting for you near the Seiun will be in big trouble if you donât do anything. Not only that but youâd be going back on your word. You donât want the NPCs to start to think that you donât mean what you say straight off the first hour or so youâve been in this situation. In addition, the Anointed and the members of the Unmei no gundan you sent back are also waiting for you. It would be slightly cruel of you to make them wait and worry longer than they have to. Finally, you had set up that visit with the Anointed and if youâre not punctual to your own meeting then what kind of a ruler will they see you as?
âœMy creator?â Jest asks again, informing you that you donât have forever to make a choice.
What will you do?
Investigate the tunnel despite pressing matters.
Return to the Citadel despite your desires.
Chapter End Notes
When was someone going to tell me that Overlord had a GAME called MASS FOR THE DEAD?!! I've been playing it nonstop since I was recommended by a friend to check it out! I'm only in the first few chapters of the story but I'm getting new ideas I could implement into this fic. If you guys want to co-op or friend request me, either ask me for my player ID or send me yours in the comment section bellow. I go by the user name BBS so if you receive a request you'll know it's me. I'll only be able to accept the first thirty since there is a limit but I'll accept you nevertheless.
You've come across your first clue but before you could unravel the mystery of your discovery, your obligations become urgent. What shall you do? All that I will say as a forewarning is that it'll affect your relationships in the future...
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
Chapter 4: CALL OF THE WILD MAN
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Aye! BBS here! I'm half way through my summer internship now so I may be a bit slow on my updates until then. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 4: CALL OF THE WILD MAN
âœLetâs head for that forest.â You point to the collection of dark green pinched between the mountains and the plains, âœThatâs our best bet with finding other living creatures, not to mention the resources we can extract from the environment.â That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in spreading scouts. In addition, there are other biomes near the forest that could serve as valuable sources of mining and farming.
âœAn excellent move, my creator.â Nictis bares their teeth at you in what you suspect to be their form of a smile(?), their spit slinging off into space as they turn their head to face you. You hum an affirmative in Message as you watch the globs of drool freeze as they drift off into the dark vacuum of the starry void.
You suspect that the reason you all arenât popsicles at the moment is due to the protective spells and buffs you've cast on the party. Thankfully theyâll last long enough for when you suspect to return.
âœStay close together as we approach. There may be dangers that lie ahead.â Although very unlikely if this situation was that of Earth, Yggdrasilâs forests are a spawning point of various low to high level beasts, depending on which one you go to. If this world is the same as Yggdrasil you suspect that you may run into trouble. âœUntil we secure an area, we are not to separate by any means. Is that clear?â
âœYes, my creator!â Jest and Nictis call out simultaneously, signaling you to start forward.
As you plummet to the planet below the two NPCs take stride, sticking very close to your sides as you draw near to what you suspect to be the planetâs atmosphere.
âœIâve already cast protection spells on each of you so when youâre enveloped in flames do not fear. You will come to no harm.â You say this because you start to feel a sudden shift in temperature. You know that it may be a possibility that, at the speed your group is traveling, it may come about as a reality with your limited knowledge of rockets and meteors. Undead are weak to fire so you donât want them to freak out and think that theyâre going to die.
âœI will not fear anything while Iâm beside you, my creator!â Jestâs cackle echoes in your head while he does raise a hairless brow, âœHowever, I donât understand why we would-â He cuts himself off as a bubble of orange envelopes your bodies, immediately warming your forms from the freezing plane youâre now leaving.
None of you share any words as you all strive to breach the planet's natural shield together. It is very difficult to see past the flames, even with your expanded vision yet you are able to make out bits and pieces.
This is all so serial...you feel as if youâre watching a movie unfold rather than doing all of this yourself. This is...an out of body experience...literally...None of this could ever occur in real life. In fact, it shouldnât occur even in-game! This is all way more than a simple technical glitch and too realistic to be a fabricated dream.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre leading an expedition into the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the arenaâs mirror flooring, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
The fire that surrounds the three of you dissipates as you slow down in your descent, the forest drawing near.
âœMy creator, what was all that about?! I donât believe that was a magical attack.â Jest Messages you in surprise as he takes a look back from the direction you all came from.
You donât know how to explain the logistics of...astronomy or the facts behind atmospheres so you try to find a very up in the air answer. Knowing youâre no longer in space, you speak out loud. âœPlanets, such as the world below, have natural barriers, called atmospheres, that prevent outside threats from making landfall on them! A way to counteract that is...by regulating speed! The reason why we caught fire is because we approached it too fast! However, time is of the essence and I knew the buffs would protect us!â
Nictis howls at your explanation, no longer using Message to communicate, âœPerceptive, our creator is! To be able to foresee the danger ahead!â The embers of light that serve as his pupils narrow down as he turns to the now visible greenery. âœSo how should we go about eliminating the threat?!â
Huh?
Jest growls as he glares at the surface below, âœShall we destroy the planet for daring to harm you, my creator?!â
âœHAHA! Destroy the planet?! That was a good one Jest-â The joy that spotted up to you shrivels up when you see the vampireâs serious expression. He wasnât joking. Not at all. âœAehhaha...No, Jest! We arenât going to bring any harm to this planet!â You shift your vision back and forth between the two undead, only now realizing that Nictis has the same desire and understanding what he meant by âeliminating the threatâ. âœNone of us are going to. This planet may contain answers to our situation. We didnât play by the rules of the world so thatâs why we got burned. Thankfully, thoughââ You slow your descent as you prepare to break through the canopy, âœI have ways around those rules.â
You descend through a small gap in the trees onto the forest floor below in a spray of leaves as you deactivate Ascend.
A hiss to your right and a heavy thump to your left audibly signals to you that your scouts have landed.
âœMmââA rumble echoes in the wendigoâs chest causing you to turn your head in their direction as they step forward to peer into the thick woods, pupils dilating in doing so. The dark hair on their sickly, gray skin shifts as they sigh, âœThis is similar to the forest I used to live near...back before I was summoned by our creator.â
âœWah! Really?!â Jestâs mouth stays agape as they look frantically around, appearing way more pleased by the second.
âœYes, when prey would become scarce Iâd travel to the forest to hunt.â The wendigo gets on all fours and starts to sniff, drool pouring out his jaws as he continues to speak. âœDidnât do it too often though. Going into another hunterâs territory can be troublesome...in some cases, it can even cause a turf war. I wasnât looking to get myself killed.â
âœWow! I couldnât imagine.â The vampire, using his hooks like picks, climbs up the nearest tree like a spider, also sniffing the surroundings though you doubt it is for the same reasons as Nictis. While the Reborn has experience with the scents of forests, the Disciple has very limited knowledge of anything beyond the throne room of the Citadel. You suspect that he's probably trying to familiarize himself. âœThat wouldnât be an issue now, would it?â
âœOur creatorâs strength runs through us. Of course not...but we shouldnât pick fights and risk putting our creator in harmâs way.â
âœAgreed.â
They continue to talk blissfully about you and how theyâd maul anyone whoâd dare look at you the wrong way while you spread your vision to take in the environment from where you stand.
It is a luscious, wild world.
The towering canopy shades what makes up the green labyrinth below from what little light the night could provide. The shade has dropped the temperature of the forest floor but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. Youâre surprised that you didnât feel the extreme cold in space nor hot while being caught on fire. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you hadnât had the opportunity to visit one yet, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130âs is something near impossible with the waitlists and the extortionate prices. The closest thing you got to those wondrous forests were the ones in Yggdrasil that you had developed with the help of a few others.
You must say, man made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar, your realm and NPCs still existing, and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
âœMy creator,â Nictis stalks back up to you, his pupils dilating as he does so, âœI have taken the initiative to learn as much as I can about the surrounding environment. I have yet to secure this area but after checking there doesnât seem to be anything more than the typical forest life in this areaââ He trails off for a second, drool slipping from his maw to the mud below before shaking his skull lightly, âœWhat would you have your servants do now?â
Jest jumps down upon hearing your conversation and you place a hand on your chin as you think. âœMmmââ You turn your attention away from the two NPCs to once again look at your surroundings. You saw these woods from outer space so you know that this place is huge. That is a lot of ground to cover. Itâs only a matter of time until the other group will use Message to call off your search so the possibility of finding answers in the near future starts to dwindle off as the seconds tick by. You sigh at the thought but try to keep your hopes up. Well...there is a way to make this go faster...though you know that your companions will hate the idea. To be honest, you do too...but you want answers. âœWe should split up and search the area for any leads.â
âœMy creator, who will protect you?! S-surely you donât mean to leave yourself without a guard!â
âœHave you forgotten who I am?â You hate that youâre pulling that card but, at your words, the two NPCâs mouths shut with a click. A sigh leaves you before you continue, âœYou both should worry more about yourselves. Donât think that your only purpose in life is to be my shields. You all mean way more than that to me.â You lift your hands to emphasize a point. âœIâve already cast Detect Alley on all of you. If any of us get into trouble, weâll be able to find each other easily. The same can be said if any of us find a clue. Weâre all just a Message away. Besides, we all wonât be here for long. The other three will soon be finished with their preliminary check around the Seiun. I plan to not waste the limited span we have left. Weâll cover more ground this way. Will you two comply?â
âœWe will not fail to do as youâve asked.â They both bow in surrender to your will.
âœThatâs good to hear. Before we hurry off I want to cast a few more spells among us. I held off on some of these before because I didnât want to waste MP on buffs that may be of no use. Since that is no longer the case I will do so now.â
The two undead nod as you raise your hands.
âœOdorless, Mass Silence, Rabbit Ear, Rabbit Foot, Focus Magic, Complete Vision, Hawk Eye, Shield Wall, Mass Strengthen, Undeath Slave Sight.â
You finish uttering the spells you wished to cast and the glittery lights fade off, the spells taking effect. When your vision is tripled youâre not as disoriented as you thought you would be, just surprised that the spell worked. Undeath Slave Sight lets you see through the eyes of the undead you summon. However, Nictis and Jest werenât summoned by you...well, they kinda were so you guess thatâs why it worked but they werenât summoned by the required means-
âœMy creator...may I ask you something?â Jest asks while reaching up atop his head to feel the bunny ears that have sprouted out of his jester hat.
âœOf course.â
âœWhy did you cast Odorless among us? We are undead and not the rotting ones, so we donât produce smell.â
âœAh, yes. That is true...but I wanted to play it safe. We donât know how strong the enemy is or if they can smell even the slightest scents. Unlike you two, Iââ Actually, you donât know what your avatar is...You donât know why you can share emotions with others now among other tweaks but you assume that it's just one of the few things youâll have to deal with now. You hadnât programmed those traits into SÅsaku-sha. You know that. In fact, the only traits you had given SÅsaku-sha were ones to help you around your realm, benefits in producing products, and to fight players. Beyond thatâ
Your avatar doesnât even have a race category like many others in the game. You had completely customized your avatar from scratch to be like nothing seen throughout the rest of Yggdrasil so you canât even try to find some explanation in your memoryâs knowledge of the other races. SÅsaku-sha doesnât even fit in with the angelic and God-like races even though they are a type of deity.
You have nothing to compare your avatar to...and you feel that youâve only scratched the surface of the mysteries of your situation. Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
A sigh escapes you as you shake your head, âœ...Iâm not an undead...well...I donât breathe so...maybe...I donât think Iâm an undead. I am...warm blooded unlike your races are so...there is a possibility that I could be producing a smell.â
âœYou donât smell, my creator. Even before you cast Odorless, you didnâtâ Jest hums with a slightly stupefied look before the wendigo raises a clawed hand
âœWell, that isnât all trueââ Nictis' comment causes the vampire and you to turn your heads in the undeadâs direction. âœThey have the slight smell of spring. I know this because Iâm familiar with the season. Itâs the smell of life returning with the sweet flowers and dew drops. Itâs also a smell that tells me that hunting will be easier for the time beingââ Nictis trails off, looking distant as heavier globs of drool start running out of their mouth.
âœA-aha...so Iâm guessing I donât smell bad, right?â You almost take a step back from Jest as they start sniffing in your direction, seemingly forgetting that youâve cast Odorless on yourself already. Youâre starting to guess that Jest may be a very...straight forward thinker...or...one-track minded...simple headed...yeah.
âœOf course, my creator.â Nictis chest rumbles as they start to walk, âœThen shall we start heading our separate ways?â
âœYes. Both of you stay safe. Utilize the spells which are active on you if needed.â Activating Ascend, you wave an arm in their direction, âœWeâll see each other shortly.â
The undead seem to grow...sad(?) upon your words, yet they nod and start to head in their separate directions. Seeing as they do so you head off, away from them to find your own clues.
After a few minutes, you realize how easy it could be to get lost in these woods.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks in the forest. A mushroom here. A bush there. Oh, another patch of weeds. All that and a maze of trees. Itâs impossible to tell in which direction one could be moving in but that mattered little to you as you continued your search. The sky-scraping trees further intensified as though theyâre swallowing you up. It truly feels that you are entering into the belly of a beast...and it fills you with awe.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre curious as to what this world holds.
Your curiosity doesnât do you much help in finding anything though. Only the nocturnal critters of the forest seem to fill your void. A croak of a frog here. A chirp of an insect thereâ
You try everything in your power to find anything, using all of the senses you possess to do so.
But that is a bizarre thing you found...your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them and out of the blue muck smells that typically linger around marshland. That gunk smell had been distant but as you continue forward it is becoming more and more potent.
You realize, over time, the reason for this.
The forest that surrounds you is slowly shifting to a swamp, the ground becoming more and more covered in water and the thick humid stench of it all hangs above you, much like the vines of the trees. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors but-Urp-you just canât stand the smell of rotting fish right nowâ
You tolerate it though, wanting to remain vigilant by all means, keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing. Well, at least you know Rabbit Ear is doing itâs part...but you do wonder how much of your hearing it has improved...
Your sense of touch doesnât do much while you're using Ascend but it does tell you when a bird or a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. Your vision only does so much in an environment like this even though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret, especially while in the heart of a swamp. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know Nictis and Jest would be over here in a flash and youâd all be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... So your mind is affected!
You are actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what does startle you.
Wow. You really do need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, that something that future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing. You know Jest and Nictis havenât found anything either because they havenât Messaged you and you haven't seen anything through their eyes.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making camps in this general area to spread out like a web of information. Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society. Yeah, and the more that they will spread the more information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless everyone else here is like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?!
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. Youâre lucky to have such loyal NPCs...Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start here and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out a small opening in the canopy to the night sky above.
It is...stunning. You had never seen a night sky with such clarity before. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to thisâ
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue where you left off on your search-âœWait...is that?â
Floating down to see if itâs actually what you think youâre seeing and sure enough, it is.
In the mud are some very large footprints, way over a foot in width with long thin drags in front of the four toe imprints. It must have some wicked claws, you assume. Is it a bear?
You lower yourself onto the ground and crouch down to it to get a better look at one.
Wait, do bears even go in swamps? No, it isnât a bearâ Youâre sure bears have five toes with padsâ this print doesnât seem to have any of those. Everything seems connected in some weird way, like itâs all just one big slab. You look up the trail it has left in its wake and try to see if you can tell how many legs it has. As you look between the spacing of each you start to have a tinkling of a feeling that it only has two as no other footprints overlap in the line.
What kind of creature is this?! None from Earth, youâre sure. However, you can pinpoint a few possibilities from Yggdrasil...but is this even the same?
You may need help with this-
A familiar ping goes off in your head.
Itâs a Message.
You waste no time answering, âœHello?â
âœMy creator, it is I. Skinner. I wanted to give you our report on the surrounding terrain outside the Seiun.â
Ah! Thatâs right. âœSo youâve finished your search then. What was the result?â
âœMalum, Ukara, and I found nothing of familiarity. Besides the planet and its moon, there are no other nearby landmasses. It is more of this night sky in every other direction.â
Youâre all out in the middle of nowhere...just as you feared youâd be. Sigh...well...it could be worse. You could have been dropped off amidst enemy territory without the support of your NPCs. Thank God that didn't happen. âœThank you for informing me of this.â
âœOf course...my creator? Will you be returning soon then?â
Augh! Thatâs right! You had said that youâd return once they had Messaged you and youâd all go back to the Citadel to meet up with the Anointed. Those five are probably in the arena, awaiting your return.
But that was before you found a clue!
You really want to find out what kind of creature made these prints. If you leave now you might not get the opportunity to follow where these tracks lead. These tracks may be gone by the time you or you send someone else. These prints canât be that old because the mud doesnât look like it has dried much. Thereâs a large possibility that whatever this thing is...itâs still alive. If youâre able to get anything from it then itâll be more than what you have now.
However, similar to these prints, the spells you cast on your group wonât last forever. The three NPCs waiting for you near the Seiun will be in big trouble if you donât do anything. Not only that but youâd be going back on your word. You donât want the NPCs to start to think that you donât mean what you say straight off the first hour or so youâve been in this situation. In addition, the Anointed and the members of the Unmei no gundan you sent back are also waiting for you. It would be slightly cruel of you to make them wait and worry longer than they have to. Finally, you had set up that visit with the Anointed and if youâre not punctual to your own meeting then what kind of a ruler will they see you as?
âœMy creator?â Skinner asks again, informing you that you donât have forever to make a choice.
What will you do?
Investigate the prints despite pressing matters.
Return to the Citadel despite your desires.
Chapter End Notes
When was someone going to tell me that Overlord had a GAME called MASS FOR THE DEAD?!! I've been playing it nonstop since I was recommended by a friend to check it out! I'm only in the first few chapters of the story but I'm getting new ideas I could implement into this fic. If you guys want to co-op or friend request me, either ask me for my player ID or send me yours in the comment section bellow. I go by the user name BBS so if you receive a request you'll know it's me. I'll only be able to accept the first thirty since there is a limit but I'll accept you nevertheless.
You've come across your first clue but before you could unravel the mystery of your discovery, your obligations become urgent. What shall you do? All that I will say as a forewarning is that it'll affect your relationships in the future...
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
Chapter 4: EXCUSE ME
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Aye! BBS here! I'm half way through my summer internship now so I may be a bit slow on my updates until then. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
IMPORTANT!!!
Since this an interactive story that will have branching paths, you might want to keep track of the choices you make! Each previous pathway will be linked at the top and at the end of the chapter as well as a new choice for you to chose from!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 4: EXCUSE ME
âœLetâs head for the plains.â You point to the collection of light green located to the south of the forest and mountains, âœWhile it may not provide much coverage, plains are the perfect terrain for farmers or other similar occupations...if there are any. Itâll be discreet, off the grid.â In addition to that, theyâll be creatures with higher levels of intelligence than what you could probably find in the other biomes. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in spreading scouts. In addition, there is a forest that could potentially serve as a valuable source of various resources among farming.
âœA cunning move, my creator.â Nictis bares their teeth at you in what you suspect to be their form of a smile(?), their spit slinging off into space as they turn their head to face you. You hum an affirmative in Message as you watch the globs of drool freeze as they drift off into the dark vacuum of the starry void.
You suspect that the reason you all arenât popsicles at the moment is due to the protective spells and buffs you've cast on the party. Thankfully theyâll last long enough for when you suspect to return.
âœStay close together as we approach. There may be dangers that lie ahead.â Although very unlikely if this situation was that of Earth, Yggdrasilâs plains are a spawning point of various low level beasts however, higher level beasts do sometimes find their way there during events or specials. If this world is the same as Yggdrasil you suspect that you may run into trouble. âœUntil we secure an area, we are not to separate by any means. Is that clear?â
âœYes, my creator!â Jest and Nictis call out simultaneously, signaling you to start forward.
As you plummet to the planet below the two NPCs take stride, sticking very close to your sides as you draw near to what you suspect to be the planetâs atmosphere.
âœIâve already cast protection spells on each of you so when youâre enveloped in flames do not fear. You will come to no harm.â You say this because you start to feel a sudden shift in temperature. You know that it may be a possibility that, at the speed your group is traveling, it may come about as a reality with your limited knowledge of rockets and meteors. Undead are weak to fire so you donât want them to freak out and think that theyâre going to die.
âœI will not fear anything while Iâm beside you, my creator!â Jestâs cackle echoes in your head while he does raise a hairless brow, âœHowever, I donât understand why we would-â He cuts himself off as a bubble of orange envelopes your bodies, immediately warming your forms from the freezing plane youâre now leaving.
None of you share any words as you all strive to breach the planet's natural shield together. It is very difficult to see past the flames, even with your expanded vision yet you are able to make out bits and pieces.
This is all so serial...you feel as if youâre watching a movie unfold rather than doing all of this yourself. This is...an out of body experience...literally...None of this could ever occur in real life. In fact, it shouldnât occur even in-game! This is all way more than a simple technical glitch and too realistic to be a fabricated dream.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre leading an expedition into the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the arenaâs mirror flooring, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
The fire that surrounds the three of you dissipates as you slow down in your descent, the plains drawing near.
âœMy creator, what was all that about?! I donât believe that was a magical attack.â Jest Messages you in surprise as he takes a look back from the direction you all came from.
You donât know how to explain the logistics of...astronomy or the facts behind atmospheres so you try to find a very up in the air answer. Knowing youâre no longer in space, you speak out loud. âœPlanets, such as the world below, have natural barriers, called atmospheres, that prevent outside threats from making landfall on them! A way to counteract that is...by regulating speed! The reason why we caught fire is because we approached it too fast! However, time is of the essence and I knew the buffs would protect us!â
Nictis howls at your explanation, no longer using Message to communicate, âœPerceptive, our creator is! To be able to foresee the danger ahead!â The embers of light that serve as his pupils narrow down as he turns to the now visible greenery. âœSo how should we go about eliminating the threat?!â
Huh?
Jest growls as he glares at the surface below, âœShall we destroy the planet for daring to harm you, my creator?!â
âœHAHA! Destroy the planet?! That was a good one Jest-â The joy that spotted up to you shrivels up when you see the vampireâs serious expression. He wasnât joking. Not at all. âœAehhaha...No, Jest! We arenât going to bring any harm to this planet!â You shift your vision back and forth between the two undead, only now realizing that Nictis has the same desire and understanding what he meant by âeliminating the threatâ. âœNone of us are going to. This planet may contain answers to our situation. We didnât play by the rules of the world so thatâs why we got burned. Thankfully, thoughââ You slow your descent as you prepare to land, âœI have ways around those rules.â
Deactivating Ascend, you land on the patchy Earth, the grass swallowing you up to your knees.
A hiss to your right and a heavy thump to your left audibly signals to you that your scouts have landed.
âœMmââA rumble echoes in the wendigoâs chest causing you to turn your head in their direction as they step forward to peer across the flat grassland, pupils dilating in doing so. The dark hair on their sickly, gray skin shifts as they sigh, âœIâve never been on a field before... Are there a lot of game here, my creator?â
âœGame?â
âœAnimals to hunt.â
âœAh! Yes... Yes, there is if you look in the right spots. Many larger herd animals graze in fields like these and smaller animals live under the cover of the grass.â
The wendigo gets on all fours and starts to sniff, drool pouring out his jaws at your words, âœAh~... Fascinatingââ
Well, Nictis seems content. You shift your vision to see what Jest is up to.
Jestâs mouth stays agape as they look upward, appearing way more pleased by the second as his red eyes seem to glitter, âœWowââ
âœHm?â You follow Jestâs gaze to see what has caught his attention-
You are met with a glorious sight.
It is...stunning. You had never seen a night sky with such clarity before. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as Nictis struts back to the two of you. You continue as you expand your vision even further to take in more of the sky, âœIt's like embers of life or drifting snowââ
âœMmm, I agree.â The chirps of Nictis' jaw pull you out of your thoughts to see him looking up as you are, âœOn most nights when I couldnât find a good hunt, Iâd stare up into the skyâit was of great comfort to me...it still is...â
âœIs it really?â
Nictis nods lightly as they pull down their skull to look at you, âœDidnât you create it, my creator? The night sky...back where you summoned me from?â
You mull over Midgardsâ constellations from Yggdrasil and try to compare it to this...You couldnât. âœYes. I did.â
You don't know why but you feel that Nictis sends you a small smile as their pupils dilate some. "...Thank you."
Before you can ask why he thanked you Jestâs hiss of a voice pulls you away, âœHow can so much light sparkle in the dark? What are those gems?â
âœGems? Is that what you call stars?â
âœOh? Is that what these are called? Thank you for informing me, my creator.â He sends you a heart-melting smile which only makes you feel bad. He doesnât know what stars are because heâs always trapped in the throne room. He thought the stars are gems because that is among the few things that glitter in his extravagant cell.
Dropping your head you smack a hand to your blank face. âœ*sigh, I really am the worst.â
âœM-my creator!â Nictis growls not at you but at the idea of your comment, âœWhy would you say such a thing?!â
âœYou are perfection incarnate!â Jest jumps on the bandwagon with distaste hanging heavy on his thin lips, âœDo not speak harshly of yourself!â
âœN-no, noâ Iâm just ridiculing myself for something stupidâ I uh...Iâm making note to make some needed changes for you all, donât mind meââ When you get back youâll make sure all of the Disciples, Anointed, and Reborn all have more freedom. Thankfully you already called the Anointed to a meeting. You can bring it up then when you return. Shifting your vision, they still seem to be miffed by what you said so you decide to change the subject. âœHowever...letâs not get distracted from our mission. We should start our search for information.â
âœMy creator,â Nictis rasps, his pupils dilating as he does so, âœI have taken the initiative to learn as much as I can about the surrounding environment. There doesnât seem to be anything more than the small creatures that you spoke ofââ He trails off for a second, drool slipping from his maw to the grass below before shaking his skull lightly, âœWhat would you have your servants do now?â
The undead watch closely as you place a hand on your chin as you think. âœMmmââ You turn your attention away from the two NPCs to take a quick look at your surroundings. You saw these fields from outer space so you know that this place is huge. That is a lot of ground to cover. Itâs only a matter of time until the other group will use Message to call off your search so the possibility of finding answers in the near future starts to dwindle off as the seconds tick by. You sigh at the thought but try to keep your hopes up. Well...there is a way to make this go faster...though you know that your companions will hate the idea. To be honest, you do too...but you want answers. âœWe should split up and search the area for any leads.â
âœMy creator, who will protect you?! S-surely you donât mean to leave yourself without a guard!â
âœHave you forgotten who I am?â You hate that youâre pulling that card but, at your words, the two NPCâs mouths shut with a click. A sigh leaves you before you continue, âœYou both should worry more about yourselves. Donât think that your only purpose in life is to be my shields. You all mean way more than that to me.â You lift your hands to emphasize a point. âœIâve already cast Detect Alley on all of you. If any of us get into trouble, weâll be able to find each other easily. The same can be said if any of us find a clue. Weâre all just a Message away. Besides, we all wonât be here for long. The other three will soon be finished with their preliminary check around the Seiun. I plan to not waste the limited span we have left. Weâll cover more ground this way. Will you two comply?â
âœWe will not fail to do as youâve asked.â They both bow in surrender to your will.
âœThatâs good to hear. Before we hurry off I want to cast a few more spells among us. I held off on some of these before because I didnât want to waste MP on buffs that may be of no use. Since that is no longer the case I will do so now.â
The two undead nod as you raise your hands.
âœOdorless, Mass Silence, Rabbit Ear, Rabbit Foot, Focus Magic, Complete Vision, Hawk Eye, Shield Wall, Mass Strengthen, Undeath Slave Sight.â
You finish uttering the spells you wished to cast and the glittery lights fade off, the spells taking effect. When your vision is tripled youâre not as disoriented as you thought you would be, just surprised that the spell worked. Undeath Slave Sight lets you see through the eyes of the undead you summon. However, Nictis and Jest werenât summoned by you...well, they kinda were so you guess thatâs why it worked but they werenât summoned by the required means-
âœMy creator...may I ask you something?â Jest asks while reaching up atop his head to feel the bunny ears that have sprouted out of his jester hat.
âœOf course.â
âœWhy did you cast Odorless among us? We are undead and not the rotting ones, so we donât produce smell.â
âœAh, yes. That is true...but I wanted to play it safe. We donât know how strong the enemy is or if they can smell even the slightest scents. Unlike you two, Iââ Actually, you donât know what your avatar is...You donât know why you can share emotions with others now among other tweaks but you assume that it's just one of the few things youâll have to deal with now. You hadnât programmed those traits into SÅsaku-sha. You know that. In fact, the only traits you had given SÅsaku-sha were ones to help you around your realm, benefits in producing products, and to fight players. Beyond thatâ
Your avatar doesnât even have a race category like many others in the game. You had completely customized your avatar from scratch to be like nothing seen throughout the rest of Yggdrasil so you canât even try to find some explanation in your memoryâs knowledge of the other races. SÅsaku-sha doesnât even fit in with the angelic and God-like races even though they are a type of deity.
You have nothing to compare your avatar to...and you feel that youâve only scratched the surface of the mysteries of your situation. Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
A sigh escapes you as you shake your head, âœ...Iâm not an undead...well...I donât breathe so...maybe...I donât think Iâm an undead. I am...warm blooded unlike your races are so...there is a possibility that I could be producing a smell.â
âœYou donât smell, my creator. Even before you cast Odorless, you didnâtâ Jest hums with a slightly stupefied look before the wendigo raises a clawed hand
âœWell, that isnât all trueââ Nictis' comment causes the vampire and you to turn your heads in the undeadâs direction. âœThey have the slight smell of spring. I know this because Iâm familiar with the season. Itâs the smell of life returning with the sweet flowers and dew drops. Itâs also a smell that tells me that hunting will be easier for the time beingââ Nictis trails off, looking distant as heavier globs of drool start running out of their mouth.
âœA-aha...so Iâm guessing I donât smell bad, right?â You almost take a step back from Jest as they start sniffing in your direction, seemingly forgetting that youâve cast Odorless on yourself already. Youâre starting to guess that Jest may be a very...straight forward thinker...or...one-track minded...simple headed...yeah.
âœOf course, my creator.â Nictis chest rumbles as they start to walk, âœThen shall we start heading our separate ways?â
âœYes. Both of you stay safe. Utilize the spells which are active on you if needed.â Activating Ascend, you wave an arm in their direction, âœWeâll see each other shortly.â
The undead seem to grow...sad(?) upon your words, yet they nod and start to head in their separate directions. Seeing as they do so you head off, away from them to find your own clues.
After a minute or so your companions are out of sight, the horizon serving as your only barrier.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take place of grass. It truly feels that you are swimming across a green ocean how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre curious as to what this world holds.
Your curiosity doesnât do you much help in finding anything though. Only the sleeping minds of wildlife and the songs of crickets seem to accompany you.
You try everything in your power to find anything, using all of the senses you possess to do so.
But that is a bizarre thing you found...your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing. Well, at least you know Rabbit Ear is doing itâs part...but you do wonder how much of your hearing it has improved...
Your sense of touch doesnât do much while you're using Ascend but it does tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know Nictis and Jest would be over here in a flash and youâd all be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... So your mind is affected!
You are actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what does startle you.
Wow. You really do need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, that something that future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing. You know Jest and Nictis havenât found anything either because they havenât Messaged you and you haven't seen anything through their eyes.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making camps in this general area to spread out like a web of information. Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society. Yeah, and the more that they will spread the more information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless everyone else here is like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?!
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. Youâre lucky to have such loyal NPCs...Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start here and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare up at the fantastic sight of an unknown star belt.
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue where you left off on your search- âœWait...is that aââ
You float slowly through the air, convincing yourself that youâre not seeing things. In doing so, what has caught your attention starts to draw closer.
Is that a structure in the distance?!... Yes. Yes, it is! It looks like a wall!
You fly faster to investigate it.
Walls are man-made structures! They donât just pop out of the ground like daisies! This is your first real lead in this strange wor-
A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something to your left makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the-fast? Oh WOAH! What the fuck?! Itâs heading toward you at an alarming rate!
W-what should you do?! Crouch in the grass?! No! Itâs a land animal! You need to go higher! If you do so not only will you be out of its way but youâll have a better chance at spotting it!
With that thought you rise up high into the air to a height thatâd surely shatter your legs if you fellâ Shaking your head at the morbid thought at hand you try to look for what was coming-
A dark creature makes itself known as it draws nearerâ
Or so you had thought it was a creature.
It becomes apparent that as the figure approaches that it is a person.
Not just any person though...
The figure is an old man, dressed in a snazzy black suit like a butler.
You have no idea what confuses you more.
The fact that there is a butler out in the middle of nowhereâor how this old fart can run this fast!
Whatever the case, you need to Message for backup upon your discovery! âœJest! Nictis!â
âœMy creator?!â âœAre you in danger?!!â
âœI donât think so but Iâve found a lead. Head my way and please hurry.â
âœUnderstood!â âœWeâll make haste! Please stay safe!â
âœThank you.â You end the Message just in time to see the butler stop in place a good distance away andâ
Look straIGHT AT YOU?!!!
You have invisibility on! How is that-wait, certain level classes and races of players and NPCs can see through lower level invisibility spellsâ
â
Is this guy FOR REAL?!!
âœExcuse me.â An extremely rich call makes you blanch at the realization that heâs totally addressing you. âœMay I ask what youâre doing up there?â
â.
â.
WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO?!!!
Are you seen as an intruder?! No! Youâre sure that if this place is of importance they would have sent more people to face you, let alone a soldier. So what is a butler doing here? And since he can see you why isnât he disturbed by your appearance? Youâd think that youâd freak out if you were in his place but he doesnât seem to care-No, he doesnât mind you. So is heteromorphic creatures a familiar thing in this world, familiar to him, or is he open-minded?! Shit! You donât know what to do! Uh, uhâ
â.
*sigh*
Okayâ
You just need to relax.
This is what you had wanted... A chance to gain information. Even if he may see you as a threat and is calculating how much of one you are presentlyâyou can change that through interaction.
You can talk to him like a normal human being and work things out.
Okay.
Bracing yourself for what is to come, you dissipate Silence on yourself and straighten your form to speak, âœI apologize if Iâm intruding but I was curious when I saw this structure from afar. May I ask you what this place is?â
You slowly lower yourself down to show that not only does he have your attention but you trust him to some extent. However, you have an ulterior motive as you want to see him up close.
âœIt is my lordsâ place of residence.â Ah! So youâve stumbled across some kind of nobleâs keep. Is this a lucky coincidence...or an unlucky fate? Only time will say- âœIf youâre truly interested then, would you like to come inside?â
âœHuh? Really?!â Choking out your shock, you take in his form as you draw closer. Youâre well around twenty feet above him but you can see he is a very well kept fellow.
His short, silver hair is neatly combed with his long bangs slightly framing the sides of his wise forehead, shading his narrowed gaze on you. His cheekbones are strong, you observe, and this clean-cut beard emphasizes the shape of his face. He practically oozes masculinity by the way he presents himself. His dark suit with gold trims frames his body, making him appear incredibly fit and healthy underneath...or is he really that way?! You wouldnât be surprised. Anything to explain how he ran so fast here to meet you. Well, overall...he seems gentle in appearance, almost giving you a grandpa vibe but his eyes tell you a whole different story. Theyâre as sharp as an eagle's, seeming to bore into your very core as you finally land in front of him, leaving an eight-foot gap between the two of you.
âœOf course. Weâll accommodate your needs if you wish. If youâre hungry we can provide you with a meal.â
âœO-oh...youâre too kind. Are you sure thatâs okay?â
The butler slightly nods with a rumbling hum, âœMy lord is very kind. Heâll have no qualms with having you under his roof.â
âœEven if Iâm not human?â You watch his face closely to try to gage the reasoning for him to be so welcoming of you. Why welcome a complete stranger into a fortress such as this? Does this man not believe that youâre some kind of threat? That is both a comforting and terrifying thought.
Jest. Nictis. Where are you two?
Whatever twitch or flicker of a hint that you wanted to flash across his face never occurs, his face remaining like chiseled stone as he calmly replies. âœNone at all. Are humans typically weary of you?â
âœErm...well...not from what Iâve seenââ Considering the only humans whoâve seen you like this were players back in Yggdrasil, Alvara, various NPCs back in the Citadel, and this old man and theyâve all havenât seemed to mind your looksâ Maybe you arenât as off-putting as you thought. âœBut humans are fearful creatures by nature. Theyâre scared of the unknownââ
Youâre talking like youâre not human! Is this part of your mind being altered?!
âœMany creatures are.â The flicker of a sparkle behind his eyes almost goes unnoticed by you as he continues, âœBut you seem curious of the unknown, seeming as to why you approached this place. Am I wrong in assuming this?â
âœNo...I guess youâre right. Though, heheh, that doesnât mean that Iâm not cautious.â
âœMm. Rightly so.â
âœI can say the same thing about you.â You wave a hand lightly in his direction with a slight tilt of your head. âœYou came to greet me despite not knowing who I am.â
âœIt is my job as a butler to be hospitable to all who my lord welcomes.â He places a white, gloved hand over his heart to bow to you signifying his loyalty to his master.
Through the eyes of the two undead, you see that they both now have the nearby fortress in their sights.
âœWould you be so welcoming to two others?â
He question has him standing up straight once again with a slight lift of his brows, âœAre these two associated with you?â
âœMmm...something like that.â You turn your head to your left to face your approaching comrades which prompts the butler to follow suit. When theyâre within range you remove Mass Silence from them so they can be heard.
âœMy creator! We have arrived!â Jest calls out as he lands with a jingle, no longer flying in order to run up to your side.
âœWho is this?â Nictis hisses, not in a threatening manner but one of distrust.
âœMy name is Sebas. I am the head butler of this estate.â Huh. He doesnât seem to mind Nictisâ and Jestâs appearances either. Why not? Human NPCs back in Yggdrasil thought of undead as enemies. Why does this guy not mind? âœMay I learn of all of your names?â
The two NPCs remain silent, slightly standing in front of you to your sides, ready to act at a moment's notice. However, at the butlerâs words, their eyes flicker between you and the unknown man in front of them, unsure how much information youâd like for them to disclose. Seeing their hesitation, you decide to be the first to speak up.
âœThat is a nice name. I am called SÅsaku-sha.â
For the first time since you met Sebas, an emotion flickers across his face but it is so distinct and strange that you canât get a read on it. âœSÅsaku-shaâ Iâve heard that name once beforeââ
âœReally?â Well, that isnât very odd back in Yggdrasil. You think about the NPCs that would hint players to your existence and the cults that searched for your avatar by collecting the items used to form Faceless Key. They were typically the targets of players whoâd try to access your realm but at the same time, the players who held the items or even Faceless Key were under constant threat of those cultists. Either way, SÅsaku-sha was seen as an elevated being of sorts. Maybe itâs the same here? Maybe this world is Midgard taken into a literal sense and that this is still Yggdrasil. Maybe the people here are NPCs? It would explain why this man claims to have heard your name someplace.
He nods slowly, âœYes. I believe the one who gave me my nameâhas mentioned you before.â He turns to you with a lighter look, stormy eyes looking you over with a sparkle that appears like lighting.
Seeing as how youâve been put in the spotlight once again you decide to step out of it with a change of direction. âœErm, you two!â You lightly slap the backs of the two undead, causing them to look your way in surprise. âœIntroduce yourselves to this kind fellow. Itâd be rude of me to speak on your behalf at this time.â
âœUh-mm,â The wendigo is the first to do as you say, âœmy creator has graced me with the name Nictis. As of right now, I am serving as their guard.â
âœYes. We both are.â Jest nods over to the Reborn, âœMy creator has blessed me with the name Jest.â
Sebas processes your names and bows once again, âœIt is a pleasure to welcome you all in my lord's behalf. Would you care to come inside? We can talk awhile and we see to it that your group is catered to.â
âœMy creator?â Nictis' inquiry prompts you to hum out an affirmative for him to continue. âœWhat does catered mean?â
âœAh, itâs when professionals provide food, drink, and other various goods to a group of individuals as a form of serviceââ You trail off as Nictis' jaws are practically running with drool at the mention of food. He must be hungry. Well, of course he is. Heâs a wendigo. Theyâre cursed to always be hungry...but due to being reincarnated as a Reborn, you know their hunger has been mellowed since you wrote that in all of the wendigosâ coding in the Citadel. So you take comfort in knowing that it is a condition that is no longer a physical ailment but a physiological aspect to your alley.
âœI can see that cater is your new favorite word.â Jest teases the wendigo from where he stands off to your right.
âœAh! I apologize!â He immediately starts trying to wipe his mandibles clean but he only makes a further mess of himself.
You cringe, thinking that Sebas might be disgusted by Nictis but a single, light airy laugh escapes the old man with a heartwarming smile, âœAh, I will agree with you. He does seem to enjoy the word. Here-â Reaching a hand into his breast pocket, Sebas pulls out a handkerchief and presents it out for Nictis to take, âœthis may help.â
âœ...â Nictis silently stares at the item offered to him for a solid five seconds, looks over to you for another three, and finally looks back to the quaint cloth for an additional five before slowly plucking it out of the butlerâs hand. The undead takes a moment to inspect the cloth, sniffing it some and looking it over. Satisfied, Nictis starts to wipe his jaw clean but you have other plans by lightly tapping his foot with yours.
âœDid you forget your manners?â
âœAh! Thank you s-sirâfor this.â Nictis hums as he hands over the soaked towelette back to Sebas. When the damp handkerchief is dropped into his hand he doesnât put it back in his breast pocket. Instead, he cups the article up to his stomach, a smile still present on the butlerâs face.
âœYouâre quite welcome. Now, if you all would like to follow me, I can lead us inside.â
This is perfect. This is all...too perfect. This is exactly what you had wanted, no, this exceeds it. You had just wanted to find some lonely outcasts to interrogate so as to not bring attention to yourself. Instead, you stumble like a blind fool to the doorsteps of a noble. A blind fool who canât tell whether the noble is a sheep...or a wolf.
Sebas may be a welcoming fellow...but this all seems too good to be true. Like Hansel and Gretel, they spot the candy cabin in the woods and expect to have their fill of sweets but inside lurks a cannibalistic witch. You may be being lured into a trapâ
However, you want answers.
At the end of the story, the children find out the witch's wicked plot and kill her, making off with a treasure to bring home. If things really turn out that way, youâll find a way. You have two loyal NPCs and magic by your side right now, not to mention your own tactical skills.
You have confidence.
You want to proceed.
Before you could tell Sebas to lead the way, a familiar ping goes off in your head.
Itâs a Message.
You waste no time answering, âœHello?â
Sebas waits patiently as you listen to the one who contacted you. âœMy creator, it is I. Skinner. I wanted to give you our report on the surrounding terrain outside the Seiun.â
Ah! Thatâs right. âœSo youâve finished your search then. What was the result?â
âœMalum, Ukara, and I found nothing of familiarity. Besides the planet and its moon, there are no other nearby landmasses. It is more of this night sky in every other direction.â
Youâre all out in the middle of nowhere...just as you feared youâd be. Sigh...well...it could be worse. You could have been dropped off amidst enemy territory without the support of your NPCs. Thank God that didn't happen. âœThank you for informing me of this.â
âœOf course...my creator? Will you be returning soon then?â
Augh! Thatâs right! You had said that youâd return once they had Messaged you and youâd all go back to the Citadel to meet up with the Anointed. Those five are probably in the arena, awaiting your return.
But that was before you found a clue!
You really want to find out what is inside these walls. If you leave now it may look like youâre spitting on their offers. Not only would it possibly ruin your chances to learn something but it could tarnish whatever relationship you can build upon this connection.
However, similar to this opportunity, the spells you cast on your group wonât last forever. The three NPCs waiting for you near the Seiun will be in big trouble if you donât do anything. Not only that but youâd be going back on your word. You donât want the NPCs to start to think that you donât mean what you say straight off the first hour or so youâve been in this situation. In addition, the Anointed and the members of the Unmei no gundan you sent back are also waiting for you. It would be slightly cruel of you to make them wait and worry longer than they have to. Finally, you had set up that visit with the Anointed and if youâre not punctual to your own meeting then what kind of a ruler will they see you as?
âœMy creator?â Jest asks in a quiet tone, informing you that you donât have forever to make a choice.
What will you do?
Follow Sebas despite pressing matters.
Return to the Citadel despite your desires.
Chapter End Notes
When was someone going to tell me that Overlord had a GAME called MASS FOR THE DEAD?!! I've been playing it nonstop since I was recommended by a friend to check it out! I'm only in the first few chapters of the story but I'm getting new ideas I could implement into this fic. If you guys want to co-op or friend request me, either ask me for my player ID or send me yours in the comment section bellow. I go by the user name BBS so if you receive a request you'll know it's me. I'll only be able to accept the first thirty since there is a limit but I'll accept you nevertheless.
You've come across your first clue but before you could unravel the mystery of your discovery, your obligations become urgent. What shall you do? All that I will say as a forewarning is that it'll affect your relationships in the future...btw, this is the first ever pathway that has gotten into contact with the Great Tomb of Nazarick as of yet. Congratulations? I'm not sure if it is an accomplishment because all of the pathways will come into contact with with them sooner or later but...you're first so I guess that counts as something.
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BTW, all the terms and names I have listed in this chapter that aren't English all come from google translate. I researched my terms and names elsewhere but I can make mistakes. If they're janky or not the right terms, please correct me.
創äœè… (SÅsaku-sha): Creator
é‹å'ãè»å›£(Unmei no gundan): Legion of Fate/Corps of Destiny
æŸé› (Seiun): Nebula
Chapter 4: SMALL WORDS LEAD TO BIG DISCOVERIES 1
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to build up relations.
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 4: SMALL WORDS LEAD TO BIG DISCOVERIES 1
âœAs Iâve discussed with Alvara, I wanted to run some tests and see how different this...situation has become.â Alvara squeals which catches the attention of the other NPCs. Upon seeing more in her excitement than what appears on the surface, the rest start to also become just as enthusiastic about what you have in store.
It makes you nervous...but you appreciate that theyâre not trying to kill you.
âœEven before things changed, I...have little knowledge about myself. About how my form's functions. I-*cough* Uh...Iâd appreciate all of your help in figuring out how my body worksââ
Augh! This is so embarrassing! This is the same shit all over again with Alvara but now you have more in attendance.
âœWhat...do you mean, my creator?â Dastgir takes one step forward, his physical strength making an appearance by how you see vibrations run along the NPCs who have their feet planted on the ground, their eyes darting to Dastgirâs gold-adorned hooves in response.
âœWhat Iâm trying...to say is...that an infant has more knowledge of their own biology than I do. Iâm not entirely sure of anything about myselfââ Your dominant hand finds it wise to find a perch across your face by pinching the surface between where your eyes should be. âœI donât know if I can eat...or if I even have the need to take in sustenance. I donât know if I can sleep. How I replenish my energy. Nothing. There are no other...similar...creatures like me that I could seek aid from...Iâm the only one of my kind so it is imperative that I find out all my basic living requirements or I might just...croak overââ
âœCroak. Over. Question. Mark.â
You swallow at the dark thought that raises within you, âœ...I might die.â
The sudden uproar of horrified outcries makes you gasp in shock, all of the NPCs in attendance jumping towards you with their arms fearfully reaching out.
âœPlease, I beg you! Let us make haste to aid you!â Alvaraâs scream ripples agreement amongst those in attendance.
âœAs one of da five Anointed, overseer of de Commune Workshops, Iâll do everything in my power ta make sure to relieve you of dis plight!â Bizerk jumps, pointing at the sky with one clawed finger. âœDisciple Chief has retired to da Livinâ Quarters but, beyond a doubt, at my word he will whip yah up someting devine! Dat, I guarantee, YES! I do!â
âœO-oh? Would that be alright?â Youâd hate to make the giant in question wake up but this is kind of an emergency.
âœIt would be more dan heavenly ta serve our grand creader! If he thinks otherwise, Iâll fry dat pig and serve his tenderloin on a golden platter to you myself!â He bares his teeth, his single pupil constricting with his murderous intent.
You almost snicker at the accuracy of that statement but you know he isnât joking, so that fact dampers the little mirth that had bubbled up, âœA-ah, em, please donât do that. Do you not remember what I said about treating those who oppose me?â
Bizerk gasps and collapses onto his knees, clasping his hands together above his head below all in attendance, âœF-forgive me! Iâve stepped out of line!â
âœDonât punish yourself. Old habits die hard...and I understand that you only want what is best for me. That, I appreciate. Please stand.â Once the rubber hose being back on his two feet, appearing slightly ashamed, you continue. âœCould you please give him the word?â
âœItâs already done!â Bizerk salutes you before going into a Message.
âœMy creator?â Dastgirâs voice catches your attention next. âœWhat would you have the rest of your servants do for you?â
âœEmm...well, you see, thatâs the issue. I donât know. I mean, I'm sure over time my body will tell me what I need to survive but Iâm trying to hurry the process and find out now so that those needs donât become an immediate issue in the future. This is why Iâm asking you all to aid me. Do you all have any ideas?â
âœU-um,â Alvara peeps with a suggestion, âœWell, would you need to wear clothes? I do not want you to get sick.â
âœI have resistances to temperature change...as well as poisoning and disease immunity...so I donât think Iâd get sick that way.â You nod before a click of thought enters your mind that has you hugging your middle. âœUm...are...are any of you perturbed by my nude state? It doesnât...bother me but if any of you feel...embarrassed or uncomfortable around me lââ You practically feel the embarrassment and shame spread across your skin.
âœN-no!â
âœWeâre not!â
âœYouâre perfect the way you are!â
âœDonât. Feel. Ashamed. Of. Your. Body. Exclamation. Point.â
âœAhhah...thanksâbut that is a strange thought. How Iâm fine being nude whenââ You know youâd never be okay with being naked as a human. Socially acceptable attire and all, but you were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
The Anointed and the Reborn watch worriedly as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You thrash in the air and slap your face, causing the NPCs to call out âœMy creator?!â in bafflement.
You wave them off to continue, âœH-how bizarre. Is it because I created this body this way or becauseââ You shift your attention down to your nether region with a darkening of the pink blush, âœI...have nothing to hide?â You donât have anything, itâs all flat. You still have an ass but nothing in the frontâ
Can you even piss now? This might be the answer to your eating problem...but you like food...well, maybe itâs something that appears like Eye of Providence. Your...p-parts may just pop out when you need them...so maybe you have a mouth that pops out as well...or are you like a slime and just absorb nutrients into yourself? Either way, it doesnât explain why youâre okay with your appearance now.
âœIs this part of my biology?â Your body is different but...how can that change how your mind works...how you think of yourself?
â.
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You look down past your hands to see the glossy reflective surface of the stage showing you your reflection as you hover about a foot above. Youâve seen your avatar plenty of times...but now itâs...differentâhowever...you donât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
âœMy creader.â Bizerk lulls you out of your thoughts with a question, âœChief is asking me what youâd like to eat.â
âœUh-mmââ Youâd very much would like to stick to normal food and nothing bizarre...but what if your body requires something else than that? The shiver that makes its way down your spine at the thought of eating slugs or drinking blood prompts you not to request âa little of everythingâ even though that might be what you should ask. âœI believe simple...human appetizers will do. Nothing too complicated or extravagant, please. Iâm not...entirely hungry, to be honest. Just curious if I have to eat. I donât want him wasting resources on something that I might not be able to do. If It turns out that I actually need to eat then weâll tell him to make me more.â An idea pops in your head and you automatically start waving at Bizerk who was about to give your reply to the head chef of the Citadel. âœW-wait, just a second! Uh...is anyone else here hungry or thirsty? Itâd be a shame on my part to know that your needs arenât also fulfilled. Besides, waking up Chief just to make me a light snack feels selfish. Iâd feel happier knowing that I didnât disturb him just for my sake.â
âœI mean no offense,â Erx grumbles softly, âœbut youâre too humble, my creator.â
âœMmm, I may have to agree with my subordinate.â Dastgir huffs as he stomps his hooves, shaking the floor once again. âœIt pains me to hear you talk lowly of yourself. If you were anyone else, I would have had their tongue in my palm right now.â
âœNot you tooââ You rub your temples, realizing that they all may have completely ignored you when it came to how you want them to treat rebels. âœ*sigh*...I guess it canât be helped. I view my mannerisms as common courtesy. One should never take the high seat for the shame that they would face if cast down-â You shake your head to stop the imagery from slipping from your lips...or lack thereof. âœI donât like looking down on others even if you all think that I have a right to do so. That is why I request that you all should take the chance to order whatever youâd like from Chief right now while heâs ready to do so.â
Thereâs a beat of silence for a good few seconds before a light, heavenly voice mumbles out a request, âœUmââ
Your vision shifts to the bundle of pure wings behind Dastgirâs pillar of a back leg and you feel warmth blossom forth at her wide, glittery, cat eyes.
Piteque, sugary, clawed fingers pull gently at a pair of wings to better hide her face as she continues under your gaze, âœ...c-could I please...have a...s'more sundae...with extra c-caramel and brownie crumble...and w-with lots of sprinkles and whip cream?â
You canât help the light airy giggles from slipping out at the cute, heart-melting display. You had designed the angel hybrid with an extremely large sweet tooth. In fact, you had made it so that her diet only consists of sweets so the absurd amount of sugar intake is a natural occurrence to the darling thing.
Unfortunately, Kendria sees you gushing over her in a different light for her eyes well up with tears, curling further in on herself, âœO-oh, Iâm sorry...I didnât m-mean...never mind. I-I donât want anythingââ
The way her voice quivers at the end makes you feel like a complete asshole for laughing, âœAw-Nn-no, I didnât mean to offend you my sweetling. I shouldnât have laughed at you. I just found you very cute is all. Iâm sorry.â You slowly float around Dastgir to come before the glittery eyed angel. All the NPCs in attendance watch with bated breaths as you crouch down before the child and spread your arms out for her, âœCome here, baby.â
Kendra, much to your surprise, doesnât protest against your request but quickly, yet timidly, dashes into your arms without as much as showing a peek at what lies beneath her feathers.
A rush of anxiety-ridden emotions washes over you as you cradle the fluffy child in your arms, shushing her as she starts to sob, âœThere we go. Donât cry, baby. Iâm sorry I hurt you. I had no ill intentions for laughing. I was truly admiring you, that I swearââ You slowly float back to the spot you once held in front of your NPCs but this time you have your back turned as you continue to rock and comfort the weeping angel by thinking of warming thoughts, projecting your feelings onto her. With your vision focused solely on Kendria, you donât notice the light jealousy and heart-melting emotions that sweep over the six watching your display but you do hear loud static erupt from Majesty, âœThank you for showing the courage to ask for something. Iâll make sure you get you your sundae, dear. Would you also like a dash of pop rocks with it? Chocolate syrup? Maybe even a cherry to top it off?â
âœ*sniff*...Mmhmââ
Her affirmative has you turn to a...crying...or drooling Bizerk to confirm, âœDid you get that?â
âœYes, my wonderful creader!â Their wavering voice confirms to you that they are crying.
âœEh-em...and does anyone else want anything before we continue?â
Aragogâs cheerful nod pulls your gaze to her, âœA glass of water for me please.â
âœIâd also like water.â Alvara chimes in, whipping away a stray tear from her flushed cheeks.
What...why are they all emotional all of the sudden?
âœIs that all?...okay, Bizerk, please inform Chief of our requests.â
âœOf course! Itâd be my pleasure!!!â He licks his lips clear of his tears with a loud slurp before going into Message once again.
With the food out of the way you turn back to Kendria. She isnât crying as profusely as she first was in your grasp but hiccups still leak tears out of her eyes.
Geaaah! You canât tell if her perk Sympathyâs Wish is whatâs having a detrimental effect on you or if youâre naturally moved to comfort her, however, you canât help but reach in past her wings and wipe the tears off her soft, hidden face.
She doesnât protest the act. If it were anyone else youâre sure she wouldnât have allowed this, you know for you programmed her that way. Her background must be providing her with the knowledge that you created her and know about her true form for her hands gently wrap around yours to keep your hand close to her face. You allow her to hug your hand in the confines of her winged cloak, âœKendria? Do you forgive me?â
âœT-t-t-there is n-nothing to forgive, my creator...I-I shouldnât have assumedââ
You shake your head to quiet her, âœAs long as you know I hadnât meant to hurt you. Besides, you showed great courage speaking up. I must be intimidating, huh?â
âœN-no! Youâre not...itâs just-â You interrupt her ramblings by placing a small peck of a kiss on the wing closest to her forehead, causing all the feathers on her body to poof out in bashfulness, âœMuh-m-my-m-myââ
âœThat was a gift for you. Iâm...proud of you, Kendria, for speaking up when I asked you to.â The flush of warm emotions has you holding the fluff ball tighter in giddiness.
âœD-do we also get a kiss?â Aragogâs eyes glitter as they clutch their hands together expectantly in your direction, her jaws vibrating excitedly at the prospect.
You feel the blush spread across your skin at their question, âœU-uh, well-â
âœAragog!â Erx hisses, âœHow dare you ask that of our creator. You should be ashamed!â
âœHey! I was just wonderingââ The spider pouts, rubbing a clawed hand over their arm. You donât miss the disappointed look on Alvara too.
Well...this is embarrassing.
âœM-my creator?ââ
âœHm?â Gladly shifting your vision solely on Kendria once again, she peaks up at you with a question.
âœI-I...um...I believe I can f-feel...your emotionsââ
âœAh, yes. That is correct. Iâve just recently learned with Alvara that whoever comes in physical contact with me shall share their emotions with me.â
âœUwahhhh!â Surprised gasps ripple through those in attendance excluding the two Anointed who had traveled with you.
The hair on Aragogâs body springs up in attention, âœPlease! Kiss me, please!â
âœAragog!â Erx hisses once again as the dark Anointed brings up two fingers to the side of their head.
âœChief,â Bizerk Messages the giant once more, âœIâd need ta place an orda so I can get blessed wit a kiss-AIIIIEEEE!â A swift kick from Dastgir sends the cartoon entity flying.
âœAll of you! Stop acting so disrespectful in front of our creator! Our main priority is to be assisting them in self-discovery, not lusting over them!â
âœLuh-LUSTING?!!â The lewd word explodes out from you in a blast of pink and Kendria curls into a ball with you as you float a good portion away, eyeing the six through the mass of feathers youâre holding onto. âœYou all think of me that way?!â
âœ...Maybe not exactly to that extremeâthough, I canât speak for Bizerk.â
âœAYE!â
Dastgir ignores the fussing Anointed with a rumble, gesturing to all who stand to his right, âœHowever, you do possess our overwhelming love and adoration as our creator.â Thumping a fist over his chest he continues, âœI canât deny that I donât fawn over you and stand in awe of your glorious might. Even the blind can see why you deserve the recognition of everything beneath your feet. Although you hold immeasurable power, the likes of which youâve earned your rightful title as creator-â He straightens his posture even more as if proud of what he has to say next, âœyou use it to care for and cherish what youâve made...personally lowering yourself to comfort your servants, going as far as to wiping their tears away.â
Alvara gives a knowing nod your way which has you stumbling over your words, âœErm...Iâm just doing what anyone should. Besides, what merits true devotion? Fear...or love? Frankly, Iâd like to know that your loyalties do not just lay on the fact that Iâm...powerful...or that you feel obligated because I created you all. I want you to follow me because you believe Iâm someone who looks out for the welfare of others and that Iâm worthy of your honor and trust. Itâs one of the reasons I donât want you all to be quick to anger when there will be those whoâll doubt me. I want the chance to be the best ruler fit for all and giving them an ear can help me achieve that. Silent submission is oppression's harlot while soundful suggestions is freedomâs bride-â WHATâS WITH YOU AND ALL OF THESE ILLUSTRATIONS?!! Youâre tired of speaking in riddles! Not only that but you had lost yourself in character for that brief moment.
You shake your head to clear your mind of confusion but youâre cut short as all of the NPCs fall to their knees in bow, with the exception of Majesty, who merely floats lower with their headpiece dipped down, and the angel in your arms.
âœOur grand creator!â Dastgir bellows out, the richness of his voice laying thick into the air of the sky arena, âœYou are truly worthy of honor already. Thereâs no doubt in our minds about that!â
âœReallyââ They really do think of you highly...but how high? As a ruler, a friend, or...a God? This may be your chance of discovering how they truly see you. âœAll of you. Stand." They comply immediately so you continue, "Tell me something...all of you...in what way do each of you see or think of me as? I want your honest opinions and I want nothing less. Dastgir?â
He pounds his chest again as his reply pours out like maple, âœAn unbeatable general that greatly surpasses me. I only hope to continue to learn from your grand leadership so that I may better conduct myself as head over the Unmei no gundan.â
So the centar thinks of you in a militant way, possibly having some selfish desires for his service. You move on to the next NPC in the row, âœBizerk?â
âœAn all-seeing strategist, willing ta face any urdle dat comes your way ead on!â
Even though you had programmed him to be the greatest deviser out of the Anointed, that wasnât the outlook you thought he was going to give you, especially by his wacky personality and the way he continues to lick his lips whenever you look at him for too long. Feeling uneasy you decide that you also want the opinions of the Reborn, âœErx?â
âœThe most extravagant being, a ruler worthy of all creatureâs praise and supplication. The perfect balance between lenient and strict to make the best use with the tools at your disposal.â
You cringe, hoping that youâre not reading too much into what he meant by tools, âœAragog?â
âœA model of perfection, the beginning of all life and beauty.â
You blush a good bit at that so you quickly move on, âœMajesty?â
âœA. Meticulous. Artist. Truly. Deserving. Of. Your. Title. As. Youâve. Set. The. Ground. Work. For. The. Imagination.â
You nod yet not exactly understanding the reason why thatâd see you that way above all other things, âœAlvara?â
âœAn unsurpassed limit to possibility, able to shape the future and make history.â
At a loss for what she means you rock the angel in your arms lightly, âœHow about you Kendria? Who do you see me as?â
âœO-oh...I think youâre...a very kind a-and merciful being...one that takes the time to take notice of insignificant things a-and builds them upââ
...does she truly see herself that way? As insignificant? You had programmed her with a very shy background but you feel that you might have given her low-self-esteem issues...maybe even anxiety or depression. That makes you feel like garbage.
âœMmm, I understand.â
No, you donât.
You really donât understand why they all think of you so highly-well you do but not to the extreme that they seem to think is natural. However, it settles the pit of distrust that had been present up until this point about where their loyalties lay. Youâll still remain guarded...but for now you feel that you can relax a bit. Though...the problems at hand are still present...âœThank you all for indulging me. However, Iâd like you all to tell me one more thing...What do you think I am?â
âœIâm...sorry. I don't seem to understandâCould you please elaborate on what it is you mean to your lowly servant?â Erx mumbles the question to which you nod.
âœMm...what am I? What kind of being do you think I am? Youâve already told me what you think of me personally but not what you think I am. I have a few ideas but Iâm interested in what you all believe the type of creature I am.â
âœWell...it is hard to sayââ Alvara mutters, pinching her chin in question, âœI mean no offense in asking thisââ Her green eyes suddenly seem to grow in intensity, mapping out your form in contemplation, âœ...but you created all life. Wouldnât you be most suited with the knowledge of your...current form?â
âœAh, yes...I suppose I do. I have an inkling of what I may be and what Iâm not. Iâm a heteromorph, of course...however, I designed this body to be unique and it always helps to get an outside perspective on matters. Iâm something that has never existed before unlike you Anointed and Disciples. Although you are all unique in your own ways, away from the Reborn, I took inspiration from my other works to shape all of you. Thatâs not the case for me...so this may be a very difficult question for you all to answer...but I believe that this may be a key to discovering my bodily needs.â
Yes. There are thousands of racial classes back in Yggdrasil. Most carried subcategories to distinguished and particular player models and NPCs. Every racial class has several standard appearances. In what way they were altered was dependent on the tenacity of the player in question regarding their aesthetic sense. Every category carries its particular strengths and weaknesses. Some races are better built for classes such as tanks while others better fit as gatherers, support, and so on. You could spend days finding connections between your new body and the myriad of creatures that roamed your fantasy game; and thatâs if you only focused on certain characteristics or attributes of specified slots. Your physique for example matches most races...though youâre obviously not many. Youâre not an automatonâ
Your expanded vision allows you to check out Majesty.
Yes...certainly not. You have flesh and blood. That much youâre certain...So that fact alone rules out undead, plants, slimes, spirits, elementals, and alike...You also know that you arenât any insectoid, reptilian, amphibian, fish, or bird types. Youâre still mammal...to your knowledgeâ. Youâre not any creature that possesses tentacles, tails, or other nonhuman appendages. Youâre not a demon either, or an angel. You may share some similarities to the Olympians, the Norse, the Lovecraftians...but you know that youâre not a God and youâre never going to claim to be of anything of the sort.
All these being grotesques...and you not a single one are you close to representing...in fact...one might even suggest that you have more of a likeness to humanoids and subhumans.
You had designed SÅsaku-sha to capture the likenesses of humanity in a way by representing both genders into one form with the same basic structure as mankind. Howeverâyou know that youâre not human. Not presently at least. Even your mind has been altered in some ways so you canât even say for sure that youâre human insideâ
Focusing your attention on Alvara, you can practically feel the waves of something dark swirl in your core. Like icy sludge, it twists and squeezes yet runs in a way that it feels that it is seeping deep inside, dripping, and tainting. It might be envy...but youâre not sure...jealousy maybeâon the fact that sheâs something you used to be...
But...even with that in mind, you still donât know what the hell you are.
What are you?!
âœOh? OH, OH!!! MY CREADER!!!â Berserk suddenly bellows out of nowhere, making Kendria and you jump slightly as all eyes turn to him slamming a fist into his other hand as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea, âœYOUR BOOK!!! Book of Creashen! Itâs a log of everything youâve evah creaded! It may contain de information you seek!â
âœWoah!â
âœThatâs brilliant Bizerk!â
âœWay to go!â
You huff out a couple of airy laughs, almost at a loss for words as the other NPCs complement Bizerk for his genius.
You have to admit...you havenât even thought of Book of Creation, an item created specifically for your avatar, SÅsaku-sha. In a way, it is a guild weapon but not at all a weapon nor made for a guild. It is the main reason why it was possible to possess so many NPCs in your realm. It contains coding that allows you to edit and create whatever NPC you wanted without the hassle of collecting data crystals and other burnable items needed for the task. It gives administrative key access to all who resided in Yggdrasil, even players. That way you had complete control over everything as the producer of the game. However, you never used it to change and alter other playerâs avatarsâ
Just yours.
That means that it contains information on your avatar. Some that you might not know about even though you knew everything on your character sheet...up until the shut down that is.
âœAmazing!â You complement the Anointed, causing his jaw to drop open giving you a full view into his black maw that contains long fangs and a dilated eye, âœThat is truly a soundful suggestion. Iâm surprised you know of my bookâs existence.â
âœHuu~ It is quite de pleasure!â He scratches the back of his neck bashfully, âœI remembered it because Iâve seen you use it before, ta create life! It was such an onor ta see you do what you do best! To stand before de source of all life and beginning!â He sighs blissfully as he hugs himself, âœKieeaaaahh! Truly awe inspirinâ~â
âœMm,â Just like Alvara, it seems that Bizerk also has memories beyond what you have programmed him to have, âœIâll take a look at its contents...though...this is still concerning.â
âœWhat. Is. It. My. Creator. Question. Mark.â
âœIâve memorized every page that contains information about my current form. If it still contains the chapter on SÅsaku-sha...then I believe some things have changed.â
âœWhat?!â âœHow?!â
You shake your head, âœJust like how Iâm able to share feelings with those who I touch or how my vision has expanded...Iâm discovering things that I never prog-*ahem* never put into the pages of the book. This...is problematic. It means that the text and content within may have been altered. Subjects may have been deleted, replaced, added on, and so onââ Your chest clenches at the new revelation, a new form of panic settling in causing Kendria to whimper in your arms, âœall this without my knowingâ. Oh noââ
âœMy creator?!â The NPCs worriedly watch on as you float to Dastgir and hand the feathery girl on over to his muscular embrace.
âœThis...this is horribleââ You turn and grab the sides of your head, floating away as you think of the possibilities of what that implies. âœIs this because of the logout?! How much has changed?! And this may not be limited to me-â You spin fast in the air, only now noticing the dark green and red hue the Seiun has taken up, to address the now distressed crowd- âœbut these changes might have impacted all of you as well! It would explain why Iâve noticed changes!â You turn away and curl in on yourself, digging your nails into the murky skin of your skull, âœEverything that I have built may be at stake. All of our lives are at stake!â
Has your magic abilities been altered? Has their magic abilities been altered? How about their loyalties? How about the strength of the Citadel?! Would your realm be able to put up with an attack?! Would your NPCs be able to? How about you?! Can you still become shielded and open? Is Life a perk you still have? Is the book the reason why youâre stuck here or is it only a piece of the puzzle?
âœShitââ The curse slips out of you in a boiling hiss, causing a shiver to run up not only those in attendance but all living within your realm at the feeling of something supernatural starting to surge up within their creator. Something thick and all-consuming as it writhes and claws to the surface, leaving hot blotches of crimson, muddy violet, and sickening greens spread across the skin of the shaking being.
All feel it. How could one not? Their creatorâs aura permeates throughout their entire realm. One cannot breathe without feeling the most esteemed oneâs presence distort into something suffocating at their change in thought. Thatâs why all in the Citadel freeze in place, feeling the shift to their very cores because of the blood that connects them all. Even the Kaonashi within the Seiun jostle at the wave of raw, unbridled heat that makes itself known, commanding them to cry out in their twisted tongues as they continue their march of death.
The ones inside the Citadel become engulfed in the screams of the hellish beasts, confirming what they all can taste drifting in the space held within their home.
Desperate panic and overwhelming fury is their creatorâs colors.
âœThis is most displeasingââ
You canât even breathe to try to extinguish the anxiety-riddled thoughts that have captured the entirety of your mind...but...you must work through this. This is good. It may be bad but this is all good. You wouldnât have thought of the book as a factor if it wasnât for Bizerk. At least you have a foothold now. Yes, this is a terrible accomplishment and itâs one that youâll have to deal with. And who knows? What you might think may be altered in the text of the book might not be as extreme as you suspect. Besides...you have complete control over it, or at least you used to. When you get a hold of it you shall see if youâll need to make changes to the text yourself. You can still have control.
Sighing, you feel the dark emotions start to slip away into a more mellow state as you turn to face your attendance, âœThank you, Bizerk. You have helped me uncover a key. It would have probably taken us a bit of time before we would have considered the book as a clue that needs to be addressed. I will have to think of a way to reward you later. For now, I think we should-â
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the still shocked NPCs. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
âœ...I think we should listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â The seven turn their gazes to the sky and watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left in bow.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm actually moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. Continue with your work as you will. Iâll retire to my quarters and take a look at both the Book of Creation and the Mirror of Remote Viewing. Bizerk.â
âœYes, my creader?â
âœPlease inform Chief to have all the food brought to my room. Itâll be easier to just bring it down to the floor where the kitchenâs dishes are usually brought to than for the staff to walk up all those floors to serve us up here.â
âœWill do!â
âœKendria, Aragog, Alvara. Since your requests will be arriving at my room, you can join me in my quarters after Iâve put my things together...but if you have business that you need handled Iâll have one of the waiters deliver your order to you. Is this satisfactory?â
âœYes!â
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you float off with goals in mind. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
â—
âœAwahh~ Our creator is so nice!â Aragog squeals as they jump in excitement, their many arachnid legs tinking against the glossy surface of the arena, lost in a loving daydream, âœMy heart is beating so fast! To be allowed to join the most esteemed one in their most intimate room!â
âœYes, I must agree.â Alvara blushes as she looks off in the direction their maker had disappeared in, âœIâve never been to their room before. Iâve only ever passed the hallway leading up to it. I wonder whatâs inside.â
âœGrrr, screw you guys.â Bizerk pouts as he crosses his thin arms grumpily, âœI want ta go to deir room.â
âœDonât. Be. Jealous. Bizerk.â Majesty hums as they point one needle-like finger in their direction, âœEspecially. When. Our. Creator. Promised. To. Give. You. A. Reward.â
âœIf anything, we should be jealous of you!â Alvara hums, her sandals echoing across the sky arena as she walks in front of the Anointed sheâs addressing, âœA gift! Donât you realize how blessed you are?! To be acknowledged in such a way that the creator of all existence sees fit to present you with something special!â Alvara reaches out and grabs hold of Bizerkâs robe to give him a light shake, âœCan you even begin to comprehend what they might bestow upon you?!â
âœMmmm, I hope itâs a kiss~â
Dastgir stomps his back hoof in frustration as he moves to face the cartoon entity, cupping Kendria gently in his arms even with his growing agitation, âœBizerk. Donât pant over our creator like theyâre some kind of dog to breed.â With a hiss, the dark bone of their jaw separates, revealing long, sharp canines from his gums as he continues with bared teeth, âœIt is insulting to their very character to be desired in such a way.â
âœIs wanting a kiss really all that bad?! Besides, who wouldnât want to love our creator in such a way? Kendria got a kiss so Iâd like one!â
Kendria makes an indignant âœUmf!â noise before Dastgir turns the angel away as he starts to trot off.
âœTsk, youâre disgusting. Iâm returning to my duties now as should all of you if you donât have someplace else to be. My soldiers, follow me! We will resume our guard over the Heroâs Hypogeum. Aragog, donât leave our creator waiting.â
âœYes sir!â
The three remaining Anointed and the one Reborn watch as the group marches off to one of the many archways, into a maze that makes up the sky arena, until they are all out of sight.
âœAssâole.â
âœBizerk!â
âœWhat?! Itâs true.â He rubs his hip with a grimace on his face, âœIâm sure e didnât ave to kick me as ard as e did. E didnât ave ta kick me at all for dat matter, especially while e as blades on is ooves. Dastgirâs lucky e didnât cut my robe.â
âœMaybe. Heâs. Just. Frustrated. At. The. Fact. That. You. Keep. Cheating. While. Playing. Poker.â
âœAYe! I donât cheat!â His long, worm-like eye bulges out from his mouth at the accusation, âœItâs not my fault you two dumb asses are orrible at de game, sore losers on top of dat! You both just suck at playing and blame me for all of your incompetence!â
âœIâm. Pretty. Sure. Counting. The. Cards. Is. Cheating.â
âœOw do you even know if Iâm countinâ de cards or not?! Besides, datâs not cheatinâ! Datâs calculating what is in de ands of my opponents! Itâs basic strategy at its core. If you donât know what youâre up against den youâre only puttinâ yourself up in a position ta fail and Iâm not de type who accepts failure. Blind luck can only get you so far.â His eye bends in the direction of Aragog like a snake as he addresses her, âœIsnât dat right?â
The drider appears lost as she answers, âœWell, Iâve never played poker myself so I canât say...but I will agree that, strategically speaking, reading the enemy is good.â
The Anointed huffs as his tongue slides back into place between the folds of his moist red lips, âœSee? Even Aragog knows Iâm right. Dough guessing isnât de only key to da game and I bet I could show you dat, Majesty.â Bizerk smirks as he pinches his chin, tilting his head in a cocky way, âœSo whaddya say? Play a round wit me? Iâll even go blindfolded ta give ya a chance~â
âœI. Know. Better. Than. To. Be. Tempted. To. A. Game. By. Your. Words. Leech.â
âœAye! I was tryinâ ta be nice!â He clicks his tongue before turning away from the robot to the other Anointed, âœWhateva. I want ta know somethinâ, Alvara.â
âœOh? What is it?â
He spreads his arms out wide as he answers, âœOur creader said dat you helped dem discover dat dey can feel-No, share emotions wit dose who dey enact physical contact with. I didnât get da chance to ask Kendria and I know youâd be able ta give a clearer answer dan er...so whatâs it like?â
âœAh...that wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey asked me to allow them to touch me once we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just asked and I allowed it. All they said was that they noticed changes and that included me as well.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœFirst my shoulder, then my hands.â Alvara looks off to the side with a small smile resting on her rosy lips, âœThey also touched a bit of my face to wipe my tears away when I started to cry.â
âœYou cried?â Aragogâs concern is met with a nod and a frown.
âœOur creator was and still seems filled with so much anxiety...and the way they talked down on themselves just hurt me. It kind of reminds me of how Kendria treats herself.â
âœYes. . I. Also. See. That.â Majesty hums at their colleague before their headpiece turns over to Bizerk, âœOn. Our. Walk. Here. With. Our. Creator. They. Also. Reminded. Us. Of. You.â
âœMe?!â Bizerkâs eye pops out of head again as he points at himself with both hands, âœHow?!â
âœThey made a-Mmmââ Alvaraâs brows furrow and her hands seek purchase on her hips, trying to find a better way to word what she wants to say. âœI wouldnât say perverted because our creator shouldnât be acquainted with such a vulgar word, but the joke they made reminded us of the ones you make.â
Bizerk deadpans, âœWow. Now I know ow little yâall think of me.â
âœDonât. Take. Offense. . Alvara. Even. Pointed. It. Out. To. Our. Creator. And. Their. Exact. Words. In. Response. Wereââ A click of a record echoes through the space as the robot replays the conversation, âœYeah, well, I did create all of you.â
âœHuu~â Berserk blushes. How their lips were able to tint to even a purer shade of red remains a mystery as they twirl, âœDe apple doesnât fall far from de tree,â He smirks, his pearly whites sparkling as he does so, âœand I guess dat makes me a damn fine apple.â
âœUgh.â Majesty starts to drift off in the direction everyone has left in so far, âœIâm. Returning. To. My. Duties. Now. . Iâll. See. You. All. On. A. Later. Date.â
âœBye Bye!â âœSee you later, Majesty!â Alvara and Aragog both wave as they continue in their leave, taking the constant hum of their engine with them and leaving the sky arena deathly quiet.
âœHmm...Well, whateva de case,â Bizerk licks his lips, picking up the conversation they were discussing before, âœit seems dat our creader is more aware of dese changes dan what dey let on. Rightfully so, dey creaded everythinâ so itâs only natural dat deyâd be able ta notice even de slightest changes!â
âœWhat do you mean?â The dark entity waves a clawed hand at the spider as if to clear their mind of confusion and to replace it with his revelation.
âœDey went to touch Alvara without havinâ any other reason dan to test out a theory, or datâs what dey said. My guess is dat dey were aware of de shift in deir current form dat involves de transmission of feelings through touch and wanted ta see if dey were right in deir assumption. Wouldnât dat explain why deyâd request an out of the blue thing such as dat?â
âœOooh!â
âœDo you think that they are aware of other things?â Bizerk nods at Alvaraâs question.
âœMost certainly. Deyâve even said dat dey are. Though, I donât understand why dey keep downplaying what deyâre aware of. I mean, I have a few guesses as to why. I can see it as deir way to test our senses. From de way dey questioned us, it was obvious dat dey were tryin' to elicit some specific responses out from us...possibly ta educate us were we are lackin' or even...mmmâ*sigh* I wouldnât dare step out oâ line ta say what our creader may be thinkinâ. Iâll only predict and read what dey appear to be aware of or what deir motives are. Our creaderâs great thought process is complicated so, with de hand dat Iâve been delt...it eludes me at de moment as to what dey may suspect to be occurrinâ.â He shakes his head, âœWhateva da case, something odd is still present and our creader as already taken de steps ta find de answers dey want acquired.â
âœI agree.â Aragog hums contemptly as the three start to walk, âœIn fact, I wouldnât even be surprised if theyâve already found out the answers they desire already!â
â—
âœRrawgh! I donât fucking understand anything!â You almost scream in frustration as youâve finally found yourself alone in your quarters, leaning your back against the smaller replicas of the ornate throne room doors that act as the entrance to your lounge area.
The white room consists of the basic architecture that the rest of the Citadel consists of but there are definitely some noticeable differences.
For one, even though the room is still spacious it is considerably smaller and simpler than what youâve been surrounded by thus far within the halls of the Citadel. The room is round, shaped like a dome to fit its contents, and is less jagged, smoother in appearance with fewer engravings lining the surface of the walls. Thereâs no jewelry littering the room either. There are still the ever-present gold highlights but nothing else that pops out. That includes the absence of the chandeliers needed to light the room as they are made up of diamonds and other various minerals. While the dark isnât an issue for your avatar, as they have night vision, you enjoy lights and you wanted to cater to the possibility that youâd have visitors.
So, to make your lounge area inviting you have a large ash tree, the very same tree used to represent the world tree, Yggdrasil, in Norse mythology, planted to the left side of the room in a pool of clear water that makes up the entirety of the floor in your lounge area.
Floating away from the doors, you drift closer to peer at the magnificent tree whose trunk seems to be tied like a nordic knot. You start to focus on the branches above that weave and spread across almost the entirety of the ceiling. You notice that all the leaves above remain pristinely, crisp green. Back in Yggdrasil there were seasons on most of the nine worlds but your realm is outside those limits.
The many leaves and sticks obscure much of the mural of the nine worlds that is painted onto the surface of the dome and the lights built into the ceiling but the arms of the branches hold numerous lanterns. These lanterns, however, are very special as they do not produce light and are only to be filled with nectar and sugar water.
So the purpose of them?
You hum serenely as you watch the thousands of fireflies glitter amongst the inner workings of the branches, lighting the entire room in their magical glow.
Those lanterns, although aesthetically pleasing in appearance, are mainly used to feed and house your lights sources in this room, almost fueling your very own organic fairy lights. Although there are thousands upon thousands of these lightning bugs, hardly any seem to be flying down at your level and thereâs a reason to this-
A fish shoots out from the pond and plucks a firefly out from the air before it splashes back down from it the shallow depths of the lit-up crystal pond.
The fireflies know that if they drift too far down they have the risk of being eaten by the dwellers of the water. You think that the pond was a very smart decision on your part as it not only does it fragrance the room with the sweet-smelling white water lilies it holds, reflect the lights above with a rippling projection onto nearby surfaces, but it contains various freshwater fish that make sure that the fireflies donât swarm the entirety of your lounge area so that they dwell above the furniture set about the rest of the room.
At the center of the pond on a quartz platform, you have two white couches with various colorful nordic patterned pillows in your favorite colors, which match the paintings and other decorations lining the walls, facing a glossy rectangular table, made from the same type of wood as the tree, that sits sandwiched between them. There is a golden tray laid out across the table which contains a pile of books, two scented and unlit candles, and a few puzzles and games on it to provide objects to pass the time.
You light the candles, knowing that youâll soon have guests, before picking up the jumbled-up Rubik's cube from the small pile on the table. You observe all its sides before absentmindedly flicking the shape around with your fingers as you continue to mull about the space, trying to forget how stressed you are at your new revelation.
There wasnât much else to the space as it was an area to have guests, that youâve never had before, or to relax a bit. You thought of having a bar area or a snacking area to add on but it didnât make sense for the creator of Yggdrasil to serve guests when they have an entire legion of NPCs that exist almost solely for that reason. You had also thought about a couple of other things such as a fireplace, gaming systems, and such when you were first coming up with the overall concept but, in the end, you kept it very simplistic in the entry room. Your other rooms, howeverâ
You place the now solved Rubix cube back where you picked it up from to float down the elevated pathway above the pond to a gothic doorway.
There is no door but white curtains with golden nordic patterns etched into the seams as they are suspended by a pole going through a portion of the doorway. The portion not covered by the curtains allows you to get a sneak peek of what the lit-up ceiling is on the inside.
You pay that little mind as you push the curtains out of the way and enter into your dream bedroom.
There are LED lights everywhere. The ever-shifting color palettes give you a true gamerâs dungeon vibe and you actually relax completely for the first time since this situation started. You feel like a kid receiving candy because the fact of the matter is that this is your dream bedroom and now itâs real and itâs yours.
The bedroom is a weirdly bent square space as it warps around the walls to the lounge and two-thirds the size of the prior room but it is still pretty damn spacious. It is filled to the brim with various items youâve always wanted. Bean bag chairs litter the floor next to a couple of dressers filled to the brim with not only items from Yggdrasil but books, games, toys, figurines, and other nicknacks you had replicated into the game from IRL for display but are now real. You have chests filled with items in the corner of the room to your right while every other wall is covered with more ancient arcade machines to brand new gaming consoles, Easter eggs items hung up above them on the walls.
They fill up all the available space close to the walls, leaving plenty of room to move around your bed that sits at the center of the room. It is much like your throne. Round, white, and gold adorning the trim. It has no headboard or footboard, making it completely accessible at all sides. You wouldnât have to worry about rolling off though if you went to sleep. It is super wide. Youâd like to say that it is as wide as an Alaskan king but youâre not even sure about that. It may very well be larger than that since itâs round. A white puffy square blanket covers the surface of the bed along with a small pile of stuffed toys of which are characters of some of the games you have stored in this room. The white veil curtain that surrounds the entirety of the bed from a chandelier strung above your bed like the Baldachin in the throne room.
You clap your hands twice in short procession from one another as you float around the bed to the back of your room. At the sound of the claps, the chandelier lights up in its warm yellow light. The chandelierâs light acts almost like a spotlight to the bed by the way it seems to be captured within the veil and how it doesnât permeate throughout the rest of the colorful room. The golden flakes within the white curtains sparkle in the glow of the beacon, appearing almost like stars or the fireflies in the adjoining room.
Taking your attention off of the bed you focus on the back wall. All sorts of Pictures, trophies, and ribbons of your achievements sit above a replica of your gaming and programming stations that are used to design games such as the one youâre stuck in right now. It sits to the very back of the room with the addition of monitors and various gaming consoles, one of which is for the neuro-nano interfaceâ
You rub the spot on the back of your neck where an outlet should be, the neural port that you had surgically placed on for the purpose of playing DMMO-RPGs...but it isnât there. You just feel smooth skin.
Making a sour face, that you know isnât actually there, you pick up the cable that should connect your thoughts into the supercomputer it is hooked up to. You turn it over a couple of times in your hand stupefied by what has occurred to you.
It wouldnât be a smart idea to try to sync up to the neuro-nano interface, you know. This is a completely different console than the one you have back in your apartment in the real world. Even if there is the off chance that you could get in itâs no telling what it could do to you after you try to inject a syringe of the nanomachines, which allows your brain to function as a computer, into this new body.
You sigh at the aspect that you wonât be able to use the device even if it works because you donât have the neural port. You had the desire to see if you could possibly log out that way by plugging yourself in to access the menuâ
But you physically canât...and thereâs no way youâd be able to get the surgery done to get a new outlet placed on you, especially since SÅsaku-sha should have the perk Life that makes them self-heal and regenerate at an extraordinary rate.
Emphasis on shouldâ
You came here for your book and thatâs what youâll doâ
âœ*Sigh* I hope that this all ends soon.â You grumble as you place the cable down back beside the VR helmet. âœI hope that Iâm not in a coma or somethingââ Rubbing your neck again, you float back to the front of the room where all your chests are located.
Players have limited inventory. That knowledge should be common sense in every game, especially Yggdrasil. Yes, there are definitely ways to extend one's inventory with items but no one could have an infinite inventory. Even you are limited in the number of slots you could fill. You never really had to worry about that kind of thing though since the only real time you had an issue with your own personal inventory was when you were at the beginning stages of SÅsaku-shaâs realm. It was tedious trying to figure out which resources you needed in your immediate inventory to construct the Citadel, the traps, the NPCs, anything that you couldnât just program into the game without the possibility of it bugging out.
After that though your avatarâs inventory has been practically barren.
Even when players would raid you, you never took out any potions, weapons, shields, armor, magical items, or the like to face them. Youâd just rely on magic and physical strength when you fought. If you had stuff like that, no players would have ever been able to touch you in-game.
Infact, if your memory serves you right, all that you carry around are the very basics for construction; that being data crystals, gold, seven or eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no use for at the moment. The reason why you donât have any more than those things is because you never had a need for anything else other than that. You didnât play Yggdrasil like other players and you donât have the same stats and needs as other playerâs avatars had.
So, anything else that you didnât have an immediate need for was stored away throughout the Citadel. Anything of little importance or that hold the purpose of basic function are layered accordingly to the floors they had most use for. NPCs had access to those resources so that the sky palace and they could automatically function without your intervention and trade. Setting that up in the NPCs taught you a lot about what you had to add on to the Citadel when you were first constructing it. Minerals, for one, proved to be an issue as you had no way to replenish them at the time. You had noticed this issue and added a mine with items that cause the gems and precious minerals to multiply in accordance with time frames. You also made a system to harvest the needed minerals off of Earth elementals and other various NPCs within the Citadel to provide the needed supplies. Those are only a few tidbits you found out in having NPCs with access to your supplies.
However, there were certain items and resources you had stored away either as backup or they were too precious to be used willy nilly. Those types of items were mostly stored away in the Treasury with the exception of vaults and special storage rooms scattered throughout the sky palace.
One of those places being your avatarâs room.
Floating in front of a corner full of chests you observe the designs of each. In Yggdrasil, since it was an online game, the purpose and importance of the chests and the biomes they came from were made apparent through the designs on them. The simpler ones held more basic loot and smaller storage while the extravagant ones held rarer loot and larger storage.
You made sure to have at least one of each type of chest in your own game in the Citadel. What can you say? Youâre a fan of your own game. However, not all could be in your room. Some had to be in certain biomes to exist, such as the ice ones which would melt away if kept otherwise or the aquatic ones which would revert to normal withered chests if left out of water for too long. Besides, if you tried to fit them all in your room youâd have less space for everything else in here.
That doesnât include that chests can be edited by players to a certain extent, like the ones in your room were edited, by you, to appear like ones from other games.
Your feet meet the quartz floor, part of the room that isnât covered by the gold, nordic, embroidered rug that is laid out at the center of the room, as you crouch down to a blocky, brown, rectangle-shaped chest. It creaks in a satisfyingly nostalgic way as you peer in to retrieve the item you desire. It appears dark inside the chest, like a fog has settled into its confines.
...Maybe it is a magic thing? To store away items that size-wise wouldnât be able to fit?
You shake your head of your uneasy feeling and you slowly move your dominant hand to the shadow in the chest.
Please, donât suck me in. Please, donât suck me in. Please, donât suck me in-
Your hand disappears into the fog but moving your fingers around informs you that it seems to be spacious in whatever...portal?...realm?...field your hand is in now.
So how do you retrieve your Book of Creation? Is it like Ascend and you just have to envision grabbing the book?
*Sigh* Well...you wonât know until you try.
Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of the Book of Creation by its spine. When something alive, hard, and metallic meets your hand you slowly retreat your arm from wherever it had gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You hope itâs what you seek and not something els-
Your hand frees from the dark mist, revealing a large, gold engraved book which seems to glow white at its pages in your grasp. Turning the book around in your hands you observe its design.
On its cover, itâs patterned in various nordic patterns to form a tree with your avatar in that same praying position, like on the Faceless Key and other places around the Citadel, at the center of its trunk. Creatures of all sorts seem to be reaching toward your avatar from all the rest of the empty space on the cover. Now that youâve been stuck here for over an hour now youâre starting to get a different outlook on these designs. You had meant for the cover to be players coming to face you as the creator of Yggdrasil but now youâre starting to see it as more of a worshiping thing because of how the NPCs have been treating you.
âœ*Sigh*...I hope not.â
The spine doesnât hold much other than a handful of rune symbols sketched on top of the knotwork engravings. Those runes glow the same white as the paper held inside.
The back cover is a jumble of meanings of the nine worlds, the steps needed to be taken to make it to SÅsaku-shaâs realm. They are engravings and symbols of each world with the popular symbols and creatures that represented each one. For example, Midgard has Jörmungandr wrapping around a human, Helheim has Hel holding a skull in her hand, and Muspelheim has Surtr wielding Elderstahl.
You turn the book back over, in your hands, so that the cover is once again facing you as you move to sit on your bed, lifting the curtain so that you could slip under. The moment you let your weight fully sink into the bed do you realize how good of one it is. You practically sink into it like it is hugging you. Sighing in slight bliss, you sit cross-legged with your back facing the corner you came from as you trace the engravings of the book. Itâs all goldâ
Why is gold so important to your avatar and why had you thought it to be fitting to make everything white and gold?
Maybe itâs because you thought of it as purity? High standing and befitting as the overall theme of your realm? You canât remember why you settled on that palette...and you suspect that youâll get tired of those two things eventually.
For now, you had more important matters to worry about than design.
One of which is what lays within the pages of SÅsaku-shaâs Book of Creation...what it says about your avatar...what it says about youâ
You honestly donât want to see what changes there may be because you feel like you canât handle much more surprises...but you need to do this in order to learn.
In order to survive.
You nod to try to convince yourself that this is the right thing to do and there may not be any changes. Just that your avatar has taken the perks you have given them to a more literal meaningâ
Your anxiety reminds you that none of the perks youâve added can explain why you share emotions through touch.
Swallowing, you shift the book so that you can grab the edges of both covers in each hand, ready to open it.
This isnât how youâd access Book of Creation in the game. Youâd have to go through your inventory, equip the equivalent of a world item to your avatar, then finally use the access bar to scroll through the pages of the book.
You donât have that ability now.
All you can think to do to find what you desire is to flip through the pages by hand like a normal book.
And thatâs what you do as you flip the covers open to reveal-
The book slips out of your hands to float before you, open and shining its brilliant white light out to you.
...huh.
This is...peculiar.
Not strange as it is similar to the animation style you had set for it but you hadnât expected it to float out in front of you.
Well...how do you use it then if it floats?
â.
You observe what is on the page currently.
Right now it is of a Reborn Sheikah in the Unmei no gundan, who youâve renamed to Akkar. She has very ninja-like-garb that consists of tightly fitted clothing and thin armor, which help her with speed, themed with the colors white and gold. Her white long braided hair blends with her uniform but her red eyes stick out like blood stains on silk and rubies on her olive skin. Despite that, she has a kind appearance from what you can see. The visible display of her is her default pose which is a fighting stance. Around on the rest of the character sheet is her job classes and levels, status, ability chart, alignments, racial classes and levels, portfolio, and bio. You can also see an extras tab which you know to be something that you can see what is in the inventory of the one youâre looking at, what spells or moves they can use, what special stats are sourced from, their hunger and rest bars, and more.
From what you get from a basic skim is that nothing appears out of place for the NPC. Everything as you remember her by.
So, is that the same for you?
You have to find out.
But how do you turn the pages?
Reaching out your dominant hand you flip the page and it goes to another Reborn by the name of Lamassu, an Aasimar.
What?! Is this book not in fucking alphabetical order anymore?! That's bullshit!
You groan in a frustrated manner, crossing your arms as you glare at the book.
Itâll take you forever to search through the book for your avatar if it works like his, especially since the Book of Creationâs pages are infinite.
There must be an easier way.
It had a scroll feature in the game and a search featureâ.so maybe...maybe itâs something similar to that?
Is it like a tablet?...no, you donât touch the pages like that unless you wanted to edit something or to pull up more information about the subject. Soâ
You look down at your dominant hand for a second before holding it up to wave it in front of the book-
The pages glow brighter as they rapidly flip, as if a gust of wind has blown past it, before it settles onto a familiar figure.
You recognize the character sheet to be SÅsaku-shaâs.
"Oh!" Flipping the pages is similar to how Ascend works with the combination to the scroll feature!
You have to envision getting to the page you want to for the book to comply with your gesture!
The functions of this world seem complicated but youâre learning slowly.
â
But now for the moment of truthâ
You grab the edges of the book with your hands to pull it closer to you, not wanting to miss a single abnormality...
â.
â.
â.
â.
Whatâ
The fuckâ
What the fuck is an Amalgamate?! And DoppelgÃnger?!!
Youâve never PUT THAT IN!!!
âœWHAT IS THIS SHIT?!!!â
You decide to read everything out loud so that it can sink into your head a bit better.
âœå‰µäœè…
Heteromorphic Race
SÅsaku-sha
Life giver and most powerful being...Well, at least thatâs encouraging.
Job: Creator of the nine worlds, final boss of Yggdrasil, and ruler of the Citadel
Residence: The Sky Arena and core room of the 4th floor
Alignment: Neutral Good
Sense of Justice: 100. Hope that this Karma level wonât bite me in the ass later.
Race Class
Amalgamate 5lv. Still, what the fuck.
Creator 5lv
DoppelgÃnger 15lv. Guess I can shapeshift without the use of magic? Cool?
Job Class
Creator 5lv
Miko 5lv
Sage 5lv
Otherââ
You tap your finger on the page and more Job Classes roll out.
âœHigh Sage 10lv
True Sage 5lv
Craftsman 10lv
Master Craftsman 5lv
Beast Tamer 5lv
High Tamer 10lv
Shapeshifter 10lv. Must be an effect from the DoppelgÃnger in me.
Ruler 5lv
Grand Ruler 5lv
True Ruler 5lv
Ruler of Rulers 5lv
Charisma 15lv
Magician 10lv
Expert 10lv
Sorcerer 10lv
Academic Sorcerer 5lv
High Sorcerer 5lv
Grand Sorcerer 5lv
Druid 10lv
High Druid 10lv
Mother Nature 5lv. New but known.
Total 200lv. Oh, so Iâm maxed out now.â
You had 165lv before. You had left open slots for other job classes just in case you found a good reason to add any more. All players had only 100lv to fill but since yours was double the amount of that it was hard to find all the classes you wanted to add on. Besides, your Racial Skills kinda made it unnecessary to fill those empty slots. Plus, it was a space left open for you to strategically shift classes to defeat certain types of players that your normal classes and karma level have a hard time with. You click on the Racial Class header and more information is provided on your perks.
âœRacial Skills:
Life. Thank God.
Fast Healing
Ascend
Transfiguration. Donât know what that is.
Higher Sense. Donât know but...kinda self explanatory.
Heightened Sense
Impenetrable Shield. In other words...playerâs words, Shielded.
Soul Touch. Donât know what that is and quite frankly donât want to find out.
Kiss of Life...I'm just going to ignore that one.
Sap of Yggdrasil
á›'ᛚá›"ášáš ᛋášá›…á›'á›…ášá›-"
Golden glittery light fills your sight the moment the next perk passes through your non-existant lips and sputters out into sparks right after.
â.Ehhhh?!
What the heck was that?! Was that a magical attack?!-Mmm, no, thatâs not right. Taking a quick look around, you're still alone in your bedroom...so what were the lights? And what happened to your voice when you said á›'ᛚá›"ášáš ᛋášá›…á›'á›…ášá›-
Once again, the yellow sparkles come into existence at you repeating the perk in your head.
...ahhh!!
So it must have something to do with the perk. Uttering it that is. So what does this mean for you? Does it also do the same thing when someone else says-erk!...the thing?...
Something to test later, you figure. But even though you can't say it right, you understand fully what the perk is called.
In different words than what is written within the book, it's called Creator's Curse. This is also a new perk to you so you have no idea what it fully means. If all it is glowing lights then you're fine...but you highly doubt that's all it is. Especially since it contains your avatar's true name within the perk's title. SÅsaku-sha wasn't what your avatar was originally going to be called. It was changed due to the audience being mostly Japanese so it could be more easily understood the way it is now. Originally, it was Norse to match the whole âœcreator of Yggdrasil'' gambitâbut now...you can't say it in your tongue...odd...
Deciding to save the issue for later, you move on.
"...Reality's Jubilee
Reality's Sorrow
Defiance
Vitality
Luck Overdrive
Clench
All Eye. What the fuck is that? Maybe itâs my strange vision?
Close Call
Paranoia
Serenity Aura. Donât know.
All Tongue
Philosophy
Green Thumb
Thick Skin
Damage Cut
Ancient...uhhhh. So I'm an Ancient? Maybe...considering my avatar's lore. But this is the stat that many of the bosses like the Lovecraftians hold. Why do I have it now? I never gave my avatar the perk...
Miscellaneous. I have no idea what that word is.
Celestial
Cosmic Horror? That's the same as Ancient...it's a Lovecraftian perk a good portion of the monsters hold. So why am I a cosmic horror? Even to be considered a horror is concerning...
Mimicry. A new one.
Arcane Vision/See Invisibility
Erase Presence
Dark vision
High Temperature Resistance III
Eating Unnecessary. Welp, that explains that. Sorry Chief.
Drinking Unnecessary
Breathing Unnecessary. Figured that out through a panic attack.
Aging Immunity. Thank goodness that's still here! That must mean that-
Youth! I knew it was here! But it's odd that I have the perk Ancient as well as Youth...
Mind-affecting Immunity
High Immunity
High Status Resistance III
Freeze Immunity
Burn Immunity
Poison Immunity
Paralysis Immunity
Stun Immunity
Disease Immunity
Energy Drain Resistance III
Sleep tolerance II. So...maybe I can still sleep since Iâm not immune.â
You shift your butt around on the bed and the idea makes you think you smile. This low stat is one that players would take advantage of fully, putting your character to sleep and attempting to bust out as many attacks on your prone form before you'd awake.
âœLifeâs Blessing...Sounds like the opposite of Undead Blessing so maybe I can sense living beings now?â
You had been feeling acutely aware of everything going on around you, like bugs squirming under your skin. You shake your head. Detect Life is a spell you can use to do that so why would you have a perk for that? Sighing, you continue.
âœCritical Hit Immunity
Spell Resistance II
Weapon Damage Resistance III
Bludgeoning Resistance I
Piercing Resistance I
Projectile Resistance I
Life Aura.
Life Nectar. Don't know.
Blood Harmony.
Immortal Essence. And donât know.â
You hum as you close the Racial Skills and look at the Races again.
Youâre fine with being a Doppelganger. At least thatâs a race you understand from your game.
But what the hell is with Amalgamate?
There were monsters such as the colossal undead named Flesh and Bone Amalgamation which was just a bunch of undead NPCs clustered and fused together to form the graveyard boss...however, it doesn't explain you...because even that wasnât classified as an Amalgamate like you are...or at least to your knowledge. Things like that may very well be classified like that now if you are. But why are you an Amalgamate?
You click the title of Amalgamate to read the description that pops up.
âœAmalgamate:
This branch of the DoppelgÃnger tree is extremely rare as they are hybrid mutations. Amalgamates have free whims with the physical form of their bodies, as they stem from the other Shapeshifters. They are unlike their similar counterparts as they are not held down by what they can mimic but what they can comprehend. Combining memories of what theyâve seen and what they make up within their minds can contribute their ability to form into any being as well as something completely new. However, because they have freer form of their bodies, they do not hold the traits which allow them to mimic the thoughts and emotions of others, nor can they read surface thoughts of creatures in their vicinity. Instead, those attributes are suppressed into touch and feeling. Not only that but by the way they feel can deeply affect the way their form shifts as their emotions are suppressed to a higher degree than the other branches of the DoppelgÃnger tree. Amalgamates are always developed by outside means, typically by supernatural interventions.â
Ah, so Amalgamate is just another form of DoppelgÃnger. This is an explanation as to why you feel through touch. It also explains why your emotions are apparent on your skin without the use of your heart rate monitor to keep track of it for you.
Doesnât explain why youâre suddenly an Amalgamate now. And what it means by supernatural interventions...
A sigh escapes you as you look at your status. Your HP, MP, and SPECIAL seem to shoot off the edge of the page. Since you want to check and make sure those levels are normal, you bring up your hand to the chart and pinch it.
Immediately, the chart starts shrinking, going from 100 to 150, 200, 250, and you stop it at 300.
âœAbility Chart:
HP: 300
MP: 300
PHY. ATK: 93 (Adaptable)
PHY. DEF: 93 (Adaptable)
AGILITY: 95 (Adaptable)
MAG. ATK: 120 (Adaptable)
MAG. DEF: 115 (Adaptable)
RESIST: 95 (Adaptable)
SPECIAL: 200
Total 1411 (Adaptable)â
Seems like everything is in place there but you want more information on your character.
You click on your avatarâs name, SÅsaku-sha, and more personal information rolls out.
âœGender: Androgynous (Adaptable). I kind of predicted that. The adaptable part may be because Iâm an Amalgamate.
Height: 213.36 cm
Age: Unknown...thatsââ
â.
You donât know what you expected for the age category. Your actual birthday perhaps? Maybe the seven years since you first created your avatar? How about some absurd number like ten zillion or something along those lines? Nope, itâs just inconclusive. Not that it really mattered though now that youâre in a body that doesnât age...oh?...oh wow. You canât grow old in this body. Thatâs right. Youâre immortal. Wow-heh heh...thatâs a hard pill to swallow.
You skim the rest of the information on the page moderately quickly since itâs just very basic core information about your avatar but when you stumbled across the bio, all it stated about you is that youâre the creator of Yggdrasil and how you wait for the chance for adventurers to prove themselves yadda yadda yah. It says nothing about your life outside Yggdrasil which you donât find very surprising. You do see a separate sub-tap labeled History in the bio that wasn't there before however, when you select it, the strange language from before fills the pages. Seeing this, you put aside reading it for later knowing that there is something more urgent you want to check.
You close your characters tab and switch to your spell slots.
You send a good minute or two carefully reading the spells youâre still capable of before you mindlessly scroll fast, skimming the thousands of abilities you still have. You reach the halfway point down the list before you click off of it to stare at the pages that shone out to you, having completed your brief overview.
â.
â.
Well...youâve certainly learned a few things about your avatarâ
Yet nothing on why youâre stuck in your game.
â.
â.
â.
At least youâre not going to die anytime soon.
âœHaha...yeah.â Clasping the covers of the book, you wonder whether you have time to look more intimately to the new perks and other bizarre conten-
*Knock, knock, knock, knock*
â.
â.
What was that just now?... You could have sworn you heardâ.
You turn your head in the direction of the lobby and a sudden memory comes back with the odd feeling of awareness.
âœAh! Thatâs right.â Bringing the book to your chest and closing it with a snap, you scoot out from your bed and float through the air in the direction of the entrance to your quarters.
You had wanted the food brought to your room as well as for the three to come and eat with you. That knocking should be one or more of four things and with your perk Ascend it doesnât take long to reach the doors.
âœOh~INK!â A squeal screeches through the air as you open one of the doors, with your free hand, to peek outside, âœMy creator! It is such a pleasure to be here to serve you, oink!â
âœAh, Chief,â You open the door a bit wider to look up at the giant who smiles down at you in a heart-melting way as he tries his best to bow even at such a height that he has, âœItâs good to see you...mmm...something smells delicious. Are you here with the items Bizerk had requested of you?â
âœ*Snort* Of course!â Chief is a giant, yes, but what makes him different, though, is that he is an eleven foot tall, red pig. Heâs not overly chubby as most pigs are depicted as but thatâs not to say that heâs not a little plump in some areas, his cheeks almost appearing as luscious apples by how round they are. His eyes are very squinted too, almost like he is keeping his eyes shut, but you know he can see by the way heâs looking down at you. He wears the traditional white double-breasted jacket with gold buttons, apron, gold-and-white houndstooth patterned pants, and sleek black dress shoes. None of the cooks in the Citadel wear the...what are they called again?...tokay...toecey...whatever! The weird pillar hat things. You had always thought that they looked a little weird and since this is a fantasy world where some of the cooks have horns or fire for hair you have found it unnecessary to have the hats as a dress code for those NPCs. That includes the chef of the Citadel who stands before you.
âœM-my creatorââ Your vision provides you with the sight to see Kendria peeking out from behind Chief and you smile, or at least you feel you do, âœI-Iâve...arrivedââ
âœKendria, itâs nice to have you too. Oh?â You hardly make out the silhouette of a sundae behind her wings, âœI see youâve gotten your order. Are you enjoying it?â
âœMmhmm!â Her feathers shift as she nods, scooting out slowly into the open while slurping on another spoon full, âœI...I love it!â
âœAh, it warms my heart to hear so, oink!â He clasps his hoofed hands together before continuing, âœHowever, I know that thereâs an emergency on our hands. I may not understand the situation but what I do understand is that you, my creator, need to figure out if you have to eat, oink.â He places his hoofed hand over his heart before bowing once again, âœI request that we make haste to find the answer, oink.â
He steps aside to gesture to the carts of food with Reborn waiters bowing behind each cart-
âœ-Ack!â If you had eyes, they would have bulged out of your head at the sight.
T-thereâs so much food! GOOD FOOD TOO! Not the special, âoh, I just earned my paycheck and I want to treat myself to that one restaurant.â No. Fuck no! This stuff made that shit look like it was gum scraped off the bottom of some crack headâs shoe. This shit...this is the richy rich kind of shit you could only drool over in movies and ads. You may have earned some good pocket money off of the games you produced but you always invested half of your earnings into charities, because of how damn awful the world has become and they needed all the help they can get, another large chunk into keeping Yggdrasil and other games nice, up, and interesting, and whatever was leftover was to keep yourself alive and moderately comfortable.
There was no way you could afford food like thisâ
And yet, here it was being offered to you for free.
You canât believe this is what he thinks basic human appetizers are. Heâs crazy-No, he probably made you this fancy shit on purpose and will play it off as basic stuff. Youâre their creator so, even if youâd ask for something basic, he and the Reborn that work with him would make sure to give you their absolute best.
...Not that youâre really complaining.
âœChief...Iâm going to be honest to youââ His ears stick up in attention but you can see by how everyone in front of you grows stiff, how they mentally brace themselves for what youâre going to say, âœIâve only smelt and seen what you have in store for us so far...even so...if I could drool, Iâd look like a dog right now. In fact, I might cry since it looks so good despite the fact that I have no eyes to do so.â
âœUwahhhh!â All the Reborn and Chief included suddenly look like theyâre glowing because of how happy they light up at your compliment. You swallow at the sight of some in the back that start to sob in bliss.
âœI can die happy at such words, oink~â His voice shutters as he clutches his shirt with his hands tightly.
âœErm...please donât. Iâd feel horrible if you died, even if it is a happy death.â You weakly laugh but Chief nods at your reply.
âœYes, thatâd be most unfortunate. Iâll keep that in mind, oink.â
âœWith that being said though I...may have some...revealing news to inform you all ofââ You turn your head away to the side in a guilty manner even if the fact that eating isnât a necessity for you isnât really your fault. However, due to your expanded vision, it isnât easy to ignore those hanging on to your every word, âœ...Please, let us continue this inside.â
âœM-my creator?!â âœWhat?!!â Many Reborn call out in shock before Chief voices the reason behind their sudden uproar.
âœWe couldnât possibly soil your quarters with our lowly presence-â
âœThat doesnât make any sense.â You interrupt him before he can go on a rant like so many other NPCs do whenever they talk to you. It is becoming tiring to listen to. The same praises and the same difficulties in trying to get them to do what you want. Itâs like a record left on loop and youâre tired of hearing the same tune. âœIf I ever thought so lowly of any of you, you wouldnât have a place here at my Citadel. In fact, by all of you existing here is indirect proof that you all mean more to me than just servants to do my bidding. My realm is my most sacred place, not my chambers. While, yes, you need my permission to come into my quarters, it should hardly be treated with any more respect than the rest of the rooms of the Citadel since you really all should have high respect for the rest of my palace. Besides, there are maids for a reason. If my room gets dirty,â you shrug, âœthen it gets dirty. Gives them a reason to work.â You back up some, still holding the door open with your one free hand to allow them entry. âœI have a lounge, you know, for guests. Please help it serve its purpose by coming in. I need all the help I can get in discovering my body.â
The hesitation is heavy on the party but their eyes follow a certain child as she trots her way through the space you left open.
âœMake yourself at home.â You hum as you watch her excitement grow as she passes you to see the sights inside.
âœW-WOAH!!!â You watch as she quite literally runs off into the room to discover the wonders held within which causes you to physically feel cherry emotions blossom forth on your skin. She is a very shy creature...but sheâs still a child and youâre glad youâre able to give her a part of that magical feeling of experiencing childhood joy. You can only imagine what it would have been like to see something like this when you were a child...trapped in a dying world-
Chief places his arm across the door above you and leans his weight onto it, effectively holding it open with you, âœPlease, my creator, I donât mean to be rude but I canât allow you to hold the door open for us, oink. Allow me to take your place.â
âœOh? Well, um, thank you.â You float backwards into the room away from the door, noticing that Chiefâs stomach blocks out about half of the available space through the one open doorway. You swallow before trying to word your suggestion in an inoffensive manner, âœErm...might I suggest having one of the Reborn hold open the other door? Those are big carts and...it may be a tight squeeze with just one doorway.â
âœAh, how wise you are to think of our comfort, oink. Tog! I need your assistance!â
You decide that they no longer require you as they get the carts of extremely fine delicacies into the lounge so you find it in your right mind to join Kendria in whatever she is doing.
âœWoah-hoh!â The angel exclaims as she watches a fish jump out of the water to snatch a firefly that has drifted too far down from the safety of the ash tree.
âœI can see that you enjoy it here.â
âœEEP!â At your distorted voices, Kendria jumps in the spot she has found crouched at the pondâs edge and quickly turns to face you, âœS-sorry my creator!â
âœWhat for?â
âœA-ah...wellââ
âœKendria. You have nothing to be sorry for. Iâm happy that youâre enjoying yourself.â You look down at her as she shakes like a leaf and you feel extreme pity for her since you made her this way. It will take a lot of effort to get her to warm up to you...so you decide to start with some ice breakers. âœDonât mind me for asking but...what do you enjoy the most in here?â
âœHuh?...â Her big soul-consuming eyes glitter up at you as she thinks over her question while scooping another bite of the sundae into her mouth. You wait patiently as she mulls over the question with her shifting glances up to the ceiling. âœ...I-ah...mmm...I r-really enjoy the f-firefliesââ
You nod as you turn your head up to look at the lightning bugs, âœAh yes...they are quite stunningâIs there a reason you like them above everything else here?â
Your extended vision allows you to watch the adorable little girl even with your head turned away, âœThe way they light up...itâs nice to watch. There are fireflies in the royal garden but...not this many.â
âœI have this many because they light up the room nicely among the other lights. I personally find them...mesmerizing...it makes me feel like stars are trapped in every single one of themâ*sigh*...it makes me wish that they still existed back homeâI would have liked to have seen them...â
âœMy creator?â Oh, whoops. A slip of the tongue.
âœErm, donât mind my ramblings, dear. Iâm just voicing some nonsense, haha.â
âœOh~INK! Alvara! It is nice to see you again! And is this the Reborn named Aragog? It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, oink.â
âœAh! Look! Everyone is here, Kendria. Itâs about time we run the tests.â Youâre quick to change the subject as you bend down and offer your hand for her to take. âœCome on sweetling, let's go and join them.â
Her petite, porcelain hand timidly slides out, revealing her arm up to her elbow, to wrap around two of your colorful fingers. You had already braced yourself for the anxiety-ridden emotions that wash over you from her so it doesnât feel as shocking as it first did.
However, as you guide her to the group, you donât realize the source of her cold emotions.
Hidden behind her wings, Kendria watches you with a concerned look as she ponders over your words...
Home?...but...i-isnât this our creatorâs home?
Letâs see if I can eat!
Chapter End Notes
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to build up relations.
Chapter Notes
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Chapter 4: READY?
âœAs Iâve discussed with Alvara, I wanted to run some tests and see how different this...situation has become.â Alvara squeals which catches the attention of the other NPCs. Upon seeing more in her excitement than what appears on the surface, the rest start to also become just as enthusiastic about what you have in store.
It makes you nervous...you appreciate that theyâre not trying to kill you at present...
However, thatâs exactly what might happen when youâre finished talking
âœBefore the shift, I was confident in my abilities as a fighter. With magic power that exceeds every living creature and levels that far surpassed all...now Iâm not so sure. Soââ You clench your fists at your sides before you finish your request, âœIâd appreciate all of your help in figuring out if Iâm still deserving of my title as the most powerful being.â
You cringe at the sudden drop of all the joy that had sprouted up within them
âœWhat...do you mean, my creator?â Dastgir takes one step forward, his physical strength making an appearance by how you see vibrations run along the NPCs who have their feet planted on the ground, their eyes darting to Dastgirâs gold-adorned hooves in response.
You almost back away in response to him moving, expecting it as his way of advancing on you but you remain still and calm, pride keeping you firmly in place. âœWhat Iâm trying...to say is...since there has been a change in...reality...it has affected, not only everything around us but me too. The same can be said for all of you. I...want to remain ever vigilant however I can but I have noticed the same shift not only of my body...but...of my operation of skills and spells. So...this is my request-â
Your body drops out of the air suddenly but youâre able to catch your landing pretty neatly, much to your surprise.
Wow, that was good reaction time. However, why did Ascend suddenly cut off on you-Nevermind, this is the reason why you should finish your request before the NPCs start to get wary.
You stand straight, acting as if you meant to drop out of the air, before you continue, âœLet us duel.â
The sudden uproar of horrified outcries makes you gasp in shock, all of the NPCs in attendance jumping away from you with their arms fearfully stretched out, almost to shield themselves from you.
âœWHAT?!!â âœTo fight you?!!â âœNo, we couldnât possibly do that!!!â
Theyâre all protesting to the idea of fighting youâ*sigh*...well, thatâs slightly relieving.
But thatâs not what youâre going to accept.
âœI know, I know! But think, I am the first line of defense for the Citadel once intruders bypass the Seiun. If my defensive and offensive abilities have been affected,â You cut your arm through the air to further emphasize your point, âœI will not be able to properly face them. In fact, thereâs a distinct possibility that I may be defeated considering the forces Iâve had to face in the past.â
âœWe wonât allow that!â Erx cries out with a defensive pose. âœWe, your faithful servants, are tools ready to be used for your bidding! We all would gladly act as your shields and spears! To do so would fulfill our life's purpose!â
Dastgir stomps his hoof and this time you also feel the vibrations run through the ground, âœAgreed. As head over the Unmei no gundan, I have your army at your disposal.â He pounds his fist over his bare chest, âœAt your command, Iâll take immediate action to mobilize troops to take station in the Sky Arena in your stead.â
âœYou. Are. Our. Most. Precious. Creator. Exclamation. Point. Your. Life. Holds. More. Value. Than. All. Of. The. Priceless. Minerals. Of. The. Treasury. Let. Alone. The. Citadel. Exclamation. Point.â
âœNot to mention us.â Alvara chimes in with a nod, âœWe exist because of you, and because of that we fight on your behalf. Even if we are to die, we would die knowing we have done our part as your trusted and chosen ones.â
For some reason, their combined comments strike a chord within you and you feel anger boil up in response. âœDoing so will undermine the name Iâve built up for myself. I will not let others face intruders in my name while the reason for their invasion is me! I will not hide in the face of peril!â
âœIt is below you, my creator, to deal with such disgusting sludge.â Erx growls, âœNone of them are worthy!â
Your head turns quickly in his direction with heated animosity, âœIf intruders are able to reach the Citadel then that fact alone proves that they are worthy! If I didnât want anyone to find my realm then I wouldnât have made it possible for them to do so! I wouldnât have made a bread crumb trail for them to follow! You all talk about your lifeâs purposes-â You jab your thumb into your chest as you turn your head to everyone who now looks shocked- âœbut I created this ava-Hmph! This form for almost one soul purpose which is to face those who finally make it here to challenge me! I am the creator of the nine worlds, the final boss of Yggdrasil! The largest obstacle play-Ahk! All those striving for...completion will come face to face with eventually. To say that I shouldnât fight is like spitting on the name of SÅsaku-sha! I exist to fight and thatâs why I plan on holding my ground!â
There is an agonizing stretch of silence following after your spout, neither side knowing how to continue until a red clawed hand raises slowly to point up.
âœMy creaderââ Bizerk surprises you with his very solemn voice, âœare you...not worried about your safety...but...worried about being a proper challenge?â
âœThat-â You cut yourself off upon realizing what you had been doing. You had refused them, let alone become outright furious at their offers to take you out of the line of fire. You were so focused on how your avatarâs powers, your ability to fight, have been affected that youâre not focusing on how you've been affected in this situation!
âœWhat am I doing?â
You havenât thought of that at all yet.
The possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body.
You look down past your hands to see the glossy reflective surface of the stage you stand on, showing you your reflection. Youâve seen your avatar plenty of times...but now itâs...differentâhowever...you donât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do-thatâs not important right now.
What else is different then?! Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality? You have already lashed out at the NPCsâ words and at their offers to protect you, even though thatâd be something that youâd be on your hands and knees thanking them for...if it wasnât for the fact that they are practically taking the drive for your existence away-What?! No!
Why are you thinking this way?!
You shake your head hard before clutching the sides of your skull with your hands, the ones watching you grow even more concerned at the act.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity. Until you can do that though...
âœ*Sigh* I apologize...Iâm sorry for getting angry.â You let your arms drop to your sides as you address the NPCs, âœI see now that my...pride as a...fighter is blocking out my reasoning. Some...obligations...require more importance over...others, especially now while we are under different conditions. I am the ruler of the Citadel, and I should...no...mmm...I need to play my role as such. Iâll...take your offers into consideration. For now, it might be best for me to...stop...listening to my heart and to start listening to my mind by...tsk!â You clench your fists so hard, in response to forcing the words out of your mouth, that you audibly hear the joints crack in your fingers, âœby stepping...back until more information is formulated...â
Fuck, why?! Why was that so hard to say?!! It was like trying to swallow a rock!
âœThe spirit of a warrior...Itâs something I both admire and despise about you, if I may say so boldly.â Dastgir huffs in a way that it sounds like laughter, âœTo be so eager to throw yourself into danger drives me mad as an Anointed...but I understand. To have such strong convection to face the enemy despite the odds is something that I knowingly share. Itâs a passion. An all-consuming desire to meet an opponent able to oppose you. To meet such a challenge justifies our right to be powerful. Gives our power reason to exist and in turn us.â He sighs almost blissfully but it sounds more tired than anything, âœIt is a curse...but to fill that void with the heat of battle is better than any feeling in existence. A rush that you just canât get anywhere else. Itâs addicting.â
...For the first time since youâve created the Anointed...you have never felt as such a close bond to the centar as you do now.
âœYes...itâs exactly like that...in fact, I feel pride for the pla-mm...the challengers. Not just for me but more so for them. It makes me feelââ You clutch both of your hands over your chest as you watch your skin mask over the red with all sorts of pastel colors, every spectrum of the rainbow almost, âœ...complete. It makes me so happy.â
You silently reminisce on past player raids.
You wonât ever forget the first time a guild finally challenged you. It was only three months after you first launched your realm, the super-tier items that form the Faceless Key, and your avatar as the final boss did you get the notification that a guild, that went by the title World Searcher, had found one of the items to form Faceless Key.
You remember squealing like a child who had just received a piece of candy. You did the same thing time and time again as you watched the number of the pieces add up over the months. It got really interesting when you saw other guilds like Victor, Ainz Ooal Gown, Noobs, and Seraphim also collecting the pieces.
Soon enough, all the pieces had been collected but they were all in different hands. The mass notification was automatically sent out in response to this to inform players which guilds held which. It surprised you at the time how quickly it took for World Searcher to collect the other pieces from the guilds, especially since theyâre a guild that wasnât popular for being strong, even if they were ranked pretty high in the game at the time.
You later learned that, when you talked to the players personally about it, that they approached each guild that had the pieces they needed with a proposal. That if they could have the pieces needed to form the Faceless Key theyâd then trade items with equal value in exchange for the super-tier items and then provide them information about your realmâs and your avatarâs defenses and offenses once they traveled to it. You guess that those guilds saw that as a chance to properly prepare themselves for a fight with you and had accepted the deals.
Haha, not that it did them much good.
But once World Searcher had collected all nine items and formed the Faceless Key, the guild Trinity launched an all-out assault on World Searcher and was able to take the Faceless Key from them. Before any guild could try to stop them or steal the key, they went to the Bridge of Creation and unlocked your realm, scattering the totem across the nine worlds once again.
You felt a little bad for World Searcher but thatâs the reality of Yggdrasil.
And if they couldnât protect themselves from Trinity then there was no way they could have faced you.
It took Trinity four tries before they could make it to you. They were all battered and lost a few players and NPCs but overall they were well stat-wise when they finally made it to the arena with you waiting.
It had been a little over a year since you had first launched the update for your avatar when you finally had your first guild raid...and the first guild to face you was the number 1 guild in the game.
How fitting.
You had been excited, greeting them all personally in your avatar. For the next fifteen minutes or so you had spent it talking to the players and congratulating them on getting that far. They too expressed their excitement for the occasion and for the chance to talk with you. They had thanked you for creating Yggdrasil and they each informed you how much the game meant to them as individuals. How much it made them grow as people. How much joy it brought them to play.
You remember telling them that your eyes were watering from the sheer bliss that came from hearing their words before reminding them that SÅsaku-sha was still the final boss that they came to fight.
After wishing each other good luck and being promised by the players that they were about to kick your butt, you all prepared for battle.
Needless to say, it wasnât much of a battle after one use of Eye of Providence, with them only lasting a solid four minutes after that one move. You remember charging up to the last player that was trying to flee your realm while blasting you with everything they had left. You yelled out âœGGâ before completely obliterating the poor soul. HAHA!
Ahh...
It took them a long time to recover after that initial fight and even longer before they could face you again.
Before that could happen though, World Searcher was able to form Faceless Key again and this time unlock your realm. You made it so that the pieces needed to form the Faceless Key are traceable once youâve had possession of them at least once by using scrolls and items like locate object. Itâs to make it easier for players whoâve gone through the trouble of collecting them before and to make the second time faster.
It took them eight tries to get past the Seiun and when they finally arrived at the arena they had heavy losses and were dwindling in stats.
You were just as cheerful as the first time a guild had arrived but the players werenât as confident in themselves as the ones in Trinity. You had spent well over twenty minutes talking to them before it ended with them skipping over your fight to rather explore your realm and the Citadel.
They had believed you when you told them that theyâd all die but they had informed you that they were a guild formed and driven to uncovering new discoveries in the game. That notion really touched you as you made your game almost for that exact reason. You were very tempted to show them around through the Citadel like a tour guide but you refrained as you had already let them pass you.
They had all died within five minutes after finding a way down to the second floor.
After they died guilds continued to come to face you.
As the years passed, no guild had yet to beat you. They were getting better as more information started circulating around the internet. However, the closest you had gotten to becoming defeated during that period was when Trinity challenged you again. You were dwindling on MP and you only had 48 HP left, which is still a good chunk of health left considering thatâs about half of Max HP for most players. Even when those thirteen guilds banded together to take you on with the second to largest player army in Yggdrasil history, they didnât come close to what Trinity had, especially after Eye of Providence.
So you had remained undefeated...
That was until Ainz Ooal Gown.
Even though the guild was small in number, they still held incredible power. Using the information given to them by World Searcher and other sources, once they had formed the Faceless Key it took them three tries to get past the Seiun.
You had greeted them like you had every other guild and they had greeted you back. It was a small talk that only lasted ten minutes but you got to hear their appreciation for your game before you completely destroyed them.
They, like many other guilds after getting defeated by you came back for moreâ
However, after four years since the initial launch of your realm and nine years after you launched your game Yggdrasil, Ainz Ooal Gown came back for a second round and this time you wouldnât be victorious.
They were relentless in their assault, giving you no time to heal, and had a strategy that bypassed your attacks, including Eye of Providence. It was truly amazing and only after you lost most of your HP did it dawn on you that you were going to lose.
It was...an odd feeling. Desperation and anticipation wrapped in one. The heat in your chest that youâd feel when fighting became a scorching inferno, tryharding as you upped your game to defeat what players were left on the field.
It was a very, very close end but they finally knocked you down to your last 5 points of HP and you started your plea. They had listened to you and mulled over the fact that there are two possible endings to Yggdrasil and which ending theyâd like to choose.
However, in the end, they settled on killing you. Their guild leader stated that they needed to keep face for their guild and their fallen comrades, plus something along the lines of 'if they defeat you in this merciless way it would build up their reputation as the greatest evil that existed in the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.'
So, after sharing some GGs and congratulations, they struck the final blow.
For the first time in Yggdrasil history, SÅsaku-sha had been defeated.
That wouldnât be your last.
Not too long after that Trinity finally got the better hand after their multiple attempts to defeat you and they struck you down as you tried to give your final plea. Seraphim also won the victory title over you after a couple of tries.
The fourth and fifth defeat came from the Mercenary Magicians Guild. It was only slightly easier for them to overpower you than the previous guilds as they were all level 100 magicians, some even disaster level players, and your avatar has fewer resistances and immunities to magical attacks than all other attack forms. They said that they had received information from other guilds who had entered your realm and from the Three Burning Eyes collection on you. They also used a similar battle strategy to Ainz Ooal Gown so you could only guess who they got those tactics from. They spared you the first time theyâd cut you down. The second time they came back to finish the job almost a year later. They were the only guild to not only spare you but to defeat you twice.
Overall, those five defeats stick out among the other many battles that run through your mind. Players whoâve overcome the odds and have undoubtedly earned the awards placed upon them.
âœYes. I do enjoy those battles.â You sigh before waking back up to the jacked-up reality that is now, âœBut itâll be wise to remain on the side of caution than passion. This doesnât change the fact that my abilities may or may not have been altered. It is imperative to me that we work diligently to resolve this issue and I need all of your help in seeing this through. First, however, I must ask if any of you feel a shift in your abilities, for I may not be the only one.â
âœI havenât felt any different.â Alvara hums before looking to her right and left. âœAny of you?â
âœNo. I feel completely fine. Spiffy even!â Bizerk waves to himself in a flattering manner.
âœNo. Ticks. In. My. System.â
âœSame here.â Dastgirâs low voice rumbles in his chest before addressing the Reborn, âœSoldiers. Anything to state?â
âœNone, sirâ Erx stands straighter along with Aragog.
âœMe neither.â
âœHuh. Well, thatâs good to hear.â You nod, understanding that youâre the only player here. The only one who relies on a control panel and not a jumble of codes. Looking them over, you know that they are all more than just a series of commands. More than just NPCs...but living beings. They all are. Not just Alvara but all of the Anointed-Hey, wait a minute, âœHow about you, Kendria?â
Everyone turns their attention to the angel in question who continues to cower behind Dasgirâs leg. She starts shaking even more heavily as she speaks, âœAh-um...I...I...I havenât n-noticed anything, muh-my creatorââ
âœMmm. Very well.â You try not to push too hard on her since she was programmed to be very shy, âœLetâs not let our guard down though. While none of you may feel a shift, we canât rule out the possibility that there was one. That should go along with the rest of the residents of the Citadel. Hmmââ
Wait, thatâs very important. If the strength of the NPCs who serve SÅsaku-sha were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel...you know what you must do.
âœAlright!â You clap your hands together as you solidify your plan, âœIâve decided to decree a mandatory reevaluation of every resident of the Citadel. It is imperative that the strength of my realm hasnât been compromised. My five Anointed, I expect you all to be able to run these tests. You will each be responsible for your own floors. Have them evaluated here in the sky arena as there will be plentiful space to do so. We will start from Majestyâs floor and move up from there. You will each be head over the Disciples on your floors and the Disciples to the Reborn. Have each faction tested accordingly by jobs which means take turns testing the Disciples along with the Reborn who work with them.
âœThis should be an overall review, not just on Physical and Magical Attack and Defence but on Resistances, Agility, Skills, Perks, and more. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut your self off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us. Is this clear?â
âœYes, my creator!
Huh. Youâre really leading them like a ruler. You didnât think you could do it. Maybe you really had it within you...or SÅsaku-sha is having an effect on you...They do have the perk Ruler of Rulers. Maybe thatâs what it is?... Well, whatever the case youâre starting to feel secure and in control of your situation even though youâre completely lost to whateverâs occurring.
âœMm. I will also be in attendance during these tests if that is alright. I made you all so I may be the best evaluator since I know each of your strengths and weaknesses. Itâll save time and resources if Iâm also there instead of receiving reports on the matter. I also want to spend some time with my subjects. I think it would not only encourage me but help you all too.â
I also want to see if there are any NPCs who want to turn against you. In addition to it raising morale, itâll intimidate those who could have it out for you if you're there watching.
âœDat is an excellent idea, my creader! I think weâd all love de chance ta spend some time with you! I know I will~â He licks his lips causing you to burst out bright pink at that.
âœDonât make me kick you again.â Dastgir warns Bizerk with a hiss which the dark entity grows sour at.
âœIs it dat bad ta enjoy our creaderâs company? Augh, whateva! But goinâ along with what weâve been commanded ta do, we should do our utmost to serve. We wonât fail our creader!â
When the affirmatives are finished being shared you go back to the subject that you wanted to cover from the beginning. âœThank you for all being so eager. It pleases me to hear...but I still want to spar and see how my abilities have been affected. There is no one close to my power levels than the Anointed,â You point at all five as you emphasize each word, âœand look who's all here.â
âœMy. Creator.â Majesty almost sounds pained as they speak, âœWe. Wouldnât. Dare. Raise. Our. Swords. At. You.â
You know that most of the Anointed donât use swords to fight, let alone weapons, but you understood what the automaton meant.
âœIt is a simple matter of perspective. If none of you help me now itâs only leaving me open to future threats. I can practice by myself to my heartâs content but how will I prepare for future fights if I donât keep up my skills or understand how to use my spells in battle? Iâll be a sitting duck. Besides, Iâm the reason there are those who try to invade my realm. I already have a target tattooed to my back. Thereâs no changing that. I carry the title as the most powerful being and for that, Iâll never know true peace. There will always be those whoâll come to fight me. Iâve even been bested in the past. Five times, might I add. Armies of...creatures of all sorts that hold power equivalent to the Reborn, in some cases the Disciples. If I was beaten by such forces, how can any of you protect me?â
The sudden hopeless emotions that become apparent on their faces draws you back a bit.
âœI worded that a bit harsh...but it is the truth. However, thereâs a reason why we have the reputation we do and I donât think weâd be so easy as to bow our heads when overwhelming odds befall on us, do you?â
âœNo.â âœNot a chance.â
âœThatâs what I like to hear. So, will you all help me?
âœAlthough we donât like the idea of trying to hurt you, we shall do so to help you.â Alvaraâs comment is followed by nods.
âœ*Sigh, again, thank you. Iâm putting a lot of trust onto your shoulders.â You really donât like the idea of picking a fight but you canât get the same experience trying it out for yourself on your own. âœNow, to start this off. Kendria.â
âœEEK!â She yelps when you turn your head in her direction and everyone in attendance gets a certain unbelieving and panicked look that has you waving your arms quickly in front of you.
âœNonono! I donât mean to harm you at all Kendria. Neither of us is going to fight one another. I just would like you to use Mana Essence, Life Essence, and Discern Enemy on me if you can. Itâs only to see if my power has been altered.â
âœO-ohââ Everyone physically relaxes at that which made you nervous as to what they would have done if you had really tried to pick a fight with the child. âœOkay...M-Mana Essenceââ Her eyes shimmer for a moment, notifying you that she is still capable of magic before she gasps, her feathers standing on end causes her to poof up into a ball of feathers, âœY-your Mana!â
âœWhat is it?!â âœWhat is wrong with their MP?!
âœA-ah, nothing is wrong with our creatorâs Mm-mana...itâs just...t-thereâs soooo much of itââ
âœOh? How much would you say there is?â You ask to which she replies,
âœD-double my ownââ
âœAh, so near or is 300. That's normal for my MP.â The NPCs all gasp in awe at your matter of fact reply.
âœAh-amazing!â
âœTo. Hold. Such. Power. Exclamation. Point.â
âœThatâs our creator!â
You feel the smile warm up on your nonexistent facial features. So you can still use spells and magic! That is wonderful news! Youâre not defenseless!
You just have to figure out how to burn up your MP then, âœHow about my health?â
âœLife Essence...It seems it is the s-same, my creator.â
âœThat is also normal. And Discern Enemy?â
âœDiscern Eh-Enemy...ACK! Luh-LEVEL 200?!!â
Huh?
âœWHAT?!â
âœREALLY?!â
âœIS THAT TRUE?!!â
You shake your head at their hasty probing, âœErm, no. Thatâs actually not right. I should be level 165.â
You had left open slots for other job classes just in case you found a good reason to add any more. All players had only 100lv to fill but since yours was double the amount of that it was hard to find all the classes you wanted to add on. Besides, your Racial Skills kinda made it unnecessary to fill those empty slots. But why is Kendria saying itâs 200 now?
âœAlvara.â The woman gives you her undivided attention, âœDouble check Kendriaâs findings on the matter of my level.â
âœYes, my creator. Discern Enemyâ*gasp* It is 200!â
âœWoah!â
âœUnbelievable!â
âœMy creader, do you know what dis means?!â Bizerk spreads his arms gleefully as if he has just puzzled together something important, âœDe shift you felt! In your abilities as a magic caster! You havenât become weaker, you become stronger!â
âœUwahhhh!â The NPCs gasp for a whole different reason than you.
No! That is not the reason at all! You just canât access your spell slots. Thatâs why you brought up this issue...though youâre not mad about them thinking that youâre stronger. Its just...youâre concerned with what this implies. Did you get more classes or has your racial stats been altered?
âœMmm...maybe youâre onto something Bizerk. However, that is not the reason why I had brought up the subject of my abilities.â
âœOh? Is dere something else datâs amiss?
âœMm. The process of casting spells has changed for me but from what Iâve seen from Majesty, Kendria, and Alvara, none of you seem to have difficulty with the act. Because of this difficulty, I wanted to be made aware if I even still possessed magic. Since my Mana seems fine then that means that I still hold my magical power in that aspect but the casting method has been altered.â
âœSo. You. Want. Us. To. Help. Find. Out. How. To. Use. Spells. Question. Mark.â
âœPrecisely.â
âœHmmmm.â Bizerk nods before his large tongue of an eye swirls over his lips then focuses back on you, âœMy creader, how did you use your spells before? Maybe informing your servants could give us some insight into your grad abilities so we can crack this case. I may be steppinâ out of line to assume, but from de way dat youâve put it, it sounds like you use magic differently dan how we do.â
You see no harm in making anything up so you decide to tell them all the truth, âœYes. I had a panel that would appear when Iâd raise my hand like this-â You demonstrate and you can feel their gazes on your palm as you move it into place- âœwhich I dubbed with the name spell slots. Do any of you have that?â
âœNo.â
âœNothing like that.â
âœHm, well it was a holographic list of all the spells I could cast that only I, the user, could see. If I wanted to cast, mm...let's say I wanted to cast the spell Chaos Bolt. I would have to scroll through my list,â You move your hand as if rehearsing the act before you suddenly stop with your finger pointed, âœuntil Iâve found it. I would then click on the slot, activating the spell, before then targeting my opponent.â
You point to Bizerk since he was the one who prompted you to talk and his large lips become an even purer shade of red, squirming under your attention.
âœUm...and once I had selected my target Iâd...well, this next part isnât necessary but it is common courtesy for pla-erm, fighters to call out their next spell when in combat so that their allies would know what each was doing. Although that wasnât the case for me, I did it for the sake of giving my opponents a better fighting chance.â And to roleplay as your avatar but you werenât going to say that. âœSo, I would have held my palm out like this,â You raise your dominant hand up to Bizerk, your palm facing him, âœand I would finish this process up by releasing the spell while I would call out, Chaos Bolt!â
The slush of sizzling liquid meets your non-existent ears as a stream of acid shoots out forward from your palm splattering all over a startled Bizerk who screeches in a very erotic way.
âœOH FUCK! BIZERK!!!â You scream as Ascend acts back up to allow you to float up to him rolling on the ground, horrified by what you have done. âœI didnât mean to do that!!! IâM SO SORRY!!!â
âœMy creator, why are you distressed?â Dasgir huffs unsympathetically as he takes a step away from the writhing Anointed, âœIâm sure you know that Bizerk has resistances to acid as well as his robe. Heâs completely fine since it was a first-tier spell.â
You turn to the centar with a nonexistent baffled look as Bizerkâs whines fill the air, âœBut then why is he-â
âœBahh, that horny slug enjoyed your show of unbridled power.â Huh? HUH?! âœHe's just hoping that youâll be worried enough about him to try to use your magic on him again or even get you to touch him.â
âœSHHHH! Shut up, Dastgir! Youâre ruining dis for me.â Berserk loudly whispers, confirming Dastgirâs suspicions
âœEHHHHH?!â Your whole body becomes rosy at the realization of the source of his groans while you hear Alvara, Majesty, and Kendria comment âœGross.â
âœRuining?!â With a hiss, the dark bone of Dasgirâs jaw separates, revealing long, sharp canines from his gums as he continues with bared teeth, âœI would pop your head underneath my hooves, like the slimy zit you are, if your innards wouldnât splatter on our creator.â
âœOh yes, please do~â
âœOHHHHKAY! IâVE HEARD ENOUGH!â You screech out in a very flustered manner, wanting nothing more than to run away. However, you opt to wedge a good distance between the drooling cartoon and you by jumping away. You had meant for Bizerk to be a little flirty when you had programmed him, not-whatever the fuck this is! Why the hell is he this way?!!
âœI can use magic! That much is obvious now!â You canât help but continue to scream out every word in strained pitch, still flustered over Bizerkâs h-heated reaction. âœI still donât know how I did that though since I had no spell slots open, so I need someone to spare with! Dastgir!â
Before Bizerk could volunteer you call out the centarâs name.
âœSince you share the same passion for fighting as me and are head over the Unmei no gundan,â and because my avatar has the most resistances to your type of attacks, âœI, SÅsaku-sha, creator of the nine worlds, strongest being in Yggdrasil, final boss, ruler of the Citadel, and your maker, formally challenges you to a duel.â
âœOoooh!â
Everyone gasps, knowing that your proclamation is not one that can be brushed off with an excuse as it is the same statement youâd give players before wiping the floor with them. Dastgir has to have a very good reason not to grant you the challenge you seek and, from the hiss of a sigh that slips past his fangs, you know he doesnât have a valid one.
âœ...Heh. To think...Iâd be blessed to have the honor of dueling such a wonderful opponent. Then, my creator-â Drawing his thick arm up, his hand disappears into a dark fog that appears out of thin air before retreating with an all familiar hilt that has you swallowing. âœI, Dastgir, one of the five Anointed, overseer of the Heroâs Hypogeum, head of the Unmei no gundan, master of melee, and genius weaponâs wielder, accept such a heartfelt bid.â
âœA-ah, I thank you for taking this seriously, but...Dastgirââ You nervously point to the gold engraved rod in his hand, âœare you planning on using Hearth of the Thousand Dragon Needles in our spar?â
âœWhy, yes of course. Iâm going to take our match seriously. I do not want to dishonor you by holding back. I know youâre a magic oriented being with very strong resistances to physical attacks, something Iâm a specialty in. If I do not use a weapon imbued with magic then Iâll be set at a disadvantage, despite my resistances to magic type attacks. This whip, among a few other weapons in mind, seems fit to be used against you.â
Youâre starting to regret asking Dastgir to be the one to face you. Maybe Alvara or Majesty would have been better...actually, no. You know that they can pull out a whole lot worse shit on you than what Dastgir can. However, that doesnât change the fact that he plans to fight you with fucking Hearth of the Thousand Dragon Needles and possibly a few others! You cringe at the thought of being hit by it and a shiver crawls up your spine in response.
âœA-ah-em, Dastgir, um...while I-uh, appreciate your thoughtfulness, Iâm only asking you to spar with me, to just...give me a refresher. Iâm kind of rusty, mind you. It has been almost a year since my last fight. I may need you to um...you know, ease me into the spirit?â
Dastgir gives a small nod, âœMmm. Understood. While I think youâre underestimating yourself, as youâve requested, Iâll go easy on you.â
âœ*Sigh, thank you. Now,â You wave at the two Reborn and the four other Anointed who had only watched silently as you spoke with the centar, âœall of you, clear the field and sit in the bleachers. Youâll be out of the fray that way and youâll be able to watch at the safe distance.â
âœYes, my creator!â
âœGood luck!â
âœStay safe, please.â
They all call before they march off to find a suitable place to sit, leaving you and Dastgir alone.
He interrupts the silence that had made itself present in the other's absence by pounding his fist against his bare chest, bowing his head in respect as he does so, âœI must thank you again for this opportunity to show off my skills to you, my creator. In all my time Iâve been alive, I have never faced someone so much stronger than I am.â His muscles strain to contain his excitement and you swallow again.
If you could sweat you think youâd be pissing out of your pores right now.
You can tell youâre about to bite off more than what you thought you could chew. A whole butt load more, thatâs for sure. Maybe you should have asked one of the Reborn to spar with you instead? Hey, why didnât you?! They are more player level and not so much SÅsaku-sha levelâ
No. Somehow your mind supplies you with the feeling that thatâs an out of character move for you.
SÅsaku-shaâs pride as the most powerful being wouldnât allow them to bite off anything less than more than what they can chew. That is the whole premise of your character, your avatar. A final boss that could wreck entire top tier guilds within minutes. And what would it look like to the NPCs if you picked a fight with a Reborn? Would they think their ruler is a coward? Someone who picks fights only with those weaker than themselves? Well...the Anointed are technically weaker than SÅsaku-sha, but they are stronger than most players and certainly stronger than the Reborn. In a way...you kinda see this as your chance to prove yourself in front of this audience. Display your power, your right as ruler over themâ
Well...you can try.
You eye down the handle tucked into the hoofed fingers of Dastgir with anxiety.
That, however, is going to prove to be a problem.
That is a nasty weapon. You know, for you had created it. You may be impervious to burns but the fire aspect will still really hurt your HP, not to mention the blades on that thing when the actual whip is summoned.
Never did it cross your mind that youâd be on the business end of the deal when you were crafting the whip.
Although you still seem to be capable of magic, you donât know how far those abilities stretch now. You donât want to end up getting killed over...is it pride or curiosity at this point? Whatever, you need to make some ground rules before you go about this.
âœN-no problem. Hey, listen. Iâve thought it over and, since we both are passionate about fighting, we might get carried away during this fight. I donât want either of us getting gravely or seriously injured so...if either one of us should feel like we are in danger, we should do this.â You make the T symbol with your hands to symbolize a timeout, âœItâll be our signal to let one another know to stop all attacks immediately so we can avoid an accident. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, I will practice caution.â He shakes the ground as he slowly trots backward to put some distance between you and him, âœMy creator, you said that you want to train with me. In what method do you want to practice?â
âœUm...I want to use my spells?â
âœHa! Yes, of course.â He stops one hundred meters from you with a stomp, âœBut how are you going to use those spells? What Iâm asking is what you want me to do. Are you going to focus on offense or defense? Which way you approach this will also alter how I will too.â
âœOh. Okayââ
That is a good question.
If youâre offensive, youâll be focusing more on attack power. Thatâs what your avatar is known for. SÅsaku-sha is the final boss of Yggdrasil and, most of the time, you had to be really aggressive while playing as your avatar. That fighting power might also be your saving grace in inevitable future battles. It will make sure that youâre not put into a tough position when your abilities are tested. Not to mention that Dastgir might be put on the defensive if you pressure him. He wonât be as prompted to attack you if you are the one attacking. That is a big if, though.
Youâd be able to protect yourself better from not only the whip but him if you focused more on defense. SÅsaku-sha has two modes for a reason and sometimes, when players would push you, youâd have to focus on defense. Now that youâre trapped here, however, you might face a time when you might be cornered in a similar way. It might be best that you have experience on how to protect yourself in life or death situations. Maybe even learn how to protect others? SÅsaku-shaâs perk makes it so that they can reincarnate after a week of being dead but you donât know if that is still the case and, quite frankly, you don't want to put that to the test. If you canât protect yourself when the time comes, what then? However, if you focus on defense now, you have a feeling that Dastgir is really going to hammer in on you hard to test those defenses of yours.
You really donât like these odds but you need to focus and strengthen one aspect. Usually, youâd fight both in an offensive and defensive manner but to focus on one will really enhance your strength in a constrained category. Back in Yggdrasil, the strongest players would focus their strengths into a specific field so that their strengths could excel. What kind of Cleric doesnât focus on leveling up their healing abilities? Likewise, you should do the same since youâre limited on time. Not to mention that your choice might affect how your NPCs will see you as their ruler. So...
What do you want your fight to center on?
I want to focus on my offense
I want to focus on my defense
Chapter End Notes
You have discovered some truths that lie within your new body but what does that mean for you? Has it only uncovered a whole new list of questions? And how will your match with Dastgir fair? Your next choice will decide so...
You're about to have a spar with the Anointed, that's a given. What you choose now will not only affect how this duel will go but it will imprint a memory that will affect SÅsaku-sha's future abilities and choices later on. It will also start adding onto your overall reputation in this new world. I hope you all are happy with the choices you make!
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
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You choose to go with the herd of deer despite your worries.
Seeking information also brings attention. You donât want attention for the time being.
Besides, when will you ever experience something like this again?
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to walk in its direction and it trots off a few feet only to turn to check that you were following. It repeats the action a few more times until youâve caught up to the herd.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre curious as to why the deer would want you to come along. You follow, knowing that if you change your mind or canât find anything else to gain from following them you can just use Gate to come back here or find your own way from where they take you. Maybe they see you as some kind of source of protection? You donât know how they would have been able to tell that youâre powerful if that is the case. Maybe itâs your Beast Tamer skills? Maybe itâs because youâre not human anymore? Are animals just generally more trusting in this...world? Or is it because of the flower trails?
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail.
Do they see you as some kind of thing that can feed them now? You honestly donât have a problem with that. Just being able to walk alongside them is satisfying enough...but youâre mainly doing this to wait until the memory of you fades. So...maybe you shouldnât be leaving a trail for others to follow you with.
Your feet disconnect from the ground as Ascend activates, cutting off the grass path with an abrupt stop. While that might have helped you slightly, the deer will still be leaving trails in their wake. So, until you leave the herd, youâre still at risk of being followed by the villigers.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds and other various forest creatures tag alongside the herd you are in. âœI should probably live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have at now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted deeper and deeper into the wood by the forest folkâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, it has grown dark and thick underneath the towering canopy that makes up the green labyrinth. The shade has dropped the temperature of the forest floor but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks in the forest. A mushroom here. A bush there. Oh, another patch of weeds. All that and a maze of trees. Itâs impossible to tell in which direction one could be moving in but that mattered little to you as you followed the herd. The sky-scraping trees further intensified as though theyâre swallowing you up. It truly feels that you are entering into the belly of a beast...and it fills you with awe.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to those wondrous forests were the ones in Yggdrasil.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been following the herd for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you.
Other than the animals that you were following and the ones trailing you, there seemed to be no evident wildlife other than the vegetation. Youâd hear the distant songs of birds and ticks of insects from a distance but nothing else. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
Since the terrain had become more difficult to navigate the herd of deer had slowed their pace, giving you plenty of time to look around while they try to move.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Trees and vegetation blocked the way behind, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from. In addition, you assume that not only would the terrain make it hard for ones to track you but it would be very hard to tell if you were being tracked. It seems like a double-edged sword but you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the animals of course but you tried not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You had gaged a couple of times upon sniffing some of them and out of the blue piss smells.
The piss smell had been distant but as you followed the deer it had become more and more potent. At one point, it just seemed to engulf you like a musky cloud, almost running into an invisible wall, and you just abruptly cut off your smelling senses until you are sure that the smell is far behind.
You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors but you just couldnât stand that smell of piss.
The issue with the piss smell is that you know for a fact that youâre in some kind of creatureâs territory now and you suspect that it may not be good news for you. Even so, you have more confidence in your abilities and the herd hasn't faltered in their journey so you havenât either.
You stay alert though, keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary reassures you.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend but it does tell you when a bird or a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. Your vision only does so much in an environment like this even though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and with the smell of piss ferment in the air like you know it probably still is, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to watch your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly kept it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is tracking you. The only living things that were following you were the ones you didnât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy.
The deer havenât changed in direction since you started following them which makes you suspect that they may be heading to an actual location.
You donât know how to feel about that.
It could mean nothing but the thought of them actually trying to lead you somewhere specific both concerns and intrigues you at the same time. Could they actually understand you? When you had asked for help did they really listen? Itâs an absurd thought but, after all that has occurred to you in a span of...not even a day, you wouldnât call it impossible anymore.
Any hint as to what it could be eludes you except maybe something with one of your default job classes as a Beast Tamer...you don't know.
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated back. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack.
You rub your neck and grimace at the memory.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one it only shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Well, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villigers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you really think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, that something that future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on making a game plan. You start following the herd again and continue to mull.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the birds on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the birds return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from the karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to follow the herd.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out a small opening in the canopy to the late afternoon sky above as animals scatter away from you.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue with the herd-!!!
A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to focus on the source of the feeling.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the-fast? Oh WOAH! What the fuck?! Itâs heading toward you at an alarming rate!
W-what should you do?! Crouch in the grass?! No! Itâs a land animal! You need to go higher! If you do so not only will you be out of its way but youâll have a better chance at spotting it!
With that thought you rise up high into the air to a height thatâd surely shatter your legs if you fellâ Shaking your head at the morbid thought at hand you try to look for what was coming but itâs hard to see beyond the trees.
What you do see is the deer and other animals around the area scatter as the sound of something approaching becomes clearer and soon all youâre left with is silence.
All the animals had retreated and the large creature in question has come to a stop a little distance away, but is still remaining hidden.
Meanwhile, you stay in your place high up in the air, only a quarter away from the canopy, as you try to distinguish what it is youâre feeling.
I-is this a monster? It feels...larger than any deer. Way larger. Like an ELEPHANT! Youâve seen how big those things can be on digital platforms and from what you can sense, itâs probably safe to assume that it is that big. The only issue is that you donât know what kind of monster it could be! Yggdrasil contains many creatures of similar size and thatâs only if youâre considering the possibility of-
âœHeard your voices from afar, I did.â
...I did?
Your nonexistent face becomes skewed. Perplexed and concerned with what you could possibly be facing, you remain silent as you wonder...why it reminds you of how a certain green alien speaks.
âœHide from me, you canât.â Their confident voice echoes around you as they continue, âœTrespassing on my territory, you are. Leave now for merciful today, I am. Rejoice, for I will not give chase in your retreat.â
â.
...youâ
...you donât know what you should do.
Respecting its wishes might be the smart thing to do. You donât want to pick a fight...well, actually...youâre not really opposed to the idea of testing your strengths-No! No. Youâre not going to fight a monster. If anything, since it speaks, you might be able to get information from it. What kind of information you could get from a monster, you donât know. But itâs better than what you know now.
However, if you try to question it, it might get aggressive and that, in turn, will push you to be aggressive. Youâve already seen decimated an entire mob when they tried to kill you. This might not be any different if you donât find a way to subdue this creature fast.
*Sigh* maybe you should cut your losses and leave. The deer have already gone past where your sixth sense feels so you canât follow them anymore unless you go looking for them. Maybe you should fly off and look for civilization like you planned to from the beginning.
This sucks. It seems like no matter where you go youâll always find conflict...
âœWhat shall it be, intruders?â
Iâll just leave.
Iâll face the creature.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17
What will you do? I'd be tempted to talk to a creature of the woods but it doesn't sound like it wants you there.
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Maybe itâs best that you donât just wander off into the middle of nowhere, especially in a world that may contain monsters.
Seeking information is the only way you can take steps to survive and following deer doesnât sound very educating if youâre being quite honest.
You pout at not partaking in something amazing but you need to do this. Your life may depend on this.
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to float up into the air and it trots off to join back up with the herd. You watch the forest folk all head off in their own set directions as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean, and you sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation you're in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Youâre definitely not going to go back South. Thatâs where the village resides.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there. Whatâs most important right now is finding out how you can survive and the only way you can do that is if you learn. Only then could you start finding clues to your predicament...however, you donât think thereâs an answer in the world that could explain what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out into the open sky.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint...to no avail.
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West all the way to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18
Which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
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Chapter Notes
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Looking off to the East, your eyes trail across the horizon as you see nothing in sight except the commonalities.
Well...the village that you fled from was situated on the stream that flowed all the way here. You know for you had followed it up to this point. So...if you continue down South West along with the stream itâll be easier for a mob to follow you if they're trying to. So best not to go that way.
Youâre sure youâll run into another human civilization or...some place you can settle down at as long as you keep to areas where life exists. Civilization cannot exist if life cannot exist in the same area. If this is a fantasy world where magic is prevalent, guessing by how the mob had mentioned magic casters, youâre going to assume this world has stuff like castles or noble provinces. And If thereâs anywhere in the world where a castle will be present itâll be near locations that can provide ample resources. Places such as those are hubs for knowledge since they can afford more, provide more, and contain more information about surrounding locations and on general commonalities. If there isnât then youâre going to take steps to increase this worldâs prosperity.
However, this is the best lead you have.
âœI guess thereâs no time to waste.â You pick yourself off the ground, opting to stand rather than fly as you look off to the East horizon. âœThere are only so many hours within one day and I donât want the mob to catch up to us if theyâre trying to find us.â
Butterflies trail you as you turn away to walk up to Jewels who looks like a peaceful giant from where she lays. Although youâre pretty huge yourself as your avatar, you just canât compare to the overall size of the horse. Not to mention that she is healthy and muscular which only adds to her overall width.
âœHey, girl.â You scratch behind one of her ears and you swear that the horse tilts its head into your touch. âœWe need to go now. Can you get up, Jewels...please?â
With a snort, the horse does as you ask and stands up upon its four legs causing you to let out a sigh of relief.
âœThank god for Beast Tamer skills.â The relieved ramble makes itself known as you float up to gently place yourself on the back of the horse, clutching onto your butterfly infested moss cloak as you try to get comfortable. Your Beast Tamer skills are the only exclamation for why creatures seem lax around you and how they are able to listen to your requests despite them not understanding you. You had these skills for the purpose of being the creator of Yggdrasil as they are the âœLife Giverâ and that would mean that creatures would be friendly with their creator to some extent, not to mention that you used it to rule over the vast variety of NPCs in your realm. âœLet's go East to the sunrise. We might find something that way.â
Jewels does as you ask and starts to walk slowly away from the pond.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre hopeful as you enjoy the pleasant crisp breeze that keeps this green planet alive and breathing. You understand that if you change your mind on your choice or if you canât find anything else to gain from going East you can just use Gate to come back here. However...there may be an issue in that.
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail the horse leaves from the bunch of flowers.
Those farmers, if theyâre determined to find you, can still follow where youâre headed because of the hoof prints Jewels leaves in her wake. So, you lift your hand and utter ⟪Erase Trace⟫ to rid the issue. At the release of some mana, any imprints left in the soil around your resting spot as well as any new ones produced by Jewels dissolves away as if neither of you were there. The only indicator remaining that youâve existed at that place are the flowers that remain resilient to the spell.
Hmmâ
Should you do anything about the flowers?
Get rid of them.
Leave them.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'19
Will those flowers be a problem? Surely those villagers haven't taken kindly to you nabbing a horse of theirs and are out to reclaim what's theirs? Call me stupid or bold, I'd leave the flowers. As long as I don't make anymore then there should be no other issue... Right?
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LOST ROUTE 4:7
Chapter Notes
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Looking off to the South West, your eyes trail up the stream of water that flows out from the pond that sits beside you and a memory rings in your head from when youâd watch animal and nature documentaries.
âœWhere there is water, there is life. Haâ.â Pastels melt across your skin as you pat yourself on the back for remembering such.
The village that you fled from was situated on the stream that flowed all the way here. You know for you had followed it up to this point. If you continue down it youâre sure youâll run into another human civilization or...some place you can settle down at. There's a good reason why most major world powers became as prosperous and powerful as they had. Itâs because they were situated near water sources that were rich in minerals and resources. If this is a fantasy world where magic is prevalent, guessing by how the mob had mentioned magic casters, youâre also going to guess that this world has stuff like castles or noble provinces. And If thereâs anywhere in the world where a castle will be present itâll be near water. Places such as that are hubs for knowledge since they can afford more, provide more, and contain more information about surrounding locations and on general commonalities. If there isnât then youâre going to take steps to increase this worldâs prosperity.
However, this is the best lead you have.
âœI guess thereâs no time to waste.â You pick yourself off the ground, opting to stand rather than fly as you look off to the South West horizon. âœThere are only so many hours within one day and I donât want the mob to catch up to us if theyâre trying to find us.â
Butterflies trail you as you turn away to walk up to Jewels who looks like a peaceful giant from where she lays. Although youâre pretty huge yourself as your avatar, you just canât compare to the overall size of the horse. Not to mention that she is healthy and muscular which only adds to her overall width.
âœHey, girl.â You scratch behind one of her ears and you swear that the horse tilts its head into your touch. âœWe need to go now. Can you get up, Jewels...please?â
With a snort, the horse does as you ask and stands up upon its four legs causing you to let out a sigh of relief.
âœThank god for Beast Tamer skills.â The relieved ramble makes itself known as you float up to gently place yourself on the back of the horse, clutching onto your butterfly infested moss cloak as you try to get comfortable. Your Beast Tamer skills are the only exclamation for why creatures seem lax around you and how they are able to listen to your requests despite them not understanding you. You had these skills for the purpose of being the creator of Yggdrasil as they are the âœLife Giverâ and that would mean that creatures would be friendly with their creator to some extent, not to mention that you used it to rule over the vast variety of NPCs in your realm. âœLet's follow the river. We might find something that way.â
Jewels does as you ask and starts to walk slowly along the side of the river.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre hopeful as you enjoy the pleasant crisp breeze that keeps this green planet alive and breathing. You understand that if you change your mind on your choice or if you canât find anything else to gain from going East you can just use Gate to come back here. However...there may be an issue in that.
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail the horse leaves from the bunch of flowers.
Those farmers, if theyâre determined to find you, can still follow where youâre headed because of the hoof prints Jewels leaves in her wake. So, you lift your hand and utter ⟪Erase Trace⟫ to rid the issue. At the release of some mana, any imprints left in the soil around your resting spot as well as any new ones produced by Jewels dissolves away as if neither of you were there. The only indicator remaining that youâve existed at that place are the flowers that remain resilient to the spell.
Hmmâ
Should you do anything about the flowers?
Get rid of them.
Leave them.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'20
Will those flowers be a problem? Surely those villagers haven't taken kindly to you nabbing a horse of theirs and are out to reclaim what's theirs? Call me stupid or bold, I'd leave the flowers. As long as I don't make anymore then there should be no other issue... Right?
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 4:6
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Looking off to the South, your eyes trail across the horizon as you see nothing in sight except the commonalities.
Well...the village that you fled from was situated on the stream that flowed all the way here. You know for you had followed it up to this point. So...if you continue down West along with the stream itâll be easier for a mob to follow you if they're trying to. Youâre sure youâll run into another human civilization or...some place you can settle down at as long as you keep to areas where life exists. Civilization cannot exist if life cannot exist in the same area. If this is a fantasy world where magic is prevalent, guessing by how the mob had mentioned magic casters, youâre also going to guess that this world has stuff like castles or noble provinces. And If thereâs anywhere in the world where a castle will be present itâll be near locations that can provide ample resources. Places such as those are hubs for knowledge since they can afford more, provide more, and contain more information about surrounding locations and on general commonalities. If there isnât then youâre going to take steps to increase this worldâs prosperity.
However, this is the best lead you have.
âœI guess thereâs no time to waste.â You pick yourself off the ground, opting to stand rather than fly as you look off to the East horizon. âœThere are only so many hours within one day and I donât want the mob to catch up to us if theyâre trying to find us.â
Butterflies trail you as you turn away to walk up to Jewels who looks like a peaceful giant from where she lays. Although youâre pretty huge yourself as your avatar, you just canât compare to the overall size of the horse. Not to mention that she is healthy and muscular which only adds to her overall width.
âœHey, girl.â You scratch behind one of her ears and you swear that the horse tilts its head into your touch. âœWe need to go now. Can you get up, Jewels...please?â
With a snort, the horse does as you ask and stands up upon its four legs causing you to let out a sigh of relief.
âœThank god for Beast Tamer skills.â The relieved ramble makes itself known as you float up to gently place yourself on the back of the horse, clutching onto your butterfly infested moss cloak as you try to get comfortable. Your Beast Tamer skills are the only exclamation for why creatures seem lax around you and how they are able to listen to your requests despite them not understanding you. You had these skills for the purpose of being the creator of Yggdrasil as they are the âœLife Giverâ and that would mean that creatures would be friendly with their creator to some extent, not to mention that you used it to rule over the vast variety of NPCs in your realm. âœLet's go South, away from the village. We might find something that way.â
Jewels does as you ask and starts to walk slowly away from the pond.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre hopeful as you enjoy the pleasant crisp breeze that keeps this green planet alive and breathing. You understand that if you change your mind on your choice or if you canât find anything else to gain from going East you can just use Gate to come back here. However...there may be an issue in that.
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail the horse leaves from the bunch of flowers.
Those farmers, if theyâre determined to find you, can still follow where youâre headed because of the hoof prints Jewels leaves in her wake. So, you lift your hand and utter ⟪Erase Trace⟫ to rid the issue. At the release of some mana, any imprints left in the soil around your resting spot as well as any new ones produced by Jewels dissolves away as if neither of you were there. The only indicator remaining that youâve existed at that place are the flowers that remain resilient to the spell.
Hmmâ
Should you do anything about the flowers?
Get rid of them.
Leave them.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'21
Will those flowers be a problem? Surely those villagers haven't taken kindly to you nabbing a horse of theirs and are out to reclaim what's theirs? Call me stupid or bold, I'd leave the flowers. As long as I don't make anymore then there should be no other issue... Right?
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RELOAD
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Chapter 5: IF I WERE A BOY
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be. The result is a bet made with coin. You change your form into that of a human man to find out the results of such a bet...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I hope you are all fairing well. October is finally here! My favorite month of the year! Midterms are right around the corner so I might be a little tight on updates but I've written some things ahead. However, even though I wasn't able to post more chapters this time around, I believe this chapter is one of my favorites among the ones I've written so far. I hope you enjoy it as much or more than I did!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: IF I WERE A BOY
Since you were a man back on Earth, it only makes sense to also try to appear like a man in this new world. That way youâll be able to fit into your persona more naturally. Besides...you donât think you could properly act like a woman. Theyâre so different in comparison to men, not just body wise. Girl code and what not is something totally out of the loop for you and you donât want to risk testing those waters.
With that settled you understand that this will be the hard part...youâll have to figure out how to actually change your appearance into something new. Maybe envisioning what you want your new form to look like is the first step? To do that you need to draw inspiration from what you have seen from the men in this village.
Theyâre all Caucasian so appearing white is a must. Though you donât want to appear too white. If you take on pale skin you may be mistaken for a noble which would draw unwanted attention your way. A little bit of color would help you. A beige skin tone may be just what you need. Yes.
Height is also something that you need to change. None of the men here are near seven feet tall. You donât want to be a giant gawked at so youâll need to appear shorter. A foot sounds reasonable and thatâs all you really can do with the spell youâre going to cast. Six feet is still pretty tall but youâll be classified as average. This is good.
Next hair. Most to all people here seem to either have brown hair or blond hair so one of those sounds reasonable...hmmm...but which would be better? Maybe something in between? You nod before calculating the length of your hair. There are no men with long hair in this village so you suspect that short might be the way to go. The longest their hair seems to be is shoulder length so you decide that you should keep it that long. Curls might also help. The length can help you can tie it back if need be...or alter the Disguise Self spell so you can do so. Mhm. Nice.
Okay. And what about your appearance? Age? You donât want to look out of place with these boys even if you are older than them so you want to appear like youâre in your early twenties. Body? Endo...no, no...ah! Mesomorph! Thatâs it! And how toned should you be? The image of you being jacked flashes through your head for a quick second and you almost jump on this opportunity to fulfill your anime fantasies...but decide against it for your safetyâs sake, choosing to keep the form fit and nothing more. If you appear too fat or too muscular it can draw too much attention. Thick eyebrows and eyelashes. Uh-huh. Thin lips. That is a common trait. Nose...nose...this one is a little weird. What kind of nose should you have? Greek? Mmm, no, no...Roman? Mmmm...mh, that might work. Yes. Now, what eye color should you hav-
âœWha-What the FUCK?!â Nate screams and you jump in response to see his eyes bulging out of his bright red face, glued downwards as he continues, âœStop! Stop! I donât want to see that!!!â
âœH-huh?!â You peep out in response as the tan boy covers his eyes with an arm and Liam and Vance start choking on air, turning away from you as you float in place stupefied.
âœYour body!!!â âœBWAHAHAHA! Youâre-*cough* Youâre naked, SÅ!â
âœEh?â The single note escapes your lips at their claims. âœBut...Iâve always been naked? Why are you all acting this way now- Wait.â
Your voice! Itâs only masculine now.
âœThis is worse!!!â Nate glares at you through his fingers, determined not to look any further down your body than your shoulders as he screams at you in a furious manner, âœYou look human! Cover yourself, now!!!â
âœI lookââ His words are hard to understand despite them being very simple.
Human? You look human? But you havenât even used Disguise Self yet so why? You reach up an arm to scratch your neck as you mull over his words-
âœEh?â Hair...you feel hair.
Your golden eyes widen as you tug a strand of wavy hair that matches the color of your eyes out for you to blink at, your rosy lips forming an o.
âœHuh.â
âœHuh?! Thatâs your response?!â Nate turns hastily away from you to Liam who is completely losing his shit, rolling all over the supplies in the back of the wagon, âœYou son of a bitch! Stop laughing!â Nate bends down, picks up a large pebble, and squares Liam right in the back with it after a strong chuck.
âœOW! Shit!â Liam arches his spine in pain as he worms his arms to feel the spot Nate hit before scowling at his friend âœThat fucking hurt asshole! Iâm going to bruise up n-OW, stop!!!â Nate nails Liam right in the side of the ribcage with another pebble while the boyâs arms were still behind his back.
âœThen stop laughing at me, prick, and get some clothes for this thing! You want me to vent on you some more, huh?!!â Nate bends down to pick up a third pebble which has the blond boy scrambling to do as he asked.
âœOkay! OKAY! Iâm going! Iâm going! Just donât hit me with another-OW, fuck!â Nate nails another pebble just as he jumps off of the cart but this time it hits him right in the back of his thigh. âœPiece of-Mother-Rawgh!â Liam hops on one leg for a good second before sprinting to avoid any more of Nateâs wrath.
âœ...That wasnât very nice of you.â
âœShut up freak!â He turns to you with bared teeth. âœYouâd think that a creature that had been proclaimed to be a God would be able to produce something to cover their junk.â
âœIâm not a God. Iâm a creator.â You state as you look down to assess your member, âœI can only create life. I need materials to produce anything else...â You purse your lips and with raised eyebrows as take in what you actually have packing down under-wuuu-what the hell?! Youâre bigger?!
âœTsk! Some fucking creator you are! Canât even-Hey! Donât check out your dick in front of me!!!â
âœErk-Eh...Iâm sorry.â You straighten your attention back out from your upgrade, âœHad to make sure everything is...present.â
âœI donât give a fuck, just donât do that in front of me.â Nate stomps toward Vance who has kept his back faced toward you since youâve settled back into a human form. âœAre you sure about this? What if it tries to do something fishy?â
âœ...Well...from what Iâve seen of their...his abilities?... Iâd say we wouldnât be able to do anything.â
âœWhat?! What do you mean by that?!â
âœ...look. We may be silver class adventurers right now and...hell, you should be a gold rank adventurer but...thereâs more to SÅ than what meets the eye.â
âœUm...you know I can hear everything you guys are saying, right?â
Nate heatedly turns his head back your way, âœThen donât fucking listen to us! Cover your ears now that you have a pair!â
Vance waves at Nate to which he follows until theyâre both what they suspect to be out of earshot but you could still surprisingly hear them as clear as day. âœNateââ The dark-haired boy whispers, âœbased on what Iâve seen from him, and...please trust me on this. He hasnât brainwashed me or anything but...heâs been telling the truth.â
âœAbout what?â
âœAbout...very possibly...everything.â
âœEverything...really?â
âœNate, I know what youâre thinking but...I really did see things and what he can do matches up with what he said he can do.â
âœTsk, like what?â
You continue to listen in to their conversation, Vance listing off and comparing everything he has learned, as you continue to look over and feel your new body.
This is definitely not Disguise Self. Not only are some of the additions to yourself tangible but you hadnât felt the familiar drop in Mana that comes with casting. This is completely something that your own body did...or your avatarâs body did. But you hadnât made SÅsaku-sha with shapeshifting abilities. You need spells in order to do that. SÅsaku-sha is a Creator. That is literally their only racial stat. The Creator stat gives your Avatar more freedom to be fluid but not literally! You donât have any job classes or perks that support shapeshifting either. That doesnât explain why you were able to turn into something similar to a human...well, there are a lot of things that donât have an exclamation for why theyâre happening. This situation for example is the CrÃme de la crÃme of âWHAT THE FUCK?!â
*sigh*...
Well, either way, youâre just here for the ride it seems. Youâre just going to have to make best with what you have and become a quick learner.
Your new body for example. Itâs exactly how you envisioned it to become...maybe even better. You twist your arms around and flex your muscles, watching as they shift under your toned skin.
Ahh, no more rainbow mess. And to have a face again.
Your fingers trail along your face to get a sense of what you look like now. It doesnât really help too much...but you can feel the smile on your new face.
Ah! You have a mouth again!
You lick your straight teeth as you try to find out more.
Even though you look human, youâre still not breathing you realize. Whenever you speak your voice doesnât seem to be coming out of your mouth. Rather, it vibrates through your chest like it had when you still looked like your avatar.
So, technically, youâre not human but rather something that looks human.
The smile falls and is replaced with a pout.
Your vision isnât any different either. You can still see all around you even the villagers who seem to be gawking your way from where they reside inside and outside their houses. You turn your head one particular way to a group of young women who are chatting around a corner and pointing at you. Upon noticing your sudden attention on them they wave at you pink-faced and giggling.
Huh. You...donât think that youâve ever been treated this way by members of the opposite sex. You wave back before a click of thought enters your mind that has you hugging your middle.
Um...are...are they perturbed by your nude state? Wait. Why doesnât it doesnât...bother you? Shouldnât you feel...ashamed or uncomfortable? You practically feel the embarrassment spread across your skin and you turn away red-faced, the girls all laughing and catcalling out loud now.
âœThat is a strange thought. How Iâm fine being nude whenââ You know youâd never be okay with being naked as a human, or a human back on Earth. Socially acceptable attire and all, but you were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
âœI mean, just look at it.â Nate and Vance peek out from their spot from behind the wagon as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Unbeknownst to the two young men watching you, you were internally screaming.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You thrash in the air and slap your face, causing the boys to scrunch up their faces in bafflement. Nate shakes his head skeptical of the facts he has been given, âœItâs hard to believe that this thing can use eighth tier magic.â
âœHe can and he said that he can use higher ones than that.â
You ignore their patronizing words as you continue to mumble to yourself, âœH-how bizarre. Is it because I created this body this way or becauseââ You shift your attention down to your nether region with a darkening of the pink blush, âœI...had nothing to hide as SÅsaku-sha?â You didnât have anything, it was all flat. You still had an ass but nothing in the frontâbut now that you appear human...
âœO-oh nooooââ You curl into a ball and allow Ascend to slowly dwindle off so you could let the Earth consume you below. It doesnât swallow you up and put you out of your misery as you wanted it to, however, it does bloom a seat of flowers for you to sit upon as you wait.
Youâll get an outfit soon enough to cover yourself with. Liam is making sure of that...but itâs strange. Youâre not ashamed of being nude as SÅsaku-sha. The same could almost be said about your new human form. You only really started to feel embarrassed after you really started to think about it.
âœIs this part of my biology?â Your body is different but...how can that change how your mind works...how you think of yourself?
â.
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You look down past your hands to the patch of fresh grass and wildflowers you sit upon. Even though you look human now, hidden beneath is SÅsaku-sha. Youâve seen your avatar plenty of times...but now itâs...differentâhowever...you donât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity. Especially now as you are trying to act human.
âœI got the clothes!â Liamâs ragged voice meets the three of youâs ears as he returns jogging, gripping onto a huge pile of clothing as he makes his way over.
âœTook you long enough.â Nate spits while moving out the way with Vance as the blond spills the articles onto the back on the cart.
âœShut it. I donât want to hear it after you practically stoned me.â Liam pants before waving at you to come over, âœSÅ. I got you some clothes to try on.â
âœThank you, Liam. I really appreciate this.â You stand up and walk on over, Liam being the only one not outwardly affected by your nudity. âœCanât really blend in with my bare ass.â
âœNo problem, though...these are my old clothes. I couldnât borrow any from anyone else so I tried to pick out the ones that could fit you. They may be tight since weâre,â he gestures to the space in between him and you, âœuh, different sizes.â
âœItâs only for the time being, right? These will make do until I can get a hold of some garments on my own.â You pick up everything, like a giddy toddler, to look at what youâll practically be cosplaying as. Haha! You just realized youâre practically gimping right now!
A short, tattered, beige tunic is the first item that you hold up to slip on. Although frayed in some areas, thereâs no holes or tears you see as you slip the thing over your head like a shirt.
âœYouâre right. It is um...a little tight.â Slipping your arms in the tubes gives you little resistance but when you go to pull down the rest of the tunic an audible popping sound of fabric lets itself be known, âœA-ah, oopsââ It falls just above the middle of your thighs as you let go of the bottom to straighten up, âœI hope I didnât tear anythingââ
âœN-no, itâs fine.â Liam cringes on behalf of his tunic, âœItâs old anyway soââ
âœYeah. Still, I must apologize.â You search for the next item you want to slip on before ending up empty-handed âœUmm...is there any underwear?â
The three make perplexed expressions before Liam answers you with his own question, âœWhatâs underwear?â
âœWhatâs under-Ooooh...yeah, thatâs right.â They donât have anything like undergarments in the Medieval ages. Ugh, well...you werenât really looking forward to wearing any grimey old underwear in the first place. Maybe this is a mercy. âœGuess Iâm going commando.â
âœCommando?â Vance echoes as you find a pair of beige braies to put on.
âœUm, itâs slang where I come from for not wearing any underwear under your clothes.â You make an umf noise as you finish pulling up the baggy pants and start to work on tying the knot around your waist into a double knotted bow, âœIt is something meant to be comfortable that you do at home but is publicly seen as gross and unhygienic.â
Liam raises an eyebrow, âœAgain, what is underwear? You make it sound like itâs something important.â
âœUmââ You grab the dark brown, wool chauses next, slipping them over the braies and tunic like a crazy long pair of socks until they sit right under your hips, âœThey are pieces of clothing that...uh...are meant to cover only your private areas. They hold errr, many purposes depending on which types you wear.â A matching colored arming belt is what you slip around your waist next to strap the chauses in place. âœPreventing leakage, keeping you warm, padding s-sensitive areas, altering the shape of your body, cover eh-exposing areas, a-and some are made to be *cough* uh...f-flirty.â
The boys seem to have varying reactions to this new knowledge but only one speaks up, âœSÅ.â
âœMm?â You nod to Vance to continue as you tighten the belt around your waist so it won't slip.
âœIâve noticed that you get somewhat flustered when you talk about anything sensual.â
âœErk-â You tug harshly at the last string to the belt and it pops off, leaving the bottom portion of the belt slightly agar. You cringe apologetically at the now tired-looking Liam, before deciding not to waste it by tying a portion of your hair back with it, âœI do not know what youâre talking about.â
Nate huffs an airy laugh in a hardly amused fashion as he crosses his arms, âœDo you really get hot and bothered if anything considered sexy is brought up?â
The moment the S word left his lips you burst out red and your arms flail out in front of the space between Nate and you, âœS-shut up! I donât want to hear it!â
âœHah! Thatâs hilarious!â Nate leans in a snarky way as he gloats on his revelation, laughing boastfully as he rubs it in your flustered and shameful expression, âœThe all-powerful creator of life and worlds gets embarrassed by bedroom talk!â
âœShut up!!!â Gritting your teeth as you literally feel the heat radiating off of your features now, you send a glare his way with a higher-pitched voice, âœCut it out! Ahhhk!â
âœBWAAhahaha! You virgin! Iâll remember to use this later.â The scheming smirk he sends as he walks away isnât comforting and youâre sure he can see the discomfort on your face because his smile grows a smidge before he finally turns his head from you.
âœAwugh, thatâs going to bite me in the ass later...â You cringe painfully, slapping a hand over your face as you pitifully try to hide from Vance and Liam who appear somewhat sympathetic to your predicament, albeit amused.
âœI want to reassure you not to worry about it...but knowing Nate heâll hold this information over your head for the rest of your life.â
âœ*Sigh, I could guess as much.â You pick up the scratched up knee and arm pads made up of mostly leather and continue to get changed. âœThough I donât age in this body, so technically speaking, heâll hold this over my head for the rest of his life. After that, heâll be out of my hair.â
âœAh-ha haââ Liam grimaces at your choice of wording so youâre quick to patch it up.
âœDonât worry. The only malice I hold toward your friend is annoyance. I donât plan on harming him or anyone for that matter. If anything, Iâd like to keep things peaceful for the meantime.â Flexing your elbows and knees, you find the padding acceptable and you move onto the worn, black, knee-high, leather boots. Just as you open your mouth to ask a question to lighten up the situation a disturbingly cold feeling runs over you which has you turning your head quickly in the direction of the barn, just in time to hear blood-curdling squeals. âœWhatââ
âœIs there something wrong, SÅ?â
âœ...Iââ You swallow at the feeling of...sensations disappearing as the sound of squealing dwindles off with gargling just to be replaced with more of that squealing. Itâs a feeling that strikes you at the core making you wonder what sort of horror should be occurring to cause such-
Realization slaps you in the face as you remember your conversation with Mr. Long last night:
âœShit! The pigs have eaten the black dust sprouts!â Nate screams and throws his hands up into his hair while all who heard show clear shock and distress.
âœBlack dust sprouts?â You ask nervously, wondering what the severity of that meant.
An older man with a tuft of dark hair finds the words to answer you. âœThey are a highly valuable anesthetic but poisonous when taken raw.â
...Uh oh.
Not only have you damaged their barn but youâve possibly killed some of their livestock and destroyed some of their produce as well.
âœWill the pigs die from consuming the sprouts?â
âœJudging by how much theyâve eaten, itâs certain. Weâll have to butcher them for their meat but it wonât be a lot since most of them are hardly piglets. Shame they couldnât have been a bit older to live up to the price they cost.â
Another squeal jackhammers the feeling of guilt into your soul.
You probably could have healed those poor animals...however, you understand that you did what you had to do to survive and you thought using magic would be dangerous...itâs still a shame, however. Even if it was an accident you canât help but grimace as you continue to hear more squeals before gurgling noises.
âœSÅ?â
âœ...I-itâs nothing, Liamââ You send him a smile, forcing yourself to ignore the sounds to spare your conscience to bring up the question you had been wanting to ask, âœby the way, Vance, I heard that youâre an adventurer? Iâm assuming that you three are all so?â
âœThatâs correct,â He slips a hand under the navy face mask that sits around his neck and holds up what looks to be a dog tag, âœWe are all silver rank adventurers.â
âœHuh, why didnât you guys bring it up when you were explaining what adventurers are last night? Wouldnât that have been a good time to educate me?â You grunt as you finish squeezing your foot into the last boot. Augh, your toes are curling in them.
âœWeââ Liam looks over to Vance with a strained look, âœwe thought it would make you become hostile if we told you that we killed monsters for a livingââ
âœAh, I seeâ.â You frown at the thought of them comparing you to a man-eating ogre. You bet that if you didnât try to talk to them right off the get-go they wouldnât have hesitated from trying to kill you. You swallow. âœI will admit, it would have probably put me on edge to learn such a thing if it wasnât for the fact that I already was skittish.â You pick up gloves that hold much likeness to the boots to slip on next, âœHowever, itâs hard to believe that all you three do is kill monsters. Werenât there other things adventurers do?â
âœOf course there is.â The blond boy spreads his arms out to his sides, âœIt all really depends on whatâs requested, what we are willing to do, and what our ranking allows us to do. Though Iâd be lying if I said we donât mostly work to kill creatures...wellââ He waves his hand in your direction as you slip a black cloak on, âœlike you.â
âœFair.â You straighten the robe before reaching for the smaller brown one to slip it above the black one youâre wearing, âœI see that you three are designed for more...uh, violent work ethics. Vance is your ranger.â You nod in the direction of his bow, âœLiam is...hey, are you a healer?â
âœOh? You could tell?â Liam lights up at your guess which has Vance patting his shoulder.
âœHe probably used Mana Essence on all of us already and saw the skill you two hold in magic.â
âœHuh? Ho no, I havenât checked any of you yet.â Though, you should probably do that soon.
Back when youâd have player raids on the Citadel, Casting Mana Essence, Life Essence, and Detect Enemy (not including Appraisal Magic Item when there was the need) was almost like breathing to you once you spotted players. Now that you know how to cast spells in this world you should try to keep up the habit so you at least know what to expect from others...but thatâs also something interesting. They know of spells that exist in Yggdrasil or...spells from your game exist in this world. You had an inkling of a feeling that this might have been the case but you didnât want to throw away the theory that the spells you have differ from this world...huh, what if there are spells here that donât exist in Yggdrasil. If there are...can you possibly learn them?...food for thought. Youâre sure that youâll find out eventually.
You pick up the last article, a thin, black, leather belt and you strap it around your waist. âœThe clothes Liam is wearing gave it away. Typically support wear more baggy clothing and I donât see any main weapons on his person so I found it safe to assume such...and what do you mean by two? Are you saying Nate is also a-â
âœLetâs get going already!â Speak of the devil. You three turn your heads to Nate who is waving agitatedly, âœEverything is put together for the trip and I already informed the elders of what weâre bringing along. I donât want to waste any more time in getting this freak off of our hands and two more gold pieces in place.â
âœIâm telling you, theyâre worth more than what you think-â
âœShut it. I donât want to hear from you! Liam, Vance,â He sticks his thumb to the cart, âœyou two know what to do.â
âœGot it.â âœAlright!â The boys you had been talking with walk off to their places on as Nate stalks up to you.
You automatically feel something cold tickle your skin and you stiffen your stance automatically in response to his approach. Nate stands almost chest to chest with you, his disdain filled eyes level with your own as his glare shadows over.
âœListen here, freak,â His voice leaves his lips lower and more calculated than youâve ever heard from him before, âœif I suspect anything amiss from you, be it trying to flee or showing your true nature, beast...youâll be dead before you finish the thought. You know what we do for a living. The only reason Iâm not trying to kill you now is because your carcass will be worth less than the gold youâre going to give us. Thatâs it. Be grateful and behave, for Iâm playing along with this little bet. If you get lucky maybe I wonât go out of my way to kill you after this whole debacle is over.â He takes a step back just to jab a finger at your unmoving, clothed chest. You hardly realize that you donât feel his emotions at his contact before he continues, âœDonât get cocky, however. Youâll always be one slip up away from my wrath. For both of our sakes, donât make an enemy of me. Is that clear?â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœ...C r y s t a l.â Youâre sure he can hear the strained hate in your voice but you canât help being triggered somehow by his words. The moment he said he wants to kill you, something switched in you thatâs making it very hard not to lash out at the lower life form, almost like he activated aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it. That...that actually would make a lot of sense. You were a final boss in Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered. You only started to fight players once they showed you hostility so this might be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering Nate and feel a drive to do so.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are.
Jolt of a shiver visibly runs through Nate but you hardly notice the same thing occurring to every creature in a ten-mile radius.
Nateâs expression falls as he visibly starts to see what looks to be black smoke drift off of you as you lean your malicious face into his.
âœThough...I must say...you do seem to enjoy poking the bear with the stick. Iâd be more observant, flea,â You make sure not to touch him at all as you walk around him, knowing that if you do your restraint will crack, âœfor I warn you, the boy who keeps poking will come to know that the bear was just a fur coat to something worse. Take your friendâs advice,â You walk away to join Liam without throwing a look over your shoulder, âœand donât underestimate me.â
Nate stands in place for a solid second, frozen by the pressure that you had placed upon him before his expression hardens.
Yeah, no way in hell is he ever going to underestimate you. All monsters are the same anyways. This one may trail flowers behind everywhere it stalks but it could just as easily turn into blood one day. If this thing is as big of a threat as Vance informed him, heâll make sure to be there to stop it when that fur coat falls, revealing what he knows it truly is. It may say it is life, but he knows the truth.
All monsters are death...and this one is no different...
â—
âœHuh. Strange...â
âœWhat is it SÅ?â
âœThe clothes you gave me. Theyâre...not tight anymore.
âœHmm?â Liam turns his head around his left shoulder to briefly look you over, holding onto the reins of the horses where he sits. âœMaybe youâve stretched them out?
âœMmmmâmaybeââ Your toes say otherwise. Even if the boots are made of worn leather material, they shouldnât have been able to stretch that quickly without you tearing through them. Howeverâ
Looking down at your feet, which thankfully donât trail flowers everywhere now that theyâre covered, as you walk alongside the cart full of supplies you donât see any holes anywhere on them to give your feet space.
No, the black leather boots look completely fine. Brand new if you could think so boldly. In fact, your whole outfit doesnât pinch you in the wrong places anymore.
You grab a shoulder with your dominant hand before rolling it about, flexing the material that encompasses the area.
No popping. Huh. And the smell of it-
You pinch the collar to your tunic in between your gloved fingers before bringing it up to your nose, sniffing it out of habit after forgetting for a good moment that you donât need your nose to do so.
Have you become nose blind to the slightly musty scent or has it really stopped smelling bad?
â
â
Eh, forget it.
You drop your collar to continue walking merrily.
You get headaches when you think too hard on things that donât make any sense so you decide to leave it as is and appreciate that youâre no longer uncomfortable.
The four of you have been making your way to the city of E-Rantel to appraise your gold coins for the past hour. The village has been long gone over the vast hilly expanse of green for quite some time now and, despite your not so pleasant human company, yellowish-orange butterflies with dark spots peppering their wings flutter all around you to make up for it.
The sun is a little higher now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite the afternoon yet. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you have remained somewhat in a numb trance as your group continues on their way.
The sun has made it considerably warmer as the bright star continues to climb higher. The increasing temperature has been noticeable but despite you being heavily clothed youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things. Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to go to your first convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward. However, all you have done today since the departure is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that sparkles while it hops in and out of passing fluffy clouds. You watch the lively sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that you had developed with the help of a few others.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this not at all Yggdrasil. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again without turning your head, to see Nate still trying to kill you with his eyes alone.
He canât see the annoyed look that slips onto your face from where youâre walking.
Heâs still going on about keeping an eye on âœthe monsterâ and never showing his back to you. The fact that he has a white-knuckled grip still on the hilt of his sword strapped to his side.
Is his hand not tired? If you kept a grip like that for as long as he has youâd be having cramps in that hand for a week.
The fact that heâs willing to accept pain over letting his guard down around you is very telling.
He obviously loathes you but whether itâs from a traumatic background or racial conditioning is vague. Best not to tamper with old wounds.
*Sigh*...at least heâs taking your advice.
You shift your vision on what lays beyond Nate. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. How these three know exactly where to go without a compass or a map informs you that they must travel like this often between their village and the capital of Re-Estize. This is also their back yard to say. They probably know these plains like the back of their hands. They even told you so as you all departed from the village. Thatâs why you believed them when they informed you that you all might run into trouble on your trip.
The Great Forest of Tob, a place considered to be deadly and full of peril, is just situated North.
Although the cart obscures most of the view of the woodland, with your incredible sight you can see the silhouette of it miles away with the Azerlisia Mountains peeking up from them.
Frontier villages such as Bourn Village, the one you crashed into, act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Some of those mentioned items are packages on the cart, all collected personally from your three escorts, that will be sold at the capital.
Thereâs a reason why it is known to be dangerous, however.
It is filled with powerful creatures and unknown magical beings alike, not to mention how itâs like a maze of trees within. Liam got scolded when they explained to you the number of times he has gotten lost within the depths of the forests and how many times Vance and Nate had to come to his rescue. Although there is a great and powerful beast that resides and protects the Southern part of the wood, dubbed with the title Wise King of the Forest, âœmonstrous creatures,â in their words, still slip by at times. Most of these monsters are man-eating beings that often target the frontier villages for either easy meals, items to loot, or...people to rapeâ
The grimace isnât kind as it settles into place.
With a village situated so close to such a forest, it only makes sense why the villagers felt so on edge about you last night. How they still feel on edge about you. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, theyâve backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
Is it...wise to do this? The bet. If you win, youâll have a place among them...but...like what Nate said, youâll always be one slip up from receiving wrath. It might not only come from him though but from everyone in that village. Is it wise then...to live under such pressure? Besides, whatâs stopping them from killing you out of the blue? Youâve learned that if they bring your corpse or parts of your corpse to and submit them at their adventurerâs guild, they'll be rewarded according to how much the guild would think youâd be worth. They are most likely summarizing that thereâs more to gain from you being dead than alive.
*Sigh*...
Guess I have to change their minds before they decide to act.
But back at the issue at hand, sometimes some of these monsters donât target frontier villages. In fact, since most of these villages house adventures and the like, monsters will find it difficult to take what they want from them. Thatâs why caravans, such as the type youâre in on, are likely pickings for an ambush.
Although thereâs nowhere any of you could hide, though these three probably wouldn't flee like that, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre attacked, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon the boys. It could look really bad for you to do so. Also, if they die thatâll be on you and you donât like the idea of losing what little trust you have with these people. The rest of the village will probably blame you and, if you assume correct, youâll have a bounty on your head in due time.
Despite it all, however, you find it increasingly unlikely that a sneak attack will occur. You believe this for your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as the horses pulling the cart and the young men, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense with the boys and the two horses. With them being the largest and closest creatures to you, sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre a battery or that your sides are enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind...or ones that arenât actively trying to kill you.
Nate isnât letting up on staring a hole through your skull. Despite him being defensive about keeping an eye out for an ambush, he doesnât seem to be doing a good job at that.
Guess he meant it when he said heâll be watching you.
Well, as long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...but if something does occur...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working.
You nod as you continue to walk without a hint of fatigue, âœSooo...whatâs your relationships with one another?â
âœWhy do you want to know?â Nate grumble was expected.
âœIâm just trying to make conversation. Besides,â You throw him a smirk over your right shoulder, âœI want to start getting to know my new neighbors.â
âœTsk.â
âœAh-ha well, weâre all friends of course.â Liam sends you a weary look, appearing slightly apologetic for Nateâs behavior, âœNate and I have been close since our childhood. We both grew up in Bourn, you see. Vance, on the other hand, had joined us on a request we took up since we didnât have enough hands with us at the time. We liked the way we worked together and we started to party up more often. Eventually, he moved to Bourn with us and the rest is history.â Liam looks forward again when one of the horses snorts, âœThatâs the summary of it. I wonât share any more details than that since it'sâuh, taboo to delve into otherâs pasts.â
âœAh thatâs okay. Thatâs interesting to know.â And now the conversation is dead again. Thankfully one of the butterflies lands on your nose to kill the tension. You cross your eyes to focus on it fluttering its wings as the heat of the rising sun tickles your skin.
âœHehe, hey little guy.â
âœAre you making these things follow you?â Nate huffs out as he swats another butterfly away from him.
âœNo. Iâm not doing anything as far as Iâm aware. They just decided to follow me. Hmm...though my Beast Tamer skills might have something to do with this.â Thank you Beast Tamer skills if youâre the reason. You feel so blessed to be chosen as the butterfly king!
âœWait, youâre a beast tamer? I thought you were a mage.â
Shaking your head, some of the butterflies lose their balance and start fluttering around you to try to find some perch again, âœIâm a few things actually. Beast Tamer is just one of my Job Classes.â
âœWhat?â Nateâs confused reply is like a slap in the face to your slip up.
âœAck! Sorry, itâs uh...itâs a term used in a few worlds I created to identifyââ Come on, think! Think! âœWwwooooneâs skills in certain fields.â Nailed it. âœTake Liam for example.â You wave to the blond, âœHe would be identified as a Cleric under his Job Class, maybe even a Wizard.â
âœOh! Thatâs interesting.â Liamâs eyes sparkle at the knowledge, âœAnd what about Vance? What would he be?â
You notice the said black-haired boy peek out over the cart to look at you, âœWell...heâs definitely a Ranger and...hmm...maybe a Rogue? I get the feeling that you do a lot of sneaking with the way you dress.â
He nods with a small smile before returning as he was, keeping guard over the right side of the carriage.
âœHow about Nate? What do you think he is?â
âœUh, actually-â
âœI think what itâs trying to say,â Nate cuts in with an unreadable look sent Liamâs way, âœis that it is none of its business to even insinuate such a thing about me. Iâd rather it be as oblivious to what Iâm capable of as much as possible, right Liam?â
âœR-right. Sorry, I forgot.â
âœDonât mention it.â
You canât read into the subtext of whether or not the young man is telling his friend not to worry about it or not to bring up what they must have discussed in private again while youâre around. You assume both. It might be wise to have a change in conversation to avoid blowing out Nateâs fuse.
âœWell, the butterflies are nice either way. We donât have these guys in the wild back where I lived.â
âœWhat do you mean?â
âœUhââ Great, you moved onto another stress-inducing subject, âœwhat I mean is that youâre lucky to be born in a world that wasnât ruined before you.â Your face drops before you continue, âœYour world is so...alive and green. At one time it...my home had been like this but that was before meââ
âœ...Whatâs it like now if you donât mind me asking?â
âœAh...wellââ You swallow before continuing, âœKnow that my world has many terms that arenât uh...present here in this one. You all may not understand some of the things I may say.â
âœThatâs fine. Just try your best, okay?â
Nodding at Liam, you start with hesitance, âœItâs...gray. Everything is gray. There is no natural wildlife except the pests that carry disease. No natural plant life except the ones sustained by outside means. No sky, just the constant poisonous fog we call smog. We do not have the freedom to breathe like you do here. We must wear masks with oxygen tanks...uh, theyâre barrels that supply us with fresh air that must remain strapped onto ourselves when we go outside if we want to avoid an early and painful death. The oceans and streams have been blackened. The fish and other water dwellers had been all replaced with plastic, sludge, and the occasional druggie and suicidal.â You grimace at the memories of seeing bodies of individuals, who have given up hope for something better, being tugged out of streams by cleaning crews. They donât really treat those bodies with respect...You only surmise that they must haul bodies out of the water so often that the corpses are just more trash needed to be pulled out of the stream by them.
âœFood comes in the form of paste packets if you donât have the money to afford better. Concrete-ah um...stone as far as the eye can see...murky and tainting it is. An all-encompassing gray you can never escape. Neon and glittery lights can try to cast all the color back into the world as they can, the overall mood will never change. All lights shut off at some point leaving the world a husk. A skeleton of its former self.â
Silence permeates among the three as the young men cling onto your words.
âœThe only way people find comfort in such a world is to find addictions. We all know that the world is doomed, humans sealed that fate long ago, so most of us have cast morals aside and succumbed to our more...outlandish desires. Some escape reality through highs, dosing, and shooting themselves up with whatever chemicals they can to numb the pain. Alcohol is a kind death, poison that makes the soul feel joyful that many find solace in. Others find escape in gambling for the chance to score big since itâs just too large of an offer to refuse. Finding comfort in others...is also a constant. Love and...love making distract from the numbness of it all. Makes people feel that they have someone to live for. Escaping through risking our lives. The young especially find pleasure in this since close encounters with life-shattering scenarios remind us of our will to live. We call these types of people thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. A good percentage of these types of people die on a daily basis whether by skirting too close to death or they realize that they donât have a will to live anymore.â
Your lip quivers at the dark memories that enter your mind. You probably see a dead person at least once a month back on Earth. Emphasis on at least. No one was truly happy anymore...but you tried your best to make it better for others.
âœThen thereâs my addiction. The type where you escape reality through digital means. There, people could forget for a short time what our home is like as they embody new forms IG...which means in...new worlds. I too enjoyed the digital realm and I made my life around creating worlds for others to venture off to and explore. Guess you could say that I was the dealer exchanging these highs for profit.â
Your laugh sounds empty and wet at the irony of it all. The three still remain silent as you go on with your sad story.
âœI imitated what I could of life so we could all enjoy sights and hope that weâve all but lost...but I couldââ A choking noise escapes you as you lose your composure for a second before waving an arm to the scenery around you, âœI could have never made this. Iâm jealous of what you all think is normal. Frankly, I feel like Iâm in a dream and none of this is real...still thoughââ
You feel like you're crying but when you wipe your face you see liquid gold smeared on your fingertips.
Huh? What...is this? Did you cast Tears of Jörmung-You know what, you're not even going to question it. You're too overwhelmed with emotions to care.
You wipe the glowing liquid on your pants with a sniff, glad that the boys hadn't seemed to notice your condition.
You just...feel shocked and blessed to be able to experience all of this life. Only now that youâve spoken the truth of Earth do you realize how wonderful this one is.
âœ...you said that humans ruined your world.â Nateâs low voice comes to a surprise to you which has you nodding slowly.
âœMm.â
âœ...How? And why?â
âœ...many reasons...in the beginning, they didnât know that their actions have dire consequences on the environment. Taking resources and not giving back to the earth what itâs due. They saw it as a means to survive,â You turn your head to send the boy a knowing look over your shoulder, âœyou can relate to that, can you not?â
His expression hardens some at your slightly antagonizing words but you shake your head before turning forward again.
âœIâm not being judgmental. Just...pointing out similarities. Besides, they needed those resources...but once humans had collected their needed fill...they wanted more. Nicer tools, nicer clothes, nicer homes. These arenât sins in themselves...but want is so easily turned to greed. Those who could take kept taking, even to the extent that their fellow man became a casualty to it. Those who had more had more power. And what better way to use power than to use it to gain more? War is caused by such greed and death is caused by such misuse of power.
âœ*Sigh*...In the end, more often than not, those with more power win those battles. But with great power always comes great fear. Greed drives man to get to the top...so those at the top will always fear those at the bottom. They all continue to take to make that fear go away or to challenge those of power...but eventually...if you continue to take without giving anything back...one day there will be nothing left to take. All youâre left with is gray. The world had been at the mercy of man and they didnât show any sympathy...so now all are at the mercy of a world that has nothing left to lose. In the end...humans ruined themselves. None of what you call monsters can be blamed for such because true monsters are those who take without a care of the consequences.â
Thereâs more silence following your response before Liam sighs, âœ...Iâm sorry.â
âœ...You shouldnât apologize for something that isnât your fault...though I do appreciate the consideration. Although it was humanity that destroyed my home, understand that I do not blame humans.â You send the blond a toothy smile, âœIâm rather fond of them actually.â You know, considering you were one. Plus, if you didnât say that then they might think you hate them in turn. You donât want them thinking that youâre a threat...at least at the moment. âœWhat I really blame is their negligence and selfishness...maybe you all can learn from your fellow menâs example and try not to allow this world to suffer the same fate. We can all do our part in preventing such a bleak outcome. I know I certainly will while Iâm still here. Call me a hypocrite but my selfishness dictates that I preserve what you all have in fear of what fate will befall it.â
âœEh haha...I donât think thatâs selfish. Iâd say the opposite.â
âœMm. Thank you, Liam.â Wanting to make the conversation cheerful again you ask a question, âœBut enough about me. How old are you three anyway? You all look pretty young to me.â
âœReally?â Vanceâs collected question can be heard from the other side of the cart as he is guarding the right side.
âœYes? I mean, my guess is that youâre all in your early twenties, right?â
âœUm, not all of us.â Liam is the first to answer, âœIâm eighteen while Vance and Nate areââ
Nate huffs when Liam turns his way, âœWeâre both twenty on the mark.â
âœAh, really? Wow.â You smile playfully, âœYouâre all babies.â
âœTsk,â Nate spits a wad to his left, âœAnd what are you old freak? A hundred or something?
âœUhhhâIâve been around...â You canât really tell them the truth...and you never really made up an estimate for how old SÅsaku-sha is. You just left that to be something players and theorists debate about. Errr...maybe...uh...maybe you could beat around the bush? An ambiguous answer may be just what you need, âœ...waaaaay longer than any of you have been alive, thatâs for sure.â
Nailed it.
âœThough age matters little to me since Iâm immortal.â
âœHah! And during all that time alive you couldnât get some?â
âœAck! Please,â You scrunch up your face, already starting to feel it redden, âœnot now.â
âœNow listen here, freak.â You donât think that he can give you a more smug look than the one heâs showing you at present, âœYou seem so eager to teach us principles and life lessons, I feel that I should give you one now that youâre trying to act like one of us.â
Cringing with reddening skin you shake your head furiously, âœOh-No! Please donât! I d-donât want to hear anything related to this matter, thank you!â
âœPlease? And leave you negligent? Heavens no. If you want to fit into that skin of yours, youâve got to act like a man.â
âœIâm not listening!â You cover your ears in hope that itâll block out Nate but you remember that you donât need ears to listen when you hear âœHere he goes again.â whispered under Liamâs breath.
âœAnd who better to teach you the principles of lovemaking than an experienced man?â
âœOh my god! Shut up!â Your hands are crushing your skull by how much pressure youâre applying to alleviate you from this plight. You almost start praying in hope for some divine intervention when a tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something in front of you to your right that makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
âœHuh? Hey, why have you stop-â âœShush. Liam! Stop the wagon!â
âœSÅ?â Liam does just as you say as Nate grips his blade with new vigor, storming after you as you walk around the horses.
âœWhat are you doing, freak?!â
âœI told you to be quiet! I sense something off.â
âœWhat are you implying?â Vance walks to the front to see what is wrong.
âœIââ You focus on the growing buzzing on your skin that is drawing you to check out the direction you feel its source is. A cluster of trees just a little ways ahead blocks your view.
âœYou better have a damn good reason to be wasting our time or I swear Iâll-â
âœI am able to sense nearby living beings' presences with a...an ability of mine. With this, Iâm trying to inform you all of an abnormality Iâm picking up in that direction,â You point over to the patch of trees to what lies beyond. The young men, whoâve all now gathered in front of the horses with you, scan the direction which you indicate. âœThis...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there have been around us up until now. It-oh? Itâs...itâs not just one creature...itâs many.â
âœIt...may be a herd of deer.â Liam mumbles, âœThey sometimes come out here to graze.â
You shake your head, âœThis feels much larger than some deer...though...hmm...no. There are a few that...seem huge while thereâs more that seem to be...much shorter than us. What is this that Iâm feeling?â
The three share a look before immediately shifting gears.
âœAlright,â Nate bares his teeth at you, âœyou better not be pulling our legs because if I find out you are Iâll stick my blade right up your ass.â
âœDuly noted.â
âœHowever...if your assumption is right we might have some company.â He turns his attention to the trees, âœHow close are they?â
âœI...I canât tell,â
Nate doesnât look pleased with your answer, âœTsk, just our luck for it to be too far for Vance to pick up anything. The wind isnât helping us either...Guess we have no choice, men.â He nods to his two friends, âœWeâll continue on our way but donât drift off course. If they make any moves weâll be ready. Sounds good?â
âœMmfâ âœYeah, letâs do thisâ
âœHuh?â You watch Liam make his way back to the driverâs seat and the other two move out of the way of the horses, âœWait, you guys are going to try to bait whatever they are out? Why?â
âœFor the same reason we hunt any monsters, freak. Money.â
âœA-and if we donât deal with them they might go off and hurt others.â Liam coughs, covering his friend's selfishness as he grabs the reins to the horses.
âœYeah butââ You didnât actually think youâd be getting into a fight so soon. Youâd daydream of scenarios like this, especially during campaigns that had surprise encounters, however...this feels totally different. This isnât some game anymore.
Things are about to get bloodyâ
And somehow youâre fine with that.
You step out of the way to Vanceâs side, tired of Nate hovering over your back like a child wanting to play on your phone, to allow Liam to start on his way. The pissed scowl that appears on Nate is cut off by the cart as the horses start pulling their load again, prompting you all to follow suit.
Youâre completely nonplussed, if not a little weary and excited, by the idea that youâll watch and possibly take part in killing some creatures that fit the same category as you in being monsters. If they intend on taking your lives then they should be prepared for the same fate. All living beings should know that rule. For their sakes, they better not test those waters. Liam, Nate, and Vance all seem confident in their own abilities, not to mention yourself. And if youâre right on your theory of being triggered like a NPC, youâll most likely have no mercy to spare for what may come.
âœMmm...this is just like random encounters. Hopefully, the dice roll in our favor.â
âœLiam, Nate.â Vance calls out to his friends out from behind you.
âœHave you picked anything up?â
âœNo, not yet. But I wanted to ask before we spot any monsters if you two wouldnât mind SÅ also helping us.â
âœWhat?!â Nateâs head pops out from around the cart to check if Vance isnât being mind-controlled by you, âœWhy would we fucking want a monster to fight alongside us?!â
âœHeâs very skilled in magic, donât you remember me telling you that? His abilities could greatly assist us.â
âœI donât want this thing anywhere near us, especially while using magic. It may take this opportunity to attack us and help their brethren.â
âœNate, Iâm serious.â
âœSo am I!â
âœI donât really mind either way.â Liam speaks up before a fight could ensue, âœBesides, shouldnât we get SÅâs opinion on this? I mean, we canât really stop them from holding back or helping us.â
âœI can stop them.â Hate-filled eyes squint your way, âœTheyâd just be another corpse to the pile weâll be hauling.â
âœNate! Thatâs enough! Besides, youâre overruled in this matter! Vance wants them to help us and I donât mind what they choose to do.â
âœTsk! Iâm not fighting alongside the freak!â
âœFine then! You can pout on the sidelines while we do the dirty work.â
âœHell no, Iâm not doing that either!â
âœThen croak over and die for all I care. Whatever stops you from complaining!â Liam surprises you with his backlash before he turns your way with the most tired look you think he could muster, âœSÅ, none of us are going to force you to do anything. You can decide if you want to help us or not. If you choose to help us, however, know that you will be killing creatures similar to yourself. Only help us if youâre prepared for that outcome, okay? We canât afford you backing out in the middle of an ambush because you canât handle it. Weâll be relying on you. Do you understand?â
âœYeah. I figured as much.â
Nate looks like the aftermath of a child being told to go to time out, âœTsk! I hope thereâs nothing there.â
âœI think we all hope thereâs nothing there.â Vance echoes before he looks at you for an answer, âœBut if there is, SÅ, what do you plan on doing?â
Thatâs a good question. Youâre not against fighting for...some odd reason...but youâve never killed anything that could be considered a monster...well, outside of games at least. The only issue is that you donât know what kind of monsters they could be! Yggdrasil contains many creatures of similar sizes to the ones youâre feeling. However, they may be completely different from what you know. The magic system may be the same...but the creatures? According to what youâve discussed early this morning with the three and the chieftain, there are similarities with the fauna of this world to Yggdrasil...however, you cannot rule out the possibility that there may be different things present in this world.
Maybe Nate is right in the fact that youâd get in the way. You had thought earlier that if something like this would occur that you should help since it could negatively impact how they will see you.
Things are different now.
If you stay out of the fray it seems that the three will be fine with it. You might actually get some brownie points with Nate if you do so. Heâs the biggest obstacle in this alliance youâve made with Bourn village and staying back might sedate him a bit. Youâll be safe and they can do what they want to do. This all probably could be avoided if they just take a detour but theyâre set out in what they want accomplished. Youâre not obligated to help them in any way. In fact, you can take this opportunity to learn their skills. You have a suspicion of what they all can do but it is still unclear. Whether you use this information to exploit or avoid certain scenarios in the future is up to you.
But you could also learn from them while helping them. You donât like the thought of them dying because it just...doesnât feel right to let anyone that youâve been aligned with get hurt on your watch. Vance and Liam sure seem like theyâd like you to help them. Nate, on the other hand, will probably hate you more...unless you do good work. If youâre able to prove yourself trustworthy then that could light a mutual understanding. That is if you donât hurt them in the process.
You learned from Vance that youâre on a totally different level than them. You already knew that but from how he reacted to you casting some of your spells only solidified the matter. If you slip up at all you might as well try to alter their memories if they donât die as a result. Even if you heal them they may still see you as a threatâ
Mmmm...maybe you should just fight the enemy on your own? Itâd be a good chance to see what youâre capable of without the threat of your allies getting mowed down. Not only that but showing that you want to use your abilities to protect them may put them at ease. If anything it could earn you some of the respect they seem to lack for you.
The issue that you donât know what you could be facing may make you look bad. If you start to be overcome by whatever the creatures ahead are it could make you look pathetic. Not to mention that if theyâre anything like you then they have thoughts and feelings of their own. Itâll be like killing a human.
Mmm...are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you?
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what does startle you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No. No. It shouldnât be right under any circumstance...but your lives seem to be in danger-
The sound of heavy breathing and cackling meets your ears just as a cold feeling makes its way across your skin.
âœI hear them.â Your voice is steady as you inform them of what you know, âœI donât know what they are but they definitely know weâre here. There are over twenty of them in total. Theyâre saying...that they smell us...theyâre...moving closer...theyâre preparing to jump us.â
âœYou can hear them from this far away against the wind?â Vance seems impressed, âœWeâre still around four hundred meters away from the patch of trees.â
âœEven if I look like I have human ears, theyâre anything but. Guess I better tell you guys what Iâve decided on doing...â
What will you do?
Iâll spectate.
Iâll co-op.
Iâll go solo.
Chapter End Notes
OOO, the second quick time event in this pathway, coming piping hot and ready. Your next few choices will decide major factors into your relationships, your future allies, general knowledge, abilities, and more. Let me emphasize, this is all very choice sensitive and is important to your overall story so think well on what you'll do now and when I update this pathway again. There will be quick time events within the chapters for you to enact on rather than at the end of the chapters. I'm excited and I hope you all are too for it.
Also, I hope you all like your new form. It's not permanent of course but you'll look like this any time you're human from now on (except special occasions of course). SÅsaku-sha's overall look is not just what they observed from the village but a combination of the color palettes of their realm and their own biology. In other words, there's a reason why they look the way they do.
Besides that, I've been able to catch up on schooling. I've been busting my tail to get ahead so I can have more time to myself to work on my personal projects, such as this. I've also been playing some Among Us and getting frustrated with dumb calls but what can you do? I've also been working on some artwork that I'll be posting soon that I'm sure a certain person will like~ Speaking of which, hey Download077, hope you don't mind me referencing your work into this chapter. I couldn't help myself (â„ â„ââ„ωâ„ââ„ â„). I also plan on connecting a few other's works into my AU, I just got to see how I can. If you all don't know yet, I'm on MASS FOR THE DEAD so if you want to co-op with me my player ID is 587,064,599. I'd love to play with all of you! That's it for now! Thank you for all the love and support, it makes it all the more sweeter to give this all to you! Have a wonderful day, eat properly, and sleep like the dead!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: IF I WERE A GIRL
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be. The result is a bet made with coin. You change your form into that of a human man to find out the results of such a bet...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I hope you are all fairing well. October is finally here! My favorite month of the year! Midterms are right around the corner so I might be a little tight on updates but I've written some things ahead. However, even though I wasn't able to post more chapters this time around, I believe this chapter is one of my favorites among the ones I've written so far. I hope you enjoy it as much or more than I did!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: IF I WERE A GIRL
Since you were a woman back on Earth, it only makes sense to also try to appear like a woman in this new world. That way youâll be able to fit into your persona more naturally. Besides...you donât think you could properly act like a man. Theyâre so different in comparison to women, not just body wise. Boy code and what not is something totally out of the loop for you and you donât want to risk testing those waters.
With that settled you understand that this will be the hard part...youâll have to figure out how to actually change your appearance into something new. Maybe envisioning what you want your new form to look like is the first step? To do that you need to draw inspiration from what you have seen from the men in this village.
Theyâre all Caucasian so appearing white is a must. Though you donât want to appear too white. If you take on pale skin you may be mistaken for a noble which would draw unwanted attention your way. A little bit of color would help you. A beige skin tone may be just what you need. Yes.
Height is also something that you need to change. None of the women here are near seven feet tall. In fact, none of the men are either. You donât want to be a giant gawked at so youâll need to appear shorter. A foot and a half sounds reasonable but the spell youâre going to cast can only allow a foot to be deducted. Six feet is very tall for a woman in this time period, in any time period. Youâll stand out for sure in that aspect...but you can try to cover it up with other common traits.
Next hair. Most to all people here seem to either have brown hair or blond hair so one of those sounds reasonable...hmmm...but which would be better? Maybe something in between? You nod before calculating the length of your hair. Most of the women in this village have long hair so you suspect thatâs the way to go. The longest their hair seems to be is right under their butts so you decide that you should keep it that long. Curls might also help. The length can help you can tie it back if need be...or alter the Disguise Self spell so you can do so. Mhm. Nice.
Okay. And what about your appearance? Age? You donât want to look out of place with these boys even if you are older than them so you want to appear like youâre in your early twenties. Body? Endo...no, no...ah! Mesomorph! Thatâs it! And how toned should you be? The image of you being jacked flashes through your head for a quick second and you almost jump on this opportunity to fulfill your anime fantasies...but decide against it for your safetyâs sake, choosing to keep the form fit and nothing more. If you appear too fat or too muscular it can draw too much attention. Thick eyebrows and eyelashes. Uh-huh. Full lips. That is a common trait. Nose...nose...this one is a little weird. What kind of nose should you have? Greek? Mmm, no, no...Roman? Mmmm...mh, that might work. Yes. Now, what eye color should you hav-
âœWha-What the FUCK?!â Nate screams and you jump in response to see his eyes bulging out of his bright red face, glued downwards as he continues, âœStop! Stop! I donât want to see that!!!â
âœH-huh?!â You peep out in response as the tan boy covers his eyes with an arm and Liam and Vance start choking on air, turning away from you as you float in place stupefied.
âœYour body!!!â âœBWAHAHAHA! Youâre-*cough* Youâre naked, SÅ!â
âœEh?â The single note escapes your lips at their claims. âœBut...Iâve always been naked? Why are you all acting this way now- Wait.â
Your voice! Itâs only feminine now.
âœThis is worse!!!â Nate glares at you through his fingers, determined not to look any further down your body than your shoulders as he screams at you in a furious manner, âœYou look human! Cover yourself, now!!!â
âœI lookââ His words are hard to understand despite them being very simple.
Human? You look human? But you havenât even used Disguise Self yet so why? You reach up an arm to scratch your neck as you mull over his words-
âœEh?â Hair...you feel hair.
Your golden eyes widen as you tug a strand of wavy hair that matches the color of your eyes out for you to blink at, your rosy lips forming an o.
âœHuh.â
âœHuh?! Thatâs your response?!â Nate turns hastily away from you to Liam who is completely losing his shit, rolling all over the supplies in the back of the wagon, âœYou son of a bitch! Stop laughing!â Nate bends down, picks up a large pebble, and squares Liam right in the back with it after a strong chuck.
âœOW! Shit!â Liam arches his spine in pain as he worms his arms to feel the spot Nate hit before scowling at his friend âœThat fucking hurt asshole! Iâm going to bruise up n-OW, stop!!!â Nate nails Liam right in the side of the ribcage with another pebble while the boyâs arms were still behind his back.
âœThen stop laughing at me, prick, and get some clothes for this thing! You want me to vent on you some more, huh?!!â Nate bends down to pick up a third pebble which has the blond boy scrambling to do as he asked.
âœOkay! OKAY! Iâm going! Iâm going! Just donât hit me with another-OW, fuck!â Nate nails another pebble just as he jumps off of the cart but this time it hits him right in the back of his thigh. âœPiece of-Mother-Rawgh!â Liam hops on one leg for a good second before sprinting to avoid any more of Nateâs wrath.
âœ...That wasnât very nice of you.â
âœShut up freak!â He turns to you with bared teeth. âœYouâd think that a creature that had been proclaimed to be a God would be able to produce something to cover their body.â
âœIâm not a God. Iâm a creator.â You state as you look down to assess your body, âœI can only create life. I need materials to produce anything else...â You purse your lips and with raised eyebrows as take in what you actually have. Moving your hands from your hips up you realize that you have an hourglass shape. Once your hands are high enough you cup your breasts to estimate their size. C Cup? Huh, okay.
âœTsk! Some fucking creator you are! Canât even-HEY!!! D-donât feel yourself in front of me!!!â
âœErk-Eh...Iâm sorry.â You straighten your attention back out from your body, âœHad to make sure everything is...present.â
âœI donât give a fuck, just...donât do that in front of me.â Nate stomps toward Vance who has kept his back faced toward you since youâve settled back into a human form. âœAre you sure about this? What if it tries to do something fishy?â
âœ...Well...from what Iâve seen of their...her abilities?... Iâd say we wouldnât be able to do anything.â
âœWhat?! What do you mean by that?!â
âœ...look. We may be silver class adventurers right now and...hell, you should be a gold rank adventurer but...thereâs more to SÅ than what meets the eye.â
âœUm...you know I can hear everything you guys are saying, right?â
Nate heatedly turns his head back your way, his face reddening, âœThen donât fucking listen to us! Cover your ears now that you have a pair! Also, go grab a blanket from the cart to cover yourself. You shouldnât be like that out in the open!â
Vance waves at Nate to which he follows until theyâre both what they suspect to be out of earshot but you could still surprisingly hear them as clear as day. âœNateââ The dark-haired boy whispers, âœbased on what Iâve seen from her, and...please trust me on this. She hasnât brainwashed me or anything but...sheâs been telling the truth.â
âœAbout what?â
âœAbout...very possibly...everything.â
âœEverything...really?â
âœNate, I know what youâre thinking but...I really did see things and what she can do matches up with what she said she can do.â
âœTsk, like what?â
You continue to listen in to their conversation, Vance listing off and comparing everything he has learned, as you continue to look over and feel your new body.
This is definitely not Disguise Self. Not only are some of the additions to yourself tangible but you hadnât felt the familiar drop in Mana that comes with casting. This is completely something that your own body did...or your avatarâs body did. But you hadnât made SÅsaku-sha with shapeshifting abilities. You need spells in order to do that. SÅsaku-sha is a Creator. That is literally their only racial stat. The Creator stat gives your Avatar more freedom to be fluid but not literally! You donât have any job classes or perks that support shapeshifting either. That doesnât explain why you were able to turn into something similar to a human...well, there are a lot of things that donât have an exclamation for why theyâre happening. This situation for example is the CrÃme de la crÃme of âWHAT THE FUCK?!â
*sigh*...
Well, either way, youâre just here for the ride it seems. Youâre just going to have to make best with what you have and become a quick learner.
Your new body for example. Itâs exactly how you envisioned it to become...maybe even better. You twist your arms around and flex your muscles, watching as they shift under your toned skin.
Ahh, no more rainbow mess. And to have a face again.
Your fingers trail along your face to get a sense of what you look like now. It doesnât really help too much...but you can feel the smile on your new face.
Ah! You have a mouth again!
You lick your straight teeth as you try to find out more.
Even though you look human, youâre still not breathing you realize. Whenever you speak your voice doesnât seem to be coming out of your mouth. Rather, it vibrates through your chest like it had when you still looked like your avatar.
So, technically, youâre not human but rather something that looks human.
The smile falls and is replaced with a pout.
Your vision isnât any different either. You can still see all around you even the villagers who seem to be gawking your way from where they reside inside and outside their houses. You turn your head one particular way to a group of men who are chatting around a corner and pointing at you. Upon noticing your sudden attention on them they wave at you pink-faced and chuckling.
Huh. You...donât think that youâve ever been treated this way by members of the opposite sex. You wave back before a click of thought enters your mind that has you hugging your middle.
Um...are...are they perturbed by your nude state? Wait. Why doesnât it doesnât...bother you? Shouldnât you feel...ashamed or uncomfortable? You practically feel the embarrassment spread across your skin and you turn away red-faced, the men all laughing and catcalling out loud now.
âœThat is a strange thought. How Iâm fine being nude whenââ You know youâd never be okay with being naked as a human, or a human back on Earth. Socially acceptable attire and all, but you were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
âœI mean, just look at it.â Nate and Vance peek out from their spot from behind the wagon as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Unbeknownst to the two young men shyly watching you, you were internally screaming.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You thrash in the air and slap your face, causing the boys to scrunch up their faces in bafflement. Nate shakes his head skeptical of the facts he has been given and bothered by your current form, âœItâs hard to believe that this...thing can use eighth tier magic.â
âœShe can and she said that she can use higher ones than that.â
You ignore their patronizing words as you continue to mumble to yourself, âœH-how bizarre. Is it because I created this body this way or becauseââ You shift your attention down to what lies under your shoulders with a darkening of the pink blush, âœI...had nothing to hide as SÅsaku-sha?â You didnât have anything, it was all flat. You still had an ass but nothing in the frontâbut now that you appear human...
âœO-oh nooooââ You curl into a ball and allow Ascend to slowly dwindle off so you could let the Earth consume you below. It doesnât swallow you up and put you out of your misery as you wanted it to, however, it does bloom a seat of flowers for you to sit upon as you wait.
Youâll get an outfit soon enough to cover yourself with. Liam is making sure of that...but itâs strange. Youâre not ashamed of being nude as SÅsaku-sha. The same could almost be said about your new human form. You only really started to feel embarrassed after you really started to think about it.
âœIs this part of my biology?â Your body is different but...how can that change how your mind works...how you think of yourself?
â.
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind had been changed, along with your body?
You look down past your hands to the patch of fresh grass and wildflowers you sit upon. Even though you look human now, hidden beneath is SÅsaku-sha. Youâve seen your avatar plenty of times...but now itâs...differentâhowever...you donât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off. Plus youâve been doing some mentally straining tasks since this whole ordeal started...yet youâre not feeling any fatigue. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar so why arenât you feeling tired?
You love to sleep so you hope itâs something you can still do.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity. Especially now as you are trying to act human.
âœI got the clothes!â Liamâs ragged voice meets the three of youâs ears as he returns jogging, gripping onto a huge pile of clothing as he makes his way over.
âœTook you long enough!â Nate spits while moving out the way with Vance as the blond spills the articles onto the back on the cart.
âœShut it. I donât want to hear it after you practically stoned me.â Liam pants before waving at you to come over, âœSÅ. I got you some clothes to try on.â
âœThank you, Liam. I really appreciate this.â You stand up and walk on over, Liam being the only one not outwardly affected by your nudity beyond a blush. âœCanât really blend in with my bare ass.â
âœN-no problem, though...these are my old clothes. I couldnât borrow any from anyone else so I tried to pick out the ones that could fit you. They may be a little big since weâre,â he gestures to the space in between him and you, âœuh, different sizes.â
âœItâs only for the time being, right? These will make do until I can get a hold of some garments on my own.â You pick up everything, like a giddy toddler, to look at what youâll practically be cosplaying as. Haha! You just realized youâre practically gimping right now!
A short, tattered, beige tunic is the first item that you hold up to slip on. Although frayed in some areas, thereâs no holes or tears you see as you slip the thing over your head like a shirt.
âœYouâre right. It is um...a little big.â Slipping your arms in the tubes gives you no resistance and without having to pull it down it falls just above the knees, âœWaaah~ Itâs just like a nightgown.â
âœY-yeah.â Liam blushes a little, turning his head away to his equally if not more flustered comrades as they try to ignore your nipples poking at the fabric, âœIs that a good thing?â
âœMhm, you could say that.â You search for the next item you want to slip on before ending up empty-handed âœUmm...is there any underwear?â
The three make perplexed expressions before Liam answers you with his own question, âœWhatâs underwear?â
âœWhatâs under-Ooooh...yeah, thatâs right.â They donât have anything like undergarments in the Medieval ages. Ugh, well...you werenât really looking forward to wearing any grimey old underwear in the first place. Maybe this is a mercy. âœGuess Iâm going commando.â
âœCommando?â Vance echoes as you find a pair of beige braies to put on.
âœUm, itâs slang where I come from for not wearing any underwear under your clothes.â You make an umf noise as you finish pulling up the baggy pants and start to work on tying the knot around your waist into a double knotted bow, âœIt is something meant to be comfortable that you do at home but is publicly seen as gross and unhygienic.â
Liam raises an eyebrow, âœAgain, what is underwear? You make it sound like itâs something important.â
âœUmââ You grab the dark brown, wool chauses next, slipping them over the braies and tunic like a crazy long pair of socks until they sit right up your hips, âœThey are pieces of clothing that...uh...are meant to cover only your private areas. They hold errr, many purposes depending on which types you wear.â A matching colored arming belt is what you slip around your waist next to strap the chauses in place. âœPreventing leakage, keeping you warm, padding s-sensitive areas, altering the shape of your body, cover eh-exposing areas, a-and some are made to be *cough* uh...f-flirty.â
The boys seem to have varying reactions to this new knowledge but only one speaks up, âœSÅ.â
âœMm?â You nod to Vance to continue as you tighten the belt around your waist so it won't slip.
âœIâve...noticed that you get somewhat flustered when you talk about anything sensual.â
âœErk-â You tug harshly at the last string to the belt and it pops off, leaving the bottom portion of the belt slightly agar. You cringe apologetically at the now tired-looking Liam, before deciding not to waste it by tying a portion of your hair back with it, âœI do not know what youâre talking about.â
Nate huffs an airy yet strained laugh in a hardly amused fashion as he crosses his arms, âœDo you really get hot and bothered if anything considered sexy is brought up?â
The moment the S word left his lips you burst out red and your arms flail out in front of the space between Nate and you, âœS-shut up! I donât want to hear it!â
âœHah! Thatâs hilarious!â Nate leans in a snarky way as he gloats on his revelation, laughing boastfully as he rubs it in your flustered and shameful expression, âœThe all-powerful creator of life and worlds gets embarrassed by bedroom talk!â
âœShut up!!!â Gritting your teeth as you literally feel the heat radiating off of your features now, you send a glare his way with a higher-pitched voice, âœCut it out! Ahhhk!â
âœBWAAhahaha! You virgin! Iâll remember to use this later.â The scheming smirk he sends as he hurriedly walks away isnât comforting and youâre sure he can see the discomfort on your face because his smile grows a smidge before he finally turns his head from you.
âœAwugh, thatâs going to bite me in the ass later...â You cringe painfully, slapping a hand over your face as you pitifully try to hide from Vance and Liam who appear somewhat sympathetic to your predicament, albeit amused.
âœI want to reassure you not to worry about it...but knowing Nate heâll hold this information over your head for the rest of your life.â
âœ*Sigh, I could guess as much.â You pick up the scratched up knee and arm pads made up of mostly leather and continue to get changed. âœThough I donât age in this body, so technically speaking, heâll hold this over my head for the rest of his life. After that, heâll be out of my hair.â
âœAh-ha haââ Liam grimaces at your choice of wording so youâre quick to patch it up.
âœDonât worry. The only malice I hold toward your friend is annoyance. I donât plan on harming him or anyone for that matter. If anything, Iâd like to keep things peaceful for the meantime.â Flexing your elbows and knees, you find the padding acceptable and you move onto the worn, black, knee-high, leather boots. Just as you open your mouth to ask a question to lighten up the situation a disturbingly cold feeling runs over you which has you turning your head quickly in the direction of the barn, just in time to hear blood-curdling squeals. âœWhatââ
âœIs there something wrong, SÅ?â
âœ...Iââ You swallow at the feeling of...sensations disappearing as the sound of squealing dwindles off with gargling just to be replaced with more of that squealing. Itâs a feeling that strikes you at the core making you wonder what sort of horror should be occurring to cause such-
Realization slaps you in the face as you remember your conversation with Mr. Long last night:
âœShit! The pigs have eaten the black dust sprouts!â Nate screams and throws his hands up into his hair while all who heard show clear shock and distress.
âœBlack dust sprouts?â You ask nervously, wondering what the severity of that meant.
An older man with a tuft of dark hair finds the words to answer you. âœThey are a highly valuable anesthetic but poisonous when taken raw.â
...Uh oh.
Not only have you damaged their barn but youâve possibly killed some of their livestock and destroyed some of their produce as well.
âœWill the pigs die from consuming the sprouts?â
âœJudging by how much theyâve eaten, itâs certain. Weâll have to butcher them for their meat but it wonât be a lot since most of them are hardly piglets. Shame they couldnât have been a bit older to live up to the price they cost.â
Another squeal jackhammers the feeling of guilt into your soul.
You probably could have healed those poor animals...however, you understand that you did what you had to do to survive and you thought using magic would be dangerous...itâs still a shame, however. Even if it was an accident you canât help but grimace as you continue to hear more squeals before gurgling noises.
âœSÅ?â
âœ...I-itâs nothing, Liamââ You send him a smile, forcing yourself to ignore the sounds to spare your conscience to bring up the question you had been wanting to ask, âœby the way, Vance, I heard that youâre an adventurer? Iâm assuming that you three are all so?â
âœThatâs correct,â He slips a hand under the navy face mask that sits around his neck and holds up what looks to be a dog tag, âœWe are all silver rank adventurers.â
âœHuh, why didnât you guys bring it up when you were explaining what adventurers are last night? Wouldnât that have been a good time to educate me?â You hum as you slip your foot into the last boot. Augh, thereâs too much space in them.
âœWeââ Liam looks over to Vance with a strained look, âœwe thought it would make you become hostile if we told you that we killed monsters for a livingââ
âœAh, I seeâ.â You frown at the thought of them comparing you to a man-eating ogre. You bet that if you didnât try to talk to them right off the get-go they wouldnât have hesitated from trying to kill you. You swallow. âœI will admit, it would have probably put me on edge to learn such a thing if it wasnât for the fact that I already was skittish.â You pick up gloves that hold much likeness to the boots to slip on next, âœHowever, itâs hard to believe that all you three do is kill monsters. Werenât there other things adventurers do?â
âœOf course there is.â The blond boy spreads his arms out to his sides, âœIt all really depends on whatâs requested, what we are willing to do, and what our ranking allows us to do. Though Iâd be lying if I said we donât mostly work to kill creatures...wellââ He waves his hand in your direction as you slip a black cloak on, âœlike you.â
âœFair.â You straighten the robe before reaching for the smaller brown one to slip it above the black one youâre wearing, âœI see that you three are designed for more...uh, violent work ethics. Vance is your ranger.â You nod in the direction of his bow, âœLiam is...hey, are you a healer?â
âœOh? You could tell?â Liam lights up at your guess which has Vance patting his shoulder.
âœShe probably used Mana Essence on all of us already and saw the skill you two hold in magic.â
âœHuh? Ho no, I havenât checked any of you yet.â Though, you should probably do that soon.
Back when youâd have player raids on the Citadel, Casting Mana Essence, Life Essence, and Detect Enemy (not including Appraisal Magic Item when there was the need and a few other spells) was almost like breathing to you once you spotted players. Now that you know how to cast spells in this world you should try to keep up the habit so you at least know what to expect from others...but thatâs also something interesting. They know of spells that exist in Yggdrasil or...spells from your game exist in this world. You had an inkling of a feeling that this might have been the case but you didnât want to throw away the theory that the spells you have differ from this world...huh, what if there are spells here that donât exist in Yggdrasil. If there are...can you possibly learn them?...food for thought. Youâre sure that youâll find out eventually.
You pick up the last article, a thin, black, leather belt and you strap it around your waist. âœThe clothes Liam is wearing gave it away. Typically support wear more baggy clothing and I donât see any main weapons on his person so I found it safe to assume such...and what do you mean by two? Are you saying Nate is also a-â
âœLetâs get going already!â Speak of the devil. You three turn your heads to Nate who is waving agitatedly, âœEverything is put together for the trip and I already informed the elders of what weâre bringing along. I donât want to waste any more time in getting this freak off of our hands and two more gold pieces in place.â
âœIâm telling you, theyâre worth more than what you think-â
âœShut it. I donât want to hear from you. Liam, Vance,â He sticks his thumb to the cart, âœyou two know what to do.â
âœGot it.â âœAlright!â The boys you had been talking with walk off to their places on as Nate stalks up to you.
You automatically feel something cold tickle your skin and you stiffen your stance automatically in response to his approach. Nate stands almost chest to chest with you, his disdain filled eyes level down to your own, you now realizing that youâre height is way less than six feet, as his glare shadows over.
âœListen here, freak,â His voice leaves his lips lower and more calculated than youâve ever heard from him before, âœyou may look like an attractive woman but that wonât change who you really are. If I suspect anything amiss from you, be it trying to flee or showing your true nature, beast...youâll be dead before you finish the thought. You know what we do for a living. The only reason Iâm not trying to kill you now is because your carcass will be worth less than the gold youâre going to give us. Thatâs it. Be grateful and behave, for Iâm playing along with this little bet. If you get lucky maybe I wonât go out of my way to kill you after this whole debacle is over.â He takes a step back just to jab a finger at your unmoving, clothed chest. You hardly realize that you donât feel his emotions at his contact before he continues, âœDonât get cocky, however. Youâll always be one slip up away from my wrath. For both of our sakes, donât make an enemy of me. Is that clear?â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœâ.â
âœ...C r y s t a l.â Youâre sure he can hear the strained hate in your voice but you canât help being triggered somehow by his words. The moment he said he wants to kill you, something switched in you thatâs making it very hard not to lash out at the lower life form, almost like he activated aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it. That...that actually would make a lot of sense. You were a final boss in Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered. You only started to fight players once they showed you hostility so this might be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering Nate and feel a drive to do so.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are.
Jolt of a shiver visibly runs through Nate but you hardly notice the same thing occurring to every creature in a ten-mile radius.
Nateâs expression falls as he visibly starts to see what looks to be black smoke drift off of you as you lean your malicious face up into his, standing on your toes to do so.
âœThough...I must say...you do seem to enjoy poking the bear with the stick. Iâd be more observant, flea,â You make sure not to touch him at all as you walk around him, knowing that if you do your restraint will crack, âœfor I warn you, the boy who keeps poking will come to know that the bear was just a fur coat to something worse. Take your friendâs advice,â You walk away to join Liam without throwing a look over your shoulder, âœand donât underestimate me.â
Nate stands in place for a solid second, frozen by the pressure that you had placed upon him before his expression hardens.
Yeah, no way in hell is he ever going to underestimate you. All monsters are the same anyways. This one may trail flowers behind everywhere it stalks but it could just as easily turn into blood one day. If this thing is as big of a threat as Vance informed him, heâll make sure to be there to stop it when that fur coat falls, revealing what he knows it truly is. It may say it is life, but he knows the truth.
All monsters are death...and this one is no different...
â—
âœHuh. Strange...â
âœWhat is it SÅ?â
âœThe clothes you gave me. Theyâre...not loose anymore.
âœHmm?â Liam turns his head around his left shoulder to briefly look you over, holding onto the reins of the horses where he sits. âœMaybe youâve adjusted into them?
âœMmmmâmaybeââ Your toes say otherwise. Even if the boots are made of worn leather material, they shouldnât have been able to shrink that quickly. They shouldnât be able to shrink at all, howeverâ
Looking down at your feet, which thankfully donât trail flowers everywhere now that theyâre covered, as you walk alongside the cart full of supplies you donât see any reason to explain why your feet feel sung inside.
No, the black leather boots look completely fine. Brand new if you could think so boldly. In fact, your whole outfit doesnât sag around your body as much.
You grab a shoulder with your dominant hand before rolling it about, flexing the material that encompasses the area.
It doesnât slide off. Huh. And the smell of it-
You pinch the collar to your tunic in between your gloved fingers before bringing it up to your nose, sniffing it out of habit after forgetting for a good moment that you donât need your nose to do so.
Have you become nose blind to the slightly musty scent or has it really stopped smelling bad?
â
â
Eh, forget it.
You drop your collar to continue walking merrily.
You get headaches when you think too hard on things that donât make any sense so you decide to leave it as is and appreciate that youâre no longer uncomfortable.
The four of you have been making your way to the city of E-Rantel to appraise your gold coins for the past hour. The village has been long gone over the vast hilly expanse of green for quite some time now and, despite your not so pleasant human company, yellowish-orange butterflies with dark spots peppering their wings flutter all around you to make up for it.
The sun is a little higher now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite the afternoon yet. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you have remained somewhat in a numb trance as your group continues on their way.
The sun has made it considerably warmer as the bright star continues to climb higher. The increasing temperature has been noticeable but despite you being heavily clothed youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things. Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to go to your first convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward. However, all you have done today since the departure is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that sparkles while it hops in and out of passing fluffy clouds. You watch the lively sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that you had developed with the help of a few others.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this not at all Yggdrasil. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again without turning your head, to see Nate still trying to kill you with his eyes alone.
He canât see the annoyed look that slips onto your face from where youâre walking.
Heâs still going on about keeping an eye on âœthe monsterâ and never showing his back to you. The fact that he has a white-knuckled grip still on the hilt of his sword strapped to his side.
Is his hand not tired? If you kept a grip like that for as long as he has youâd be having cramps in that hand for a week.
The fact that heâs willing to accept pain over letting his guard down around you is very telling.
He obviously loathes you but whether itâs from a traumatic background or racial conditioning is vague. Best not to tamper with old wounds.
*Sigh*...at least heâs taking your advice.
You shift your vision on what lays beyond Nate. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. How these three know exactly where to go without a compass or a map informs you that they must travel like this often between their village and the capital of Re-Estize. This is also their back yard to say. They probably know these plains like the back of their hands. They even told you so as you all departed from the village. Thatâs why you believed them when they informed you that you all might run into trouble on your trip.
The Great Forest of Tob, a place considered to be deadly and full of peril, is just situated North.
Although the cart obscures most of the view of the woodland, with your incredible sight you can see the silhouette of it miles away with the Azerlisia Mountains peeking up from them.
Frontier villages such as Bourn Village, the one you crashed into, act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Some of those mentioned items are packages on the cart, all collected personally from your three escorts, that will be sold at the capital.
Thereâs a reason why it is known to be dangerous, however.
It is filled with powerful creatures and unknown magical beings alike, not to mention how itâs like a maze of trees within. Liam got scolded when they explained to you the number of times he has gotten lost within the depths of the forests and how many times Vance and Nate had to come to his rescue. Although there is a great and powerful beast that resides and protects the Southern part of the wood, dubbed with the title Wise King of the Forest, âœmonstrous creatures,â in their words, still slip by at times. Most of these monsters are man-eating beings that often target the frontier villages for either easy meals, items to loot, or...people to rapeâ
The grimace isnât kind as it settles into place.
With a village situated so close to such a forest, it only makes sense why the villagers felt so on edge about you last night. How they still feel on edge about you. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, theyâve backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
Is it...wise to do this? The bet. If you win, youâll have a place among them...but...like what Nate said, youâll always be one slip up from receiving wrath. It might not only come from him though but from everyone in that village. Is it wise then...to live under such pressure? Besides, whatâs stopping them from killing you out of the blue? Youâve learned that if they bring your corpse or parts of your corpse to and submit them at their adventurerâs guild, they'll be rewarded according to how much the guild would think youâd be worth. They are most likely summarizing that thereâs more to gain from you being dead than alive.
*Sigh*...
Guess I have to change their minds before they decide to act.
But back at the issue at hand, sometimes some of these monsters donât target frontier villages. In fact, since most of these villages house adventures and the like, monsters will find it difficult to take what they want from them. Thatâs why caravans, such as the type youâre in on, are likely pickings for an ambush.
Although thereâs nowhere any of you could hide, though these three probably wouldn't flee like that, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre attacked, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon the boys. It could look really bad for you to do so. Also, if they die thatâll be on you and you donât like the idea of losing what little trust you have with these people. The rest of the village will probably blame you and, if you assume correct, youâll have a bounty on your head in due time.
Despite it all, however, you find it increasingly unlikely that a sneak attack will occur. You believe this for your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as the horses pulling the cart and the young men, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense with the boys and the two horses. With them being the largest and closest creatures to you, sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre a battery or that your sides are enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind...or ones that arenât actively trying to kill you.
Nate isnât letting up on staring a hole through your skull. Despite him being defensive about keeping an eye out for an ambush, he doesnât seem to be doing a good job at that.
Guess he meant it when he said heâll be watching you.
Well, as long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...but if something does occur...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working.
You nod as you continue to walk without a hint of fatigue, âœSooo...whatâs your relationships with one another?â
âœWhy do you want to know?â Nate grumble was expected.
âœIâm just trying to make conversation. Besides,â You throw him a smirk over your right shoulder, âœI want to start getting to know my new neighbors.â
âœTsk.â
âœAh-ha well, weâre all friends of course.â Liam sends you a weary look, appearing slightly apologetic for Nateâs behavior, âœNate and I have been close since our childhood. We both grew up in Bourn, you see. Vance, on the other hand, had joined us on a request we took up since we didnât have enough hands with us at the time. We liked the way we worked together and we started to party up more often. Eventually, he moved to Bourn with us and the rest is history.â Liam looks forward again when one of the horses snorts, âœThatâs the summary of it. I wonât share any more details than that since it'sâuh, taboo to delve into otherâs pasts.â
âœAh thatâs okay. Thatâs interesting to know.â And now the conversation is dead again. Thankfully one of the butterflies lands on your nose to kill the tension. You cross your eyes to focus on it fluttering its wings as the heat of the rising sun tickles your skin.
âœHehe, hey little guy.â
âœAre you making these things follow you?â Nate huffs out as he swats another butterfly away from him.
âœNo. Iâm not doing anything as far as Iâm aware. They just decided to follow me. Hmm...though my Beast Tamer skills might have something to do with this.â Thank you Beast Tamer skills if youâre the reason. You feel so blessed to be chosen as the butterfly queen!
âœWait, youâre a beast tamer? I thought you were a mage.â
Shaking your head, some of the butterflies lose their balance and start fluttering around you to try to find some perch again, âœIâm a few things actually. Beast Tamer is just one of my Job Classes.â
âœWhat?â Nateâs confused reply is like a slap in the face to your slip up.
âœAck! Sorry, itâs uh...itâs a term used in a few worlds I created to identifyââ Come on, think! Think! âœWwwooooneâs skills in certain fields.â Nailed it. âœTake Liam for example.â You wave to the blond, âœHe would be identified as a Cleric under his Job Class, maybe even a Wizard.â
âœOh! Thatâs interesting.â Liamâs eyes sparkle at the knowledge, âœAnd what about Vance? What would he be?â
You notice the said black-haired boy peek out over the cart to look at you, âœWell...heâs definitely a Ranger and...hmm...maybe a Rogue? I get the feeling that you do a lot of sneaking with the way you dress.â
He nods with a small smile before returning as he was, keeping guard over the right side of the carriage.
âœHow about Nate? What do you think he is?â
âœUh, actually-â
âœI think what itâs trying to say,â Nate cuts in with an unreadable look sent Liamâs way, âœis that it is none of its business to even insinuate such a thing about me. Iâd rather it be as oblivious to what Iâm capable of as much as possible, right Liam?â
âœR-right. Sorry, I forgot.â
âœDonât mention it.â
You canât read into the subtext of whether or not the young man is telling his friend not to worry about it or not to bring up what they must have discussed in private again while youâre around. You assume both. It might be wise to have a change in conversation to avoid blowing out Nateâs fuse.
âœWell, the butterflies are nice either way. We donât have these guys in the wild back where I lived.â
âœWhat do you mean?â
âœUhââ Great, you moved onto another stress-inducing subject, âœwhat I mean is that youâre lucky to be born in a world that wasnât ruined before you.â Your face drops before you continue, âœYour world is so...alive and green. At one time it...my home had been like this but that was before meââ
âœ...Whatâs it like now if you donât mind me asking?â
âœAh...wellââ You swallow before continuing, âœKnow that my world has many terms that arenât uh...present here in this one. You all may not understand some of the things I may say.â
âœThatâs fine. Just try your best, okay?â
Nodding at Liam, you start with hesitance, âœItâs...gray. Everything is gray. There is no natural wildlife except the pests that carry disease. No natural plant life except the ones sustained by outside means. No sky, just the constant poisonous fog we call smog. We do not have the freedom to breathe like you do here. We must wear masks with oxygen tanks...uh, theyâre barrels that supply us with fresh air that must remain strapped onto ourselves when we go outside if we want to avoid an early and painful death. The oceans and streams have been blackened. The fish and other water dwellers had been all replaced with plastic, sludge, and the occasional druggie and suicidal.â You grimace at the memories of seeing bodies of individuals, who have given up hope for something better, being tugged out of streams by cleaning crews. They donât really treat those bodies with respect...You only surmise that they must haul bodies out of the water so often that the corpses are just more trash needed to be pulled out of the stream by them.
âœFood comes in the form of paste packets if you donât have the money to afford better. Concrete-ah um...stone as far as the eye can see...murky and tainting it is. An all-encompassing gray you can never escape. Neon and glittery lights can try to cast all the color back into the world as they can, the overall mood will never change. All lights shut off at some point leaving the world a husk. A skeleton of its former self.â
Silence permeates among the three as the young men cling onto your words.
âœThe only way people find comfort in such a world is to find addictions. We all know that the world is doomed, humans sealed that fate long ago, so most of us have cast morals aside and succumbed to our more...outlandish desires. Some escape reality through highs, dosing, and shooting themselves up with whatever chemicals they can to numb the pain. Alcohol is a kind death, poison that makes the soul feel joyful that many find solace in. Others find escape in gambling for the chance to score big since itâs just too large of an offer to refuse. Finding comfort in others...is also a constant. Love and...love making distract from the numbness of it all. Makes people feel that they have someone to live for. Escaping through risking our lives. The young especially find pleasure in this since close encounters with life-shattering scenarios remind us of our will to live. We call these types of people thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. A good percentage of these types of people die on a daily basis whether by skirting too close to death or they realize that they donât have a will to live anymore.â
Your lip quivers at the dark memories that enter your mind. You probably see a dead person at least once a month back on Earth. Emphasis on at least. No one was truly happy anymore...but you tried your best to make it better for others.
âœThen thereâs my addiction. The type where you escape reality through digital means. There, people could forget for a short time what our home is like as they embody new forms IG...which means in...globes,â yeah, totally not âin-gameâ, âœanother word for new worlds. I too enjoyed the digital realm and I made my life around creating worlds for others to venture off to and explore. Guess you could say that I was the dealer exchanging these highs for profit.â
Your laugh sounds empty and wet at the irony of it all. The three still remain silent as you go on with your sad story.
âœI imitated what I could of life so we could all enjoy sights and hope that weâve all but lost...but I couldââ A choking noise escapes you as you lose your composure for a second before waving an arm to the scenery around you, âœI could have never made this. Iâm jealous of what you all think is normal. Frankly, I feel like Iâm in a dream and none of this is real...still thoughââ
You feel like you're crying but when you wipe your face you see liquid gold smeared on your fingertips.
Huh? What...is this? Did you cast Tears of Jörmung-You know what, you're not even going to question it. You're too overwhelmed with emotions to care.
You wipe the glowing liquid on your pants with a sniff, glad that the boys hadn't seemed to notice your condition.
You just...feel shocked and blessed to be able to experience all of this life. Only now that youâve spoken the truth of Earth do you realize how wonderful this one is.
âœ...you said that humans ruined your world.â Nateâs low voice comes to a surprise to you which has you nodding slowly.
âœMm.â
âœ...How? And why?â
âœ...many reasons...in the beginning, they didnât know that their actions have dire consequences on the environment. Taking resources and not giving back to the earth what itâs due. They saw it as a means to survive,â You turn your head to send the boy a knowing look over your shoulder, âœyou can relate to that, can you not?â
His expression hardens some at your slightly antagonizing words but you shake your head before turning forward again.
âœIâm not being judgmental. Just...pointing out similarities. Besides, they needed those resources...but once humans had collected their needed fill...they wanted more. Nicer tools, nicer clothes, nicer homes. These arenât sins in themselves...but want is so easily turned to greed. Those who could take kept taking, even to the extent that their fellow man became a casualty to it. Those who had more had more power. And what better way to use power than to use it to gain more? War is caused by such greed and death is caused by such misuse of power.
âœ*Sigh*...In the end, more often than not, those with more power win those battles. But with great power always comes great fear. Greed drives man to get to the top...so those at the top will always fear those at the bottom. They all continue to take to make that fear go away or to challenge those of power...but eventually...if you continue to take without giving anything back...one day there will be nothing left to take. All youâre left with is gray. The world had been at the mercy of man and they hadnât shown any sympathy...so now all are at the mercy of a world that has nothing left to lose. In the end...humans ruined themselves. None of what you call monsters can be blamed for such because true monsters are those who take without a care of the consequences.â
Thereâs more silence following your response before Liam sighs, âœ...Iâm sorry.â
âœ...You shouldnât apologize for something that isnât your fault...though I do appreciate the consideration. Although it was humanity that destroyed my home, understand that I do not blame humans.â You send the blond a toothy smile, âœIâm rather fond of them actually.â You know, considering you were one. Plus, if you didnât say that then they might think you hate them in turn. You donât want them thinking that youâre a threat...at least at the moment. âœWhat I really blame is their negligence and selfishness...maybe you all can learn from your fellow menâs example and try not to allow this world to suffer the same fate. We can all do our part in preventing such a bleak outcome. I know I certainly will while Iâm still here. Call me a hypocrite but my selfishness dictates that I preserve what you all have in fear of what fate will befall it.â
âœEh haha...I donât think thatâs selfish. Iâd say the opposite.â
âœMm. Thank you, Liam.â Wanting to make the conversation cheerful again you ask a question, âœBut enough about me. How old are you three anyway? You all look pretty young to me.â
âœReally?â Vanceâs collected question can be heard from the other side of the cart as he is guarding the right side.
âœYes? I mean, my guess is that youâre all in your early twenties, right?â
âœUm, not all of us.â Liam is the first to answer, âœIâm eighteen while Vance and Nate areââ
Nate huffs when Liam turns his way, âœWeâre both twenty on the mark.â
âœAh, really? Wow.â You smile playfully, âœYouâre all babies.â
âœTsk,â Nate spits a wad to his left, âœAnd what are you old freak? A hundred or something?
âœUhhhâIâve been around...â You canât really tell them the truth...and you never really made up an estimate for how old SÅsaku-sha is. You just left that to be something players and theorists debate about. Errr...maybe...uh...maybe you could beat around the bush? An ambiguous answer may be just what you need, âœ...waaaaay longer than any of you have been alive, thatâs for sure.â
Nailed it.
âœThough age matters little to me since Iâm immortal.â
âœHah! And during all that time alive you couldnât get some?â
âœAck! Please,â You scrunch up your face, already starting to feel it redden, âœnot now.â
âœNow listen here, freak.â You donât think that he can give you a more smug look than the one heâs showing you at present, âœYou seem so eager to teach us principles and life lessons, I feel that I should give you one now that youâre trying to act like one of us.â
Cringing with reddening skin you shake your head furiously, âœOh-No! Please donât! I d-donât want to hear anything related to this matter, thank you!â
âœPlease? And leave you negligent? Heavens no. If you want to fit into that skin of yours, youâve got to act like a woman.â
âœIâm not listening!â You cover your ears in hope that itâll block out Nate but you remember that you donât need ears to listen when you hear âœHere he goes again.â whispered under Liamâs breath.
âœAnd who better to teach you the principles of lovemaking than an experienced man?â
âœOh my god! Shut up!â Your hands are crushing your skull by how much pressure youâre applying to alleviate you from this plight. You almost start praying in hope for some divine intervention when a tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something in front of you to your right that makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
âœHuh? Hey, why have you stop-â âœShush. Liam! Stop the wagon!â
âœSÅ?â Liam does just as you say as Nate grips his blade with new vigor, storming after you as you walk around the horses.
âœWhat are you doing, freak?!â
âœI told you to be quiet! I sense something off.â
âœWhat are you implying?â Vance walks to the front to see what is wrong.
âœIââ You focus on the growing buzzing on your skin that is drawing you to check out the direction you feel its source is. A cluster of trees just a little ways ahead blocks your view.
âœYou better have a damn good reason to be wasting our time or I swear Iâll-â
âœI am able to sense nearby living beings' presences with a...an ability of mine. With this, Iâm trying to inform you all of an abnormality Iâm picking up in that direction,â You point over to the patch of trees to what lies beyond. The young men, whoâve all now gathered in front of the horses with you, scan the direction which you indicate. âœThis...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there have been around us up until now. It-oh? Itâs...itâs not just one creature...itâs many.â
âœIt...may be a herd of deer.â Liam mumbles, âœThey sometimes come out here to graze.â
You shake your head, âœThis feels much larger than some deer...though...hmm...no. There are a few that...seem huge while thereâs more that seem to be...much shorter than us. What is this that Iâm feeling?â
The three share a look before immediately shifting gears.
âœAlright,â Nate bares his teeth at you, âœyou better not be pulling our legs because if I find out you are Iâll stick my blade right up your ass.â
âœDuly noted.â
âœHowever...if your assumption is right we might have some company.â He turns his attention to the trees, âœHow close are they?â
âœI...I canât tell,â
Nate doesnât look pleased with your answer, âœTsk, just our luck for it to be too far for Vance to pick up anything. The wind isnât helping us either...Guess we have no choice, men.â He nods to his two friends, âœWeâll continue on our way but donât drift off course. If they make any moves weâll be ready. Sounds good?â
âœMmfâ âœYeah, letâs do thisâ
âœHuh?â You watch Liam make his way back to the driverâs seat and the other two move out of the way of the horses, âœWait, you guys are going to try to bait whatever they are out? Why?â
âœFor the same reason we hunt any monsters, freak. Money.â
âœA-and if we donât deal with them they might go off and hurt others.â Liam coughs, covering his friend's selfishness as he grabs the reins to the horses.
âœYeah butââ You didnât actually think youâd be getting into a fight so soon. Youâd daydream of scenarios like this, especially during campaigns that had surprise encounters, however...this feels totally different. This isnât some game anymore.
Things are about to get bloodyâ
And somehow youâre fine with that.
You step out of the way to Vanceâs side, tired of Nate hovering over your back like a child wanting to play on your phone, to allow Liam to start on his way. The pissed scowl that appears on Nate is cut off by the cart as the horses start pulling their load again, prompting you all to follow suit.
Youâre completely nonplussed, if not a little weary and excited, by the idea that youâll watch and possibly take part in killing some creatures that fit the same category as you in being monsters. If they intend on taking your lives then they should be prepared for the same fate. All living beings should know that rule. For their sakes, they better not test those waters. Liam, Nate, and Vance all seem confident in their own abilities, not to mention yourself. And if youâre right on your theory of being triggered like an NPC, youâll most likely have no mercy to spare for what may come.
âœMmm...this is just like random encounters. Hopefully, the dice roll in our favor.â
âœLiam, Nate.â Vance calls out to his friends out from behind you.
âœHave you picked anything up?â
âœNo, not yet. But I wanted to ask before we spot any monsters if you two wouldnât mind SÅ also helping us.â
âœWhat?!â Nateâs head pops out from around the cart to check if Vance isnât being mind-controlled by you, âœWhy would we fucking want a monster to fight alongside us?!â
âœSheâs very skilled in magic, donât you remember me telling you that? Her abilities could greatly assist us.â
âœI donât want this thing anywhere near us, especially while using magic. It may take this opportunity to attack us and help their brethren.â
âœNate, Iâm serious.â
âœSo am I!â
âœI donât really mind either way.â Liam speaks up before a fight could ensue, âœBesides, shouldnât we get SÅâs opinion on this? I mean, we canât really stop them from holding back or helping us.â
âœI can stop them.â Hate-filled eyes squint your way, âœTheyâd just be another corpse to the pile weâll be hauling.â
âœNate! Thatâs enough! Besides, youâre overruled in this matter! Vance wants them to help us and I donât mind what they choose to do.â
âœTsk! Iâm not fighting alongside the freak!â
âœFine then! You can pout on the sidelines while we do the dirty work.â
âœHell no, Iâm not doing that either!â
âœThen croak over and die for all I care. Whatever stops you from complaining!â Liam surprises you with his backlash before he turns your way with the most tired look you think he could muster, âœSÅ, none of us are going to force you to do anything. You can decide if you want to help us or not. If you choose to help us, however, know that you will be killing creatures similar to yourself. Only help us if youâre prepared for that outcome, okay? We canât afford you backing out in the middle of an ambush because you canât handle it. Weâll be relying on you. Do you understand?â
âœYeah. I figured as much.â
Nate looks like the aftermath of a child being told to go to time out, âœTsk! I hope thereâs nothing there.â
âœI think we all hope thereâs nothing there.â Vance echoes before he looks at you for an answer, âœBut if there is, SÅ, what do you plan on doing?â
Thatâs a good question. Youâre not against fighting for...some odd reason...but youâve never killed anything that could be considered a monster...well, outside of games at least. The only issue is that you donât know what kind of monsters they could be! Yggdrasil contains many creatures of similar sizes to the ones youâre feeling. However, they may be completely different from what you know. The magic system may be the same...but the creatures? According to what youâve discussed early this morning with the three and the chieftain, there are similarities with the fauna of this world to Yggdrasil...however, you cannot rule out the possibility that there may be different things present in this world.
Maybe Nate is right in the fact that youâd get in the way. You had thought earlier that if something like this would occur that you should help since it could negatively impact how they will see you.
Things are different now.
If you stay out of the fray it seems that the three will be fine with it. You might actually get some brownie points with Nate if you do so. Heâs the biggest obstacle in this alliance youâve made with Bourn village and staying back might sedate him a bit. Youâll be safe and they can do what they want to do. This all probably could be avoided if they just take a detour but theyâre set out in what they want accomplished. Youâre not obligated to help them in any way. In fact, you can take this opportunity to learn their skills. You have a suspicion of what they all can do but it is still unclear. Whether you use this information to exploit or avoid certain scenarios in the future is up to you.
But you could also learn from them while helping them. You donât like the thought of them dying because it just...doesnât feel right to let anyone that youâve been aligned with get hurt on your watch. Vance and Liam sure seem like theyâd like you to help them. Nate, on the other hand, will probably hate you more...unless you do good work. If youâre able to prove yourself trustworthy then that could light a mutual understanding. That is if you donât hurt them in the process.
You learned from Vance that youâre on a totally different level than them. You already knew that but from how he reacted to you casting some of your spells only solidified the matter. If you slip up at all you might as well try to alter their memories if they donât die as a result. Even if you heal them they may still see you as a threatâ
Mmmm...maybe you should just fight the enemy on your own? Itâd be a good chance to see what youâre capable of without the threat of your allies getting mowed down. Not only that but showing that you want to use your abilities to protect them may put them at ease. If anything it could earn you some of the respect they seem to lack for you.
The issue that you donât know what you could be facing may make you look bad. If you start to be overcome by whatever the creatures ahead are it could make you look pathetic. Not to mention that if theyâre anything like you then they have thoughts and feelings of their own. Itâll be like killing a human.
Mmm...are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you?
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what does startle you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No. No. It shouldnât be right under any circumstance...but your lives seem to be in danger-
The sound of heavy breathing and cackling meets your ears just as a cold feeling makes its way across your skin.
âœI hear them.â Your voice is steady as you inform them of what you know, âœI donât know what they are but they definitely know weâre here. There are over twenty of them in total. Theyâre saying...that they smell us...theyâre...moving closer...theyâre preparing to jump us.â
âœYou can hear them from this far away against the wind?â Vance seems impressed, âœWeâre still around four hundred meters away from the patch of trees.â
âœEven if I look like I have human ears, theyâre anything but. Guess I better tell you guys what Iâve decided on doing...â
What will you do?
Iâll spectate.
Iâll co-op.
Iâll go solo.
Chapter End Notes
OOO, the second quick time event in this pathway, coming piping hot and ready. Your next few choices will decide major factors into your relationships, your future allies, general knowledge, abilities, and more. Let me emphasize, this is all very choice sensitive and is important to your overall story so think well on what you'll do now and when I update this pathway again. There will be quick time events within the chapters for you to enact on rather than at the end of the chapters. I'm excited and I hope you all are too for it.
Also, I hope you all like your new form. It's not permanent of course but you'll look like this any time you're human from now on (except special occasions of course). SÅsaku-sha's overall look is not just what they observed from the village but a combination of the color palettes of their realm and their own biology. In other words, there's a reason why they look the way they do.
Besides that, I've been able to catch up on schooling. I've been busting my tail to get ahead so I can have more time to myself to work on my personal projects, such as this. I've also been playing some Among Us and getting frustrated with dumb calls but what can you do? I've also been working on some artwork that I'll be posting soon that I'm sure a certain person will like~ Speaking of which, hey Download077, hope you don't mind me referencing your work into this chapter. I couldn't help myself (â„ â„ââ„ωâ„ââ„ â„). I also plan on connecting a few other's works into my AU, I just got to see how I can. If you all don't know yet, I'm on MASS FOR THE DEAD so if you want to co-op with me my player ID is 587,064,599. I'd love to play with all of you! That's it for now! Thank you for all the love and support, it makes it all the more sweeter to give this all to you! Have a wonderful day, eat properly, and sleep like the dead!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: WANT YOU TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IâM THE ONLY BOY IN THE WORLD
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be. Using magic, you work to pay off your debt as a man...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I hate college! They're killing me with assignments. I honestly don't know how I was able to finish this chapter on time, especially because of how FREAKING BIG IT TURNED OUT TO BE! 54 PAGES!!! THIS HAS BEATEN MY RECORD OF 40!!! I hope you all enjoy this Godzilla of a chapter.
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 5: WANT YOU TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IâM THE ONLY BOY IN THE WORLD
Since you were a man back on Earth, it only makes sense to also try to appear like a man in this new world. That way youâll be able to fit into your persona more naturally. Besides...you donât think you could properly act like a woman. Theyâre so different in comparison to men, not just body wise. Girl code and what not is something totally out of the loop for you and you donât want to risk testing those waters.
With that settled you understand that this will be the hard part...youâll have to figure out how to change your appearance into something new. Maybe envisioning what you want your new form to look like is the first step? To do that you need to draw inspiration from what you have seen from the men in this village.
Theyâre all Caucasian so appearing white is a must. Though you donât want to appear too white. If you take on pale skin you may be mistaken for a noble which would draw unwanted attention your way. A little bit of color would help you. A beige skin tone may be just what you need. Yes.
Height is also something that you need to change. None of the men here are near seven feet tall. You donât want to be a giant gawked at so youâll need to appear shorter. A foot sounds reasonable and thatâs all you really can do with the spell youâre going to cast. Six feet is still pretty tall but youâll be classified as average. This is good.
Next hair. Most to all people here seem to either have brown hair or blond hair so one of those sounds reasonable...hmmm...but which would be better? Maybe something in between? You nod before calculating the length of your hair. None of them seem to have long hair beyond the door to the barn so you suspect that short might be the way to go. The longest their hair seems to be is shoulder length so you decide that you should keep it that long. Curls might also help. The length can help you can tie it back if need be...or alter the Disguise Self spell so you can do so. Mhm. Nice.
Okay. And what about your appearance? Age? You donât want to look out of place and a youthful complexion might sedate them a bit so you want to appear like youâre in your early twenties. Body? Endo...no, no...ah! Mesomorph! Thatâs it! And how toned should you be? The image of you being jacked flashes through your head for a quick second and you almost jump on this opportunity to fulfill your anime fantasies...but decide against it for your safetyâs sake, choosing to keep the form fit and nothing more. If you appear too fat or too muscular it can draw too much attention. Thick eyebrows and eyelashes. Uh-huh. Thin lips. That is a common trait. Nose...nose...this one is a little weird. What kind of nose should you have? Greek? Mmm, no, no...Roman? Mmmm...mh, that might work. Yes. Now, what eye color should you hav-
âœWha-What the FUCK?!â Nate screams and you jump in response to see his eyes bulging out of his bright red face, glued downwards as he continues, âœStop! Stop! I donât want to see that!!!â
âœH-huh?!â You peep out in response as the tan boy covers his eyes with an arm and the onlookers start choking on air, turning away from you as you float in place stupefied.
âœYour body!!!â The young man, with the bow and arrows, keeps his back to you rigid in shock as he shouts out but the young blond body, now collapsed on the ground wheezing in a fit, clarifies for his friend, âœBWAHAHAHA! Youâre-*cough* Youâre naked, SÅ!â
âœEh?â The single note escapes your lips at their claims. âœBut...Iâve always been naked? Why are you all acting this way now- Wait.â
Your voice! Itâs only masculine now.
âœThis is worse!!!â Nate glares at you through his fingers, determined not to look any further down your body than your shoulders as he furiously screams at you, âœYou look human! Cover yourself, now!!!â
âœI lookââ His words are hard to understand despite them being very simple.
Human? You look human? But you havenât even used Disguise Self yet so why? You reach up an arm to scratch your neck as you mull over his words-
âœEh?â Hair...you feel hair.
Your golden eyes widen as you tug a strand of wavy hair that matches the color of your eyes out for you to blink at, your rosy lips forming an o.
âœHuh.â
âœHuh?! Thatâs your response?!â Nate turns hastily away from you to Liam who is completely losing his shit, rolling all over the dirt floor of the barn, âœYou son of a bitch! Stop laughing!â
âœSeth! Please, go grab this boy some clothes to cover himself with.â The man runs off to do as the chieftain has asked. Barry approaches you in slow steps, squeezing his arms out of his blue robe which he must have used to cover his nightly attire to gently hand it over to you. âœHere, use this for the time being.â
âœO-oh, thank you.â You treat the worn fabric with care despite the sour smell that wafts off of the cloth, âœYou didnât have to.â
The chieftain shakes his head as you slip the robe around your shoulders âœI think otherwise...I must say though...your new look is...impressive. You look...human.â
âœ...Thank you.â It feels a little odd accepting such a compliment. Quite since you are...or were human not even fifteen minutes ago. âœMagic can do wondersââ
However...you donât think this was a spell.
You didnât even try to cast Disguise Self yet. You were planning on doing so after you settled on a form you liked but...hmm...did you cast it without you knowing? Is this a special scenario or is it the new normal? You donât have your spell slots now and the fact that you were able to change when you were intending to do so proves that casting is different now. Then again, you donât think that this is due to that spell. For one, everything is physical instead of an optical illusion. You shouldnât have been capable of holding a strand of your hair but you had.
You hadnât wanted to cast Transmutation but it seems likely that you have...or maybe...this is completely something that your own body did...or your avatarâs body did. But you hadnât made SÅsaku-sha with shapeshifting abilities. You need spells in order to do that. SÅsaku-sha is a Creator. That is literally their only racial stat. The Creator stat gives your Avatar more freedom to be fluid but not literally! You donât have any job classes or perks that support shapeshifting either. That doesnât explain why you were able to turn into something similar to a human...well, there are a lot of things that donât have an exclamation for why theyâre happening. This situation for example is the CrÃme de la crÃme of âWHAT THE FUCK?!â
*sigh*...
Well, either way, youâre just here for the ride it seems. Youâre just going to have to make the best with what you have and become a quick learner. You appear human now and you can try to figure out the fundamentals of spell casting through practice and time.
Your new body for example. Itâs exactly how you envisioned it to become...maybe even better. You twist your arms around and flex your muscles, watching the minimal amount that is exposed out from under the robe as they shift under your toned skin.
Ahh, no more rainbow mess. And to have a face again.
Your fingers trail along your face to get a sense of what you look like now. It doesnât help too much...but you can feel the smile on your new face.
Ah! You have a mouth again!
You lick your straight teeth as you try to find out more.
Even though you look human, youâre still not breathing you realize. Whenever you speak your voice doesnât seem to be coming out of your mouth. Rather, it riverates through your chest like it had when you still looked like your avatar.
So, technically, youâre not human but rather something that looks human.
The smile falls and is replaced with a pout.
Your vision isnât any different either. You can still see all around you even the men peeking between the doorways and the various animals sniffing around the stalls. You turn your head back to Barry after your eyes glanced over the pig pin, reminding you of what you wanted to do.
âœNow that thatâs out of the way, I want to take a second to cure the pigs of their poisoning. It is best that I do it now so that they donât run the risk of succumbing to the black dust sprouts. Am I allowed to do this?â
The old man scratches his beard as he nods, âœI see no issue in that. How long will it take?â
âœDepends on how much mana I have left...uh, how much...magical...energy I still possess.â You clarify as youâre not certain that they use the same terms that Yggdrasil is familiar with, âœIf itâs too low I wonât be able to complete the task and Iâll have to rest. However, this should only take a moment. Iâm sure that Iâll be finished before that fellow named Seth returns.â
Youâre not certain that you can use magic quite yet despite you shifting form like you intended to. There are too many factors to consider why anything is happening. You want to tread slowly as it seems itâs the only way youâll find commonality. Besides, if you canât use magic now you have given the mob reason to give you leeway with your excuse.
âœOh? Then please, go ahead.â
With a hum in affirmation you start to float to the pig pin when a tan hand is lifted in front of you.
âœNate, what are you doing?â The blond older man grunts out to Nateâs displeasure.
âœI donât want them flying anywhere near the hole they made. It can walk just fine.â
âœ...I donât want to spread grass all over your barn by walking.â Actually, you donât care about that. Youâre just weary that if you deactivate Ascend that you may be disabling your magical abilities, going into shielded mode. On top of that...you donât know how to deactivate it. However, youâre not going to tell them that. Uncertainty causes anxiety and anxiety causes fear. If these people think that you canât control your powers then they may see you as an even greater threat than they do now. All you can attempt is to try to convince them to allow you to do what you want, âœI assure you, Iâm not trying to-â
âœI donât care. I donât want to risk it. Walk like a human since youâre trying to look like one of us.â
You can tell that this boy is going to be a real pain in the ass.
âœIâve already explained that if I wanted to run away-â
âœThen you would have done so already, yeah, yeah. That doesnât mean you could have changed your mind.â
âœReally? In the span of what? Five minutes?â
Nate bares his teeth at you in a scowl, âœMonsters are all predictable and simple-minded. Just because you flaunt yourself in a submissive manner doesnât mean jack shit to me.â
Youâre sure your new face doesnât hide your annoyance because of the way you feel the muscles shift around your cheeks, âœSo what? You think Iâm trying to give you the slip?â
âœIt certainly seems like it from the way you keep arguing with me against what Iâm ordering you to do.â
At the word order, you feel a jolt of something unpleasant in your chest, almost like you have been struck. You donât know why that single word irked you so but the rage that flares up at the comment is hard to ignore. You bare your teeth as you tilt your head slightly lower to him, the words leaving your lips simmer with collected spite in a cold, slow, and low tone, âœThe complete audacity...that a mere f l e e thinks they can command me like Iâm some sort of dogâsurpasses me.â
âœHey, wait,â The young boy looks the most panicked in the group at your words as he places one hand on Nates chest while the other stretches out to you in an almost pleading manner, âœthis doesnât need to escalate-â
âœWhat the fuck did you just call me?!â
Augh, this is going nowhere but downhill. Maybe you should just risk walking over to the pig pin...however...you feel that you have an obligation now not to bend under Nateâs words...Is this pride? You never thought yourself to be the prideful type but somehow you see that your pride is overweighing your need for survival now. But if youâre not going to comply then what are you going to do?
â.
â.
âœ*Sigh, this is getting us nowhere. This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.â You shake your head having made up your mind on the matter. They fear the fact that you can escape if youâre flying. You just need to prove that it isnât an issue...by showing how easy it can be for SÅsaku-sha to just up and disappear. âœGuess I can try to show you why you should put a little bit more faith in my words.â
âœWa-â âœHey now-â
âœDimensional Move!â You call out with conviction, having no other idea how your magic could work besides just calling it out with the intention of it working, before any of the men could react. The moment the word left your mouth, everything around you blipped and you were suddenly floating in the middle of the pig pin.
It worked! Huh. Itâs good to know you can still use magic-
âœWhat?!â âœWhere the fuck did it go?!â
The men all stare dumbfounded out into the space you had only taken us seconds prior, shocked by your sudden disappearance before Nateâs screeching permeates through the barn.
âœSHIT!!! I knew itâd do something like this!!!â
âœNo, youâre wrong.â The men all suddenly turn in your direction at the sound of your voice, their expressions not masking their surprise, âœI didnât run away like you thought I would. I just wanted to show you how easy it could be for me to do so yet I stick around. Why do you think Iâm doing this, hm?â
âœWha-â âœHow the hell did you-â
âœSimple answer.â You shrug almost in a cocky manner but you honestly had no idea how you were able to pull off the stunt. âœIn fact, itâs a few answers.â You shift your vision about the pin and observe the swine sniffing your feet, snot sprinkling your toes as they do so which has you recoiling slightly in disgust. âœOne, Iâm in debt to you humans and I donât like being in debt to anyone. It bothers my conscience. Mass Detect Poison.â You say a spell out loud again and a light aura shimmers in your vision at the center of most of the pigâs chests. Your face twitches at the success of another spell cast but the foul mood that has made its way into you blocks any glee that wants to make itself known.
âœTwo, you people are the only keys to finding out information about my situation so far.â You were tempted to tell them that you could use mind control spells to make them give you information but you find that itâs better not to do so. Rather, you see it as a plan C if winning their trust doesnât work. You point a finger at one of the pigs with the aura as if to select it before continuing, âœThree, I want to keep my word. I honestly donât like the idea of having to lie to any of you. Cure Poison.â The aura within the pig you pointed at suddenly fades out of your vision which informs you that you had cured the swine.
You start to repeat the process while continuing your rant. âœFour, I want a place to live until I can either find a way back home or can gain my footing. I suspect that if I just up and run away from here Iâll be homeless for quite some time and I, quite frankly, donât think Iâd fair well like that. Cure Poison. Besides, Iâm a social creature and Iâd rather have people I can call allies than enemies. Cure Poison, Cure Poison.â You start to notice that every time you cast a spell you feel the energy in the spells. Like...an inner source of...something leave you to manifest itself into the status cure.
âœAmazingââ You mumble to yourself before huffing out a sigh in disbelief. This added to the life-like reality you are situated in now. What you had felt must have been your MP depleting! Cure Poison is typically a low-tier magic spell so it wouldnât do a whole lot to your huge magic bar, which is why you're using it instead of Mass Cure Poison, but it still requires MP to use. For the first time since the shutdown, you feel secure. Like you finally have something you can lean on for support as long as youâre open. This ability came with a serious high-the fulfillment and satisfaction of knowing that this power was truly yours. Your skin doesnât show your evident change in mood but a twitch of a smile canât help but flash across your features for a second.
âœI donât want the first people I meet in this...world to be out for my blood. Cure Poison. So, in sort, Iâm not going crazy anywhere anytime soon. So donât worry your pretty little head about it, Nate. Cure Poison.â You turn your head in his direction with a sour look that matches his own. âœAs long as none of you try to harm me I wonât be an issue.â
âœWell...that is good to know.â The blond boy chirps up as his eyes flicker between you and his friend. âœSo...are the pigs okay now?â
âœCure Poison. They are now.â You lower your hand as you notice that there are no longer any auras of the black dust sprouts emanating from the animalsâ chests. âœThe toxins seem to be taken out of the sprouts theyâve eaten so they shouldnât get sick.â Turning around you float up and over the railing with little trouble to join the group of five again. âœI believe Iâve finished all of the immediate issues. Iâll continue my work in the morning when I can be watched.â
âœMmm...SÅ...I must thank you for doing this.â The chieftain sighs as he overlooks the pig pin from where he stands. âœYou could have run but you didnât. We...would have been in trouble if you had...thatâs putting it lightlyââ His last words came out quiet but he hums before you could wonder why, âœAgain, you have my gratitude as long as you keep your word.â
âœOf course.â
âœHow long do you think itâll take you to fix everything?â The older, blond manâs question has you scratching your neck.
âœUh...to be honest...I donât know. I donât know how much I need to replace...and Iâve never fixed a barn before. Magic should help in hurrying up the process but Iâve never done anything like...this.â
âœThen what the hell are you planning to do to fix this?!â Nate spits a wad to his feet as if rejecting the very thought of you on his tongue.
âœI...have a few ideasââ The confidence in your situation plummets but you try not to let it show, âœFor now they will remain ideas until I can learn more about what Iâll have to deal with. I donât want to throw anything in the air until I know it can take flight-â
The man named Seth catches your attention as he slips through the barn doors behind you with a stack of clothes within his grasp. You turn to him just in time as he makes his way up to you, âœHere. These may fit you.â
âœAh, thank-â The clothes are suddenly thrown at you to catch as soon as you begin to reach for them, âœyou...â
âœNo problem.â Seth keeps his distance and joins the rest with much more drive than being near you. Trying not to let it get under your skin, you glance at the clothes in your hands.
Hey, look at the bright side, youâll fit in now.
A small smile works its way onto your features as you realize that youâll practically be gimping. Cosplaying, really.
Knowing that they most likely want to keep an eye out on you-you float over to the side of the barn without the hole through the roof where a crate is. You place the clothing in your hands upon the box and listen as the men start to converse with themselves.
âœSeth,â Barry grunts with a scratch of his beard, âœDid you tell anyone what sort of...creature weâre dealing with?â Deciding that it might be easier to get dressed while not floating you will yourself to let Ascend dissipate, no longer requiring spells for the time being. Flowers and grass spout immediately upon your feet making contact with the dirt floor of the barn.
âœNo. Not even my brother knows.â The skinny man shakes his head. âœI wouldnât even know what to tell them if I tried.â You slip off the article the chieftain gave you to wear, leaving you stark naked once again, and fold it neatly before laying it beside the other clothes.
âœYeah,â The tan boyâs glare drills a hole into the back of your head, âœthat we have a fucking monster working for us now.â
âœQuiet boy. Donât be rude.â Barry rebukes causing Nate to let out an abrupt âœTsk.â as you sort through the pile. You find a white shirt which you canât tell whether or not if itâs a tunic or a doublet...both? Probably both...but it doesnât look like either one really...not to mention that it looks like something thatâd come out of the Renaissance rather than the Medieval eraâ.maybe thatâs the time period...ah, nevermind. Whatever it is, you slip it over your head and smooth it out before looking for some underwear.
âœThat does bring up an issue though.â Liam comments which draws up the attention of the group, âœWhat are we going to tell everyone? How are we going to explain...the situation?â
What? What the hell? No underwear? Did Seth forge-Ooooh...yeah, thatâs right. They donât have anything like undergarments during the time period you believe these people are set back in. Ugh, well...you werenât looking forward to wearing any grimey old underwear in the first place. Maybe this is a mercy. Guess youâre going commando.
âœHmm...thatâs a good pointââ The men all acknowledge the problem with nods.
âœHmph, although I hate to admit it, I agree with what the mons-errââ The older blond man glances your way as you hold up what looks to be a dark gray pair of pirate trousers(?) with a perplexed expression as youâre still half-naked, âœ...what SÅ stated before. If we tell the truth it may cause panic.â
âœRightly so. A demon is in our midst.â
âœKnock it off already, Nate!â Liam tries to call off his friend while you finish up pulling the trousers into place and tucking the bottom portion of the shirt youâre wearing underneath the rim of the baggy pants.
âœFor what?! Speaking out loud what all of us are thinking?â The young man crosses his arms in an offended manner, âœWell excuse me for being the only one willing to be honest.â
âœBoy,â Barryâs voice suddenly becoming stern even makes you tense up in the process of wrapping a black belt girdle around your waist, âœDonât make me have to tell you to leave. You best behave.â
âœLeave?!â Nate screams in disbelief as if told something unthinkable, âœI will not leave as long as that thing is here!â
âœThen stay quiet. I know what you're going through, boy. Believe me, I do; but we must choose our fights and this just isnât one of them. Is that clear, son?
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...â
In the tense silence that has taken up the group behind you-you find a pair of sour-smelling socks which make you gag. You hate the fact that your sense of smell seems to be amplified in your avatarâs body. You almost consider flat out not wearing them and wear the dark leather boots without them...but you donât want to seem rude...and you also want to test and see if the greenery will stop sprouting from your feet with the level of coverage the socks provide. You certainly hope so for the sake of fitting in.
So holding back another gag you slip them onto your feet.
âœ*Sigh, Nate...just...tolerate them for the time being, thatâs all I ask. Alright?â
âœ...â
âœOkay,â The chieftain nods at Nateâs continued silence as if it was the young manâs way of saying heâll begrudgingly cooperate for now. âœSo, we have come to an agreement? The truth behind the identity of SÅ will stay between us?â
âœAye.â âœYes.â âœMhm.â
âœRighty then. Mat, Liam. Go tell the boys at the doors to keep their mouths shut. It may be too late to do so but better late than never.â
The two men move to do so just as you take a quizzical check with your covered foot on the dirt floor by sidestepping one foot out of your green circle. Immediately upon contact with the dirt floor green seeps into the sock-like moss. A choking noise escapes you as you try to shake it off to no avail, it has become dye to the bottom half of the sock.
The ones watching you become mixed in their reactions upon seeing your plight; however, none comment on your trouble as they continue to discuss amongst each other.
âœBarry,â The quiet boy speaks up from the side of Nate, âœPeople will ask questions nevertheless. What will we tell them?â
Seth grumbles out the suggestion, âœShould we say they were trying to rob us and we caught them?â You grunt in frustration not only at the horrible idea but the fact that youâre stuck with half a green sock now. Youâre tempted to do the same to your other sock to even it out when you notice the area you had placed your now half green prior had remained bare of any plants.
Ah! Nice!
The boy shakes his head, âœI donât think many would believe that after their screaming and the fact that they came in through the roof rather than the doors.â He crosses his arms âœIâd say use the truth to lie.â
âœThe truth?â You also wonder what the boy could mean as you slip one of your feet into the combat-like boots, propping your weight on the crate to fit inside.
âœThat they are a magic caster from a foreign land. Weâll just say that they flunked on some magic while traveling and ended up landing on our barn and now theyâre staying to repair the damages. That isnât far from what they told us.â
âœMm, Vance has a point.â Nate finally speaks up as Mat and Liam return, âœBut it wouldnât explain why theyâd be flying out in the middle of the fucking night.â
âœThe world isnât all flat, you know.â
âœWhat?â The six simultaneously ask at the sound of your voice.
âœMy world wasnât flat and I suspect that the same thing is true here.â kicking the grass beneath you with the front of your boots so that your toes can squish into place, you pick up the folded cloak and turn to the group as you add to their conversation. âœIf Iâm posing as a foreigner then it would make sense that Iâd be acquainted with a different time zone than what is relative to this general area. The sun doesnât rise at the same time everywhere.â
âœ...â âœWhat?â
âœ...Wait...do you all not-â Augh, right! This is the time of maps. Theyâre not going to understand the logistics of the planet being round or globes for that matter! Well...thatâs going to be a fun conversation for another time, âœAh-ah...Iâll explain it in further detail to whoever inquires of me later. Just know that I can fit into the character of a magic caster if thatâs what youâll all allow me to act as.â
âœCan you?â
âœYeah, it shouldnât be that hard. Iâm...uh...familiar with humans. I...lived among them so Iâm sure I wonât have much issue forming a new identity here.â A lie for your avatar but you want to reassure them that youâre a âœcreatureâ that is good with socializing with humans and that you âœknowâ what youâre doing. Also, you like the story Vance has made up for you. It does play along well with what youâve told them so far and you donât want to be placed in the spotlight as a lowly thief right off the bat in this new...world? Maybe...âœOn a side note, I must thank you again for allowing me to borrow these clothes for the time being. I promise Iâll take care of them.â To show your gratitude you bow your head a few times to the group out of the habit you gained from living in Japan.
âœItâs quite alright.â Mat waves at you as he replies, âœWe wouldnât have you run around ass open in public.â
âœEspecially in front of our families.â Seth chimes in with a nod before a huff of laughter escapes his confines, âœHa, though it would be hilarious.â
Mat joins him in his jests, âœHeh yeah. Your brotherâs reaction to a blond boy strutting around Bourn with his manhood hanging out would be priceless.â
Cringing slightly, you jot down Bourn as an important place in your mind, but whether itâs this village or someplace more is what you have yet to find out.
âœDonât worry, SÅ. Some of us may be assholesââ Liam cocks a knowing look in Nateâs direction, the said young man returning his friend a glare, âœbut we arenât cruel. Weâll treat you human as long as you act human.â
âœSounds fair...so, uh...is it time for my big reveal?â Looking to the barn doors you feel your anxiety starting to climb again. Not as much as it had been before you tried to talk your way out of getting murdered.
Swallowing at the thought is reflexive and grounds you in the reality of your situation.
âœI believe so.â Barry nods, âœSeth, Mat. Tell the boys at the doors what our story is for SÅ here. Iâll be taking these four boys to my house now. After you do so go and get everyone back to where they wereâ*sigh* though Iâm sure everyone is spooked enough as it is, no one will go back to bed.â
âœSure, thing Barry.â Mat nods and walks ahead of your group to the side of the barn he did before.
âœMmm, please take care of yourselves.â He pats the chieftain on the shoulder before nodding to Vance, Nate, and Liam, âœHave a good night. I certainly pray to God that you all do.â Seth spares you a glance at the end before walking to the side of the barn Liam had gone to before.
Seeing him walk off youâre reminded of what youâre holding. âœErm...here. Thank you for letting me borrow this Mr. Barry.â
âœOh?â His bushy brow arches weirdly as he takes the folded cloak from your outstretched hands, âœMy pleasure.â He nods, slipping the cloth under his right arm, âœCome now. This way, SÅ.â The chieftain waves for you to follow him and you do so, walking towards the direction that Mat went in, âœMy house is a little walk from here but it isnât too long. Youâll stay at my home until we settle on different housing arrangements.â
âœThank you for allowing me to stay...â You say as you take notice that no green sprouts from beneath your feet anymore, nor does moss seem to be taking over your footwear. Ah, finally. You didnât know what you were going to do if that continued, âœdespite what I am. It uh... seems that your village doesnât take so kindly to...creatures like meâ.â Nate makes sure to walk behind you while Vance and Liam walk to your sides, promptly caging you as you follow behind the chieftain. âœIs...is there a reason, might I ask? I know I might be stepping onto some sensitive soil butââ
âœIt is fine.â The old man sighs solemnly, waving for the men to open the doors as your group gets closer, âœOur village, Bourn, is a frontier village. We act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Those items are collected from the Great Forest of Tob that is just to the North of our village.
âœOh, thatâs the forest I saw from earlier, right before I...fell...â You cringe at the memory just as you walk past the doormen, all glaring your way, and finally, make it outside.
Youâd exhale in relief if you could. You honestly thought that the interior of the barn would be the last thing youâd see and now that is no longer the case. However, the sight of families gathered around the barn all looking wearily your way keeps you from relaxing. All their eyes, men, women, children of all ages, hold fear as they try to see what is occurring.
But upon seeing you, among the four youâre with, a considerable amount of tension leaves the crowd you notice.
Are they that afraid of monsters? What would have happened if you couldnât appear human again?
âœEveryone, return to as you were!â Barryâs booming voice does make you jolt in surprise at the sudden high volume of the chieftainâs reassurance, âœEverything has been settled! Thereâs no danger! It was all just an accident! If any of you have questions about what has occurred feel free to come to me in the morning! For now, please, return to your homes and try to get some sleep!â
The man doesnât wait for the crowd to comply, he takes a torch from a fellow nearby and continues straight on his way. Watching the families do just as he asked you try to observe your surroundings, expanding your vision as much as you can so that you can pick up on any little thing that could tell you whatâs going on.
Thatâs exactly when it hits you.
Your legs seize up at the pure shock that rattles you to your core as your vision displays what lies above you.
âœWhat the hell are you doing?â Nate barks as he notices your shift.
The group stops and all turn your way to where you stand frozen, processing the sight with your head turned upward.
âœWhy the hell did you stop?!â Nate hisses as he widens his legs, âœDonât even think about running away, freak!â
âœIââ You shudder before you could continue, âœIâve never seen a night sky with such clarity beforeââ
It is...stunning. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as you feel your eyes watering up, expanding your vision even further now that you know you can do so, âœIt's like fairy lights or angel tearsââ
No, it couldnât even be compared to those things. This is beyond magical...more than anything youâve ever dreamed...but a voice inside of your head informs you of something troubling. The stars above. They are not the constellations of Yggdrasil...neither the ones of Earth.
What could this mean? Are you truly in a new world?
âœEnough, keep moving.â Nate hisses as if dismissing the fact that youâre going through a revelation.
That is enough to prompt you to throw him a dirty look over your shoulder as if he ruined the wonderful memory you were developing. However, you donât do anything more than that since youâre still on thin ice amongst these individuals. You turn your head back to Barry, motioning him to continue.
âœWell, as I said before,â The chieftain voices when he notices your sudden drop in mood in reaction to Nate, âœBourn is situated near Tob so that we can collect rare resources that are housed within. However, the forest is also home to many monsters. Bizarre and magical beings alike that far surpass normal human strength. Our village is often attacked by such creatures since we live near the forest. Because of this, we are wary of anything considered inhuman.â
âœOhââ You swallow at the visual that your mind supplies. With a village situated so close to such a forest, no wonder they acted the way they did. How they still feel on edge about you. They probably thought they were all going to die or something along those lines. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, those who know what you truly are have backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
âœIâm sorry. I can only imagineââ You almost ask if theyâve done anything to prevent monsters from attacking or what types of creatures these monsters are but you donât want to appear insensitive.
The older man makes a grumbling noise from the back of his throat like a raspy sigh, acknowledging your sentiments.
Your head may be centered back to eye level but you keep your focus out, enjoying the sight above with every fiber of your being. Stars and all. And with your focus trained outward to your surroundings, you learn quickly that these people are impoverished.
You had suspected as much since Yggdrasilâs humanoid villager NPCs are mainly just barely above the technological advancements of the lower class of the medieval age. It is the same here.
The houses that you pass are made of stone with brick roof tiles and shabby wooden shutters that keep the windows shut. All the houses are either one or two stories high off the ground, surrounded by dirt but on the rare occasion, greenery. Candles and torches were the only available sources of light to guide your group to Mr. Barryâs house.
That might be the answer as to why they are struggling with monsters so much. They donât have the money to take precautions and what little they make probably goes to keeping them alive and repairing what is damaged. No wonder theyâre holding you to fix what mess youâve made.
âœHey, SÅ?â
âœHm?â Liamâs inquiry has you glancing his way.
âœWhere was it that you said you came from again?â
âœI was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane. It is a mountain range located in Midgard. Does it sound familiar?â
âœMmn...no. Not at all.â He shakes his head to which you pout.
You were hoping that he or anyone would at least know what Midgard is. It is the human realm of Yggdrasil. Here essentially if this is still your game. This is not at all Earth, that you know for a fact now. However, the possibility of a new world is growing increasingly apparent.
âœThe only mountains I know are the Azerlisia Mountains.â
âœIâve...never heard of them?â Wait, could it be that this is Yggdrasil and that they just have different names for landmarks than...no, you donât think so. You had the interactable NPCs programmed with the knowledge of the landmarks of their realms. If these people were living NPCs then theyâd be using the actual terms from your game.
âœThey are a range of mountains that are situated far into the Great Forest of Tob. They are known to be very dangerous. Only top-level adventurers dare go there since itâs home to many crazy powerful monsters. Rumor has it that it is home to the great frost dragons.â
âœOh? Frost dragons? Now thatâs interesting.â
âœWhyâs that?â Vanceâs quiet voice is surprising to hear but youâre caught up in the fact that there may be frost dragons in this world.
Since your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, is a Beast Tamer, you were able to collect various creatures within the nine worlds and house them all across the rooms and floors of the Citadel.
With that in mind, you have two frost dragons as pets. You had left them to guard the ice biome with the Unmei no gundan on the second floor of the Citadel. You believe, if you remember correctly, that they are both level eighty. Max level a frost dragon can get to. Theyâre not high-level dragons considering the other dragon races. Even their close compatriot, ice dragons, are a bit higher level than frost dragons.
Dragons were considered one of if not the strongest enemy race feared by players. The central World Enemy of Yggdrasil, the final boss, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a great dragon that continuously tried to eat the remaining leaves of the World Tree. Your avatar was still technically the final boss of the game but you were just an extra. A secret boss per se to give guilds a run for their money. Players earn the beat the game achievement, World Saver, by slaying the dragon but they could win records and real-life trophies by beating you.
Back to the topic of frost dragons, however, you canât dismiss their power entirely. They are in no way weak, nor are they the weakest of their kind. They were still pretty troublesome if you werenât of the right race, levels, or defense. They could spawn in particular locations in Midgard but those were rare. However, if you went looking in Niflheim, youâd have an incredibly stronger chance of coming face to face with one there.
If this world is like your game, then you can assume that the Azerlisia Mountains are cold year-round if those dragons are fabled to reside there.
âœI...have a little history with frost dragons.â
âœHistory?â
âœMmm.â You affirm Liamâs echo, âœIâm well...acquainted...yeah, with two in particular. However, Iâm certain that the ones you speak of are different than the ones I know. They do not live anywhere near mountains.â
âœAmazing!â Liam blurts out a matter of fact. âœWhat are they like?!â
You almost throw a joke at him by saying theyâre chill or cool but you notice that the other three men have their full attention on you, aghast expressions morphing their facial features into ones that you could almost call comical.
âœEhaaâtheyâre...â You didnât want to outright tell them all your secrets right off the bat without gaining anything back so you decide to make a trade. âœIâll tell you what. If you tell me more about where we are Iâll answer your questions back. Sound fair?â
âœOh?â Liam looks in between his fellow men. None of them object so he takes it as it is given. âœWell, in general, Bourn is part of the Re-Estize Kingdom.â
âœ...Iâve never heard of a kingdom named such. At least...where Iâm from.â
âœYou must have come from really far then. The kingdom is one of the three major nations in this general area and we are right in the center of where all three are. In fact, Iâve heard from traders that it takes at least a little over a half a month by carriage to make it to the sea on the far west of the continent if you continue in a straight line and only stop to rest.â
âœO-oh. Heh, wow.â You scratch your neck as you mull over the information. âœI guess Iâm really lost then. Heh hehââ Shit. This is not right. âœWhat are the other two nations, might I ask?â
âœThe nation to the East of ours is the Baharuth Empire. This country and theirs are...well to put it, theyâre on bad terms and often fight on the plains South of us where borders connect. The Slane Theocracy is further South and is a kingdom that was formed even before the kingdom and the empire was. We donât personally know much about the theocracy since the kingdom has little interactions with them but Vance, Nate, and I have met an individual from the country.â Liam grimaces.
âœThey were very religious.â Vance nods as if agreeing with the blond that the individual they speak of was odd.
âœThough, they did have a point,â Nate grunts, âœdemi-humans and monsters alike are demons that should all die.â
Since heâs behind you he canât see your expression morph into something vile; however, the two boys at your sides do.
âœNATE!â Liam yells, âœBarry already told you to shut up if youâre going to stay! Say something uncalled for like that again then donât expect me to heal you any time soon.â
That takes the young man back a bit before he opens his mouth-
âœThat also means that I donât want to hear your voice for at least a good hour. Itâs exhausting to hear you constantly complain.â
Nateâs teeth click shut and he returns to staring a hole through your skull again, submitting to Liamâs commands.
Not wanting there to be a stretch of awkward silence after Liam snapped at Nate you hum, âœThank you, Liam, for telling me all of that. Iâm sure thereâs more to it but every bit of information is helpful. Iâm starting to realize how lost I am.â No, youâre starting to realize how fucked you are. Nothing of what Liam informed you of is any landmarks from Midgard. Not just there though but nothing from any of the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
This is a completely new world.
Cursing under your breath, you continue. âœI remember the deal we made. Iâll tell you a little bit more about those frost dragons I mentioned.â
âœThat's nice.â The older man scratches his beard and waves his torch forward. âœWeâve arrived at my house. You can tell us more when we get you boys settled in a room. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Barry.â You nod as the other three show their appreciation for the older manâs hospitality. The chieftainâs house appears no different than the ones that litter the rest of the village. Same stone exterior, same shabby wooden shutters and doors, and same dark tile roofing. It doesnât even appear that it has more grass near it. It seems that there are more patches of dirt around this house than most of the others. You piece it together that Mr. Barryâs house must be often visited for the grass to recede so much.
Using his only free arm, Barry is able to grab the handle on his door and step in to hold it open. âœHere you go, make yourself at home.â
You want to show the chieftain your appreciation for him welcoming you but the blaring fact on your mind drowns out all words that could try to find their way onto your tongue. This is a new world. Nothing could have prepared you for the shock. How you got here is a mystery you donât even think can ever be solved.
A shake of your head brings you back to now.
This isnât something you can expect an answer for immediately, nor should you. This is something youâll have to puzzle together on your own and these people can help you. They will help you. Youâll make sure of it one way or another. Youâd prefer it be voluntarily but youâll do what you have to if it comes down to it. You need to learn for your sake and for whoever was also transported to this world with you.
To that last thought, you step into the threshold of Barryâs home with the intention to use every fiber of your being to get what you need.
Tonight is going to be a long nightâ
â—
âœWake up, freak!â A sharp kick of a boot jolts you awake from the spot you slept at on the table in the dining room in the chieftainâs home. It didnât hurt you as much as it did surprise you. You must have been sleeping good too because you could hardly make a proper response in reply to Nateâs rude wake-up call, only a small mmf? escapes your chest. This seems to sour the tan boyâs already foul mood, âœDo I have to fucking wake you up like this every morning?! Canât you wake up by your damn self?!â
âœNate, itâs...isnât it too early for you to be this angry? Did you wake up wrong?â You jab, knowing full well why heâs angry but wanting to get back at him for daring to kick you, as you slowly sit up and rub your face. Grogginess is still hanging over you like a cloud from being pulled from sleep in such a way.
âœI havenât slept at all, thanks to you.â He bares his teeth, the bags under his lids just as obvious as his bloodshot eyes.
âœI havenât been making you do anything. You're the one so determined to keep an eye on me.â Despite him being a thorn in your side every chance he gets, itâs concerning that Nate hasnât slept a lick since you dropped out of the sky. Itâs been two days since then and youâve learned nothing about what has occurred to you. All you know is that youâre in a new world. A completely new and real planet filled with life and magic, completely in contrast to your real home and very similar to your avatarâs. âœYou should have someone take your place for at least a day. It isnât good to do this to yourself. Your health is suffering because of it.â
âœPft, this is nothing.â Nate throws his head back to prove his point. He doesn't know that you see him stagger slightly, âœI can go another two days no problem.â
âœ...Right.â The wooden chair that youâve made your bed these past few nights creaks as you look over your right shoulder to where some window shutters sit closed. Blue light filters through the cracks of the wood, illuminating the room and the dust particles that drift lazily through the air. A hum escapes your chest.
Itâs almost time.
A spark of anticipation brings warmth to your chest and you even find it in your heart to forget Nateâs aggression at the thought of it. âœThank you for waking me up again.â The chair groans as you push it with one arm out from underneath you so you can stand and stretch.
âœI have to get you up to work at some point.â Nate backs away from you, brushing off your gratitude in the process. âœCome on and do whatever you need to do so you can continue where you left off.â
âœ*Sigh* Sure, sure.â Nodding in memory of the procedure, you make your way around the table and past Nate to the doorway leading off into Barryâs living space. Nate follows closely behind you but you give him no mind as the smell of sizzling meat and herbal tea wafts into your senses. The kitchen is a very open space and it only takes one turn to make it into the space where the chieftain stands, cooking and brewing breakfast. âœMorning, Mr. Long.â
You address Barry right, after being corrected in regards to how to refer to individuals formally here. It turns out that theyâre more Westernized than Japanese as they use surnames rather than first.
The old man is still in his nightly attire but appears neatly kept as he looks over his shoulder where heâs cooking. âœAh, SÅ. Itâs good to see that Nate was able to wake you.â His brows pinch in worry, âœThe fact that you donât breathe makes me worry that youâre dead every time you sleep, especially after how you werenât feeling well last night.â
âœAh-ha...I donât mean to scare you, sir. I promise Iâm fine.â
âœTsk,â Nate prompts you to move, âœThank you, Barry. Weâll be on our way now.â
âœWait a minute, boy.â Nate stops his persistent shoving at the older manâs voice, âœSÅ hasnât eaten yet. They shouldnât be working on an empty stomach.â
You swallow the gag that tried to make its way up, âœNn-no no. Iâm good sirââ
Yes, you can eat but it turns out that your avatar doesnât need to eat.
The experience was good at first. Freshly home-cooked meals with none of those artificial crap or the ones with preservatives and chemicals pumped into Them. Not to mention that your sense of taste has been amplified in this body because every bite and sip of whatever made its way into your mouth just burst with so much flavor, it was almost heavenly.
You thought youâd never get tired of the feeling of eating real food.
However, like you figured out, your avatar doesnât need to eat. In fact, itâs not good that you eat, youâve guessed.
For one, your body doesnât digest food. It just sits in your abdomen like a ball of paste. Not only is the feeling unpleasant but you figured out that your taste buds are not limited to only your mouth, but everything inside you. Youâd continue to taste the paste in your body all the time. And since your body doesnât digest anything it keeps the food fresh as the day it came into your mouth. It doesnât even rot inside of you. Your avatar seems to have a knack for preserving things so nothing decays inside of you. While thatâs reassuring, eating three meals a day piles up.
You were swelling up since you didnât need to and couldnât shit or piss it out. With all those meals combined, the flavors mushed together in such overwhelming matrimony that in the middle of last nightâs dinner it became too much for your senses to handle and you had to run out of the house. Nate and Liam chased you, of course, since they had joined you over at the chieftainâs place of residence but they werenât prepared for how quick you bolted for Tob.
When they finally caught up to you they found you bent over and puking your guts out at the edge of the forest, determined to get the two days worth of meals out of your system.
Yes, youâve found out that you enjoy eating but you decide that itâs best not to do so for the time being, âœIâm still feeling a little...ill from last night. Iâm not sure if I can handle any food right now.â
âœOh? Iâm sorry to hear thatâ.â With a worried glance, he opens a cupboard where cups sit in attention. He picks out a decently sized one and moves over to the kettle he has set over a simmering furnace, âœYou should eat though. Thatâs the only way youâll get better. At least have some tea.â
On instinct almost, your head shakes quickly showing your repulse, âœUmm, Mr. Long. Iââ You donât want to be rude so you decide to tell him the truth instead of beating around the bush like you did last night when you hurried to sleep off the sickening feeling, âœThe issue is eating. It turns out my body doesnât do well with eating human foods. I was trying to blend in but Iâm still not human even if I try. Donât get me wrong, you make the best tea,â You swallow yet another gag before continuing, âœbut I really shouldnât eat.â
âœOh, son. You shouldnât have forced yourself like that.â He places the cup on the counter to face you again, âœDonât do things that make you ill.â
âœIâll try. Believe me, I would have done things differently if I had known what would have happened.â
âœThatâs great,â Nate shoves you as he sees no other reason to stay now, âœnow let's get going!â
âœWait, Nate, did you eat ye-â
âœYes, I have. I did so while you were sleeping. Now move it!â Nate pushes your back with a hand to guide you to the front door but Barryâs voice follows you two on your way out the door
âœBoy, you best be nice to him.â
âœI know! See ya, Barryâ The tan boy calls back as heâs finally able to shove you out the front door just as you call out a quick, âœBye, sir.â into the morning light that is outside.
The air is crisp as a slight autumn breeze flows gently from the direction of the North where the Azerlisia Mountains reside, causing your golden hair to trickle across your face. Pursing your lips, you untie the ribbon that one of the village girls lent you from your wrist to tie your hair up so it stays out of your face. The sky is waking up from its slumber, becoming a lighter blue in pigmentation to the sunâs approach. Your wide vision provides you the sight to see villagers already mulling about, getting to whatever chores or jobs they need to before the day gets started.
âœAlright freak,â You look over to the young man as he makes his way back to you, âœLet's get back to the logs so you can finish skinning them.â
âœNow wait just a minute.â Already walking down a dirt path that leads off to where you want to go, a toothy smile slips past your rosy lips. âœI have to watch it before I get back to work.â
âœIt?â You nod to his inquiry to which he groans as he follows you, âœWhy? You already saw it yesterday and the day before that.â
âœYes but I havenât seen it today.â A skip in your step is subtle but the eagerness in your words isnât, âœI plan on doing this every morning by the way. Get used to it.â
âœTsk. You love making things difficult.â He finally gets quiet to that last remark.
You relish in the silence he provided because it lets you hone in on the pleasantries that exist in this world that donât in yours.
Though far off to the trees that make up Tob, birds sing in jubilee to the joy of the new day, their voices combined form a symphony of cheer that echoes out into Bourn. A group of women holding baskets of clothes chatters kindly to one another before bursting into giggles when you wave and smile at them. Itâs been odd. The way youâve been getting treated by those of the opposite sex is different than how you were when you were on Earth. While women seem to have grown a liking for you, the men of the village seem to have the opposite reaction, glaring at you and whispering amongst each other when your back is turned. You find it odd that the people in this village act in such ways. Back on Earth, generally, everyone minded their own business unless it was their business. Now it seems that youâre the talk of the town. You have a few guesses as to why but it's not important to you right now.
The dirt path crutches satisfyingly under your boots as your speed picks up at the sight of the yellowing horizon past the last few houses of the village.
This is what you came for.
âœHey, wait!â Nate hollers at you when you start running to the edge of Bourn, laughing to yourself as the young man struggles to catch up to you. Just a few yards to the East of the village is a hilly countryside, scattered with shrubbery and the very thing the village is named after, a bourn that flows out from the forest. The stream goes out and around the houses to the places where the farmers have set up their crops. Youâve been informed that the stream even flows through E-Rantel, the capital of Re-Estize, and continues onward.
Your goal, however, is past the stream and you know just the way to get past it.
âœStop, you asshole!â Nate screams when you sprint, closing the distance between the shallow flowing water. Just as it looks like youâll be running into the stream, your knees bend and like a nimble deer you glide right over the gap to land perfectly onto the other rocky side. Not a single drop of water lands on you at the act.
You had quickly learned that your stats from Yggdrasil have carried on into this new world. Not just your magic stats though, but your speed, agility, and your physical strength. They are in the level nineties, high level according to normal players. With such high levels carried on to this new world, youâve found how easy it is to just jump over streams such as the one you practically flew gently over.
You turn back with a bright expression, âœCome on, Nate! I thought you wanted to keep an eye on me?!â You canât help but tease Nate as he slides to a halt in front of the water, hurriedly trying to find the driest way across until he spots some rocks sticking out of the slow current. Working quickly, Nate starts to use them to hop across. âœAt that pace, youâll never catch up with me!â
âœWhen I get over there, I swear to God-H-hey!â He screams when he sees you continue to run off without him, âœFucking, piece of-Augk!â Your extended vision allows you to see one of Nateâs feet slip and plunge into the water, successfully trenching his pair of boots, as you continue to jog to your place of destination.
It isnât far off the stream. Itâs very visible from the village and youâve seen children run up to play around it at times. In the grass field, a huge boulder lies serenely with moss inching over its surface like a green blanket.
Itâs the perfect place for you to sit and watch it occur.
You easily climb up the face of the rock and giddily place yourself down at the top as it is almost time. You hardly notice Nate run up with your attention so honed in on the goldening horizon as he places an arm on the bottom of the boulder to hold himself steady.
âœJust you wait, when the time comes Iâll laugh as I kill you, freak.â
âœGood to know.â There it is, your sudden urge to lash out at a threat. You swallow it down though to keep up your peaceful nature. Youâre getting better at it, holding your tongue generally and just reminding yourself that you only feel this way because of your avatarâs nature. The moment anytime your life is threatened, something switches in you that makes it very hard not to lash out at whatever may be the cause of it, almost like activating aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it.
You have come to this conclusion since SÅsaku-sha is the final boss of Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered, you are the same. You only started to fight players once they showed you hostility so this might be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering others and feel a drive to do so when threatened.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are to a few words.
Clenching your teeth, you forcefully push the feeling down to enjoy the moment, âœNow shush, itâs almost time.â
Nate clicks his tongue in response but settles down with a scowl to watch the horizon with you. Youâve found that you generally like him better when heâs tired. He doesnât fuss as much and is more complacent to which you appreciate.
You let yourself get lost in thought as you watch it occur.
The sunrise.
The dark blue and purple shadows stretch against the countryside in contrast to the orange spritz sky and fluffy yellow clouds to the rising dawn. Dew and ripe flowers surround you in a kind bubble, cradling your form in welcome. Itâs when the shadows of the plains get the darkest colors when the golden orb of light readies to breach the endless blue.
âœWhoah!â A gasp escapes you when, finally, a sparkle of light peaks its way above the tree line in the distance, casting its warm glow on your features. The sky noticeably shifts in palette as it marches across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you remain somewhat in a numb trance.
The sunâs flirtations on your skin are considerably warmer than the breeze that flows down from the mountains of the North, holding promise that winter is coming. The temperature fluctuations are noticeable but despite that, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things. Back on Earth, there was none of this. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward. However, you can stare at the sun and bask in its embrace for hours...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. At first, you had guessed that it was a natural thing thatâs supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes butâ
Allowing your vision to expand just enough so that you can check on Nate, you see that he squints in the direction you're facing, obviously being blinded by the growing light.
Humans still seem to be affected by the sunâs glory so you settled on the theory that you can watch the sun without any trouble because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming variety of warm hues. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunrise since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so bold and it comes with its compliments of pinks, greens, and yellows. Only because youâve been watching the rise and fall of the star every day had you become aware of the shifts. It dawned on you on the first morning that youâll be able to experience the liveliness of the sky to the full as long as youâre here in this new world.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this habit.
And youâre going to use your weird, new senses to enjoy it to the full.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the animals and people in the village, of course, but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You had gaged a couple of times upon smelling some of them and out of the blue excrement smells.
You do, however, enjoy the wafts of occasional herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that you are now enveloped in.
You also keep your ears wide open. You technically have human ones but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away..
Your new vision was one of the first things you noticed was off in this new body. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
As long as nothing is in the way you can see.
Even though you have eyes again, your vision isnât limited there. It still exists from your skin even as you look human. With clothes on, however, it covers most of your available visionary points but your head is plenty round enough to make up for the loss.
Your sense of touch is the only sense that you think youâve found no changes in. As long as you donât initiate any physical contact with other people while you're in your avatar's form, youâre good. You found out through Nate's rough housing that while you're human, you don't share emotions. You don't know what nullifies it but you appreciate the normalcy in being...mostly human.
There is something odd that you had noticed on the first day as you worked. You know that you have five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground, the trees, and in houses only for them to pop out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms.
You had quickly learned how to ignore the feeling when one of the newlywed couples started getting frisky. Despite that and the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It...reassures you in a way especially since youâve learned how frequently this village is attacked by monsters.
You havenât sensed anything like that yet though so you remain generally content as you continue to watch the rising sky even after the sun has fully revealed itself out from behind the horizon, all signs of night no more.
âœHmm...Iâm jealous of you, Nate.â
âœHuh?â Nate was in the middle of a yawn when you threw the comment at him. He recovers fairly quickly since he rubs his eyes roughly when he replies, âœWhy?â
âœYou get to be able to watch this every morning. Your eyes get to withhold a masterpiece crafted by nature itself. All the time. Everyday. Heh, I never got the chance to sit and watch a sunrise like this back where I lived.â
âœ...what the fuck do you mean by that?â
âœUhââ Great. You had only wanted to make small talk to maybe lighten his feelings towards you or even get him to open up some. Instead, a dark hole into your past is being prodded at, âœwhat I mean is that youâre lucky to be born in a world that wasnât ruined before you.â Your face drops before you continue, âœYour world is so...alive and green. At one time it...my home had been like this but that was before meââ
âœ...Really?â Nate boredly glances your way before suddenly being intrigued by the subtle pain he can see written on your face. 'What could possibly cause a monster like you such discomfort?' he wonders. âœWhat happened then, huh? Something burn it down?â
âœAh...wellââ You swallow before continuing, âœNot exactly. Itâs...much more complicated than that.â
âœWhat? You think Iâm too dumb to understand?â
You shake your head at Nateâs misinterpretation, âœThatâs not at all what Iâm saying. Itâs justâ*sigh* itâs a lot. Not only that but the world I come from has many terms that arenât uh...present here in this one. You may not understand some of the things I may say.â
âœPsh, try me, freak.â
Furrowing your brows in doubt, you start with hesitance, âœItâs...gray. Everything is gray. There is no natural wildlife except the pests that carry disease. No natural plant life except the ones sustained by outside means. No sky, just the constant poisonous fog we call smog. We do not have the freedom to breathe like you do here. We must wear masks with oxygen tanks...uh, theyâre barrels that supply us with fresh air that must remain strapped onto ourselves when we go outside if we want to avoid an early and painful death-â
âœWait, you breathe?â Nateâs face is almost comical but retelling your past has put you off a bit so you canât even laugh at his expression.
âœYes, I did. In my...my other form.â
âœHuh? Iâm sorry, what?!â
A scoff of a laugh does slip out of you this time at his very bewildered and disheveled look. Nate really should take a break from watching you and take a power nap. âœI created myself after all so...yeah.â You reply back as you roleplay as your avatar. You couldnât tell him the whole truth because, frankly, no one would believe you. Besides, you donât want to reveal too much information about your real self. You swallow back the fact that you have...or had human parents up until this situation started.
âœYou created yourself? You?â You would have reacted the same way if someone told you that they had come into existence out of their own vendetta. It's just impossible...in human terms.
âœI did... What do you think my name means? My full name, I mean.â
âœUh...I donât remember it.â
âœThatâs okay. My name is SÅsaku-sha. Do you know what that name means?â
âœNo. Why does it matter?â
âœSÅsaku-sha means âœCreatorâ. I am a creator. I create life, essentially, and I build worlds for that life to exist on.â You lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœSo, wouldnât it only make sense that Iâd give myself a vessel to occupy so that I may interact with my creations?â
âœThe hell?â He rubs his eyes hard as if it would help him hear better. âœWhat are you then?â
âœI already told you. Iâm a creator.â
âœNo. No! I mean what kind of creature are you, freak?!â
âœHmm? My race? To be honest, I canât say I know. Iâm the only one of my kind to my knowledgeâAll I know is that Iâm a creator.â You nod as if your explanation reflects your avatar thorough; however, Nateâs continued confusion forces a huff out of your chest, âœLook, I told you it would be hard for you to understan-â
âœShut up, I understand perfectly!â Nate refuses to be wrong around you and spits a wad into the grass, âœEnough about your freaky fucking body. Continue with your shitty life story or whatnot.â
You remind yourself to practice patience as another spill of anger boils at his insensitive words. You continue, âœThe oceans and streams have been blackened. The fish and other water dwellers had been all replaced with plastic, sludge, and the occasional druggie and suicidal.â You grimace at the memories of seeing bodies of individuals, who have given up hope for something better, being tugged out of streams by cleaning crews. They donât treat those bodies with respect...You only surmise that they must haul bodies out of the water so often that the corpses are just more trash needed to be pulled out of the stream by them.
âœFood comes in the form of paste packets if you donât have the money to afford better. Concrete-ah um...stone as far as the eye can see...murky and tainting it is. An all-encompassing gray you can never escape. Neon and glittery lights can try to cast all the color back into the world as they can, the overall mood will never change. All lights shut off at some point leaving the world a husk. A skeleton of its former self.â
Silence permeates among you two as the sun continues to rise, you both cling to your words.
âœThe only way people find comfort in such a world is to find addictions. We all know that the world is doomed, humans sealed that fate long ago, so most of us have cast morals aside and succumbed to our more...outlandish desires. Some escape reality through highs, dosing, and shooting themselves up with whatever chemicals they can to numb the pain. Alcohol is a kind death, poison that makes the soul feel joyful that many find solace in. Others find escape in gambling for the chance to score big since itâs just too large of an offer to refuse. Finding comfort in others...is also a constant. Love and...love making distract from the numbness of it all. Makes people feel that they have someone to live for. Escaping through risking our lives. The young especially find pleasure in this since close encounters with life-shattering scenarios remind us of our will to live. We call these types of people thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. A good percentage of these types of people die daily whether by skirting too close to death or they realize that they donât have a will to live anymore.â
Your lip quivers at the dark memories that enter your mind. You probably see a dead person at least once a month back on Earth. Emphasis on at least. No one was truly happy anymore...but you tried your best to make it better for others.
âœThen thereâs my addiction. The type where you escape reality through digital means. There, people could forget for a short time what our home is like as they embody new forms IG...which means in...new worlds. I too enjoyed the digital realm and I made my life around creating worlds for others to venture off to and explore. Guess you could say that I was the dealer exchanging these highs for profit.â
Your laugh sounds empty and wet at the irony of it all. Nate remains silent as you go on with your sad story.
âœI imitated what I could of life so we could all enjoy sights and hope that weâve all but lost...but I couldââ A choking noise escapes you as you lose your composure for a second before waving an arm to the scenery around you, âœI could have never made this. Iâm jealous of what you all think is normal. Frankly, I feel like Iâm in a dream and none of this is real...still thoughââ
You feel like you're crying but when you wipe your face you see liquid gold smeared on your fingertips.
Huh? What...is this? Did you cast Tears of Jörmung-You know what, you're not even going to question it. You're too overwhelmed with emotions to care.
You wipe the glowing liquid on your pants with a sniff, glad that Nate seems to be too lost in thought to notice your condition.
You just...feel shocked and blessed to be able to experience all of this life. Only now that youâve spoken the truth of Earth do you realize how wonderful this one is.
âœ...you said that humans ruined your world.â Nateâs low voice comes as a surprise to you which has you nodding slowly.
âœMm.â
âœ...How? And why?â
âœ...many reasons...in the beginning, they didnât know that their actions have dire consequences on the environment. Taking resources and not giving back to the earth what itâs due. They saw it as a means to survive,â You turn your head to send the boy a knowing look over your shoulder, âœyou can relate to that, can you not?â
His expression hardens some at your slightly antagonizing words but you shake your head before turning forward again.
âœIâm not being judgmental. Just...pointing out similarities. Besides, they needed those resources...but once humans had collected their needed fill...they wanted more. Nicer tools, nicer clothes, nicer homes. These arenât sins in themselves...but want is so easily turned to greed. Those who could take kept taking, even to the extent that their fellow man became a casualty to it. Those who had more had more power. And what better way to use power than to use it to gain more? War is caused by such greed and death is caused by such misuse of power.
âœ*Sigh*...In the end, more often than not, those with more power win those battles. But with great power always comes great fear. Greed drives man to get to the top...so those at the top will always fear those at the bottom. They all continue to take to make that fear go away or to challenge those of power...but eventually...if you continue to take without giving anything back...one day there will be nothing left to take. All youâre left with is gray. The world had been at the mercy of man and they didnât show any sympathy...so now all are at the mercy of a world that has nothing left to lose. In the end...humans ruined themselves. None of what you call monsters can be blamed for such because true monsters are those who take without a care of the consequences.â
Thereâs more silence following your response before Nate barely audibly huffs, âœEven fucking monsters canât get a break.â
Your jaw drops.
What?! N-Nate actually...does he feel actual sympathy for you?! He definitely didnât mean for you to hear him, since he said it so quietly, but your heightened sense of hearing couldnât let his whisper go unnoticed.
Before you could get your wits back Nate reverts back to his old self, âœSo, you hate us humans now or something?â
âœ...although it was humanity that destroyed my home, understand that I do not blame humans.â You send the tan boy the most sincere look you could muster, âœIâm rather fond of them actually.â You know, considering you were one. Plus, if you didnât say that then he might think heâs right in the fact that you hate humans. You donât want him thinking that youâre a threat any more than he already does...at least at the moment. âœWhat I blame are their negligence and selfishness...maybe you can learn from your fellow menâs example and try not to allow this world to suffer the same fate. We can all do our part in preventing such a bleak outcome. I know I certainly will while Iâm still here. Call me a hypocrite but my selfishness dictates that I preserve what you all have in fear of what fate will befall it.â
âœ...â Nate doesnât respond to that, once again getting lost in thought as he stares at the sunrise. What you donât know is that as he squints at the horizon he notices how nice the sunrise looks today.
â.
â.
â.
Shaking his head he steps back from the bolder, the wall forming back up as he addresses you, âœAlright. Youâve watched the sunrise, now get back to work. The barn isnât going to fix itself.â
The sigh that escapes you hides nothing to your disappointment, âœRightââ
Sparing one last look at the sunrise with your full honed in focus, you slide off the surface of the rock, the moss making it slippery enough to do so, to the ground with a thump of your feet. The two of you share a moment staring at each other when you finally straighten up. Neither of you says anything for what was there to say? A signal? An apology?
No. There was nothing to be said.
So you find it wise to break contact first, not up for competition and an argument after your little spill, and you start to make your way back to the core of Bourn. Silent footsteps follow in tow behind your own.
At times like these, youâve found that it's best to keep your mouth shut and reflect on what youâve collected on your situation thus far. It helps pass the time in your experience and deduce what may have happened to get you here like right out of an Isekai.
For the world that you exist in doesnât seem to have a lot of history. While you could sum that up to books being a royalty thing and not a necessity that the lower class would have access to, none of the villagers youâve spoken with seem to know anything except rumors and legends. It doesnât seem like something thatâd concern them from the way that theyâve spoken to you. All that looks to be on their minds is getting through the day with full bellies.
You can understand why they think the way they do but it doesnât help you in the long run.
However, youâve learned from poking around that there is a local monster that resides nearby in the Great Forest of Tob called the Wise King of the Forest.
The Wise King is rumored to be a monster capable of using magic, possessing incredible power beyond that of even the most skilled mages and warriors. You were informed that there have been few eyewitness reports but many who come face to face with such a creature donât live to tell the tale. Its existence has been around for quite a long while. Some of the chatty folk around Bourn even speculate that it is around several hundred years old. The only description youâve gained on the look of the creature is that it is a four-legged silverish, white beast with a snake-like tail.
Immediately, the image of a Nue or a Chimera popped into your head at the description and you still think it might be one of those, especially after so many of the townâs folk said that they believe it to be a demon that guards the woods.
Those creatures were not just simple ones by Yggdrasil standards. They are moderately high-level beasts thatâd have all low-level players running at the mere sound of their cry.
If there is such a creature here, you find a growing desire to meet the one dubbed with such a great name because a wise king is the name of one with the answers you want.
Or not. It might not have the knowledge you seek not to mention that it could be near impossible to find in such a large forest. It may not even be alive to this day. Youâd have increasingly better luck to travel to E-Rantel and find someone well educated in the capital.
But who would be able to give more?
An ancient being or the nationâs collection of its most intelligent and influential people?
A pout molds out your features.
It sucks that either way is a gamble. At least you have options, you surmise. However, youâre still stuck in this village until youâve fixed what youâve messed up. Thinking of whichâ
âœAlright, freak. You remember where you left off?â Nate hardly holds back another yawn as he addresses you, wiping his eyes while he gestures with his free hand to the pile of logs stacked up near the barn youâve both finally made your way back to.
âœYeah, I do.â You confirm, observing the outside surface while approaching it. Thereâs still the evident hole in the roof of the structure and you know that thereâs still damage on the second-floor flooring but itâs better now than it had been.
The debris caused by your fall has all been taken care of and all of the lost goods have been accounted for. You havenât replaced the items yet since they wouldnât be able to store them correctly.
For now, youâre trying to hurry up on repairing the barn so that thereâs no further damage caused by natural elements. You had created a makeshift tarp to prevent rain damage by snatching a blanket from one of the horse stalls, draping it over the hole, nailing its corners down, and using the spell Tar to seal it up. Itâs only a temporary solution but it gets the work done.
âœThen get started already. Iâm not going to baby you or...whatever.â
âœ*Sigh, aye aye.â
Nate watches with a scrutinizing gaze as you close the distance between the trunks of the trees that are laid out and you.
Raising your dominant hand, the words, âœMaximize Magic, Phantom Limb.â tumble out of your rosy lips. The tier three spell activates and a ghostly, golden apparition manifests itself out from your arm. What you find odd though is the clawed tips to the spiritual appendageâs fingers, much in contrast to how theyâd normally appear
Just another oddity, you surmise.
With your large transparent claw, you bunch up the trunks as if you were picking up a bunch of sticks before maneuvering them above your head with minimal effort in the one hand. Your other âœnormalâ arm is used to pick up a crate full of tools before you make your way out to the back of the barn that faces the fields. There is enough open space there and out of the way for you to work properly.
Day one had been liberating as you found out how strong you were in this form.
After cleaning up the mess leftover from the fall you had to cut down some trees to collect wood. You had requested to summon some creatures to assist you but that request was quickly shot down.
So, without the hands to help you, you had to test out your abilities to see if you were capable of the task SÅsaku-shaâs way instead of the old fashioned way.
You learned many great deals of things from the experiments.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. You had thought it was a voice-related thing because of the way you healed the pigs, but after a few spells without a single word uttered trashed that theory immediately. All you have to back up your new theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots, menu, or any of that junk.
2. You have to be âœopenâ to cast spells
3. You can become open and shielded still, however, it switches to and fro depending on how threatened or secure you feel.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy showed when youâd aim at objects with either spells or handheld objects with the intention to hit specific things, even if theyâre crazy far away.
5. Their physical strength also showed when you literally were able to pick up a BOULDER and hold it above your head with ONE ARM (You had lost your mind at that, even the people who had gathered to watch were flabbergasted. Nateâs eyes popped out of his head when you told him to âœcatch itâ as you aimed to throw the huge rock at him. He didnât like the joke even after you pleaded for him not to attack you. Thankfully there were enough bystanders like Liam there to hold him back). You had also tried it out on pulling a tree out of the ground without any magic. You ended up having to use Ascend because you werenât tall enough to pull off such a feat, but once you were airborne so was the tree.
6. Your avatarâs speed is still insanely fast. You had asked Vance to throw rocks at you (Nate volunteered to do so but you didnât trust him) and not a single one would graze you, even when it was a handful of pebbles. On top of that, when heâd shoot arrows, not at you, of course, you were able to grab them out of mid-air (you let out an embarrassing squeal after youâd caught the first arrow and Vance laughed at the little victory dance you did afterward. You screamed at him to shut up about it when all of your skin grew hot pink).
7. Ascend still wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float.
You had also accessed your inventory to double-check what you have. Other than the butt-load of gold, all you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no pressing use for, just as you thought. You had thought about how nice it would have been to have access to the materials and supplies in the Citadel.
Even though you knew that you were no longer in Yggdrasil, you had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. When you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work at all despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. The fact that it didnât work only further proved that youâre no longer in your game.
Some of the spells had drained more MP from you than others, however, you still felt energized even after those many hours you spent testing your skills out. Many were awestruck at some of the spells you cast, demanding you to tell them what tier they were. You didnât go crazy with the spells so at most some of them were level eight. You had thought that the crowd gathered were going to lose their minds after you informed them that you could go beyond that. Liam quickly asked for you to perform a spell higher than eight but you refused him by saying, âœThat'd risk the lives of everyone in the village.â You knew that only some of them could do that and which ones are generally safe but you didnât want to waste the MP.
You think that show of power is what caused Nate to be at such a high level of paranoia around you now and why he hasnât let up in watching you.
Gently placing the crate and logs back down on the open dirt clearing, between the stables and the cropland where farmers tend to the land, your phantom arm dissipates for you no longer need it anymore.
Your physical strength is enough for now.
Bending over, you slip one of the trunks of a twenty-foot long tree up underneath an arm like a pillow and you maneuver it around your torso so you can place it in front of you while you sit back on the pile to get started on your work.
Nate, on the other hand, finds it frustrating to stand and watch you as you fulfill your duty from where he is. Instead, he sees it perfect to make his way to a nearby fence and lean his more than tired body against to better watch you.
He does so just as you start digging around in the crate, âœHey, Nate?â
âœWhat is it?â
âœWhich of these tools do I use to skin the bark off the trunks?â
âœThe draw knife, stupid. Itâs the long one with the two handles.â
âœOh,â It only takes you a second to deduce which of the knives he meant and you pull it out, âœThanks, jerk.â
âœTsk! Youâre the asshole.â
âœSure.â You observe the tool for a few seconds, then the tree trunk laid out in front of you, and repeat a few times before you inquire of the tan boy again, âœNate?â
âœWhat now?!â
âœHow do I use this?â
âœUagh!â He throws his head back dramatically and waves a hand up into the air, âœYou draw it towards yourself! Itâs in the fucking name! You pull at the handles while the blade is against the wood so it shaves the surface.â He lifts his head lazily as if his lack of sleep is forcing his body to become sluggish, to antagonize you, âœJust make sure not to fuck up the wood too much. Donât want you wasting time having to chop down more trees!â
âœOkay, okay! I got it.â After rolling your eyes you try to find the best way to go about shaving the bark off the surface. With it facing you horizontally it is difficult to imagine you shaving it the way you are.
You stand up and walk around the area near the top half of the long log, trying to find a good position to go about cutting the thing, before you end up straddling the log with your legs on either side, stabilizing the trunk with your weight, and your back to the young man. You observe the tool in your hand for a few more seconds, hesitant and afraid that youâll mess up.
A reminder flashes through your head that you could try again with another trunk if you mess up and the jacked-up ones can be used for other things such as firewood.
With a self-assuring nod, you grip the handles as you place the blade against the bark and pull back.
*CuurCKK!*
You surprise yourself with how easy you expertly slice through the bark.
Ha! This must be because of my Master Craftsman job class!
Smiling and more confident in your skills, your hands work faster while your mind wonders once again.
You had felt evil cutting the trees you needed down yesterday, especially due to your rare experiences with healthy trees back on Earth, but felt way better when you learned that your touch could renew a tree back to its original state. You had fully expected the same thing to happen to the trunks, thinking that theyâd regrow their roots, but nothing occurred under your hands. Still, nothing happens as your hands expertly shave the rough surface of the wood off, revealing the yellowy white core underneath. You had guessed that itâs either because of your Craftsman skills or your intentions prevented it.
The whole intention thing is confusing to you. Worrying too.
Youâre afraid of doing something you want to do that you shouldnât do. Lashing out for one is an impulse that you find hard to maintain for some reason and it scares you.
What if one day something tips you over the edge or something brushes you wrong?
Will you truly become a monster then? Will you truly lose your humanity?
You fear what you can become if you donât practice self-control. You know that, in your past experiences in being threatened, your mind just goes somewhere else when youâre triggered. It seems like you lose most to all sense of rationality. Youâve never felt anything quite like it before, nor anything as strong. Emotion blinds you in those moments and you have to fight your entire body to stop you from acting out those emotions. Your only barrier from your wrath at those times is your mind and even that is sketchy.
As you thought before, your mind just goes someplace during those times and something...vile and...sick takes its place. Your mind is your own enemy in this body and tends to make you more aggressive than anything youâre accustomed to.
Youâll do everything in your power to prevent that from occurring.
You just hope that the day never comes that the impulse outways your logic.
God have mercy on all the day that occurs.
*Currrk-CerrrCK!*
Hey, look at the bright side. Youâve done a good job holding back! The most that have escaped you so far is lashing words. You can fix the venom that leaks between your clenched teeth, as long as you never allow it to escalate further than that.
*Ccurrrrrk!*
Not to mention that the scent from cut wood is becoming one of your new favorite smells. It's sour and reminds you of grass. Wine grass? Is that a smell? Thatâs the best way you can describe the scent as. You relish in it as youâre now halfway down the trunk, all sides skinned as you use your weight and legs to rotate the wood while you move down with the knife.
Your vision shifts to Nate to see how heâs holding up and youâre not very surprised to see him barely awake.
Half standing-half slouched against the fence, his head is lobbed to the side and his eyes drooping lazily, unfocused in your direction. Not exactly watching but waiting for something odd it seems. You can tell how hard heâs been fighting off sleep these past few days and now it is weighing on him. You had been tempted to cast Sleep and get it over with countless times, especially when he insisted on being a nuisance, but the level of distrust he has for you is a deterrent. If you cast it and someone found out that you put him to sleep against his will, chaos would ensue. Itâs best that you donât do anything of the sort.
However, he still needs rest.
With that, you continue to work in peace. Itâs almost like a trade. Silence for you and rest for him. A fair trade indeed.
*CkurrrkKK!*
The silence seems to be aiding you as you work, your hands making swift and clean progress shaving the overcoat. Almost like your hands have a mind of their own, they pull out the flesh from the exterior, breaking down the brown and green clumps to form piles at the side of the stark log.
Youâre starting to find out that this may be one of your new favorite hobbies, working with your hands and utilizing your Craftsman job class.
Back in Yggdrasil, it had been necessary for you to have the skills in the beginning when you used to design additions to your realm. Over time you had less need to craft as more players challenged you, you got other NPCs to do it for you, and there grew no need for it anymore. It just became a nice perk to SÅsaku-sha.
Now utilizing your skills like this thoughâ
It feels right...therapeutic almost. Like youâve picked back up on a passion project...
Maybe you can use little hobbies like this here in the new world? Craftsmen were generally always needed in the medieval ages. That would be a safe and quiet occupation. Not to mention that your job class would make it easy to pick up.
*Kuh-Creee!*
You smile, standing up and dusting yourself off to observe your handy work on the now clean log.
Yeah, that would be nice to have someplace to earn money and good money.
You step off the log and lightly kick the whole twenty-foot tree aside, away from the non-skinned trunks so you can get to work on the next one.
âNot that you need it, though,â your mind supplies, âFood isnât an essential for you it seems.â
Yeah, but if you get kicked out of this village after you finish your work here youâll need someplace to live. Your pride simply cannot allow you to be a squatter.
Mmm. Thatâs another thing that youâve found about your mind now. Youâre not only overly aggressive at times but youâre prideful to the point that youâll put your safety and life on the line to protect it. Itâs an even stronger desire than your aggression at times which blows your mind. Not only does it affect the way you act but it cuts down on choices you can make, such as tolerating being homeless.
*Cuuuurkk!*
Well...technically you are homeless. You have no place you can call yours truly but...you have a roof over your head.
You can try building your own home? You are a craftsman...but skill doesnât translate to knowledge. In other words, even if youâre capable of building yourself a home you still wouldnât know how to.
Thatâs why getting a job as a craftsman could really assist you. You could learn.â
But where would you even build a house of your own? Here?
That all depends on the disposition of the majority of Bourn to their liking of you.
If youâre being honest, youâve started to grow a connection to this village even if youâre just paying off debt and youâve only been here two days, counting onto three. The people seem...happy here. Thereâs a glimmer in their eyes that you werenât accustomed to on Earth. While they may be fearful people, theyâre generally nice.
The girls, for one, have really grown a liking to you.
Your cheeks flush some as you continue to clear off the surface of the wood.
Flirts, lingering eyes, kind gestures, little gifts...more so than what youâre used to back on Earth. You havenât been able to see your reflection clearly yet, only in the reflective surfaces of inanimate objects, butâ
You peer at the blurry figure that meets your gaze on the blade of the knife.
...it turns out youâre considered handsome. Very handsome in this new form. And because of the natural masculinity not just in your features but in the way you conduct yourself seems to be whatâs drawing the attention of the opposite sex.
*CurkKK!*
You donât know how to feel about that though. Intimacy is a foreign thing to you and is the least of your concerns.
But what will you do if one of the girls in this village grows a serious liking to you?
âœErk!â Your face lights up bright like a light bulb.
Youâd probably die of embarrassment. You donât know how to deal with women...nor how to interact with them. Not to mention that youâre incredibly shy about anything related to romance. You are more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. Most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content! K-kissing and holding hands-
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You shake your head quickly to clear out the thoughts that entered your mind.
ENOUGH! Your heart canât handle it!
Besides, how could you possibly date someone when youâre not even human and donât know how long youâll remain here? Yes, itâs best not.
A sigh leaves you before you finish up skinning the second trunk.
Well that will probably be the only issue with the women, hopefully. But the men seem to have the opposite feelings about you and you have a few guesses as to why.
You have incredible hearing so itâs only natural that youâre able to pick up on the things theyâre speaking of.
Jealousy is one. The blaring one.
Evidently many of them think that youâre going to run off with their daughters or wives and the others are envious of your skills. Itâs a mixture of both in some cases but the one thing that they all share is that most of the men and boys in Bourn arenât warming up to you, especially now that a piece of information is beginning to float around.
Rumors of what you truly are-are starting to circulate through gossip. You knew this would happen eventually butâ*sigh* itâs frustrating that you're grotesque. A human stuck in the body of a heteromorph.
What a wonderful predicament!
You kick the skinned log harder than necessary and it clunks with the other, making a loud clapping noise.
Nate jolts awake from his spot, blinking a couple of times as if realizing where he is and whatâs going on, before he strings a line of curses beneath his breath.
You wince an apology to the young man but also the fact that your temper got the best of you again.
You need to work on self-restraint. Especially since you hold so much power as your avatar.
It sucks that intentions are the controls. You donât trust yourself.
You pick up the next tree and set it down so you can get to work on it.
Maybe itâd be better that you live alone...for now at least until you have a better grasp on yourself. Youâd love to have the company of people but youâre pretty dangerous. There's a reason why your avatar's realm is far from the nine worlds and only the strongest players can find you. You donât want to prove to them that theyâre the very thing that they think you are.
A monster.
*CoCurrrCKK!*
Mmm...but how will you learn if you donât seek out individuals who can help you? How will you find the answers you want if you sit in a cabin playing with magic? Not to mention how youâd become a crazy hermit if all you did is fear yourself and what you can do.
No, itâs best not to do that. You donât like the idea anyway.
But how will you overcome the fact that youâre just a beast waiting in the dark, ready to sink their teeth into whoever dares get in their way?
â.
You can keep practicing self-control...you are getting...better...despite how hard it isâ
â.
*Sigh* If there were only someone who could help you learn to control yourselfâ
â.
â.
â?
...Is there?
*CrrKcUrrrRKK!*
If there is someone...how would you be able to find such an individual? Theyâd have to be powerful themselves so that they can help you. You doubt that someone would have abilities near your own in this world since you were so powerful in Yggdrasil...butâ
You canât rule out the fact that there might be someone...you should never assume youâre the most powerful, the least you fear to fall.
That...is wrong though. I am the strongest...SÅsaku-sha isâ
*Sigh* No. That's not you. Your pride is once again speaking. So annoying.
*CcurrrCkk!*
Whether or not you're the strongest or not matters little right now. What matters is if you can get the strength you have under control.
So where to find strong people...hmmâ
â.
âœNate!â
âœAck!â Just as he starts to nod off again, Nate jumps at the sound of your call, âœMother f-What?!â
Putting down the drawing knife, you turn your torso to face him, âœWhere do strong people usually gather?â
âœUp your ass, thatâs where!â
âœNate, just answer this one question, please? Iâll try not to pester you anymore after this.â
Groaning a fit, he tiredly relents, âœFine! Some...pretty powerful adventurers gather in the guilds in cities like E-Rantel. Itâs where they can find jobs and collect payment.â
âœWhat...are adventurers? I keep hearing everyone talk about them but I don't know who they are.â You could take a couple of guesses but you want facts.
âœ...Wait, Liam hasnât spilled the tea to you yet?â Seeing you shake your head to he huffs, âœWell, to make it short and sweet, adventurers receive and solve requests accepted by the Adventurer's Guild. The main roles of adventurers involve hunting down monsters, like you,â He squints accusingly, âœproviding protection for important figures, collecting rare materials, yadda yadda.â Stopping to yawn, he reaches under the collar of his vest. When his hand retreats he is holding up what looks to be a dog tag, âœI am a silver rank adventurer. In other words, itâs my job to make sure youâre not a threat.â A smirk slips past his lips, âœGet it, freak? I kill monsters like you for a living.â
âœ...â You swallow down the retort that had boiled up at his slightly threatening tone, âœ...so...you're a mercenary of some sort?â
His smirk drops at not getting the response he wanted out of you and lets out a sharp âœTsk!â before slipping the dog tag back underneath his collar, âœNo. Weâre not. Thatâs a whole different thing. Mercenaries arenât held to the laws of a guild. They tend to do more dirty work. Psh! Fucking jackasses...â
Really?...Youâd think someone like Nate would be affiliated with mercenaries more so than the adventurers but the way he speaks down to his darker counterparts shows his true nature. You want to ask him why but it doesnât seem to be the right time. âœOkaaay...so...strong people are adventurers?â
âœGenerally, yeah. We all have to meet some requirements to get into the guild...but Iâm not going to sugar coat it.â He sniffs haughtily, âœMost to all adventurers Iâve seen in the guild only have a little bit more weapon experience than the common farmer. Copper and iron rank are reserved for those kinds of people but sliver and up is where true power comes into play.â He smirks again knowing that heâs talking highly of himself but you ignore it.
âœI see. What are all the ranks and...what kind of people can have them?â
âœ...â The gears are moving in his skull, slowly due to lack of sleep but still cranking nevertheless as he processes the question youâve asked, âœWell, copper rank is the lowest of course. Everyone has to start out as one when you join the guild. However, those who remain tend to be people who canât fight more than a goblin. Iron is a step up from that as they are people who have a bit more combat ability but still really struggle to take down monsters like ogres. Sliver is third. They are on par with veteran soldiers. Magic casters and the like stand out more in this field and up as well as legitimate martial artists and weapon handlers.â
Martial arts? Isnât that fighting styles like judo and boxing? They have that here in this world?
âœThe next rankings are hard to get to though. Gold ranks are on par with that of elite soldiers. By adventurer ranking standard, Gold is the highest rank a normal human without any talent can attain. âCapped at Goldâ is the term used to describe the limit.â
âœThatâs kind of harsh to say that people who canât get higher than gold donât have talent. It seems like an impressive feat to me.â
âœNo. You donât understand.â He barks back at you, âœCapped at Gold means that they donât have any talent above the normal person. They donât have a lot of martial arts skills or magic, probably a little more than the core basics, and they arenât talent holders. Thatâs what it means to not have talent. However, that doesnât rule out that they arenât skilled. Hell, thereâs some pretty strong golden rank adventurers but gold is the limit to normal people. Get it?â
âœI guessââ So the rank a common human can achieve...so those you want to search for might exist higher than gold rank. âœSo what rank goes beyond gold?â
âœThere are four ranks.â The man rubs his eye frustratedly as he continues, âœPlatinum is right after gold. They are a step up and can do a bit more than the most skilled warriors. However, Mithril stands out above them. This is the point when you get into abnormally powerful people. They are on par with the ultra-elite warriors in the kingdom. The next top-rank is Orichalcum. These individuals have a disgusting amount of ability and Iâm not exaggerating when I say that.â He huffs again, âœEven the magic casters at this level can use fourth-tier magic at least.â
âœFourth-tier?â Your expression falls, âœBut...that isnât much...considering what I can doââ
âœTsk! W-well...y-youâre a monster!â Nate spits, âœOf course you're going to have abnormal abilities from humans! Besides, I said at least fourth-tier for magic casters! At LEAST! You always complain about me not listening to you, eh?!â
âœAlright! Alright! I get it...but fourth-tier magicââ Thatâs a little...pathetic isnât the word butâ
This is definitely disappointing. Thatâs amateur magic according to Yggdrasil standards...Uwaah, you hope Nateâs right about them being more powerful than that.
âœThen whatâs the ranking above them?â
âœAdamantite. Itâs the highest level an adventurer can get to. Theyâre even considered heroes amongst the nations once they reach the rank, regardless of their nationality. There are only a handful of Adamantites, the few being a part of the parties Blue Roses and Red Drop though Iâm sure that there are others in other nations.â
âœTheyâre that rare, huh?â So if you want to find someone strong to train you, looking for adamantite heroes would be a good start? If you do find them, what then? How would you get them to train you?
Paying them? Gah, you need money for that and youâre not keen on using your gold yet. Thatâs a last resort.
A show? You donât know what showing your abilities would do. Probably their respect?
Or worse, their wrath.
Wahhh...probably not the best ideaâ
So what could you do?
âœHmmmââ You turn away from Nate to continue where you left off, âœI understand. Thank you for answering my questions.â
âœWha-Hey!â Nate fumes as he accusingly points a finger in your direction, âœWhy did you even ask for all that anyway, freak?! Are you even listening to me?! Hey!â
*CuuurrrRCKK!*
The satisfying peeling back of bark is your answer to which he curses at you some more until heâs too tired to continue, leaving you in the silence of the atmosphere once again and more space for you to think.
So according to Nate the best place to look for strong people is the capitals and big cities in the nation. When you go to E-Rantel, to which you can guess you will inevitably do at some point, you can visit the guild and ask where to find these Adamantite heroes. Then you can see what theyâre made of.
â.
But...what if theyâre not all that impressive or are too weak to teach you any real restraint?
Hermmmâ.This is an issue. SÅsaku-sha is op. An avatar that was created to be able to wipe out even the strongest, most capable of players, not to mention that they have abilities that couldnât be matched in Yggdrasil. Since it seems that the same can be said for your avatar in this new world itâll be a challenge to find anyone who can measure up to that.
Hmm...wait.
If there arenât any strong humans then why not look for strong subhumans and grotesques?
Humanâs arenât known for their strength...but elves, giants, demons, and the likeâ
Thereâs even frost dragons here so youâre sure that there are other similar NPCs from Yggdrasil here.
Hell, you could even try seeking out this so-called Wise King since youâre already close to the forest.
All in all, you hope that there are some truly powerful beings here, for your sake and others.
*CcuuuurrK-K!*
But is that the most important thing right now? Is training really it?
What about surviving? What does SÅsaku-sha need to survive?
Not food or drink apparently.
Sleep is something that you can do but it doesnât seem necessary. You have to make yourself want to sleep before you can. In addition to that, it doesnât seem like you can wake yourself up once you go to sleep.
A scary thought that you could just close your eyes and never open them again.
Maybe itâs best that you donât sleep.
âœMmmm.â You pout as you stand and kick the third trunk aside.
But I love to sleep. This freaking sucks!
So would it even matter to find shelter? Would you even need it since you shouldnât and donât need rest?
Well...you should have a place to store stuff. You tend to be a collector after all.
âœUwahh...so much to take into consideration. Too muchââ
Remember, baby steps. Youâll overwhelm yourself at this rate.
âœR-rightâone thing at a time.â You pick up the next trunk and set it in place, straddling it to continue to skin.
You got to finish your work here. Once you learn whether or not these people want you here or not will determine the options you can have. You shouldnât worry about the what-ifs and whatnots especially when they might not even happen.
Besides, your true goal is to learn what has occurred and if there are any players here with you that you can attempt to bring back home.
Youâre positive that youâre not the only one...you canât beâ
âœHey, SÅ.â
âœHm?â You stop your cutting to focus on the one who called out to you, âœOh, Vance. Good morning orââ Looking at the sky you realize how much time has passed with you working, âœgood afternoon? Ah-ha...what brings you here?â
The young man in question approaches at a relaxed pace which gives you time to check out his...odd outfit. It quite surprised you when you first saw him in it and it turns out that it is his work clothes.
It is a full-sized navy jumpsuit romper covered in steel buttons. The romper is baggy at the bottom but it is tucked into some dark boots, similar to your current fashion. A dark gear belt sits on his waist along with a similar colored scarf around his neck which covers half of his face. His bow and arrows sit securely on his back.
You had guessed with Vanceâs abilities and by the way he dresses that heâs a Scout or a Rogue but, without a doubt, he's 100% a Ranger. Heâs also really fast and has good accuracy from what youâve observed when you had him help you out with some of your self-evaluations. That only further proved your theory but you have yet to ask him.
âœI wanted to check up to see how you andââ Vance trails off as he notices Nate slouched on the fence again but this time heâs fast asleep. Both of you take a moment to process the situation before an exhale leaves you both, âœhim are holding up. Guess he needs that.â
âœI agree. I think I scared him.â
âœNn...Donât blame yourself. Heâs the one choosing to do this.â He turns back to you with his leveled gaze. âœHow have you been? I know Nate isnât exactly the warmest person.â
âœI havenât killed him yet so Iâd say Iâm faring well, haha!â You giggle at your jest but the slight pinch of the boyâs brow doesnât go unnoticed, âœEh heh...donât worry. Even the fragile shell of an egg canât crack under the palm of a strong man...so I donât think heâll crack mine.â Even without your weird illustration, you can see the context.
Youâre much more formidable than an egg so itâll take a lot more than some simple pressure to make your composure crack. The only issue that thereâs more to the expression that doesnât leave your understanding. Eggs are strong but they can and will bust under the pressure of a thumb, the intent to destroy. If you are put into harm's way intentionally, you will lash out. You know you will even if you donât want to.
You donât finish your illustration but instead listen to Vance as you continue to work, âœI see. Though, checking up on you two isnât my only reason for coming.â
âœOh? Then for what else, might I ask?â
âœI wanted to see your progress.â Vance makes his way to the logs, the ones that arenât skinned, and sits himself down on them near you.
âœEager to see me finished so I will leave?â
âœ...Not necessarily.â
âœReally? I thought one of Nateâs friends would want me gone. Especially since I seem to be causing so much trouble.â
âœI think...itâs more so us causing the trouble than you.â
âœMaybe...so why donât or...do you want me gone?â
He looks away from you, âœ...I donât know.â
âœYouâre not sure?â Seeing him nod you make a humming noise in your chest, âœThen what makes you want me to stay? I can already assume the reasons why anyone wouldn't want me to.â
Not only are you curious for his reasons but you can use what he informs you of to your advantage. Putting into practice what he tells you can greatly improve your likelihood of being accepted by more people not just here but in the future.
â.
Why is it so hard to act human now?
Have you forgotten the very basics?
âœI do have my doubts but...Iâd say that...Iâve made some assumptions.â Vance turns his gaze back to you where you continue shaving. âœDare say, I...believe you.â
âœBelieve me? On what?â
âœEverything.â He leans his body forward as if to peer into your soul and it makes you swallow, âœYour story has remained consistent from the very moment you greeted us. Usually, liars canât do that.â
âœHeh, I could just be telling the same lie over and over again though. I hardly believe thatâs the only reason you have.â
âœYes. Iâm sure you know Nate isnât the only one who has been watching you.â You nod, âœIâve seen the way you act not just around him but every single person in Bourn andââ His eyes lift slightly as if he is smiling under his scarf, âœ...you havenât been here for long...yet you love us, donât you?â
*CCcurrr-*
The knife halts as Vanceâs words hit you. Your head turns to him to meet his gaze with your own. With his face half-covered, you canât tell what heâs thinking. It almost tempts you to reach out and touch him to find out.
He continues when he takes notice of your silence, âœIt may not be obvious but you look really happy when you hear children playing and people laugh. Am I right?â
âœ...â A flash of memories come up due to what Vance prompted and a soft curve to your rosy lips appears.
âœGuess I am.â he leans back satisfied by your response, âœYou enjoy the happiness of others. Thatâs becoming of you from the monsters we are used to. Youâre going out your way, even if it may be for selfish gain, to earn our trust. That either means youâre a truly wicked being who likes to twist human feelings or you're kind-hearted. What proved which is true was when you used your magic in front of us all those few days ago. You have...incredibly powerful magic.â Vance shakes his head as if he still canât believe it, his fists clenched so hard they begin to shake. âœEven beyond that of what a God should possess.â Your face scrunches up at his comparison but since he is still talking you keep quiet, âœDespite that, you listen to our demands and havenât harmed any of us. If you wanted to, you already would have.â
âœSo...you want me to have a place here in this village?â At his nod, a sigh escapes you. At least you know that one person has your back now. But how to get everyone else to see that...youâre sure your popularity has won over some but you donât think thatâs enough.
âœMmf, I came here to tell you about my idea, without Nate listening because heâd never allow it. Now that heâs sleeping, itâs the perfect time to come upon a compromise.â Wait, wha- âœIâm planning on vouching for you on the vote and Iâll be convincing others to do the same so that youâll have a better chance.â
âœHuh?! R-really? You mean it?!â He affirms and a huge, goofy, glittery smile grows, displaying all of your pearly whites to their full glory, âœI canât thank you enough.â
âœHowever, Iâll need something in return for my service.â
âœ...Huh?â Your smile slips some but you try not to assume what he could want in return without asking him first, âœWhat is it?â
Clasping his gloved hands together, he leans forward again to speak, âœIâve found that you like making deals. While that may be something you share with demons, you donât make it unfair for the others like they do, at least from what Iâve observed.â
âœ...Thaaaanks?â
âœSo I want to make a deal with you.â He points at you which has you bending the other way, âœYouâll do what you said you would and youâll become guardian over this village. You remember what that all implied?â
âœU-uh, yes, I do.â Thatâs one of the deals you made when you first were negotiating, the third one indeed:
âœWhat else are you offering?â The old man strokes his beard as he contemplates your first offer but is open to your next one.
âœLet me live amongst your village.â
âœHell NO!â Nate hisses as he stomps out of the pin to you with slight sass, swinging his legs in a cocky way. âœMonsters arenât welcome in our village!â
Ouch.
âœEven one that plans on making sure that youâll never go hungry again?â In a blink, Nateâs scowl turns to one of shock at your calm reply. âœHow about one that will make sure youâll never get sick? One that will heal broken and weary bones? Ward off any threat that will come close to this village? I can make your village prosperous if you allow me to be its guardian. Itâs the least I can do if you allow me to stay.â
You said that, essentially, youâd take care of all their needs. Uwahhh...seems like a lot of work...but you said that thatâs what youâd do if you were allowed to stay. Only fair that you keep your word. Besides, why would you allow anything bad to happen to the people whoâd take you in? Right now youâre just here to pay off a debt but to be welcome?
...You probably wouldnât mind helping them if they do.
âœYou will hold up your bargain and take care of us. Is that clear?â
âœYeah. I was planning on doing that already.â
âœAnd because of that, I wanted to add more to the deal.â Wait-more?! What could he mean more?! âœIn addition to protecting this village...you will train Liam, Nate, and I in the ways of magic and combat.â
âœWhAT?!!â You drop the draw knife as you turn your body to the dark-haired boy in shock, âœYou want the three of you to become my disciples?!â
âœYes.â
âœB-but why?!â
âœYou are the most powerful magic caster I know. In fact, you are probably the most powerful magic caster in history. If there is anyone more capable itâs you. Iâd want you to train us so we can become more powerful. We are all adventurers you see. Do you know what they are?â
âœA-ah, yes. Nate told meâbut you want me, a monster, to teach you all my abilities to become better monster hunters? Isnât that counterintuitive on my part?â
âœCounterin...you mean nonsensical for you?â
âœYes, thatâs what counterintuitive means.â
âœI see...probably, but itâs our duty as adventurers to protect people from monsters. Bourn is often attacked by them so youâll essentially be doing our jobs if you become a guardian. We three wonât earn money that way so if you teach us, weâll be doing your job for you. Sounds fair?â
âœBu-Nate hates me, he wouldnât even want to be trained by me, and besidesââ You have a lot more worrisome things on your plate right now. You were just thinking about finding someone to train you and now youâre being asked to become a teacher yourself!
âœMost likely but if he has a change in heart Iâd like for you to welcome him, thatâs all I ask. If you do these things, I promise Iâll turn this village in your favor. What do you think?â
âœAhhg.â You rub your neck as you mull over his offer.
On the one hand you get a clear shot to having a place here, the only place you know in this whole world. While that may not be all bad, considering youâll more or less will be accepted, thereâs the fact that if anything bad happens here, such as a monster attack, a famine, or a plague, youâll be responsible for everything. If thatâs not stressful enough, youâll have to train three monster hunters to be more proficient at killing you. Not to mention that the rumors about your true identity as your avatar is spreading amongst the people of Bourn.
Is it safe to live here where fear festers in their hearts?
If you leave, youâll more or less have a fresh start and will have the freedom to explore and learn that you wonât have if you stay. Your true goal is to learn more about this world, search for players, and a way back home but if youâre stuck here what then? How will you progress?
Youâve learned more or less what civilizations exist near here, E-Rantel for instance. Youâll probably make a fool of yourself in one way or another but youâll be in a capital, a hub of information. Not to mention that the adventurer guild is there where you could search for adamantites. You could also go to a library and learn more from there. Getting a job is also an option.
Anything is possible if you leave here but...you will not be welcome back here in the future.
Hmmm...a place you can call home with people who either love or fear you or to venture out as a foreigner and stumble aroundâ
These arenât very good options...thereâs still the possibility that youâll be welcomed here after you finish your work, even without Vanceâs interference, but the rumors arenât making it easyâ.
It seems like itâs a choice between staying and leaving in the end...so...
What will you do?
Iâll take up Vanceâs offer.
Iâd rather not.
Chapter End Notes
So, will you be more adventure oriented or relationship? The choice is up to you. Also, I hope you all like your new form. It's not permanent of course but you'll look like this any time you're human from now on (except special occasions of course). SÅsaku-sha's overall look is not just what they observed from the village but a combination of the color palettes of their realm and their own biology. In other words, there's a reason why they look the way they do.
It's the last month of the fall semester so this is when things get serious. I am dreading what is to come...I've also been working on and off with some artwork that I'll be posting soon that I'm sure a certain person will like~ Speaking of which, hey Download077, hope you don't mind me referencing your work into this chapter. I couldn't help myself (â„ â„ââ„ωâ„ââ„ â„). I also plan on connecting a few other's works into my AU, I just got to see how I can. Thank you for all the love and support, it makes it all the more sweeter to give this all to you! Have a wonderful day, eat properly, and sleep like the dead!
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Chapter 5: WANT YOU TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IâM THE ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be. Using magic, you work to pay off your debt as a woman...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I hate college! They're killing me with assignments. I honestly don't know how I was able to finish this chapter on time, especially because of how FREAKING BIG IT TURNED OUT TO BE! 54 PAGES!!! THIS HAS BEATEN MY RECORD OF 40!!! I hope you all enjoy this Godzilla of a chapter.
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 5: WANT YOU TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IâM THE ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD
Since you were a woman back on Earth, it only makes sense to also try to appear like a woman in this new world. That way youâll be able to fit into your persona more naturally. Besides...you donât think you could properly act like a man. Theyâre so different in comparison to women, not just body wise. Boy code and what not is something totally out of the loop for you and you donât want to risk testing those waters.
With that settled you understand that this will be the hard part...youâll have to figure out how to actually change your appearance into something new. Maybe envisioning what you want your new form to look like is the first step? To do that you need to draw inspiration from what you have seen from the men in this village.
Theyâre all Caucasian so appearing white is a must. Though you donât want to appear too white. If you take on pale skin you may be mistaken for a noble which would draw unwanted attention your way. A little bit of color would help you. A beige skin tone may be just what you need. Yes.
Height is also something that you need to change. None of the women here are near seven feet tall. In fact, none of the men are either. You donât want to be a giant gawked at so youâll need to appear shorter. A foot and a half sounds reasonable but the spell youâre going to cast can only allow a foot to be deducted. Six feet is very tall for a woman in this time period, in any time period. Youâll stand out for sure in that aspect...but you can try to cover it up with other common traits.
Next hair. Most to all people here seem to either have brown hair or blond hair so one of those sounds reasonable...hmmm...but which would be better? Maybe something in between? You nod before calculating the length of your hair. Most of the women in this village have long hair so you suspect thatâs the way to go. The longest their hair seems to be is right under their butts so you decide that you should keep it that long. Curls might also help. The length can help you can tie it back if need be...or alter the Disguise Self spell so you can do so. Mhm. Nice.
Okay. And what about your appearance? Age? You donât want to look out of place with these boys even if you are older than them so you want to appear like youâre in your early twenties. Body? Endo...no, no...ah! Mesomorph! Thatâs it! And how toned should you be? The image of you being jacked flashes through your head for a quick second and you almost jump on this opportunity to fulfill your anime fantasies...but decide against it for your safetyâs sake, choosing to keep the form fit and nothing more. If you appear too fat or too muscular it can draw too much attention. Thick eyebrows and eyelashes. Uh-huh. Full lips. That is a common trait. Nose...nose...this one is a little weird. What kind of nose should you have? Greek? Mmm, no, no...Roman? Mmmm...mh, that might work. Yes. Now, what eye color should you hav-
âœWha-What the FUCK?!â Nate screams and you jump in response to see his eyes bulging out of his bright red face, glued downwards as he continues, âœStop! Stop! I donât want to see that!!!â
âœH-huh?!â You peep out in response as the tan boy covers his eyes with an arm and the onlookers start choking on air, turning away from you as you float in place stupefied.
âœYour body!!!â The young man, with the bow and arrows, keeps his back to you rigid in shock as he shouts out but the young blond body, now collapsed on the ground wheezing in a fit, clarifies for his friend, âœBWAHAHAHA! Youâre-*cough* Youâre naked, SÅ!â
âœEh?â The single note escapes your lips at their claims. âœBut...Iâve always been naked? Why are you all acting this way now- Wait.â
Your voice! Itâs only feminine now.
âœThis is worse!!!â Nate glares at you through his fingers, determined not to look any further down your body than your shoulders as he furiously screams at you, âœYou look human! Cover yourself, now!!!â
âœI lookââ His words are hard to understand despite them being very simple.
Human? You look human? But you havenât even used Disguise Self yet so why? You reach up an arm to scratch your neck as you mull over his words-
âœEh?â Hair...you feel hair.
Your golden eyes widen as you tug a strand of wavy hair that matches the color of your eyes out for you to blink at, your rosy lips forming an o.
âœHuh.â
âœHuh?! Thatâs your response?!â Nate turns hastily away from you to Liam who is completely losing his shit, rolling all over the dirt floor of the barn, âœYou son of a bitch! Stop laughing!â
âœS-Seth! Please, ask Nan or any of the other girls to gather some clothes to cover this girl with.â The man runs off to do as the chieftain has asked. Barry approaches you in slow steps, his eyes avoiding you as he squeezes his arms out of his blue robe which he must have used to cover his nightly attire to gently hand it over to you. âœHere, use this for the time being. I will not allow you to be underdressed in front of a group of men.â
âœO-oh, thank you.â You treat the worn fabric with care despite the sour smell that wafts off of the cloth, âœYou didnât have to.â
The chieftain shakes his head as you slip the robe around your shoulders âœI think otherwise. I must say though...your new look is...impressive. You look...human.â
âœ...Thank you.â It feels a little odd accepting such a compliment especially now from how flustered all the men have become. Quite since you are...or were human not even fifteen minutes ago. âœMagic can do wondersââ
However...you donât think this was a spell.
You didnât even try to cast Disguise Self yet. You were planning on doing so after you settled on a form you liked but...hmm...did you cast it without you knowing? Is this a special scenario or is it the new normal? You donât have your spell slots now and the fact that you were able to change when you were intending to do so proves that casting is different now. Then again, you donât think that this is due to that spell. For one, everything is physical instead of an optical illusion. You shouldnât have been capable of holding a strand of your hair but you had.
You hadnât wanted to cast Transmutation but it seems likely that you have...or maybe...this is completely something that your own body did...or your avatarâs body did. But you hadnât made SÅsaku-sha with shapeshifting abilities. You need spells in order to do that. SÅsaku-sha is a Creator. That is literally their only racial stat. The Creator stat gives your Avatar more freedom to be fluid but not literally! You donât have any job classes or perks that support shapeshifting either. That doesnât explain why you were able to turn into something similar to a human...well, there are a lot of things that donât have an exclamation for why theyâre happening. This situation for example is the CrÃme de la crÃme of âWHAT THE FUCK?!â
*sigh*...
Well, either way, youâre just here for the ride it seems. Youâre just going to have to make the best with what you have and become a quick learner. You appear human now and you can try to figure out the fundamentals of spell casting through practice and time.
Your new body for example. Itâs exactly how you envisioned it to become...maybe even better. You twist your arms around and flex your muscles, watching the minimal amount that is exposed out from under the robe as they shift under your toned skin.
Ahh, no more rainbow mess. And to have a face again.
Your fingers trail along your face to get a sense of what you look like now. It doesnât help too much...but you can feel the smile on your new face.
Ah! You have a mouth again!
You lick your straight teeth as you try to find out more.
Even though you look human, youâre still not breathing you realize. Whenever you speak your voice doesnât seem to be coming out of your mouth. Rather, it riverates through your chest like it had when you still looked like your avatar.
So, technically, youâre not human but rather something that looks human.
The smile falls and is replaced with a pout.
Your vision isnât any different either. You can still see all around you even the men peeking between the doorways and the various animals sniffing around the stalls. You turn your head back to Barry after your eyes glanced over the pig pin, reminding you of what you wanted to do.
âœNow that thatâs out of the way, I want to take a second to cure the pigs of their poisoning. It is best that I do it now so that they donât run the risk of succumbing to the black dust sprouts. Am I allowed to do this?â
The old man scratches his beard as he nods, âœI see no issue in that. How long will it take?â
âœDepends on how much mana I have left...uh, how much...magical...energy I still possess.â You clarify as youâre not certain that they use the same terms that Yggdrasil is familiar with, âœIf itâs too low I wonât be able to complete the task and Iâll have to rest. However, this should only take a moment. Iâm sure that Iâll be finished before that fellow named Seth returns.â
Youâre not certain that you can use magic quite yet despite you shifting form like you intended to. There are too many factors to consider why anything is happening. You want to tread slowly as it seems itâs the only way youâll find commonality. Besides, if you canât use magic now you have given the mob reason to give you leeway with your excuse.
âœOh? Then please, go ahead.â
With a hum in affirmation you start to float to the pig pin when a tan hand is lifted in front of you.
âœNate, what are you doing?â The blond older man grunts out to Nateâs displeasure.
âœI donât want them flying anywhere near the hole they made. It can walk just fine.â
âœ...I donât want to spread grass all over your barn by walking.â Actually, you donât care about that. Youâre just weary that if you deactivate Ascend that you may be disabling your magical abilities, going into shielded mode. On top of that...you donât know how to deactivate it. However, youâre not going to tell them that. Uncertainty causes anxiety and anxiety causes fear. If these people think that you canât control your powers then they may see you as an even greater threat than they do now. All you can attempt is to try to convince them to allow you to do what you want, âœI assure you, Iâm not trying to-â
âœI donât care. I donât want to risk it. Walk like a human since youâre trying to look like one of us.â
You can tell that this boy is going to be a real pain in the ass.
âœIâve already explained that if I wanted to run away-â
âœThen you would have done so already, yeah, yeah. That doesnât mean you could have changed your mind.â
âœReally? In the span of what? Five minutes?â
Nate bares his teeth at you in a scowl, âœMonsters are all predictable and simple-minded. Just because you flaunt yourself in a submissive manner as an attractive woman doesnât mean jack shit to me.â
Youâre sure your new face doesnât hide your annoyance because of the way you feel the muscles shift around your cheeks, âœSo what? You think Iâm trying to give you the slip?â
âœIt certainly seems like it from the way you keep arguing with me against what Iâm ordering you to do.â
At the word order, you feel a jolt of something unpleasant in your chest, almost like you have been struck. You donât know why that single word irked you so but the rage that flares up at the comment is hard to ignore. You bare your teeth as you tilt your head slightly lower to him, the words leaving your lips simmer with collected spite in a cold, slow, and low tone, âœThe complete audacity...that a mere f l e e thinks they can command me like Iâm some sort of dogâsurpasses me.â
âœHey, wait,â The young boy looks the most panicked in the group at your words as he places one hand on Nates chest while the other stretches out to you in an almost pleading manner, âœthis doesnât need to escalate-â
âœWhat the fuck did you just call me?!â
Augh, this is going nowhere but downhill. Maybe you should just risk walking over to the pig pin...however...you feel that you have an obligation now not to bend under Nateâs words...Is this pride? You never thought yourself to be the prideful type but somehow you see that your pride is overweighing your need for survival now. But if youâre not going to comply then what are you going to do?
â.
â.
âœ*Sigh, this is getting us nowhere. This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.â You shake your head having made up your mind on the matter. They fear the fact that you can escape if youâre flying. You just need to prove that it isnât an issue...by showing how easy it can be for SÅsaku-sha to just up and disappear. âœGuess I can try to show you why you should put a little bit more faith in my words.â
âœWa-â âœHey now-â
âœDimensional Move!â You call out with conviction, having no other idea how your magic could work besides just calling it out with the intention of it working, before any of the men could react. The moment the word left your mouth, everything around you blipped and you were suddenly floating in the middle of the pig pin.
It worked! Huh. Itâs good to know you can still use magic-
âœWhat?!â âœWhere the fuck did it go?!â
The men all stare dumbfounded out into the space you had only taken us seconds prior, shocked by your sudden disappearance before Nateâs screeching permeates through the barn.
âœSHIT!!! I knew itâd do something like this!!!â
âœNo, youâre wrong.â The men all suddenly turn in your direction at the sound of your voice, their expressions not masking their surprise, âœI didnât run away like you thought I would. I just wanted to show you how easy it could be for me to do so yet I stick around. Why do you think Iâm doing this, hm?â
âœWha-â âœHow the hell did you-â
âœSimple answer.â You shrug almost in a cocky manner but you honestly had no idea how you were able to pull off the stunt. âœIn fact, itâs a few answers.â You shift your vision about the pin and observe the swine sniffing your feet, snot sprinkling your toes as they do so which has you recoiling slightly in disgust. âœOne, Iâm in debt to you humans and I donât like being in debt to anyone. It bothers my conscience. Mass Detect Poison.â You say a spell out loud again and a light aura shimmers in your vision at the center of most of the pigâs chests. Your face twitches at the success of another spell cast but the foul mood that has made its way into you blocks any glee that wants to make itself known.
âœTwo, you people are the only keys to finding out information about my situation so far.â You were tempted to tell them that you could use mind control spells to make them give you information but you find that itâs better not to do so. Rather, you see it as a plan C if winning their trust doesnât work. You point a finger at one of the pigs with the aura as if to select it before continuing, âœThree, I want to keep my word. I honestly donât like the idea of having to lie to any of you. Cure Poison.â The aura within the pig you pointed at suddenly fades out of your vision which informs you that you had cured the swine.
You start to repeat the process while continuing your rant. âœFour, I want a place to live until I can either find a way back home or can gain my footing. I suspect that if I just up and run away from here Iâll be homeless for quite some time and I, quite frankly, donât think Iâd fair well like that. Cure Poison. Besides, Iâm a social creature and Iâd rather have people I can call allies than enemies. Cure Poison, Cure Poison.â You start to notice that every time you cast a spell you feel the energy in the spells. Like...an inner source of...something leave you to manifest itself into the status cure.
âœAmazingââ You mumble to yourself before huffing out a sigh in disbelief. This added to the life-like reality you are situated in now. What you had felt must have been your MP depleting! Cure Poison is typically a low-tier magic spell so it wouldnât do a whole lot to your huge magic bar, which is why you're using it instead of Mass Cure Poison, but it still requires MP to use. For the first time since the shutdown, you feel secure. Like you finally have something you can lean on for support as long as youâre open. This ability came with a serious high-the fulfillment and satisfaction of knowing that this power was truly yours. Your skin doesnât show your evident change in mood but a twitch of a smile canât help but flash across your features for a second.
âœI donât want the first people I meet in this...world to be out for my blood. Cure Poison. So, in sort, Iâm not going crazy anywhere anytime soon. So donât worry your pretty little head about it, Nate. Cure Poison.â You turn your head in his direction with a sour look that matches his own. âœAs long as none of you try to harm me I wonât be an issue.â
âœWell...that is good to know.â The blond boy chirps up as his eyes flicker between you and his friend. âœSo...are the pigs okay now?â
âœCure Poison. They are now.â You lower your hand as you notice that there are no longer any auras of the black dust sprouts emanating from the animalsâ chests. âœThe toxins seem to be taken out of the sprouts theyâve eaten so they shouldnât get sick.â Turning around you float up and over the railing with little trouble to join the group of five again. âœI believe Iâve finished all of the immediate issues. Iâll continue my work in the morning when I can be watched.â
âœMmm...SÅ...I must thank you for doing this.â The chieftain sighs as he overlooks the pig pin from where he stands. âœYou could have run but you didnât. We...would have been in trouble if you had...thatâs putting it lightlyââ His last words came out quiet but he hums before you could wonder why, âœAgain, you have my gratitude as long as you keep your word.â
âœOf course.â
âœHow long do you think itâll take you to fix everything?â The older, blond manâs question has you scratching your neck.
âœUh...to be honest...I donât know. I donât know how much I need to replace...and Iâve never fixed a barn before. Magic should help in hurrying up the process but Iâve never done anything like...this.â
âœThen what the hell are you planning to do to fix this?!â Nate spits a wad to his feet as if rejecting the very thought of you on his tongue.
âœI...have a few ideasââ The confidence in your situation plummets but you try not to let it show, âœFor now they will remain ideas until I can learn more about what Iâll have to deal with. I donât want to throw anything in the air until I know it can take flight-â
The man named Seth catches your attention as he slips through the barn doors behind you with a stack of clothes within his grasp. You turn to him just in time as he makes his way up to you, âœHere. These may fit you.â
âœAh, thank-â The clothes are suddenly thrown at you to catch as soon as you begin to reach for them, âœyou...â
âœNo problem.â Seth keeps his distance and joins the rest with much more drive than being near you. Trying not to let it get under your skin, you glance at the clothes in your hands.
Hey, look at the bright side, youâll fit in now.
A small smile works its way onto your features as you realize that youâll practically be gimping. Cosplaying, really.
Knowing that they most likely want to keep an eye out on you-you float over to the side of the barn without the hole through the roof where a crate is. You place the clothing in your hands upon the box and listen as the men start to converse with themselves.
âœNow I better not see any of you men watch this young woman as she gets dressed, is that clear?"
"Aye." "Yeah..."
"I say this out of the girl's decency and that there's two married men among us." Barry eyes the two older men who came in with him, "Seth,â Barry grunts with a scratch of his beard, âœDid you tell anyone what sort of...being weâre dealing with?â Deciding that it might be easier to get dressed while not floating you will yourself to let Ascend dissipate, no longer requiring spells for the time being. Flowers and grass spout immediately upon your feet making contact with the dirt floor of the barn.
âœNo. Not even my brother knows.â The skinny man shakes his head. âœI wouldnât even know what to tell them if I tried.â You slip off the article the chieftain gave you to wear, leaving you stark naked once again, and fold it neatly before laying it beside the other clothes.
âœYeah,â The tan boyâs glare drills a hole into the back of your head, âœthat we have a fucking monster working for us now.â
âœQuiet boy. Donât be rude.â Barry rebukes causing Nate to let out an abrupt âœTsk.â as you sort through the pile. You find a white long sleeve shift that you recognize as a type of undergarmet. The neck line is squared and has frills lining the edges similar to the ends of the sleeves. You slip it over your head and smooth it out over your shins before looking for some underwear.
âœThat does bring up an issue though.â Liam comments which draws up the attention of the group, âœWhat are we going to tell everyone? How are we going to explain...the situation?â
What? What the hell? No underwear? Did Seth forge-Ooooh...yeah, thatâs right. They donât have anything like undergarments during the time period you believe these people are set back in. Ugh, well...you werenât looking forward to wearing any grimey old underwear in the first place. Maybe this is a mercy. Guess youâre going commando.
âœHmm...thatâs a good pointââ The men all acknowledge the problem with nods.
âœHmph, although I hate to admit it, I agree with what theââ The older blond man glances your way before quickly remembering your state and darting his head away as you hold up what looks to be a matching colored skirt that you believe is meant make your bottom half more padded and produce more volume to the overall dress, âœ...what SÅ stated before. If we tell the truth it may cause panic.â
âœRightly so. A demon is in our midst.â
âœKnock it off already, Nate!â Liam tries to call off his friend while you finish up pulling the skirt into place, straightening it once again before picking up the outermost piece to your dress.
âœFor what?! Speaking out loud what all of us are thinking?â The young man crosses his arms in an offended manner, âœWell excuse me for being the only one willing to be honest.â
âœBoy,â Barryâs voice suddenly becoming stern even makes you tense up in the process of slipping the moss green, loose, corset dress over your previous layers, âœDonât make me have to tell you to leave. You best behave.â
âœLeave?!â Nate screams in disbelief as if told something unthinkable, âœI will not leave as long as that thing is here!â
âœThen stay quiet. I know what you're going through, boy. Believe me, I do; but we must choose our fights and this just isnât one of them. Is that clear, son?
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...â
In the tense silence that has taken up the group behind you-you finish tightening the strings on the front of your upper torso and pick up a pair of dark, smelly flats. You hate the fact that your sense of smell seems to be amplified in your avatarâs body. You almost consider flat out not wearing them and go barefoot...but you donât want to seem rude...and you also want to test and see if the greenery will stop sprouting from your feet with the level of coverage the flats provide. You certainly hope so for the sake of fitting in.
So holding back another gag you slip them onto your feet.
âœ*Sigh, Nate...just...tolerate them for the time being, thatâs all I ask. Alright?â
âœ...â
âœOkay,â The chieftain nods at Nateâs continued silence as if it was the young manâs way of saying heâll begrudgingly cooperate for now. âœSo, we have come to an agreement? The truth behind the identity of SÅ will stay between us?â
âœAye.â âœYes.â âœMhm.â
âœRighty then. Mat, Liam. Go tell the boys at the doors to keep their mouths shut. It may be too late to do so but better late than never.â
The two men move to do so just as you take a quizzical check with your covered foot on the dirt floor by sidestepping one foot out of your green circle. To your joy, nothing happens and you almost jump for joy.
Ah! Nice!
âœBarry,â The quiet boy speaks up from the side of Nate, âœPeople will ask questions nevertheless. What will we tell them?â
Seth grumbles out the suggestion, âœShould we say they were trying to rob us and we caught them?â
The boy shakes his head, âœI donât think many would believe that after their screaming and the fact that they came in through the roof rather than the doors.â He crosses his arms âœIâd say use the truth to lie.â
âœThe truth?â You also wonder what the boy could mean as you slip your other foot inside the other shoe and, thankfully, they're the right size since they don't pinch you.
âœThat they are a magic caster from a foreign land. Weâll just say that they flunked on some magic while traveling and ended up landing on our barn and now theyâre staying to repair the damages. That isnât far from what they told us.â
âœMm, Vance has a point.â Nate finally speaks up as Mat and Liam return, âœBut it wouldnât explain why theyâd be flying out in the middle of the fucking night.â
âœThe world isnât all flat, you know.â
âœWhat?â The six simultaneously ask at the sound of your voice.
âœMy world wasnât flat and I suspect that the same thing is true here.â you pick up the folded cloak and turn to the group as you add to their conversation. âœIf Iâm posing as a foreigner then it would make sense that Iâd be acquainted with a different time zone than what is relative to this general area. The sun doesnât rise at the same time everywhere.â
âœ...â âœWhat?â
âœ...Wait...do you all not-â Augh, right! This is the time of maps. Theyâre not going to understand the logistics of the planet being round or globes for that matter! Well...thatâs going to be a fun conversation for another time, âœAh-ah...Iâll explain it in further detail to whoever inquires of me later. Just know that I can fit into the character of a magic caster if thatâs what youâll all allow me to act as.â
âœCan you?â
âœYeah, it shouldnât be that hard. Iâm...uh...familiar with humans. I...lived among them so Iâm sure I wonât have much issue forming a new identity here.â A lie for your avatar but you want to reassure them that youâre a âœcreatureâ that is good with socializing with humans and that you âœknowâ what youâre doing. Also, you like the story Vance has made up for you. It does play along well with what youâve told them so far and you donât want to be placed in the spotlight as a lowly thief right off the bat in this new...world? Maybe...âœOn a side note, I must thank you again for allowing me to borrow these clothes for the time being. I promise Iâll take care of them.â To show your gratitude you bow your head a few times to the group out of the habit you gained from living in Japan.
âœItâs quite alright.â Mat waves at you as he replies, âœWe wouldnât have you run around indecent in public.â
âœI mean...â Seth chimes in with a smirk and a huff of laughter, âœit wouldn't be all that bad.â Upon everyone giving him judgmental looks he raises his hands in surrender, "I'm kidding, of course...so p-please don't tell Jamie I said that, she'll kill me."
Cringing slightly, you hug your middle.
âœDonât worry, SÅ. Some of us may be assholesââ Liam cocks a knowing look in Nateâs direction, the said young man returning his friend a glare, âœbut we arenât cruel. Weâll treat you human as long as you act human.â
âœSounds fair...so, uh...is it time for my big reveal?â Looking to the barn doors you feel your anxiety starting to climb again. Not as much as it had been before you tried to talk your way out of getting murdered.
Swallowing at the thought is reflexive and grounds you in the reality of your situation.
âœI believe so.â Barry nods, âœSeth, Mat. Tell the boys at the doors what our story is for SÅ here. Iâll be taking these four to my house now. After you do so go and get everyone back to where they wereâ*sigh* though Iâm sure everyone is spooked enough as it is, no one will go back to bed.â
âœSure, thing Barry.â Mat nods and walks ahead of your group to the side of the barn he did before.
âœMmm, please take care of yourselves.â He pats the chieftain on the shoulder before nodding to Vance, Nate, and Liam, âœHave a good night. I certainly pray to God that you all do.â Seth spares you a glance at the end before walking to the side of the barn Liam had gone to before.
Seeing him walk off youâre reminded of what youâre holding. âœErm...here. Thank you for letting me borrow this Mr. Barry.â
âœOh?â His bushy brow arches weirdly as he takes the folded cloak from your outstretched hands, âœMy pleasure.â He nods, slipping the cloth under his right arm, âœCome now. This way, SÅ.â The chieftain waves for you to follow him and you do so, walking towards the direction that Mat went in, âœMy house is a little walk from here but it isnât too long. Youâll stay at my home until we settle on different housing arrangements.â
âœThank you for allowing me to stay...â You say as you take notice that no green sprouts from beneath your feet anymore, nor does moss seem to be taking over your footwear. Ah, finally. You didnât know what you were going to do if that continued, âœdespite what I am. It uh... seems that your village doesnât take so kindly to...creatures like meâ.â Nate makes sure to walk behind you while Vance and Liam walk to your sides, promptly caging you as you follow behind the chieftain. âœIs...is there a reason, might I ask? I know I might be stepping onto some sensitive soil butââ
âœIt is fine.â The old man sighs solemnly, waving for the men to open the doors as your group gets closer, âœOur village, Bourn, is a frontier village. We act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Those items are collected from the Great Forest of Tob that is just to the North of our village.
âœOh, thatâs the forest I saw from earlier, right before I...fell...â You cringe at the memory just as you walk past the doormen, all glaring your way, and finally, make it outside.
Youâd exhale in relief if you could. You honestly thought that the interior of the barn would be the last thing youâd see and now that is no longer the case. However, the sight of families gathered around the barn all looking wearily your way keeps you from relaxing. All their eyes, men, women, children of all ages, hold fear as they try to see what is occurring.
But upon seeing you, among the four youâre with, a considerable amount of tension leaves the crowd you notice.
Are they that afraid of monsters? What would have happened if you couldnât appear human again?
âœEveryone, return to as you were!â Barryâs booming voice does make you jolt in surprise at the sudden high volume of the chieftainâs reassurance, âœEverything has been settled! Thereâs no danger! It was all just an accident! If any of you have questions about what has occurred feel free to come to me in the morning! For now, please, return to your homes and try to get some sleep!â
The man doesnât wait for the crowd to comply, he takes a torch from a fellow nearby and continues straight on his way. Watching the families do just as he asked you try to observe your surroundings, expanding your vision as much as you can so that you can pick up on any little thing that could tell you whatâs going on.
Thatâs exactly when it hits you.
Your legs seize up at the pure shock that rattles you to your core as your vision displays what lies above you.
âœWhat the hell are you doing?â Nate barks as he notices your shift.
The group stops and all turn your way to where you stand frozen, processing the sight with your head turned upward.
âœWhy the hell did you stop?!â Nate hisses as he widens his legs, âœDonât even think about running away, freak!â
âœIââ You shudder before you could continue, âœIâve never seen a night sky with such clarity beforeââ
It is...stunning. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as you feel your eyes watering up, expanding your vision even further now that you know you can do so, âœIt's like fairy lights or angel tearsââ
No, it couldnât even be compared to those things. This is beyond magical...more than anything youâve ever dreamed...but a voice inside of your head informs you of something troubling. The stars above. They are not the constellations of Yggdrasil...neither the ones of Earth.
What could this mean? Are you truly in a new world?
âœEnough, keep moving.â Nate hisses as if dismissing the fact that youâre going through a revelation.
That is enough to prompt you to throw him a dirty look over your shoulder as if he ruined the wonderful memory you were developing. However, you donât do anything more than that since youâre still on thin ice amongst these individuals. You turn your head back to Barry, motioning him to continue.
âœWell, as I said before,â The chieftain voices when he notices your sudden drop in mood in reaction to Nate, âœBourn is situated near Tob so that we can collect rare resources that are housed within. However, the forest is also home to many monsters. Bizarre and magical beings alike that far surpass normal human strength. Our village is often attacked by such creatures since we live near the forest. Because of this, we are wary of anything considered inhuman.â
âœOhââ You swallow at the visual that your mind supplies. With a village situated so close to such a forest, no wonder they acted the way they did. How they still feel on edge about you. They probably thought they were all going to die or something along those lines. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, those who know what you truly are have backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
âœIâm sorry. I can only imagineââ You almost ask if theyâve done anything to prevent monsters from attacking or what types of creatures these monsters are but you donât want to appear insensitive.
The older man makes a grumbling noise from the back of his throat like a raspy sigh, acknowledging your sentiments.
Your head may be centered back to eye level but you keep your focus out, enjoying the sight above with every fiber of your being. Stars and all. And with your focus trained outward to your surroundings, you learn quickly that these people are impoverished.
You had suspected as much since Yggdrasilâs humanoid villager NPCs are mainly just barely above the technological advancements of the lower class of the medieval age. It is the same here.
The houses that you pass are made of stone with brick roof tiles and shabby wooden shutters that keep the windows shut. All the houses are either one or two stories high off the ground, surrounded by dirt but on the rare occasion, greenery. Candles and torches were the only available sources of light to guide your group to Mr. Barryâs house.
That might be the answer as to why they are struggling with monsters so much. They donât have the money to take precautions and what little they make probably goes to keeping them alive and repairing what is damaged. No wonder theyâre holding you to fix what mess youâve made.
âœHey, SÅ?â
âœHm?â Liamâs inquiry has you glancing his way.
âœWhere was it that you said you came from again?â
âœI was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane. It is a mountain range located in Midgard. Does it sound familiar?â
âœMmn...no. Not at all.â He shakes his head to which you pout.
You were hoping that he or anyone would at least know what Midgard is. It is the human realm of Yggdrasil. Here essentially if this is still your game. This is not at all Earth, that you know for a fact now. However, the possibility of a new world is growing increasingly apparent.
âœThe only mountains I know are the Azerlisia Mountains.â
âœIâve...never heard of them?â Wait, could it be that this is Yggdrasil and that they just have different names for landmarks than...no, you donât think so. You had the interactable NPCs programmed with the knowledge of the landmarks of their realms. If these people were living NPCs then theyâd be using the actual terms from your game.
âœThey are a range of mountains that are situated far into the Great Forest of Tob. They are known to be very dangerous. Only top-level adventurers dare go there since itâs home to many crazy powerful monsters. Rumor has it that it is home to the great frost dragons.â
âœOh? Frost dragons? Now thatâs interesting.â
âœWhyâs that?â Vanceâs quiet voice is surprising to hear but youâre caught up in the fact that there may be frost dragons in this world.
Since your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, is a Beast Tamer, you were able to collect various creatures within the nine worlds and house them all across the rooms and floors of the Citadel.
With that in mind, you have two frost dragons as pets. You had left them to guard the ice biome with the Unmei no gundan on the second floor of the Citadel. You believe, if you remember correctly, that they are both level eighty. Max level a frost dragon can get to. Theyâre not high-level dragons considering the other dragon races. Even their close compatriot, ice dragons, are a bit higher level than frost dragons.
Dragons were considered one of if not the strongest enemy race feared by players. The central World Enemy of Yggdrasil, the final boss, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a great dragon that continuously tried to eat the remaining leaves of the World Tree. Your avatar was still technically the final boss of the game but you were just an extra. A secret boss per se to give guilds a run for their money. Players earn the beat the game achievement, World Saver, by slaying the dragon but they could win records and real-life trophies by beating you.
Back to the topic of frost dragons, however, you canât dismiss their power entirely. They are in no way weak, nor are they the weakest of their kind. They were still pretty troublesome if you werenât of the right race, levels, or defense. They could spawn in particular locations in Midgard but those were rare. However, if you went looking in Niflheim, youâd have an incredibly stronger chance of coming face to face with one there.
If this world is like your game, then you can assume that the Azerlisia Mountains are cold year-round if those dragons are fabled to reside there.
âœI...have a little history with frost dragons.â
âœHistory?â
âœMmm.â You affirm Liamâs echo, âœIâm well...acquainted...yeah, with two in particular. However, Iâm certain that the ones you speak of are different than the ones I know. They do not live anywhere near mountains.â
âœAmazing!â Liam blurts out a matter of fact. âœWhat are they like?!â
You almost throw a joke at him by saying theyâre chill or cool but you notice that the other three men have their full attention on you, aghast expressions morphing their facial features into ones that you could almost call comical.
âœEhaaâtheyâre...â You didnât want to outright tell them all your secrets right off the bat without gaining anything back so you decide to make a trade. âœIâll tell you what. If you tell me more about where we are Iâll answer your questions back. Sound fair?â
âœOh?â Liam looks in between his fellow men. None of them object so he takes it as it is given. âœWell, in general, Bourn is part of the Re-Estize Kingdom.â
âœ...Iâve never heard of a kingdom named such. At least...where Iâm from.â
âœYou must have come from really far then. The kingdom is one of the three major nations in this general area and we are right in the center of where all three are. In fact, Iâve heard from traders that it takes at least a little over a half a month by carriage to make it to the sea on the far west of the continent if you continue in a straight line and only stop to rest.â
âœO-oh. Heh, wow.â You scratch your neck as you mull over the information. âœI guess Iâm really lost then. Heh hehââ Shit. This is not right. âœWhat are the other two nations, might I ask?â
âœThe nation to the East of ours is the Baharuth Empire. This country and theirs are...well to put it, theyâre on bad terms and often fight on the plains South of us where borders connect. The Slane Theocracy is further South and is a kingdom that was formed even before the kingdom and the empire was. We donât personally know much about the theocracy since the kingdom has little interactions with them but Vance, Nate, and I have met an individual from the country.â Liam grimaces.
âœThey were very religious.â Vance nods as if agreeing with the blond that the individual they speak of was odd.
âœThough, they did have a point,â Nate grunts, âœdemi-humans and monsters alike are demons that should all die.â
Since heâs behind you he canât see your expression morph into something vile; however, the two boys at your sides do.
âœNATE!â Liam yells, âœBarry already told you to shut up if youâre going to stay! Say something uncalled for like that again then donât expect me to heal you any time soon.â
That takes the young man back a bit before he opens his mouth-
âœThat also means that I donât want to hear your voice for at least a good hour. Itâs exhausting to hear you constantly complain.â
Nateâs teeth click shut and he returns to staring a hole through your skull again, submitting to Liamâs commands.
Not wanting there to be a stretch of awkward silence after Liam snapped at Nate you hum, âœThank you, Liam, for telling me all of that. Iâm sure thereâs more to it but every bit of information is helpful. Iâm starting to realize how lost I am.â No, youâre starting to realize how fucked you are. Nothing of what Liam informed you of is any landmarks from Midgard. Not just there though but nothing from any of the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
This is a completely new world.
Cursing under your breath, you continue. âœI remember the deal we made. Iâll tell you a little bit more about those frost dragons I mentioned.â
âœThat's nice.â The older man scratches his beard and waves his torch forward. âœWeâve arrived at my house. You can tell us more when we get you four settled in a room. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Barry.â You nod as the other three show their appreciation for the older manâs hospitality. The chieftainâs house appears no different than the ones that litter the rest of the village. Same stone exterior, same shabby wooden shutters and doors, and same dark tile roofing. It doesnât even appear that it has more grass near it. It seems that there are more patches of dirt around this house than most of the others. You piece it together that Mr. Barryâs house must be often visited for the grass to recede so much.
Using his only free arm, Barry is able to grab the handle on his door and step in to hold it open. âœHere you go, make yourself at home.â
You want to show the chieftain your appreciation for him welcoming you but the blaring fact on your mind drowns out all words that could try to find their way onto your tongue. This is a new world. Nothing could have prepared you for the shock. How you got here is a mystery you donât even think can ever be solved.
A shake of your head brings you back to now.
This isnât something you can expect an answer for immediately, nor should you. This is something youâll have to puzzle together on your own and these people can help you. They will help you. Youâll make sure of it one way or another. Youâd prefer it be voluntarily but youâll do what you have to if it comes down to it. You need to learn for your sake and for whoever was also transported to this world with you.
To that last thought, you step into the threshold of Barryâs home with the intention to use every fiber of your being to get what you need.
Tonight is going to be a long nightâ
â—
âœWake up, freak!â A quick shove at your shoulder wakes you from the bundle of blankets you're wrapped in. It didnât hurt you as much as it did surprise you. You must have been sleeping good too because you could hardly make a proper response in reply to Nateâs rude wake-up call, only a small mmf? escapes your chest as your head lifts from the pillow. His face reddens either because of his souring mood or some other reason, âœDo I have to wake you up like this every morning?! Canât you wake up by your self?!â
âœNate, itâs...isnât it too early for you to be this angry? Did you wake up wrong?â You jab, knowing full well why heâs angry but wanting to get back at him for daring to kick you, as you slowly sit up and rub your face. Grogginess is still hanging over you like a cloud from being pulled from sleep in such a way.
âœI havenât slept at all, thanks to you.â He bares his teeth, the bags under his lids just as obvious as his bloodshot eyes.
âœI havenât been making you do anything. You're the one so determined to keep an eye on me.â Despite him being a thorn in your side every chance he gets, itâs concerning that Nate hasnât slept a lick since you dropped out of the sky. Itâs been two days since then and youâve learned nothing about what has occurred to you. All you know is that youâre in a new world. A completely new and real planet filled with life and magic, completely in contrast to your real home and very similar to your avatarâs. âœYou should have someone take your place for at least a day. It isnât good to do this to yourself. Your health is suffering because of it.â
âœPft, this is nothing.â Nate throws his head back to prove his point. He doesn't know that you see him stagger slightly, âœI can go another two days no problem.â
âœ...Right.â The bed that you've been borrowing from the chieftain these past few nights creaks as you look over your left shoulder to where some window shutters sit closed. Blue light filters through the cracks of the wood, illuminating the room and the dust particles that drift lazily through the air. A hum escapes your chest.
Itâs almost time.
A spark of anticipation brings warmth to your chest and you even find it in your heart to forget Nateâs aggression at the thought of it. âœThank you for waking me up again.â The bed groans as you swing your legs out from under the covers to slip your feet into your flats.
âœI have to get you up to work at some point.â Nate backs away from you, brushing off your gratitude in the process. âœCome on and do whatever you need to do so you can continue where you left off.â
âœ*Sigh* Sure, sure.â Nodding in memory of the procedure, you stand to make your way around and past Nate to the doorway leading off into Barryâs living space. Nate follows closely behind you but you give him no mind as the smell of sizzling meat and herbal tea wafts into your senses. The kitchen is a very open space and it takes less than ten seconds to make it into the space where the chieftain stands, cooking and brewing breakfast. âœMorning, Mr. Long.â
You address Barry right, after being corrected in regards to how to refer to individuals formally here. It turns out that theyâre more Westernized than Japanese as they use surnames rather than first.
The old man is still in his nightly attire but appears neatly kept as he looks over his shoulder where heâs cooking. âœAh, SÅ. Itâs good to see that Nate was able to wake you.â His brows pinch in worry, âœThe fact that you donât breathe makes me worry that youâre dead every time you sleep, especially after how you werenât feeling well last night.â
âœAh-ha...I donât mean to scare you, sir. I promise Iâm fine.â
âœTsk,â Nate prompts you to move, âœThank you, Barry. Weâll be on our way now.â
âœWait a minute, boy.â Nate stops his persistent shoving at the older manâs voice, âœWhere are your manners? SÅ hasnât eaten yet. This fair thing shouldnât be working on an empty stomach.â
You swallow the gag that tried to make its way up, âœNn-no no. Iâm good sirââ
Yes, you can eat but it turns out that your avatar doesnât need to eat.
The experience was good at first. Freshly home-cooked meals with none of those artificial crap or the ones with preservatives and chemicals pumped into them. Not to mention that your sense of taste has been amplified in this body because every bite and sip of whatever made its way into your mouth just burst with so much flavor, it was almost heavenly.
You thought youâd never get tired of the feeling of eating real food.
However, like you figured out, your avatar doesnât need to eat. In fact, itâs not good that you eat, youâve guessed.
For one, your body doesnât digest food. It just sits in your abdomen like a ball of paste. Not only is the feeling unpleasant but you figured out that your taste buds are not limited to only your mouth, but everything inside you. Youâd continue to taste the paste in your body all the time. And since your body doesnât digest anything it keeps the food fresh as the day it came into your mouth. It doesnât even rot inside of you. Your avatar seems to have a knack for preserving things so nothing decays inside of you. While thatâs reassuring, eating three meals a day piles up.
You were swelling up since you didnât need to and couldnât shit or piss it out. With all those meals combined, the flavors mushed together in such overwhelming matrimony that in the middle of last nightâs dinner it became too much for your senses to handle and you had to run out of the house. Nate and Liam chased you, of course, since they had joined you over at the chieftainâs place of residence but they werenât prepared for how quick you bolted for Tob.
When they finally caught up to you they found you bent over and puking your guts out at the edge of the forest, determined to get the two days worth of meals out of your system.
Yes, youâve found out that you enjoy eating but you decide that itâs best not to do so for the time being, âœIâm still feeling a little...ill from last night. Iâm not sure if I can handle any food right now.â
âœOh? Iâm sorry to hear that dearâ.â With a worried glance, he opens a cupboard where cups sit in attention. He picks out a decently sized one and moves over to the kettle he has set over a simmering furnace, âœYou should eat though. Thatâs the only way youâll get better. At least have some tea.â
On instinct almost, your head shakes quickly showing your repulse, âœUmm, Mr. Long. Iââ You donât want to be rude so you decide to tell him the truth instead of beating around the bush like you did last night when you hurried to sleep off the sickening feeling, âœThe issue is eating. It turns out my body doesnât do well with eating human foods. I was trying to blend in but Iâm still not human even if I try. Donât get me wrong, you make the best tea,â You swallow yet another gag before continuing, âœbut I really shouldnât eat.â
âœOh, my dear. You shouldnât have forced yourself like that.â He places the cup on the counter to face you again, âœDonât do things that make you ill.â
âœIâll try. Believe me, I would have done things differently if I had known what would have happened.â
âœThatâs great,â Nate shoves you as he sees no other reason to stay now, âœnow let's get going!â
âœWait, Nate, did you eat ye-â
âœYes, I have. I did so while you were sleeping. Now move it!â Nate pushes your back with a hand to guide you to the front door but Barryâs voice follows you two on your way out the door
âœBoy, you best be nice to her and treat her kindly.â
âœI know! See ya, Barryâ The tan boy calls back as heâs finally able to shove you out the front door just as you call out a quick, âœBye, sir.â into the morning light that is outside.
The air is crisp as a slight autumn breeze flows gently from the direction of the North where the Azerlisia Mountains reside, causing your golden hair to trickle across your face. Pursing your lips, you untie the ribbon that one of the village girls lent you from your wrist to tie your hair up so it stays out of your face. The sky is waking up from its slumber, becoming a lighter blue in pigmentation to the sunâs approach. Your wide vision provides you the sight to see villagers already mulling about, getting to whatever chores or jobs they need to before the day gets started.
âœAlright freak,â You look over to the young man as he makes his way back to you, âœLet's get back to the logs so you can finish skinning them.â
âœNow wait just a minute.â Already walking down a dirt path that leads off to where you want to go, a toothy smile slips past your rosy lips. âœI have to watch it before I get back to work.â
âœIt?â You nod to his inquiry to which he groans as he follows you, âœWhy? You already saw it yesterday and the day before that.â
âœYes but I havenât seen it today.â A skip in your step is subtle but the eagerness in your words isnât, âœI plan on doing this every morning by the way. Get used to it.â
âœTsk. You love making things difficult.â He finally gets quiet to that last remark.
You relish in the silence he provided because it lets you hone in on the pleasantries that exist in this world that donât in yours.
Though far off to the trees that make up Tob, birds sing in jubilee to the joy of the new day, their voices combined form a symphony of cheer that echoes out into Bourn. A group of women holding baskets of clothes chatters kindly to one another before greeting you kindly as you wave and smile at them. Itâs been nice. The way youâve been getting treated by everyone in the village, especially those of the opposite sex, is different than how you were when you were on Earth. While the women seem to have more or less welcome you, though there's still those who whisper behind your back, the men have grown a real liking for you. You find it odd that the people in this village act in such ways. Back on Earth, generally, everyone minded their own business unless it was their business. Now it seems that youâre the talk of the town. You have a few guesses as to why but it's not important to you right now.
The dirt path crutches satisfyingly under your flats as your speed picks up at the sight of the yellowing horizon past the last few houses of the village.
This is what you came for.
âœHey, wait!â Nate hollers at you when you start running to the edge of Bourn, laughing to yourself as the young man struggles to catch up to you. Just a few yards to the East of the village is a hilly countryside, scattered with shrubbery and the very thing the village is named after, a bourn that flows out from the forest. The stream goes out and around the houses to the places where the farmers have set up their crops. Youâve been informed that the stream even flows through E-Rantel, the capital of Re-Estize, and continues onward.
Your goal, however, is past the stream and you know just the way to get past it.
âœStop, you bitch!â Nate screams when you sprint, closing the distance between the shallow flowing water. Just as it looks like youâll be running into the stream, you ball your dress in your fists when your knees bend and, like a nimble deer, you glide right over the gap to land perfectly onto the other rocky side. Not a single drop of water lands on you at the act.
You had quickly learned that your stats from Yggdrasil have carried on into this new world. Not just your magic stats though, but your speed, agility, and your physical strength. They are in the level nineties, high level according to normal players. With such high levels carried on to this new world, youâve found how easy it is to just jump over streams such as the one you practically flew gently over.
You turn back with a bright expression, âœCome on, Nate! I thought you wanted to keep an eye on me?!â You canât help but tease Nate as he slides to a halt in front of the water, hurriedly trying to find the driest way across until he spots some rocks sticking out of the slow current. Working quickly, Nate starts to use them to hop across. âœAt that pace, youâll never catch up with me!â
âœWhen I get over there, I swear to God-H-hey!â He screams when he sees you continue to run off without him, âœFucking, piece of-Augk!â Your extended vision allows you to see one of Nateâs feet slip and plunge into the water, successfully trenching his pair of boots, as you continue to jog to your place of destination.
It isnât far off the stream. Itâs very visible from the village and youâve seen children run up to play around it at times. In the grass field, a huge boulder lies serenely with moss inching over its surface like a green blanket.
Itâs the perfect place for you to sit and watch it occur.
You easily climb up the face of the rock and giddily place yourself down at the top as it is almost time. You hardly notice Nate run up with your attention so honed in on the goldening horizon as he places an arm on the bottom of the boulder to hold himself steady.
âœJust you wait, when the time comes Iâll laugh as I kill you, freak.â
âœGood to know.â There it is, your sudden urge to lash out at a threat. You swallow it down though to keep up your peaceful nature. Youâre getting better at it, holding your tongue generally and just reminding yourself that you only feel this way because of your avatarâs nature. The moment anytime your life is threatened, something switches in you that makes it very hard not to lash out at whatever may be the cause of it, almost like activating aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it.
You have come to this conclusion since SÅsaku-sha is the final boss of Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered, you are the same. You only started to fight players once they showed you hostility so this might be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering others and feel a drive to do so when threatened.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are to a few words.
Clenching your teeth, you forcefully push the feeling down to enjoy the moment, âœNow shush, itâs almost time.â
Nate clicks his tongue in response but settles down with a scowl to watch the horizon with you. Youâve found that you generally like him better when heâs tired. He doesnât fuss as much and is more complacent to which you appreciate.
You let yourself get lost in thought as you watch it occur.
The sunrise.
The dark blue and purple shadows stretch against the countryside in contrast to the orange spritz sky and fluffy yellow clouds to the rising dawn. Dew and ripe flowers surround you in a kind bubble, cradling your form in welcome. Itâs when the shadows of the plains get the darkest colors when the golden orb of light readies to breach the endless blue.
âœWhoah!â A gasp escapes you when, finally, a sparkle of light peaks its way above the tree line in the distance, casting its warm glow on your features. The sky noticeably shifts in palette as it marches across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you remain somewhat in a numb trance.
The sunâs flirtations on your skin are considerably warmer than the breeze that flows down from the mountains of the North, holding promise that winter is coming. The temperature fluctuations are noticeable but despite that, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things. Back on Earth, there was none of this. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward. However, you can stare at the sun and bask in its embrace for hours...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. At first, you had guessed that it was a natural thing thatâs supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes butâ
Allowing your vision to expand just enough so that you can check on Nate, you see that he squints in the direction you're facing, obviously being blinded by the growing light.
Humans still seem to be affected by the sunâs glory so you settled on the theory that you can watch the sun without any trouble because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming variety of warm hues. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunrise since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so bold and it comes with its compliments of pinks, greens, and yellows. Only because youâve been watching the rise and fall of the star every day had you become aware of the shifts. It dawned on you on the first morning that youâll be able to experience the liveliness of the sky to the full as long as youâre here in this new world.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this habit.
And youâre going to use your weird, new senses to enjoy it to the full.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the animals and people in the village, of course, but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You had gaged a couple of times upon smelling some of them and out of the blue excrement smells.
You do, however, enjoy the wafts of occasional herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that you are now enveloped in.
You also keep your ears wide open. You technically have human ones but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away..
Your new vision was one of the first things you noticed was off in this new body. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
As long as nothing is in the way you can see.
Even though you have eyes again, your vision isnât limited there. It still exists from your skin even as you look human. With clothes on, however, it covers most of your available visionary points but your head is plenty round enough to make up for the loss.
Your sense of touch is the only sense that you think youâve found no changes in. As long as you donât initiate any physical contact with other people while you're in your avatar's form, youâre good. You found out through Nate's rough housing that while you're human, you don't share emotions. You don't know what nullifies it but you appreciate the normalcy in being...mostly human.
There is something odd that you had noticed on the first day as you worked. You know that you have five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground, the trees, and in houses only for them to pop out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms.
You had quickly learned how to ignore the feeling when one of the newlywed couples started getting frisky. Despite that and the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It...reassures you in a way especially since youâve learned how frequently this village is attacked by monsters.
You havenât sensed anything like that yet though so you remain generally content as you continue to watch the rising sky even after the sun has fully revealed itself out from behind the horizon, all signs of night no more.
âœHmm...Iâm jealous of you, Nate.â
âœHuh?â Nate was in the middle of a yawn when you threw the comment at him. He recovers fairly quickly since he rubs his eyes roughly when he replies, âœWhy?â
âœYou get to be able to watch this every morning. Your eyes get to withhold a masterpiece crafted by nature itself. All the time. Everyday. Heh, I never got the chance to sit and watch a sunrise like this back where I lived.â
âœ...what the fuck do you mean by that?â
âœUhââ Great. You had only wanted to make small talk to maybe lighten his feelings towards you or even get him to open up some. Instead, a dark hole into your past is being prodded at, âœwhat I mean is that youâre lucky to be born in a world that wasnât ruined before you.â Your face drops before you continue, âœYour world is so...alive and green. At one time it...my home had been like this but that was before meââ
âœ...Really?â Nate boredly glances your way before suddenly being intrigued by the subtle pain he can see written on your face. 'What could possibly cause a monster like you such discomfort?' he wonders. âœWhat happened then, huh? Something burn it down?â
âœAh...wellââ You swallow before continuing, âœNot exactly. Itâs...much more complicated than that.â
âœWhat? You think Iâm too dumb to understand?â
You shake your head at Nateâs misinterpretation, âœThatâs not at all what Iâm saying. Itâs justâ*sigh* itâs a lot. Not only that but the world I come from has many terms that arenât uh...present here in this one. You may not understand some of the things I may say.â
âœPsh, try me, freak.â
Furrowing your brows in doubt, you start with hesitance, âœItâs...gray. Everything is gray. There is no natural wildlife except the pests that carry disease. No natural plant life except the ones sustained by outside means. No sky, just the constant poisonous fog we call smog. We do not have the freedom to breathe like you do here. We must wear masks with oxygen tanks...uh, theyâre barrels that supply us with fresh air that must remain strapped onto ourselves when we go outside if we want to avoid an early and painful death-â
âœWait, you breathe?â Nateâs face is almost comical but retelling your past has put you off a bit so you canât even laugh at his expression.
âœYes, I did. In my...my other form.â
âœHuh? Iâm sorry, what?!â
A scoff of a laugh does slip out of you this time at his very bewildered and disheveled look. Nate really should take a break from watching you and take a power nap. âœI created myself after all so...yeah.â You reply back as you roleplay as your avatar. You couldnât tell him the whole truth because, frankly, no one would believe you. Besides, you donât want to reveal too much information about your real self. You swallow back the fact that you have...or had human parents up until this situation started.
âœYou created yourself? You?â You would have reacted the same way if someone told you that they had come into existence out of their own vendetta. It's just impossible...in human terms.
âœI did... What do you think my name means? My full name, I mean.â
âœUh...I donât remember it.â
âœThatâs okay. My name is SÅsaku-sha. Do you know what that name means?â
âœNo. Why does it matter?â
âœSÅsaku-sha means âœCreatorâ. I am a creator. I create life, essentially, and I build worlds for that life to exist on.â You lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœSo, wouldnât it only make sense that Iâd give myself a vessel to occupy so that I may interact with my creations?â
âœThe hell?â He rubs his eyes hard as if it would help him hear better. âœWhat are you then?â
âœI already told you. Iâm a creator.â
âœNo. No! I mean what kind of creature are you, freak?!â
âœHmm? My race? To be honest, I canât say I know. Iâm the only one of my kind to my knowledgeâAll I know is that Iâm a creator.â You nod as if your explanation reflects your avatar thorough; however, Nateâs continued confusion forces a huff out of your chest, âœLook, I told you it would be hard for you to understan-â
âœShut up, I understand perfectly!â Nate refuses to be wrong around you and spits a wad into the grass, âœEnough about your freaky fucking body. Continue with your shitty life story or whatnot.â
You remind yourself to practice patience as another spill of anger boils at his insensitive words. You continue, âœThe oceans and streams have been blackened. The fish and other water dwellers had been all replaced with plastic, sludge, and the occasional druggie and suicidal.â You grimace at the memories of seeing bodies of individuals, who have given up hope for something better, being tugged out of streams by cleaning crews. They donât treat those bodies with respect...You only surmise that they must haul bodies out of the water so often that the corpses are just more trash needed to be pulled out of the stream by them.
âœFood comes in the form of paste packets if you donât have the money to afford better. Concrete-ah um...stone as far as the eye can see...murky and tainting it is. An all-encompassing gray you can never escape. Neon and glittery lights can try to cast all the color back into the world as they can, the overall mood will never change. All lights shut off at some point leaving the world a husk. A skeleton of its former self.â
Silence permeates among you two as the sun continues to rise, you both cling to your words.
âœThe only way people find comfort in such a world is to find addictions. We all know that the world is doomed, humans sealed that fate long ago, so most of us have cast morals aside and succumbed to our more...outlandish desires. Some escape reality through highs, dosing, and shooting themselves up with whatever chemicals they can to numb the pain. Alcohol is a kind death, poison that makes the soul feel joyful that many find solace in. Others find escape in gambling for the chance to score big since itâs just too large of an offer to refuse. Finding comfort in others...is also a constant. Love and...love making distract from the numbness of it all. Makes people feel that they have someone to live for. Escaping through risking our lives. The young especially find pleasure in this since close encounters with life-shattering scenarios remind us of our will to live. We call these types of people thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. A good percentage of these types of people die daily whether by skirting too close to death or they realize that they donât have a will to live anymore.â
Your lip quivers at the dark memories that enter your mind. You probably see a dead person at least once a month back on Earth. Emphasis on at least. No one was truly happy anymore...but you tried your best to make it better for others.
âœThen thereâs my addiction. The type where you escape reality through digital means. There, people could forget for a short time what our home is like as they embody new forms IG...which means in...new worlds. I too enjoyed the digital realm and I made my life around creating worlds for others to venture off to and explore. Guess you could say that I was the dealer exchanging these highs for profit.â
Your laugh sounds empty and wet at the irony of it all. Nate remains silent as you go on with your sad story.
âœI imitated what I could of life so we could all enjoy sights and hope that weâve all but lost...but I couldââ A choking noise escapes you as you lose your composure for a second before waving an arm to the scenery around you, âœI could have never made this. Iâm jealous of what you all think is normal. Frankly, I feel like Iâm in a dream and none of this is real...still thoughââ
You feel like you're crying but when you wipe your face you see liquid gold smeared on your fingertips.
Huh? What...is this? Did you cast Tears of Jörmung-You know what, you're not even going to question it. You're too overwhelmed with emotions to care.
You wipe the glowing liquid on your dress with a sniff, glad that Nate seems to be too lost in thought to notice your condition.
You just...feel shocked and blessed to be able to experience all of this life. Only now that youâve spoken the truth of Earth do you realize how wonderful this one is.
âœ...you said that humans ruined your world.â Nateâs low voice comes as a surprise to you which has you nodding slowly.
âœMm.â
âœ...How? And why?â
âœ...many reasons...in the beginning, they didnât know that their actions have dire consequences on the environment. Taking resources and not giving back to the earth what itâs due. They saw it as a means to survive,â You turn your head to send the boy a knowing look over your shoulder, âœyou can relate to that, can you not?â
His expression hardens some at your slightly antagonizing words but you shake your head before turning forward again.
âœIâm not being judgmental. Just...pointing out similarities. Besides, they needed those resources...but once humans had collected their needed fill...they wanted more. Nicer tools, nicer clothes, nicer homes. These arenât sins in themselves...but want is so easily turned to greed. Those who could take kept taking, even to the extent that their fellow man became a casualty to it. Those who had more had more power. And what better way to use power than to use it to gain more? War is caused by such greed and death is caused by such misuse of power.
âœ*Sigh*...In the end, more often than not, those with more power win those battles. But with great power always comes great fear. Greed drives man to get to the top...so those at the top will always fear those at the bottom. They all continue to take to make that fear go away or to challenge those of power...but eventually...if you continue to take without giving anything back...one day there will be nothing left to take. All youâre left with is gray. The world had been at the mercy of man and they didnât show any sympathy...so now all are at the mercy of a world that has nothing left to lose. In the end...humans ruined themselves. None of what you call monsters can be blamed for such because true monsters are those who take without a care of the consequences.â
Thereâs more silence following your response before Nate barely audibly huffs, âœEven fucking monsters canât get a break.â
Your jaw drops.
What?! N-Nate actually...does he feel actual sympathy for you?! He definitely didnât mean for you to hear him, since he said it so quietly, but your heightened sense of hearing couldnât let his whisper go unnoticed.
Before you could get your wits back Nate reverts back to his old self, âœSo, you hate us humans now or something?â
âœ...although it was humanity that destroyed my home, understand that I do not blame humans.â You send the tan boy the most sincere look you could muster, âœIâm rather fond of them actually.â You know, considering you were one. Plus, if you didnât say that then he might think heâs right in the fact that you hate humans. You donât want him thinking that youâre a threat any more than he already does...at least at the moment. âœWhat I blame are their negligence and selfishness...maybe you can learn from your fellow menâs example and try not to allow this world to suffer the same fate. We can all do our part in preventing such a bleak outcome. I know I certainly will while Iâm still here. Call me a hypocrite but my selfishness dictates that I preserve what you all have in fear of what fate will befall it.â
âœ...â Nate doesnât respond to that, once again getting lost in thought as he stares at the sunrise. What you donât know is that as he squints at the horizon he notices how nice the sunrise looks today.
â.
â.
â.
Shaking his head he steps back from the bolder, the wall forming back up as he addresses you, âœAlright. Youâve watched the sunrise, now get back to work. The barn isnât going to fix itself.â
The sigh that escapes you hides nothing to your disappointment, âœRightââ
Sparing one last look at the sunrise with your full honed in focus, you slide off the surface of the rock, the moss making it slippery enough to do so, to the ground with a thump of your feet. The two of you share a moment staring at each other when you finally straighten up. Neither of you says anything for what was there to say? A signal? An apology?
No. There was nothing to be said.
So you find it wise to break contact first, not up for competition and an argument after your little spill, and you start to make your way back to the core of Bourn. Silent footsteps follow in tow behind your own.
At times like these, youâve found that it's best to keep your mouth shut and reflect on what youâve collected on your situation thus far. It helps pass the time in your experience and deduce what may have happened to get you here like right out of an Isekai.
For the world that you exist in doesnât seem to have a lot of history. While you could sum that up to books being a royalty thing and not a necessity that the lower class would have access to, none of the villagers youâve spoken with seem to know anything except rumors and legends. It doesnât seem like something thatâd concern them from the way that theyâve spoken to you. All that looks to be on their minds is getting through the day with full bellies.
You can understand why they think the way they do but it doesnât help you in the long run.
However, youâve learned from poking around that there is a local monster that resides nearby in the Great Forest of Tob called the Wise King of the Forest.
The Wise King is rumored to be a monster capable of using magic, possessing incredible power beyond that of even the most skilled mages and warriors. You were informed that there have been few eyewitness reports but many who come face to face with such a creature donât live to tell the tale. Its existence has been around for quite a long while. Some of the chatty folk around Bourn even speculate that it is around several hundred years old. The only description youâve gained on the look of the creature is that it is a four-legged silverish, white beast with a snake-like tail.
Immediately, the image of a Nue or a Chimera popped into your head at the description and you still think it might be one of those, especially after so many of the townâs folk said that they believe it to be a demon that guards the woods.
Those creatures were not just simple ones by Yggdrasil standards. They are moderately high-level beasts thatâd have all low-level players running at the mere sound of their cry.
If there is such a creature here, you find a growing desire to meet the one dubbed with such a great name because a wise king is the name of one with the answers you want.
Or not. It might not have the knowledge you seek not to mention that it could be near impossible to find in such a large forest. It may not even be alive to this day. Youâd have increasingly better luck to travel to E-Rantel and find someone well educated in the capital.
But who would be able to give more?
An ancient being or the nationâs collection of its most intelligent and influential people?
A pout molds out your features.
It sucks that either way is a gamble. At least you have options, you surmise. However, youâre still stuck in this village until youâve fixed what youâve messed up. Thinking of whichâ
âœAlright, freak. You remember where you left off?â Nate hardly holds back another yawn as he addresses you, wiping his eyes while he gestures with his free hand to the pile of logs stacked up near the barn youâve both finally made your way back to.
âœYeah, I do.â You confirm, observing the outside surface while approaching it. Thereâs still the evident hole in the roof of the structure and you know that thereâs still damage on the second-floor flooring but itâs better now than it had been.
The debris caused by your fall has all been taken care of and all of the lost goods have been accounted for. You havenât replaced the items yet since they wouldnât be able to store them correctly.
For now, youâre trying to hurry up on repairing the barn so that thereâs no further damage caused by natural elements. You had created a makeshift tarp to prevent rain damage by snatching a blanket from one of the horse stalls, draping it over the hole, nailing its corners down, and using the spell Tar to seal it up. Itâs only a temporary solution but it gets the work done.
âœThen get started already. Iâm not going to baby you or...whatever.â
âœ*Sigh, aye aye.â
Nate watches with a scrutinizing gaze as you close the distance between the trunks of the trees that are laid out and you.
Raising your dominant hand, the words, âœMaximize Magic, Phantom Limb.â tumble out of your rosy lips. The tier three spell activates and a ghostly, golden apparition manifests itself out from your arm. What you find odd though is the clawed tips to the spiritual appendageâs fingers, much in contrast to how theyâd normally appear
Just another oddity, you surmise.
With your large transparent claw, you bunch up the trunks as if you were picking up a bunch of sticks before maneuvering them above your head with minimal effort in the one hand. Your other âœnormalâ arm is used to pick up a crate full of tools before you make your way out to the back of the barn that faces the fields. There is enough open space there and out of the way for you to work properly.
Day one had been liberating as you found out how strong you were in this form.
After cleaning up the mess leftover from the fall you had to cut down some trees to collect wood. You had requested to summon some creatures to assist you but that request was quickly shot down.
So, without the hands to help you, you had to test out your abilities to see if you were capable of the task SÅsaku-shaâs way instead of the old fashioned way.
You learned many great deals of things from the experiments.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. You had thought it was a voice-related thing because of the way you healed the pigs, but after a few spells without a single word uttered trashed that theory immediately. All you have to back up your new theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots, menu, or any of that junk.
2. You have to be âœopenâ to cast spells
3. You can become open and shielded still, however, it switches to and fro depending on how threatened or secure you feel.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy showed when youâd aim at objects with either spells or handheld objects with the intention to hit specific things, even if theyâre crazy far away.
5. Their physical strength also showed when you literally were able to pick up a BOULDER and hold it above your head with ONE ARM (You had lost your mind at that, even the people who had gathered to watch were flabbergasted. Nateâs eyes popped out of his head when you told him to âœcatch itâ as you aimed to throw the huge rock at him. He didnât like the joke even after you pleaded for him not to attack you. Thankfully there were enough bystanders like Liam there to hold him back). You had also tried it out on pulling a tree out of the ground without any magic. You ended up having to use Ascend because you werenât tall enough to pull off such a feat, but once you were airborne so was the tree.
6. Your avatarâs speed is still insanely fast. You had asked Vance to throw rocks at you (Nate volunteered to do so but you didnât trust him) and not a single one would graze you, even when it was a handful of pebbles. On top of that, when heâd shoot arrows, not at you, of course, you were able to grab them out of mid-air (you let out an embarrassing squeal after youâd caught the first arrow and Vance laughed at the little victory dance you did afterward. You screamed at him to shut up about it when all of your skin grew hot pink).
7. Ascend still wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float.
You had also accessed your inventory to double-check what you have. Other than the butt-load of gold, all you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no pressing use for, just as you thought. You had thought about how nice it would have been to have access to the materials and supplies in the Citadel.
Even though you knew that you were no longer in Yggdrasil, you had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. When you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work at all despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. The fact that it didnât work only further proved that youâre no longer in your game.
Some of the spells had drained more MP from you than others, however, you still felt energized even after those many hours you spent testing your skills out. Many were awestruck at some of the spells you cast, demanding you to tell them what tier they were. You didnât go crazy with the spells so at most some of them were level eight. You had thought that the crowd gathered were going to lose their minds after you informed them that you could go beyond that. Liam quickly asked for you to perform a spell higher than eight but you refused him by saying, âœThat'd risk the lives of everyone in the village.â You knew that only some of them could do that and which ones are generally safe but you didnât want to waste the MP.
You think that show of power is what caused Nate to be at such a high level of paranoia around you now and why he hasnât let up in watching you.
Gently placing the crate and logs back down on the open dirt clearing, between the stables and the cropland where farmers tend to the land, your phantom arm dissipates for you no longer need it anymore.
Your physical strength is enough for now.
Bending over, you slip one of the trunks of a twenty-foot long tree up underneath an arm like a pillow and you maneuver it around your torso so you can place it in front of you while you sit back on the pile to get started on your work.
Nate, on the other hand, finds it frustrating to stand and watch you as you fulfill your duty from where he is. Instead, he sees it perfect to make his way to a nearby fence and lean his more than tired body against to better watch you.
He does so just as you start digging around in the crate, âœHey, Nate?â
âœWhat is it?â
âœWhich of these tools do I use to skin the bark off the trunks?â
âœThe draw knife, stupid. Itâs the long one with the two handles.â
âœOh,â It only takes you a second to deduce which of the knives he meant and you pull it out, âœThanks, jerk.â
âœTsk! Youâre the bitch.â
âœSure.â You observe the tool for a few seconds, then the tree trunk laid out in front of you, and repeat a few times before you inquire of the tan boy again, âœNate?â
âœWhat now?!â
âœHow do I use this?â
âœUagh!â He throws his head back dramatically and waves a hand up into the air, âœYou draw it towards yourself! Itâs in the fucking name! You pull at the handles while the blade is against the wood so it shaves the surface.â He lifts his head lazily as if his lack of sleep is forcing his body to become sluggish, to antagonize you, âœJust make sure not to screw up the wood too much. Donât want you wasting time having to chop down more trees!â
âœOkay, okay! I got it.â After rolling your eyes you try to find the best way to go about shaving the bark off the surface. With it facing you horizontally it is difficult to imagine you shaving it the way you are.
You stand up and walk around the area near the top half of the long log, trying to find a good position to go about cutting the thing, before you end up straddling the log with your legs on either side, stabilizing the trunk with your weight, and your back to the young man. Your dress bunches around your knees awkwardly but pay it little mind as you observe the tool in your hand for a few more seconds, hesitant and afraid that youâll mess up.
A reminder flashes through your head that you could try again with another trunk if you mess up and the jacked-up ones can be used for other things such as firewood.
With a self-assuring nod, you grip the handles as you place the blade against the bark and pull back.
*CuurCKK!*
You surprise yourself with how easy you expertly slice through the bark.
Ha! This must be because of my Master Craftsman job class!
Smiling and more confident in your skills, your hands work faster while your mind wonders once again.
You had felt evil cutting the trees you needed down yesterday, especially due to your rare experiences with healthy trees back on Earth, but felt way better when you learned that your touch could renew a tree back to its original state. You had fully expected the same thing to happen to the trunks, thinking that theyâd regrow their roots, but nothing occurred under your hands. Still, nothing happens as your hands expertly shave the rough surface of the wood off, revealing the yellowy white core underneath. You had guessed that itâs either because of your Craftsman skills or your intentions prevented it.
The whole intention thing is confusing to you. Worrying too.
Youâre afraid of doing something you want to do that you shouldnât do. Lashing out for one is an impulse that you find hard to maintain for some reason and it scares you.
What if one day something tips you over the edge or something brushes you wrong?
Will you truly become a monster then? Will you truly lose your humanity?
You fear what you can become if you donât practice self-control. You know that, in your past experiences in being threatened, your mind just goes somewhere else when youâre triggered. It seems like you lose most to all sense of rationality. Youâve never felt anything quite like it before, nor anything as strong. Emotion blinds you in those moments and you have to fight your entire body to stop you from acting out those emotions. Your only barrier from your wrath at those times is your mind and even that is sketchy.
As you thought before, your mind just goes someplace during those times and something...vile and...sick takes its place. Your mind is your own enemy in this body and tends to make you more aggressive than anything youâre accustomed to.
Youâll do everything in your power to prevent that from occurring.
You just hope that the day never comes that the impulse outways your logic.
God have mercy on all the day that occurs.
*Currrk-CerrrCK!*
Hey, look at the bright side. Youâve done a good job holding back! The most that have escaped you so far is lashing words. You can fix the venom that leaks between your clenched teeth, as long as you never allow it to escalate further than that.
*Ccurrrrrk!*
Not to mention that the scent from cut wood is becoming one of your new favorite smells. It's sour and reminds you of grass. Wine grass? Is that a smell? Thatâs the best way you can describe the scent as. You relish in it as youâre now halfway down the trunk, all sides skinned as you use your weight and legs to rotate the wood while you move down with the knife.
Your vision shifts to Nate to see how heâs holding up and youâre not very surprised to see him barely awake.
Half standing-half slouched against the fence, his head is lobbed to the side and his eyes drooping lazily, unfocused in your direction. Not exactly watching but waiting for something odd it seems. You can tell how hard heâs been fighting off sleep these past few days and now it is weighing on him. You had been tempted to cast Sleep and get it over with countless times, especially when he insisted on being a nuisance, but the level of distrust he has for you is a deterrent. If you cast it and someone found out that you put him to sleep against his will, chaos would ensue. Itâs best that you donât do anything of the sort.
However, he still needs rest.
With that, you continue to work in peace. Itâs almost like a trade. Silence for you and rest for him. A fair trade indeed.
*CkurrrkKK!*
The silence seems to be aiding you as you work, your hands making swift and clean progress shaving the overcoat. Almost like your hands have a mind of their own, they pull out the flesh from the exterior, breaking down the brown and green clumps to form piles at the side of the stark log.
Youâre starting to find out that this may be one of your new favorite hobbies, working with your hands and utilizing your Craftsman job class.
Back in Yggdrasil, it had been necessary for you to have the skills in the beginning when you used to design additions to your realm. Over time you had less need to craft as more players challenged you, you got other NPCs to do it for you, and there grew no need for it anymore. It just became a nice perk to SÅsaku-sha.
Now utilizing your skills like this thoughâ
It feels right...therapeutic almost. Like youâve picked back up on a passion project...
Maybe you can use little hobbies like this here in the new world? Craftsmen were generally always needed in the medieval ages. Although you think that it'll be harder to find a place that'd accept you as a woman, it would be a safe and quiet occupation. Not to mention that your job class would make it easy to pick up.
*Kuh-Creee!*
You smile, standing up and dusting yourself off to observe your handy work on the now clean log.
Yeah, that would be nice to have someplace to earn money and good money.
You step off the log and lightly kick the whole twenty-foot tree aside, away from the non-skinned trunks so you can get to work on the next one.
âNot that you need it, though,â your mind supplies, âFood isnât an essential for you it seems.â
Yeah, but if you get kicked out of this village after you finish your work here youâll need someplace to live. Your pride simply cannot allow you to be a squatter.
Mmm. Thatâs another thing that youâve found about your mind now. Youâre not only overly aggressive at times but youâre prideful to the point that youâll put your safety and life on the line to protect it. Itâs an even stronger desire than your aggression at times which blows your mind. Not only does it affect the way you act but it cuts down on choices you can make, such as tolerating being homeless.
*Cuuuurkk!*
Well...technically you are homeless. You have no place you can call yours truly but...you have a roof over your head.
You can try building your own home? You are a craftsman...but skill doesnât translate to knowledge. In other words, even if youâre capable of building yourself a home you still wouldnât know how to.
Thatâs why getting a job as a craftsman could really assist you. You could learn.â
But where would you even build a house of your own? Here?
That all depends on the disposition of the majority of Bourn to their liking of you.
If youâre being honest, youâve started to grow a connection to this village even if youâre just paying off debt and youâve only been here two days, counting onto three. The people seem...happy here. Thereâs a glimmer in their eyes that you werenât accustomed to on Earth. While they may be fearful people, theyâre generally nice.
You've gained some acquaintances among the women of the village, having dinner with them and chatting, but the men have really grown a liking to you in a different way.
Your cheeks flush some as you continue to clear off the surface of the wood.
Flirts, lingering eyes, kind gestures, little gifts...more so than what youâre used to back on Earth. You havenât been able to see your reflection clearly yet, only in the reflective surfaces of inanimate objects, butâ
You peer at the blurry figure that meets your gaze on the blade of the knife.
...it turns out youâre considered beautiful. Very beautiful in this new form. And because of the natural femininity not just in your features and in the way you conduct yourself seems to be whatâs drawing the attention of the opposite sex.
*CurkKK!*
You donât know how to feel about that though. Intimacy is a foreign thing to you and is the least of your concerns.
But what will you do if one of the boys in this village grows a serious liking to you?
âœErk!â Your face lights up bright like a light bulb.
Youâd probably die of embarrassment. You donât know how to deal with men...nor how to interact with them. Not to mention that youâre incredibly shy about anything related to romance. You are more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. Most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content! K-kissing and holding hands-
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You shake your head quickly to clear out the thoughts that entered your mind.
ENOUGH! Your heart canât handle it!
Besides, how could you possibly date someone when youâre not even human and donât know how long youâll remain here? Yes, itâs best not.
A sigh leaves you before you finish up skinning the second trunk.
Well that will probably be the only surface issue with the men, hopefully. But both genders seem to have the opposite feelings about you and you have a few guesses as to why.
You have incredible hearing so itâs only natural that youâre able to pick up on the things theyâre speaking of.
Jealousy is one. The blaring one.
Evidently many of the women think that youâre going to steal their sons or you'll take all the cute boys for yourself. Then there's the men. They are envious of your abilities and find it strange that you, a woman, is stronger than they are. They find it off putting. Itâs a mix but the one thing that they all share is that they are wary of a piece of information that is beginning to float around.
Rumors of what you truly are-are starting to circulate through gossip. You knew this would happen eventually butâ*sigh* itâs frustrating that you're grotesque. A human stuck in the body of a heteromorph.
What a wonderful predicament!
You kick the skinned log harder than necessary and it clunks with the other, making a loud clapping noise.
Nate jolts awake from his spot, blinking a couple of times as if realizing where he is and whatâs going on, before he strings a line of curses beneath his breath.
You wince an apology to the young man but also the fact that your temper got the best of you again.
You need to work on self-restraint. Especially since you hold so much power as your avatar.
It sucks that intentions are the controls. You donât trust yourself.
You pick up the next tree and set it down so you can get to work on it.
Maybe itâd be better that you live alone...for now at least until you have a better grasp on yourself. Youâd love to have the company of people but youâre pretty dangerous. There's a reason why your avatar's realm is far from the nine worlds and only the strongest players can find you. You donât want to prove to them that theyâre the very thing that they think you are.
A monster.
*CoCurrrCKK!*
Mmm...but how will you learn if you donât seek out individuals who can help you? How will you find the answers you want if you sit in a cabin playing with magic? Not to mention how youâd become a crazy hermit if all you did is fear yourself and what you can do.
No, itâs best not to do that. You donât like the idea anyway.
But how will you overcome the fact that youâre just a beast waiting in the dark, ready to sink their teeth into whoever dares get in their way?
â.
You can keep practicing self-control...you are getting...better...despite how hard it isâ
â.
*Sigh* If there were only someone who could help you learn to control yourselfâ
â.
â.
â?
...Is there?
*CrrKcUrrrRKK!*
If there is someone...how would you be able to find such an individual? Theyâd have to be powerful themselves so that they can help you. You doubt that someone would have abilities near your own in this world since you were so powerful in Yggdrasil...butâ
You canât rule out the fact that there might be someone...you should never assume youâre the most powerful, the least you fear to fall.
That...is wrong though. I am the strongest...SÅsaku-sha isâ
*Sigh* No. That's not you. Your pride is once again speaking. So annoying.
*CcurrrCkk!*
Whether or not you're the strongest or not matters little right now. What matters is if you can get the strength you have under control.
So where to find strong people...hmmâ
â.
âœNate!â
âœAck!â Just as he starts to nod off again, Nate jumps at the sound of your call, âœMother f-What?!â
Putting down the drawing knife, you turn your torso to face him, âœWhere do strong people usually gather?â
âœUp your ass, thatâs where!â
âœNate, just answer this one question, please? Iâll try not to pester you anymore after this.â
Groaning a fit, he tiredly relents, âœFine! Some...pretty powerful adventurers gather in the guilds in cities like E-Rantel. Itâs where they can find jobs and collect payment.â
âœWhat...are adventurers? I keep hearing everyone talk about them but I don't know who they are.â You could take a couple of guesses but you want facts.
âœ...Wait, Liam hasnât spilled the tea to you yet?â Seeing you shake your head to he huffs, âœWell, to make it short and sweet, adventurers receive and solve requests accepted by the Adventurer's Guild. The main roles of adventurers involve hunting down monsters, like you,â He squints accusingly, âœproviding protection for important figures, collecting rare materials, yadda yadda.â Stopping to yawn, he reaches under the collar of his vest. When his hand retreats he is holding up what looks to be a dog tag, âœI am a silver rank adventurer. In other words, itâs my job to make sure youâre not a threat.â A smirk slips past his lips, âœGet it, freak? I kill monsters like you for a living.â
âœ...â You swallow down the retort that had boiled up at his slightly threatening tone, âœ...so...you're a mercenary of some sort?â
His smirk drops at not getting the response he wanted out of you and lets out a sharp âœTsk!â before slipping the dog tag back underneath his collar, âœNo. Weâre not. Thatâs a whole different thing. Mercenaries arenât held to the laws of a guild. They tend to do more dirty work. Psh! Fucking jackasses...â
Really?...Youâd think someone like Nate would be affiliated with mercenaries more so than the adventurers but the way he speaks down to his darker counterparts shows his true nature. You want to ask him why but it doesnât seem to be the right time. âœOkaaay...so...strong people are adventurers?â
âœGenerally, yeah. We all have to meet some requirements to get into the guild...but Iâm not going to sugar coat it.â He sniffs haughtily, âœMost to all adventurers Iâve seen in the guild only have a little bit more weapon experience than the common farmer. Copper and iron rank are reserved for those kinds of people but sliver and up is where true power comes into play.â He smirks again knowing that heâs talking highly of himself but you ignore it.
âœI see. What are all the ranks and...what kind of people can have them?â
âœ...â The gears are moving in his skull, slowly due to lack of sleep but still cranking nevertheless as he processes the question youâve asked, âœWell, copper rank is the lowest of course. Everyone has to start out as one when you join the guild. However, those who remain tend to be people who canât fight more than a goblin. Iron is a step up from that as they are people who have a bit more combat ability but still really struggle to take down monsters like ogres. Sliver is third. They are on par with veteran soldiers. Magic casters and the like stand out more in this field and up as well as legitimate martial artists and weapon handlers.â
Martial arts? Isnât that fighting styles like judo and boxing? They have that here in this world?
âœThe next rankings are hard to get to though. Gold ranks are on par with that of elite soldiers. By adventurer ranking standard, Gold is the highest rank a normal human without any talent can attain. âCapped at Goldâ is the term used to describe the limit.â
âœThatâs kind of harsh to say that people who canât get higher than gold donât have talent. It seems like an impressive feat to me.â
âœNo. You donât understand.â He barks back at you, âœCapped at Gold means that they donât have any talent above the normal person. They donât have a lot of martial arts skills or magic, probably a little more than the core basics, and they arenât talent holders. Thatâs what it means to not have talent. However, that doesnât rule out that they arenât skilled. Hell, thereâs some pretty strong golden rank adventurers but gold is the limit to normal people. Get it?â
âœI guessââ So the rank a common human can achieve...so those you want to search for might exist higher than gold rank. âœSo what rank goes beyond gold?â
âœThere are four ranks.â The man rubs his eye frustratedly as he continues, âœPlatinum is right after gold. They are a step up and can do a bit more than the most skilled warriors. However, Mithril stands out above them. This is the point when you get into abnormally powerful people. They are on par with the ultra-elite warriors in the kingdom. The next top-rank is Orichalcum. These individuals have a disgusting amount of ability and Iâm not exaggerating when I say that.â He huffs again, âœEven the magic casters at this level can use fourth-tier magic at least.â
âœFourth-tier?â Your expression falls, âœBut...that isnât much...considering what I can doââ
âœTsk! W-well...y-youâre a monster!â Nate spits, âœOf course you're going to have abnormal abilities from humans! Besides, I said at least fourth-tier for magic casters! At LEAST! You always complain about me not listening to you, eh?!â
âœAlright! Alright! I get it...but fourth-tier magicââ Thatâs a little...pathetic isnât the word butâ
This is definitely disappointing. Thatâs amateur magic according to Yggdrasil standards...Uwaah, you hope Nateâs right about them being more powerful than that.
âœThen whatâs the ranking above them?â
âœAdamantite. Itâs the highest level an adventurer can get to. Theyâre even considered heroes amongst the nations once they reach the rank, regardless of their nationality. There are only a handful of Adamantites, the few being a part of the parties Blue Roses and Red Drop though Iâm sure that there are others in other nations.â
âœTheyâre that rare, huh?â So if you want to find someone strong to train you, looking for adamantite heroes would be a good start? If you do find them, what then? How would you get them to train you?
Paying them? Gah, you need money for that and youâre not keen on using your gold yet. Thatâs a last resort.
A show? You donât know what showing your abilities would do. Probably their respect?
Or worse, their wrath.
Wahhh...probably not the best ideaâ
So what could you do?
âœHmmmââ You turn away from Nate to continue where you left off, âœI understand. Thank you for answering my questions.â
âœWha-Hey!â Nate fumes as he accusingly points a finger in your direction, âœWhy did you even ask for all that anyway, freak?! Are you even listening to me?! Hey!â
*CuuurrrRCKK!*
The satisfying peeling back of bark is your answer to which he curses at you some more until heâs too tired to continue, leaving you in the silence of the atmosphere once again and more space for you to think.
So according to Nate the best place to look for strong people is the capitals and big cities in the nation. When you go to E-Rantel, to which you can guess you will inevitably do at some point, you can visit the guild and ask where to find these Adamantite heroes. Then you can see what theyâre made of.
â.
But...what if theyâre not all that impressive or are too weak to teach you any real restraint?
Hermmmâ.This is an issue. SÅsaku-sha is op. An avatar that was created to be able to wipe out even the strongest, most capable of players, not to mention that they have abilities that couldnât be matched in Yggdrasil. Since it seems that the same can be said for your avatar in this new world itâll be a challenge to find anyone who can measure up to that.
Hmm...wait.
If there arenât any strong humans then why not look for strong subhumans and grotesques?
Humanâs arenât known for their strength...but elves, giants, demons, and the likeâ
Thereâs even frost dragons here so youâre sure that there are other similar NPCs from Yggdrasil here.
Hell, you could even try seeking out this so-called Wise King since youâre already close to the forest.
All in all, you hope that there are some truly powerful beings here, for your sake and others.
*CcuuuurrK-K!*
But is that the most important thing right now? Is training really it?
What about surviving? What does SÅsaku-sha need to survive?
Not food or drink apparently.
Sleep is something that you can do but it doesnât seem necessary. You have to make yourself want to sleep before you can. In addition to that, it doesnât seem like you can wake yourself up once you go to sleep.
A scary thought that you could just close your eyes and never open them again.
Maybe itâs best that you donât sleep.
âœMmmm.â You pout as you stand and kick the third trunk aside.
But I love to sleep. This freaking sucks!
So would it even matter to find shelter? Would you even need it since you shouldnât and donât need rest?
Well...you should have a place to store stuff. You tend to be a collector after all.
âœUwahh...so much to take into consideration. Too muchââ
Remember, baby steps. Youâll overwhelm yourself at this rate.
âœR-rightâone thing at a time.â You pick up the next trunk and set it in place, straddling it to continue to skin.
You got to finish your work here. Once you learn whether or not these people want you here or not will determine the options you can have. You shouldnât worry about the what-ifs and whatnots especially when they might not even happen.
Besides, your true goal is to learn what has occurred and if there are any players here with you that you can attempt to bring back home.
Youâre positive that youâre not the only one...you canât beâ
âœHey, SÅ.â
âœHm?â You stop your cutting to focus on the one who called out to you, âœOh, Vance. Good morning orââ Looking at the sky you realize how much time has passed with you working, âœgood afternoon? Ah-ha...what brings you here?â
The young man in question approaches at a relaxed pace which gives you time to check out his...odd outfit. It quite surprised you when you first saw him in it and it turns out that it is his work clothes.
It is a full-sized navy jumpsuit romper covered in steel buttons. The romper is baggy at the bottom but it is tucked into some dark boots. A dark gear belt sits on his waist along with a similar colored scarf around his neck which covers half of his face. His bow and arrows sit securely on his back.
You had guessed with Vanceâs abilities, by the way he dresses, and assumed that heâs a Scout or a Rogue but, without a doubt, he's 100% a Ranger. Heâs also really fast and has good accuracy from what youâve observed when you had him help you out with some of your self-evaluations. That only further proved your theory but you have yet to ask him.
âœI wanted to check up to see how you andââ Vance trails off as he notices Nate slouched on the fence again but this time heâs fast asleep. Both of you take a moment to process the situation before an exhale leaves you both, âœhim are holding up. Guess he needs that.â
âœI agree. I think I scared him.â
âœNn...Donât blame yourself. Heâs the one choosing to do this.â He turns back to you with his leveled gaze. âœHow have you been? I know Nate isnât exactly the warmest person.â
âœI havenât killed him yet so Iâd say Iâm faring well, haha!â You giggle at your jest but the slight pinch of the boyâs brow doesnât go unnoticed, âœEh heh...donât worry. Even the fragile shell of an egg canât crack under the palm of a strong man...so I donât think heâll crack mine.â Even without your weird illustration, you can see the context.
Youâre much more formidable than an egg so itâll take a lot more than some simple pressure to make your composure crack. The only issue that thereâs more to the expression that doesnât leave your understanding. Eggs are strong but they can and will bust under the pressure of a thumb, the intent to destroy. If you are put into harm's way intentionally, you will lash out. You know you will even if you donât want to.
You donât finish your illustration but instead listen to Vance as you continue to work, âœI see. Though, checking up on you two isnât my only reason for coming.â
âœOh? Then for what else, might I ask?â
âœI wanted to see your progress. You're doing this all on your own so...â Vance makes his way to the logs, the ones that arenât skinned, and sits himself down on them near you.
âœEager to see me finished so I will leave?â
âœ...Not necessarily.â
âœReally? I thought one of Nateâs friends would want me gone. Especially since I seem to be causing so much trouble.â
âœI think...itâs more so us causing the trouble than you.â
âœMaybe...so why donât or...do you want me gone?â
He looks away from you, âœ...I donât know.â
âœYouâre not sure?â Seeing him nod you make a humming noise in your chest, âœThen what makes you want me to stay? I can already assume the reasons why anyone wouldn't want me to.â
Not only are you curious for his reasons but you can use what he informs you of to your advantage. Putting into practice what he tells you can greatly improve your likelihood of being accepted by more people not just here but in the future.
â.
Why is it so hard to act human now?
Have you forgotten the very basics?
âœI do have my doubts but...it's a hard life to be a single woman. Even I can say that so I'd feel bad if we drove you away." Vance shakes his head at your expression, "But that's not the reason I wouldn't want you to go. Iâd say that...Iâve made some assumptions.â Vance turns his gaze back to you where you continue shaving. âœDare say, I...believe you.â
âœBelieve me? On what?â
âœEverything.â He leans his body forward as if to peer into your soul and it makes you swallow, âœYour story has remained consistent from the very moment you greeted us. Usually, liars canât do that.â
âœHeh, I could just be telling the same lie over and over again though. I hardly believe thatâs the only reason you have.â
âœYes. Iâm sure you know Nate isnât the only one who has been watching you.â You nod, âœIâve seen the way you act not just around him but every single person in Bourn andââ His eyes lift slightly as if he is smiling under his scarf, âœ...you havenât been here for long...yet you love us, donât you?â
*CCcurrr-*
The knife halts as Vanceâs words hit you. Your head turns to him to meet his gaze with your own. With his face half-covered, you canât tell what heâs thinking. It almost tempts you to reach out and touch him to find out.
He continues when he takes notice of your silence, âœIt may not be obvious but you look really happy when you hear children playing and people laugh. Am I right?â
âœ...â A flash of memories come up due to what Vance prompted and a soft curve to your rosy lips appears.
âœGuess I am.â he leans back satisfied by your response, âœYou enjoy the happiness of others. Thatâs becoming of you from the monsters we are used to. Youâre going out your way, even if it may be for selfish gain, to earn our trust. That either means youâre a truly wicked being who likes to twist human feelings or you're kind-hearted. What proved which is true was when you used your magic in front of us all those few days ago. You have...incredibly powerful magic.â Vance shakes his head as if he still canât believe it, his fists clenched so hard they begin to shake. âœEven beyond that of what a God should possess.â Your face scrunches up at his comparison but since he is still talking you keep quiet, âœDespite that, you listen to our demands and havenât harmed any of us. If you wanted to, you already would have.â
âœSo...you want me to have a place here in this village?â At his nod, a sigh escapes you. At least you know that one person has your back now. But how to get everyone else to see that...youâre sure your popularity has won over some but you donât think thatâs enough.
âœMmf, I came here to tell you about my idea, without Nate listening because heâd never allow it. Now that heâs sleeping, itâs the perfect time to come upon a compromise.â Wait, wha- âœIâm planning on vouching for you on the vote and Iâll be convincing others to do the same so that youâll have a better chance.â
âœHuh?! R-really? You mean it?!â He affirms and a huge, goofy, glittery smile grows, displaying all of your pearly whites to their full glory, âœI canât thank you enough.â
âœHowever, Iâll need something in return for my service.â
âœ...Huh?â Your smile slips some but you try not to assume what he could want in return without asking him first, âœWhat is it?â
Clasping his gloved hands together, he leans forward again to speak, âœIâve found that you like making deals. While that may be something you share with demons, you donât make it unfair for the others like they do, at least from what Iâve observed.â
âœ...Thaaaanks?â
âœSo I want to make a deal with you.â He points at you which has you bending the other way, âœYouâll do what you said you would and youâll become guardian over this village. You remember what that all implied?â
âœU-uh, yes, I do.â Thatâs one of the deals you made when you first were negotiating, the third one indeed:
âœWhat else are you offering?â The old man strokes his beard as he contemplates your first offer but is open to your next one.
âœLet me live amongst your village.â
âœHell NO!â Nate hisses as he stomps out of the pin to you with slight sass, swinging his legs in a cocky way. âœMonsters arenât welcome in our village!â
Ouch.
âœEven one that plans on making sure that youâll never go hungry again?â In a blink, Nateâs scowl turns to one of shock at your calm reply. âœHow about one that will make sure youâll never get sick? One that will heal broken and weary bones? Ward off any threat that will come close to this village? I can make your village prosperous if you allow me to be its guardian. Itâs the least I can do if you allow me to stay.â
You said that, essentially, youâd take care of all their needs. Uwahhh...seems like a lot of work...but you said that thatâs what youâd do if you were allowed to stay. Only fair that you keep your word. Besides, why would you allow anything bad to happen to the people whoâd take you in? Right now youâre just here to pay off a debt but to be welcome?
...You probably wouldnât mind helping them if they do.
âœYou will hold up your bargain and take care of us. Is that clear?â
âœYeah. I was planning on doing that already.â
âœAnd because of that, I wanted to add more to the deal.â Wait-more?! What could he mean more?! âœIn addition to protecting this village...you will train Liam, Nate, and I in the ways of magic and combat.â
âœWhAT?!!â You drop the draw knife as you turn your body to the dark-haired boy in shock, âœYou want the three of you to become my disciples?!â
âœYes.â
âœB-but why?!â
âœYou are the most powerful magic caster I know. In fact, you are probably the most powerful magic caster in history. If there is anyone more capable itâs you. Iâd want you to train us so we can become more powerful. We are all adventurers you see. Do you know what they are?â
âœA-ah, yes. Nate told meâbut you want me, a monster, to teach you all my abilities to become better monster hunters? Isnât that counterintuitive on my part?â
âœCounterin...you mean nonsensical for you?â
âœYes, thatâs what counterintuitive means.â
âœI see...probably, but itâs our duty as adventurers to protect people from monsters. Bourn is often attacked by them so youâll essentially be doing our jobs if you become a guardian. We three wonât earn money that way so if you teach us, weâll be doing your job for you. Sounds fair?â
âœBu-Nate hates me, he wouldnât even want to be trained by me, and besidesââ You have a lot more worrisome things on your plate right now. You were just thinking about finding someone to train you and now youâre being asked to become a teacher yourself!
âœMost likely but if he has a change in heart Iâd like for you to welcome him, thatâs all I ask. If you do these things, I promise Iâll turn this village in your favor. What do you think?â
âœAhhg.â You rub your neck as you mull over his offer.
On the one hand you get a clear shot to having a place here, the only place you know in this whole world. While that may not be all bad, considering youâll more or less will be accepted, thereâs the fact that if anything bad happens here, such as a monster attack, a famine, or a plague, youâll be responsible for everything. If thatâs not stressful enough, youâll have to train three monster hunters to be more proficient at killing you. Not to mention that the rumors about your true identity as your avatar is spreading amongst the people of Bourn.
Is it safe to live here where fear festers in their hearts?
If you leave, youâll more or less have a fresh start and will have the freedom to explore and learn that you wonât have if you stay. Your true goal is to learn more about this world, search for players, and a way back home but if youâre stuck here what then? How will you progress?
Youâve learned more or less what civilizations exist near here, E-Rantel for instance. Youâll probably make a fool of yourself in one way or another but youâll be in a capital, a hub of information. Not to mention that the adventurer guild is there where you could search for adamantites. You could also go to a library and learn more from there. Getting a job is also an option.
Anything is possible if you leave here but...you will not be welcome back here in the future.
Hmmm...a place you can call home with people who either love or fear you or to venture out as a foreigner and stumble aroundâ
These arenât very good options...thereâs still the possibility that youâll be welcomed here after you finish your work, even without Vanceâs interference, but the rumors arenât making it easyâ.
It seems like itâs a choice between staying and leaving in the end...so...
What will you do?
Iâll take up Vanceâs offer.
Iâd rather not.
Chapter End Notes
So, will you be more adventure oriented or relationship? The choice is up to you. Also, I hope you all like your new form. It's not permanent of course but you'll look like this any time you're human from now on (except special occasions of course). SÅsaku-sha's overall look is not just what they observed from the village but a combination of the color palettes of their realm and their own biology. In other words, there's a reason why they look the way they do.
It's the last month of the fall semester so this is when things get serious. I am dreading what is to come...I've also been working on and off with some artwork that I'll be posting soon that I'm sure a certain person will like~ Speaking of which, hey Download077, hope you don't mind me referencing your work into this chapter. I couldn't help myself (â„ â„ââ„ωâ„ââ„ â„). I also plan on connecting a few other's works into my AU, I just got to see how I can. Thank you for all the love and support, it makes it all the more sweeter to give this all to you! Have a wonderful day, eat properly, and sleep like the dead!
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Chapter 5: GOING DEEPER
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance. Choosing to venture out to a mountainous region you find a cave system...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here! That last semester was a doozy, especially because of what all happened in November, so I couldn't meet my scheduled update. However! I am here now and have four new chapters out just in time for 2021. Also, WARNING!!! If you haven't read the light novel volume 12 yet for Overlord, this chapter contains spoilers for it. The rest of this path will also be heavily driven by the contents from volume 12 so either catch up and read that awesome book or skip this route. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: GOING DEEPER
âœT-there has been a slight change of plans.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre confused and afraid, youâre also curious.
Plus, there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes. That is the rule of nature. Anything and everything that can go wrong will go wrong and only those who adapt will survive.
Now is no different.
While there is the saying âcuriosity killed the cat,â few know the continuation of it which is âbut satisfaction brought it back.â Who knows how far thatâll apply to you but you want to see first hand what this world has to offer you, especially now that youâve learned that there may be intelligent life in this new world.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœWeâve found something interesting and Iâve planned on investigating it a little further. However, with that said we shouldn't keep the Anointed waiting. Besides, the spells I cast on you three will cool down soon. To this, Iâll have your group report back and relay what weâve collected on our mission.â
You donât stop talking to prevent the Reborn from trying to refuse you and to avoid running out of time on the spells and buffs.
âœSkinner, since you are the only one who Iâm talking to right now, youâll act as my voice when you return. Understand? You must inform the Anointed what I am about to tell you.â
âœY-yes, my creator...I will not fail.â
âœGood. You will be my tongue for the time being so listen closely to what Iâm about to inform you of.â
You could practically hear the Sluagh swallow under the pressure of your command to which you almost blirt out an apology for giving them such a heavy responsibility, but time is of the essence.
âœThese are the words of your creator, SÅsaku-shaâ. A uhâA high-risk situation has befallen my realm. It has been transported to an unknown location to which even I canât identify. With this in mind, my word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted.
âœIn continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut your self off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us.
âœIn the light of all this, my group has stumbled upon a clue in our predicament and weâll be investigating it by the time you receive this message. I do not plan on dwindling too long and will return shortly with the results of our search. However, even though we may be practicing the utmost caution, we are still in unknown territory. Due to this, we may run into trouble. If we donât return within three hours tops, you can assume that this has been the case. A rescue party will have to be assembled but know that no living creature can leave the Seiun due to the environment outside. At the very least, use buff spells that protect against freezing, fire, and blast. Spells that grant Flight will also need to be required. Anyone who only relies on the physicality of flight such as wings will not be able to move freely outside my realm. Youâll have to rely on magic.
âœOur current location is the snowy mountains on the closest continent that reaches the ocean. The mountain weâre on should have a patch of flowers at its peak. There youâll descend until you find a cave that also has flowers at its mouth.â
As you say that, you float down until your feet hit the cold ground for the wildflowers from before to sprout again. Ascend picks you back up once you believe there are enough colorful flowers around to be noticeable.
âœWeâll be inside the cave tunnels. But a word for warning, if we run into something that holds us back for that long, itâll be a great danger since it could even prove troubling to me. Attempt to Message me before coming forth so that youâre not also put into the line of fire. Iâll direct the rescue party accordingly if that does happen. Until then, I expect that my word has become action by the time we do so. Protect my realm in my absence and remain vigilant. That is all. Did you collect all that, Skinner?â
âœYes, my creator!â
Huh. You really spoke like a ruler. You didnât think you could do it. Maybe you had it within you...or SÅsaku-sha is affecting you...They do have the perk Ruler of Rulers. Maybe thatâs what it is?... Well, whatever the case youâre starting to feel secure and in control of your situation even though youâre completely lost to whateverâs occurring.
âœGood. You three may return to the Citadel. All those waiting for our return can be dismissed as well. However, if they refuse and want to wait for us, they can do so as long as theyâre not needed elsewhere. Understood?â
âœOf course, my creator.â
âœBe safe as you head back. Youâre dismissed.â Your message is cut off as you drop your hand, staring out at the sky for a moment or so, before turning back to the two. âœJest, Nictis, as you may have heard, we are continuing our reconnaissance a little while longer. I highly doubt that weâll find anything related to our predicament here. However, I do think this may educate us on this world. Any and all information about this planet is one of my highest priorities right this instant. So in the face of knowledge, I am but a moth drawn to the light. But what will be the source? A jewel or a flame? We have yet to knowââ
You scold yourself mentally for yet another slip of the tongue. What is with you and illustrations now? This has to do with your avatar somehow. No way it isnât.
You shake your head to continue, âœ...so let us practice caution. I know we have been so far but let us not falter and become lax.â
âœYes, my creator.â They both bow their heads in a nod as they affirm in unison. Beyond that, Nictis is the only one who speaks further, âœWe, your servants, will give you all the jewels and more this world has to offer and shield you from any flame that may exist among them.â
âœMmm. Thank you.â You float closer to the frozen wall of rocks with a peculiar look and a question in mind, âœNow, how will we proceed? I could use magic to clear a pathway but...â You look over to Nictis who stands two heads above you where you float. âœI have little knowledge of how that would affect the stability of the cave system. Since youâre more familiar than the rest of us, what would you suggest?â
âœUmu...Iâm very humbled that you believe Iâd know more than our grand creator.â Nicitis shifts his weight on each foot bashfully until his pupils constrict some in the face of the hurdle. âœBesides, you shouldnât burden yourself with doing something so petty and beneath you such as clearing some pebbles. I can handle this on your behalf.â
âœO-oh?â
You could barely make a response in the face of such flattering words. Though, two of your brain cells puzzle together that a ruler wouldnât just do all the manual labor on their own as you have been, not to mention that doing so is draining on your mana. That is a critical factor to keep in mind while in unknown and possibly enemy territory. Besides, whatever the wendigo is planning may be better than what options popped into your head, especially for the sake of the stability of the cave. Youâd hate to have it collapse because you donât know how to control your new(ish) powers.
âœT-then, Nictis, if you donât mind...Iâll leave this to you.â
âœIâm grateful for the chance to do anything for you.â He is up against the rocks in one full stride of his long legs to then stand wide in the face of it. âœIf youâd please, my creator, Iâd like for you to stand back. Iâd never forgive myself if I dirtied your glorious form with any dust that may come about me clearing the way.â You watch as he hunches over and spreads out his arms to his sides, hands sprawled out wide and claws extending and growing impossibly sharper.
Realizing that heâs about to attempt clearing out the icy rocks by hand, you listen to Nictis and float back to the mouth of the cave. Jest follows along with you, looking about with his bunny ears constantly twitching. Heâs continuing his task of remaining lookout and making sure nothing is around.
âœThank you.â Nictis huffs as he peeks over his hairy shoulder to see your distance before turning back around and thrusting his arms into the crevices of the rock.
Loud cracking noises soon take up the space as the undead beast goes loose on the rubble. Boulder after boulder is yanked from their spots, like a child plucking grapes off a vine, before being tossed aside out the mouth of the cave.
You watch, wide-eyed and quiet at the marvelous show of strength.
You couldnât imagine doing anything close to what the undead is doing currently as a human.
You had a hard time opening jars back home, even with the assistance of a rubber glove and hot water at hand. Not to mention the devices made explicitly to open such things still didnât do much to make the process any easier. Even those stupid packaged products are a pain...
So...to see someone-or...something so easily chip away at what you couldnât imagine putting a scratch in by hand takes your breath away...if you had any that is.
Though, it shouldnât be a surprise. Nictis may not be one of the Unmei no gundan but every Reborn within the Citadel are all level 100 or very close to it. Not to mention, if you remember correctly, Nictisâ job classes and perks are more physically oriented rather than magically. Ripping apart a wall of ice shouldnât be at all hard for them hypothetically speaking.
With their high stats aiding him, the wendigo is making amazing progress, continuing to fling rocks out of the way as if the blockage was offending you.
Watching one particular boulder fly through the air and out to tumble down the side of the mountain with the others, a series of questions pops into your head.
What were Nictis physical levels? His attack levels, if you remember right, should be around 78. Thatâs pretty high in all considering...so how does that correlate to his normal strength. Heâs obviously using some class skills like the ones that allowed him to extend his talons. Heâs probably combining the two...but...if you compare that to your avatar... which has a physical attack of 93...could you do what Nictis is now that your body has changed?
You donât get to ponder long as the wendigo finishes up clearing the path by crushing the smaller stones under his foot that were strewn in front of the rockâs maw. âœThe pathway is now clear, my creator.â
âœExcellent. Thank you, Nictis.â You hover over out from your hiding spot to then peer into what was of the cave. It was a little underwhelming since it just all looked like rock and ice but, if Nictis was right about the stacking of the rocks from before, thereâs more that could be found within. Not to mention that the total birth of the opening was one that made you wonder what could fit into an entrance so wide...
Maybe youâre thinking too hard on it. What matters is that could be found deeper within.
However, your past gamer instincts scream at you not to just go barreling through a cave system. More often than not and even in Yggdrasil, they were hot spots for traps, enemy encounters, and mazes.
Your mind supplies you that any gamer shouldnât be focused too much on what gems or chests could be lying in wait to be looted but rather whatâll be in your way to get to such treasures.
âœHermm...this isââ
So what should your best course of action be? You donât want to run into anything dangerous. How would that make you look to these NPCs? Not to mention that this isnât truly a game anymore even though some of the mechanics are the sameâ
âœWhat to do, what to do...mmmââ
Trouble is unavoidable, your mind supplies you. Sooner or later, the longer you're here the more likely itâll occur. The only thing you can do is learn and prepare.
That doesnât mean that you should be a fool who throws caution to the wind.
You have Nictis and Jest here alongside who you can utilize. All you have to do is think this throughâ
So what is the first thing youâd do if you intend to search an unknown location?
âœMmm...wellââ Iâd send a scout ahead to make sure the coast is clear. That way the majority isnât put in harm's way. If there is nothing then the rest of the group can proceed or they can prepare for the inevitable obstacle in their pathâ
Thatâs similar to what youâve already done with this reconnaissance mission...in that case, who of the three of you is most capable of being the scoutâ
Youâre most likely not it. Your avatar wasnât built for stealth. In fact, you donât have any perks that support stealth. Plus, you donât trust yourself. Your investigation skills only extend to that of pixels and graphic cues...and maybe a DMâs word choice. You canât roll for a perception check so youâd have to rely solely on what little brain matter is up in your skull to connect some dots. Something as real as booby traps and more that could exceed what youâve experienced outside your solitary lifestyle.
Besides, you are certain the two undead with you would rather die than let you go ahead alone.
So which of the two would be a better fit to scout ahead?
The answer is almost too easy.
âœI must apologize that I keep tasking you with more assignments, but Iâll need you to scout ahead of us, Nictis.â
âœPlease, donât worry. I exist to serve you.â
âœHermm...Thank you.â You turn your head to Jest who is slightly looking lonely but hundreds of times more frightening as his red beady eyes bore into you.
While Jest may have better stealth stats than Nictis, especially since their main job class is Assassin, the wendigo is better suited for this assignment than the vampire.
Ultimately, wisdom exceeds skill in this scenario, and one of the few things that Reborn hold over that of the Disciples and the Anointed are their experience on the field.
Nictis has shown time and time again since youâve all arrived onto this alien world that he is highly knowledgeable about your current environment. If any of you are going to notice something, itâll be him.
Jest, on the other hand, has nothing in that department. He doesnât even have battle experience since no player had ever gotten past the second floor of the Citadel.
The only thing he does have experience in however is remaining guard. With his assassin skills, you fully intend on putting them to full use.
âœI will remain here with Jest while you secure the area within.â Jest automatically looks maniacal since his animalistic clown face doesnât compute emotions well. The sudden joy at your decision makes him appear like a deranged serial killer in your eyes. You swallow before continuing. âœTake note of everything out of place, no matter how little. Return to us in fifteen minutes and inform us of what you may or may not have found. Weâll venture together after that if deemed safe. Retreat if you think youâre in danger. Are my words clear?â
âœYes, my creator.â
He bows his head in a nod before you wave your dominant hand for him to go forth. âœBe safe.â
âœYes. I will return shortly with gems that you seek.â
Heâs clinging onto your illustration if his words mean anything. Nictis plunges forth but stops suddenly where the ice pitters out in the tunnel, staring intensely at the lining of it. When he runs a couple of claws over the rippled edges of it you almost ask him whatâs up but he sets out quickly on his search once again, trotting out of sight in the curves of the cavern.
Humming in curiosity and anticipation, you turn away and float up the side of Jest. âœWill you be keeping guard over us?â
âœMost definitely! You can count on me.â He bares his needle-like teeth at you in which you slowly puzzle together that it is a smile.
You airily laugh as you cross your arms, âœA-ah erm...I appreciate itââ Letting that be, Jest and you remain silent as you both get lost in your thoughts for different reasons. Him in wonder and you in confusion.
Theories of possibilities and plans for the next step after this all flutter through your mind, but truly youâre at a loss for words or definitive thoughts. You find that after ten minutes, youâre just thinking random nonsense and decide to just focus on the vision Undeath Slave Sight gives you.
But nothing pops out to you at all through the wendigoâs eyes. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks are all. You do notice him freezing up in some areas of the caverns but he usually only does so for a handful of seconds before running off again. His movements slightly remind you of how roaches would skitter in the city you call home. Theyâd periodically halt to smell their surroundings before continuing off where theyâd be investigating. Relating that to Nictis, you do see the similarity.
A few minutes later, you have to slightly calm down Jest when he gets jumpy at Nictisâ return to your group with news.
âœDid you find anything peculiar?
âœYes, my creator.â With the affirmative, drool leaks out down from the edges of his jaws. âœI found a few noticeable indications that there has been life living in the caves.â
âœOh?â
âœMph, at the very entrance to this cave,â you all look over to the hole in the side of the mountain, âœbehind all the rocks was ice. Now given the climate, that wouldnât be an odd occurrence since snow would eventually seep past the cracks in the rocks over time...but the ice would be trailed away if that were the case and not to the quantity that there had been.â He turns to lower his eye lights at you once more. âœI suspect that whoever had blocked off this entrance also used ice magic to seal it up from the inside.â
âœReallyââ Not only intelligent life could exist here but magic too?! Thatâs amazing! Scary but cool! However, you still had to ask, âœWhat is the possibility that it was natural?â
A rumbling growl acts as a hum from the beast in question, âœHighly unlikely...no, Iâd say almost impossible.â
Nodding at the reply you prompt him to continue, âœWhat else did you find?â
âœUnnatural scratches left on the surfaces of the cave. If they were made by a creature Iâd say that it is an extraordinarily large one. The size of them and where they were located indicate such.â
âœIce and something big, herm?â Jest peeps to which Nictis and you turn your attention to. âœIf these two things are connected, wouldnât that mean the culprit for the blockage is something like an ice giant? Maybe even an ice elemental or Dragonoid?â
âœI do think these two things are correlated.â Nictis hums again, âœMy creator, what do you think of this?â
âœMmm...well...those are very good plausible guesses...we are in an ice biome and creatures like that are common...but we canât be certain. We are in a new world with new oddities. It could be an unknown creature...or creatures...Nictis.â
âœYes?â
âœCould this have possibly been caused by one creature or many?â
âœThatâs...hard to say. Sorry, my creator, for my lack of knowledge. All I know is that whatever made these things did so long ago because I couldnât smell any odors that could have been produced by it.â
âœThat is fine.â You wave off his regret quickly since you know he knows way more than you, âœWas there anything else?â
âœThere is. This isnât relating to a possible creature but how the cave system works further within. I didnât explore it too long since I couldnât leave our creator waiting but Iâve discovered a maze system. Some cracks litter the ground there that are releasing gases that smell like smokey rotten eggs.â Nitics shakes his skull as if he could still smell it. âœI donât know what could be making those smells but I could only guess it isnât good.â
âœWait, rotten eggs?â
Jestâs eyes dart over to you as you echo Nictisâ words, âœMy creator, does that sound familiar?â
âœU-uhm, I believe so.â At the wendigoâs description of the smell of the gas, a memory of you watching a nature documentary popped up. âœHydrogen sulfide produces that odor. Itâs a gas that is produced from hot springs, decaying organic material, sewers, swamps, and even hum-er...a certain amount of creatures produce small amounts of it. But itâs most well known for existing in geothermal conditions, mainly in volcanic gases. That may be the source.â
âœAwsome!â âœYouâre so wise, my creator!â
âœEr-umu...donât mention it.â Scratching your neck bashfully, you silently thank the people who filmed those documentaries for you to watch. âœI may be wrong though but that is what it sounds like...and the cave leads into the mountain...so itâd make sense that those gases would exist if this were a dormant volcanoââ
â.
Youâre suddenly not liking the idea of setting up a base in an area that could blow up, shivering at the memory of Yellowstone. That was before your time but the recordings of the eruption and the fact that it still affected the world to this day reminds you of the power of sleeping giants.
âœMy creator.â
âœHm?â
âœIs this hydrogen sulfide dangerous?
âœUh...yes. I donât think itâs a flammable gas...yeah, it shouldnât be flammable...but it is poisonous if breathed in large quantities and if there are large amounts of it. But if you can smell it, that usually means that there isnât a lot of itââ Wait, that is if youâre relating this to the smell threshold of humans. None of you are humansâ âœbut we have stronger noses so we cannot let our guard down.â
Nictisâs eye lights constrict, âœIs it harmful to undead? I know that we have immunities to gases which donât inflict acid or fire damage but is this hydrogen sulfide stronger than that?â
âœ...I think it wonât be a problem for undead.â Especially since the two of them survived just fine in the vacuum of space. âœNeither of you needs to breathe and neither do I. Plus, we all have immunities to poison,â or at least you still hope your avatar does, âœand buffs that are still active. This wonât pose a threat to us...but weâll need to be wary of who goes near it in the future...thereâs another thing to mention. Hydrogen sulfide isnât the only gas that is in volcanic fumes. Magma produces many different types, some more harmful than others that remain odorless...so the air down in that maze could potentially be highly toxic...not to us but we should remember this.â
âœYes, my creator.â
The NPCs bow their heads to you to which you turn green and pink in response, âœIs that all to your report, Nictis?â
âœThere is one other thing. The scratches that lead down the tunnel also go down the maze. I would have gone further to investigate but I would not have come back in time.â
âœHmm...then, would you say the caves are generally safe?â
âœBesides the gases, the only other issue we could have would be loose rocks. That is all from what I gathered.â
âœIf that is the case, Iâd like you to lead us down the tunnels so we can follow the scratches our friend left behind. Jest will remain guard still and watch the rear. Hopefully, we can find the fellow who blocked the entrance...or whatâs become of them.â
âœAs you wish.â They both bow again before getting into a familiar formation, sandwiching you in the middle. âœPlease stay close to us.â
âœOf course.â That is your only response before Nictis starts leading your group into the depths of the tunnels.
Once you enter do you truly realize how wide it is. Nictis must have not cleared all the rubble out of the entryway because once inside you estimate that the sheer size of it is well near two stories high. Guess you completely underestimated the size of the layout from what you saw through Nictisâ eyes. Jest even seems to be in somewhat awe at the interior from the way his head swivels to take in the surroundings.
Practically anything could fit into a cave of this size, you assume, but only three minutes since the three of you entered does Nictis finally point out a scratch mark.
Your eyes would have bulged out of your head if you still had any at the sight of it.
Near the roof of the cave, there lies a gash in the stone. Itâs deep, long, and the sheer width of it is about the same as your arm.
Swallowing down a strange lump in your throat, you prompt to continue forth with your mind only screaming, âœWhat the hell could have done this?!â until the sour smell of egg hits you.
âœAck!â Covering your face to try to stop the smell from being registered, you gag.
âœMy creator?!â
âœIâm fine, Iâm fine,â You wave with one hand while you fruitlessly still try to prevent yourself from smelling the putrid air with the other. God damn! You knew it was going to be bad since you know what rotten egg smells like but-Urk! This is just awful! Curse SÅsaku-shaâs heightened sense of smell! âœI just smell the gasses already.â
âœ...Before we did?â Nictis looks shocked but recovers quickly. âœOf course youâd have a stronger sense of smell than the rest of us.â
âœThatâs our creator.â Jest nods in agreement with the wendigo but you shake your head.
âœHeh...Thanks you two...but Iâm not seeing how this is a blessing currently.â
âœAh! I apologize.â Nictis grimaces, âœIâll try to lead us quickly to spare you the smell.â
âœI appreciate that but donât let speed distract you from any hidden traps or clues. Weâd be foolish to ignore things like that for my sake. Besides, you two are going to be selling the same thing I am very soon. Weâll just have to tolerate it together.â
âœRight.â âœOf course.â
The three of you continue to make your way further into the tunnels where the space seems to tighten some before returning to its original size. In the space where the rock does constrict some, you can see deep gashes in the rock, as if something was trying to squeeze through.
This happens more often as your group enters the maze that Nictis mentioned. Cracks do line the floor beneath your floating form which releases the gas that is summoning your gag reflex. If you werenât sensitive to smells before you certainly are now. It feels like itâs in your head now, controlling your every thought and emotion. You canât focus on anything else except how bad the air smells.
Swallowing again to keep your composure, you shutter out a reminder, âœJest, Nictis. If at any time you feel affected negatively by the fumes just let me know. Iâll cure you if any of you get poisoned.â
They both agreed with you but remained quiet as your group continued through the tunnels.
You thought it couldnât get any worse but then the smell of rotting fish got added onto the eggs. The torture only grew from there as the sour odors grew further you all headed into the tunnels. At the very moment you feel youâre about to faint you wish by whatever being brought you here to spare you the plight of smell.
In a response that catches you off guard, your sense of smell disappears.
Flabbergasted, you ended up freezing up mid-air and caused the two undead to question your actions once more. You were able to convince them that it was nothing so you donât waste the limited time you had set out for yourself and continue. However, when Nictis leads you three around the next corner, none of you expected to run into a half-rotted corpse of what looked to be a giant mole.
âœWhat the-â
âœStand back my creator!â The wendigo stretches out his arm in front of you as he quickly looks over to Jest. âœI wouldnât want you anywhere near something so dirty. Jest, protect them while I take a look.â
Jest is in front of you faster than you could register because of how focused you are on the body. You try to compare what you can see from what Nictis is investigating.
It has mats of black fur and sharp long talons on all of its appendages. A rat popped into your mind but itâs not a rat either. Is it a hairy version of a dredge? Theyâre mole-folk from Yggdrasil...no...its body shape is different...and it doesnât have teeth like them. The oneâs on this creature look like ones from a shark. You can see them clearly from the way its mouth is spread wide open and skin around its maw peeled back due to decay. Its eyes are open but it seems that theyâve sunken into the skull and have turned to paste, leaving hallowed out gaps in its wake. The bloated body isnât faring much better, the hair falling off along with the skin while its insides seemed to have leaked out from everywhere, surrounding them in a brown, coppery, half-dried puddle.
A morbid thought crosses your mind at the last second when you ponder over how this creatureâs body could be decaying in an area that is lacking oxygen-
âœMy creator.â
âœH-huh? Oh, yes?â You shift your attention to the heavily drooling Nictisâ
How could you have possibly gotten that hungry looking at such a decayed corpse?!
âœI canât identify what this creature is but it is certainly a demi-human. It seems to have had some manner of intelligence too since itâs wearing scraps of cloth around its waist. Away from that, this body is over three weeks old given how it has burst in a few areas.â He points a claw to the rips in the skin underneath the mats of fur. âœAnd as far as the cause of death, since I donât see anything indicating that they had been attacked, itâs fair to assume the gases had something to do with it. Especially since they look like theyâd been gasping for air.â He moves his claw to the mouth of the unknown beast. âœOur creator was right in the fact that the gas is poisonous.â
âœOur creator is always right!â Jest cheers to which you shake your hand out in front of you with your head.
âœErr-uh, I beg to differ but...it does seem Iâm correct this time.â This must mean that youâre still immune to poisoning...or at least the fog kind. âœAlso, Nictis...even though I know better than to ask this since I already know the answer, do you think this is the fellow that made all of those scratches on the walls?â
âœNot at all.â He shakes his skull, âœIt would have left a scent behind for me to pick up on and the claws it has doesnât match the markings.â
âœI thought soâthis just means our investigation isnât overââ A hum fills nice in your chest as you stare intensely at the corpse, mulling over what it is.
Yeah, this giant weasel thing looks nothing like anything from Yggdrasil. No wonder Nictis couldnât think of anything either. This is a new world so, of course, thereâs going to be things that arenât from your game...but does this mean that there are no creatures or races from your game here? You assumed that, since your realm was transported here, there would be similar life forms from Yggdrasil here...maybe that was wishful thinking...or maybe you just havenât found them yet. Thereâs got to be a connection to you and this world somehow. Youâll find that out sooner or later.
Nevertheless, this subhuman is proof that life exists here in this world.
Now youâre on the hunt for one more thing.
âœNictis, you said that this body is three weeks old. Even if youâre wrong, the fact that thereâs still a rotting body means that there is life in these caves. I want to find them.â
âœYes, my creator.â The NPCâs reply together while you float closer to the body.
Looking down at its crumbled form you hum, âœNow...what to do with this fellowââ Although you feel unnaturally detached from the gory sight, you still understand that this used to be alive as you are. Back on Earth, seeing a dead body wasnât uncommon but it still unnerved you. Thousands would pass by those who got taken by the darkness of the dying world as if they were just another piece of garbage littering the street.
Skin darkening some in value, your mood becomes solemn.
Youâd always stop to give your respects when you could. You never knew any of those people but...it just felt disrespectful to pass them in such a stateâ
Maybe...or at least you hoped...that your actions would bring them some sort of peace...that theyâre not forgotten.
Looking down at the body in front of you now, the same weight settles in your chest and throat that always did but you still feel detached. Whether thatâs because of this creature being inhuman or something more exceeds you. Nevertheless, youâre motivated not to treat them any differently.
âœMy creator?â Jest barely whispers, the two undead watching as you bring your hands out in front of yourself and clasp them together right under your bowed head as you start to mumble under your breath.
Nictis and Jest wait silently as you give your prayer to the deceased creature but seeing your empathy to something far below you has them swelling with heat in their chests and an ever-blooming loyalty to their merciful and loving ruler in their minds.
They bow their heads similar to how you are, listening intently to every silent word that comes out as you pay your respect.
â—
âœAre you all sure none of you have other duties you need to be off fulfilling?â
The centaur stomps his foot as he finishes his question, glaring suspiciously at his compatriots.
âœOf course! I wouldnât dream of goinâ against de words of our creader!â A hiss from underneath a white and gold cloak is the first and immediate reply to the slightly accusatory prompt but isnât the last.
âœI concur with Bizerkâs statement.â Alvaraâs soft voice commands attention amongst the five in attendance, âœAnyone here who doesnât agree is a traitor to our loving master. I hope that isnât the case?â
âœYes. . There. Should. Not. Be. Any. One. Here. Who. Has. Not. Made. Arrangements.â
âœHm. Good.â Alvara nods once, her green eyes trailing and eyeing up everyone who is in attendance.
In the middle of the sky arena awaiting their creatorâs return is all of the Anointed.
First is the overseer of the Heroâs Hypogeum, Dastgir. He is a giant of a hybrid centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance with his toned arms crossed. Long goat ears flick frustratedly causing his many earrings to clink together, huffing to continue watching the Seiun.
Second is the overseer of the Commune Workshops, Bizerk. No one knows what kind of creature the Anointed is, even he is in debate. However, Bizerk claims that he has heard their creator describing his form as rubber hose and cartoon-like on a few occasions. Although Alvara doesnât understand what that means, she respects her creator and their creations so Bizerkâs form only fills her with wonder for their masterâs creativity. However, none of his form is visible underneath his robe, only his single white eye peeks out of the shade of the fabric..
Third is the overseer of the Living Quarters, Kendria. She is currently cowering behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from sight. She is a young but very shy angel, hardly ever coming out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total at the moment. Despite her hiding, Alvara can clearly see her big blue eyes out from behind her pristine wings glittering tearfully as she watches the storm clouds along with the giant she clutches to.
Fourth is herself as the overseer of the Great Hall. She shifts uneasily on her feet, the pit in her stomach curling uncomfortably as she looks to the last member of the Anointed.
Fifth is the overseer of the Treasury, Majesty. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space, the only solace in this downright stressful situation.
The fact that their grand creator had left to go out into the unknown.
Alvara winces again in memory that they werenât able to convince them to stay behind and let their servants act on their behalf. If she had, their loving creator wouldnât be in harm's way at the moment.
Just the thought of them getting hurt makes Alvara want to pull her hair out and spill her blood in grief!
If their creator gets harmed in any way sheâll never forgive herself! Thatâs why she prays that they return safely and shortly before the time they set for themselves allots out.
However, the gnawing in Alvaraâs gut spurs her to anxiously repeat the same question she has been to the Automaton, âœHow long has it been since we got word of our creatorâs command?â
âœApproximately. Fifty. Three. Minutes. And. Twenty. Nine. Seconds.â
âœAlmost a whole hour nowââ The human whimpers as she turns her gaze up to the sky, conflict splayed out on her features.
What could hold up their creator for so long?
âœWell, dis sucks.â Bizerk huffs dejectedly. âœI was hopinâ dat Iâd be able to gaze upon deir glorious form soonerââ
âœBah!â Dastgir bears his fangs in a grimace to the remark âœOf course thatâs what would be on your mind, gremlin.â
âœAw! Donât tell me dat you donât enjoy beinâ in de presence of such an awe inspirinâ being. Who wouldnât shiver just at de mere concept of such a privilege? Donât be a hypocrite, Dastgir.â
âœIâm sure we both have two entirely different reasons for wanting to be blessed in such a way.â
âœBut ya still want what I want. Fuhuhu~â Bizerk shakes his head as his thin black arms slip out from underneath his cloak, splitting it wide open from the neck down. His body mimics that of the grinch and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. White circles droop down his admin similar to buttons but they appear more like targets. âœYou and I are alike whetha ya like it or not.â
âœGrrr, unfortunately.â His ears flick again frustratedly at the comparison to which Bizerk only chortles in reply.
âœNever de less, our creader is amazinâ for a reason. Although dis is an entirely unprecedented situation, dey are actinâ for de best of de realm.â
âœWhat. Do. You. Mean. Question. Mark.â Majestyâs floating headpiece turns mid-air to the Anointed. Bizerkâs claim also calls attention from all the other Anointed in attendance.
âœAve none of you puzzled it together?â His eye glistens as it turns within the shade of his hood, âœWell, Iâll remind you all of what we already know. One of de many reasons our creader went with de reconnaissance team was because of deir knowledge on de worlds deyâve creaded. Even de Reborn arenât guaranteed ta recognize de outside. No matta ow ya look at it, dey are best fit ta recognize whatâs right and wrong...despite ow aggravatinâ dat is.â A hard sigh clips its way out from behind the dark beingâs lips. âœDeyâre powerful and knowledgeable beyond our comprehension...but dey wouldnât needlessly put demselves in arms way. Dey ave more motive dan just beinâ better suited. If dat were de case, I hardly believe dey would have left de way dey didââ His eye rolls over to take note of Alvaraâs complex expression with a calculated gaze. âœI find it hard to believe dat such a pinnacle mind would act only on any one reason! Datâs why Iâve come up wit a few theories of my own.â
âœW-wuââ A soft shaky peep makes itself known from beneath the legs of the centaur. Kendria shrinks down some but wills herself to finish her inquiry. âœW-what have...you c-come up with?â
âœIâm glad youâve asked!â Fangs appear out from around Bizerkâs eye but the source is still encased in shadow, leaving the pearly whites to float around in the darkness of the hood. âœLet me answer by askinâ a rhetorical question! What caters more respect, a leader who commands or a leader who acts?â He spins before pointing one red claw up towards the sky, âœBut of course! Actions speak louder dan words ever could! Our creader is displayinâ deir grand leadership in dis matter of ability. Doinâ so, dey are commandinâ our respect. In uder words, dey are puttinâ up face or...playinâ der part in difficult circumstances ta keep da peace.â
âœThey donât have to act anything!â Alvara squints her eyes with a pinch of her brows. âœTheyâre the creator. They donât have to work for our respect since they already deserve that and more for everything that theyâve already done for us.â
âœAlthough I agree wit you, de way de Reborn explained ow our creader had been actinâ in addition to your own recollection as me believe dey feel obligated ta not just be de creader but ta also act accordinâ to deir tidle. Wit dat said, I feel da need to retell what Iâve once ovaâeard dem quote ta give you all a better understandinâ of der thoughts. Dat quote was, 'past givinâs donât excuse current negligence.â Dis may be a reason why deyâre peforminâ as dey are...because dey may feel dat doinâ good once doesn't merit our infinite praise. Not only are dey statinâ dat but also settinâ an example for us. Deyâre indirectly sayinâ dat we must constantly do our part as deir servants as dey do as de creader so we can continue ta show our usefulness.â
Static erupts from the processing unit in Majesty before their speaker kicks back up. âœThat. Actually. Makes. Some. Sense.â
âœHuh? Seriously Majesty?â Alvara darts her head in between the two anointed.
âœI hate to agree with Bizerk,â Alvara snaps her neck to Dastgirâs grumble, âœbut I am. If our creator insists on lowering themselves for our sakes it only makes sense that theyâd also do so to raise us to their expectations.â
âœBut they donât need to! Our creator needs simply to command it of us and itâll be done!â
âœHmm...Alvara...you were able ta spend some time wit our creader before dey departed. Did it strike you in any way dat dey just want you ta follow orders?â
âœYes, of course...â She trails off when she recalls her creatorâs mannerisms with a bite of her lip.
The all the more wise Anointed catches onto the womanâs hesitation and urges her with a palm, âœWell?â
âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvara clenches her fists with a pout, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvaraâs pout only grows at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she feels so helpless. She wasnât able to assist them at all...and the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all of the Anointed stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes start to glitter as they fill up with tears. âœAnd not just that, our creator was and still seems filled with so much anxiety...I just wish that there was some way for me to help themââ
âœ...We are helping.â Dastgirâs voice is low as he answers, âœWeâre doing what has been commanded of us and are ready to welcome back our creator properly at a moment's notice, as they should be when they return.â He stomps his back hoof, the one the angel isnât clinging to, before continuing. âœIf they donât weâll be the first to act in the way weâve been advised. Iâve already delegated my soldiers to start forming an extraction squad for us to use if the time comes. However, let us hope that such a situation doesnât arise.â
âœMmmm,â Alvara whines at the warriorâs gloomy words which prompts her to turn to Majesty once again, âœhow long has it been?â
âœApproximately. Fifty. Eight. Minutes. And. Fifty. Four. Seconds.â
The Anointed fall silent, the only noise being the hum of the robotâs engine, as they wait in the sky arena, clinging onto their shared wish.
That you shall return safely soonâ
Back to the caves.
Chapter End Notes
Yes, there isn't a multiple choice at the end of this chapter. It's intentional because the next chapter I have planned for this route is going to be quite chaotic if you remember where the tunnels lead to. I didn't want there to be a 70 page chapter when I can split it up into sections. Thank you for reading and being patient with me!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here! That last semester was a doozy, especially because of what all happened in November, so I couldn't meet my scheduled update. However! I am here now and have four new chapters out just in time for 2021! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Chapter 5: TAKE IT FROM HERE
âœY-yes, of course.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre curious, youâre also confused and afraid.
While there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes, it would look bad on your part if you went back on one of the first things you said youâd do. Especially if itâs avoidable and not urgent.
How would the NPCs view a ruler who doesnât do as they say? Youâd rather not risk it.
Not to mention what could be within the caves. Your past gamer instincts scream at you not to just go barreling through a cave system. More often than not and even in Yggdrasil, they were hot spots for traps, enemy encounters, and mazes.
Your mind supplies you that any gamer shouldnât be focused too much on what gems or chests could be lying in wait to be looted but rather whatâll be in your way to get to such treasures.
Thereâs a good reason why most only remember the first part of the quote, âcuriosity killed the catâ.
Youâd rather take this slow and safe than fast and reckless.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœWeâll be there shortly. Meet us in the exact place we departed from one another.â
âœThank you, my creator. Weâll be ready to retrieve you.â
âœMm.â Your message is cut off as you drop your hand, staring out at the sky for a moment or so, before turning back to the two. âœJest, Nictis, as you may have heard, we are heading back. Although I want to continue, we should have a more qualified and larger group for this. However, we did secure this area and gained some insight. Iâll count that as a success.â
âœYes, of course, my creator.â Jest bows his head respectfully alongside Nictis but the Disciple almost looks forlorn in your sight.
Knowing thatâs possibly because he was having fun, a pinching sensation takes hold of your chest.
Iâm sorry! I promise youâll get more opportunities to go out and explore in the future!
âœWell then, we must hurry. My buffs wonât last much longer and we shouldnât keep the others waiting...butââ Hopefully it works, you think.
Despite Gate being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up...though you still donât know if that is still a thing. Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but right now theyâre not important.
Since you and your allies explored the area around the Seiun you donât think there will be an issue. Besides, if you canât summon it for some reason you can use flying spells to get back.
Wait...space...
Your hand falters when you look over to the two undead, âœU-uh, Iâm going to attempt to make a Gate. Since itâll be opening up into outer space Iâm worried that itâllââ Whatâs another word or phrase for vacuum? âœ...the air around us could be viciously sucked into the portal. Just...be prepared for that outcome so none of you will get hurt by flying debris.â
âœWonât our creator also be at risk?â
âœOh, well...yes. Most likely.â
âœThen allow me to protect you!â Jest jumps forward almost causing you to float back in response.
âœEr-ah-mm, thank you.â You nod, allowing Jest to take a wide stance in front of you to face the direction your arm is pointed in.
A skewed expression would be apparent if you had a face still.
How the hell is he expecting to protect me by doing that? Heâd just get sucked in faster than me! You might even end up being the one protecting him.
Nictis, on the other hand, positions himself behind you where Jest should have been and opens his huge gray hands out to your sides, ready to catch you at a moment's notice.
Knowing Nictis has the sense of the group, a sigh leaves as you steady your arm, âœIt may not be the case but if this does start sucking air in try to go through it moderately quick. Weâll be in danger the longer itâs open.â
âœRight!â
Repeating what you had when you cast Chaos Bolt you do the same as you call out "Gate!â in a strong distorted voice.
A great deal of energy suddenly feels sapped out of you when a flash of purple bursts out in the space ahead. The light dims some as is replaced by a darker force, spreading its edges until it is wide enough for all of you to slip through but what remains at the center of the portal is the strange violet light. It seems to be pulsating and drawing magic to its center.
Success! And it didnât even become a vacuum like you thought it would.
âœGood. Letâs hurry through.â Your actions are slightly less energetic than you had been but you hardly notice it as you float in row behind Jest. Heâs first through and just as you float forward an alarming question enters your mind of whether or not the portal leads to the location you desire.
However, youâve already breached the purple veil and exit out into an all familiar sight of undead. The three reborn bow their heads upon seeing you, their backs to the fog like storm of the Seiun. The new world is behind you along with the Gate that Nictis is last to make it through.
Having served its purpose, the portal collapses in on itself with a swirl before sparking out in a flash of purple.
âœItâs good to see you safe and sound, my creator.â The message from Malum was expected so it didnât startle you.
âœThank you, Iâm glad that none of us ran into any difficulty.â Taking one last glance at the strange alien world you motion with an arm for the NPCs to follow. âœLetâs retreat. There are those waiting for our return.â
There are no objections, all in the reconnaissance following you with varied smiles laced on their faces as they joyfully escort their creator back to the safety of their realm.
But the Seuin, as chaotic as it is, remains dreary in palette due to your mood.
While nothing went wrong, this whole situation is.
Itâs a completely new world...not to mention that you feel like you were on the brink of uncovering some hidden knowledge of the planetâ
It probably isnât something pertaining to your current predicament. Youâre certain it isnât...but thereâs the hope lying within that wants it to be.
*Sigh, oh well...maybe the NPCs who return there will find something...you just wish that things will start making sense soon.
The colorful storm and the nightmare spawn it holds fades out into the open field that your palace floats serenely in the middle of, untouched by the bizarre environment it's suspended in.
It only takes a few seconds before the six of you are passing the buttresses and outcroppings and slowly descending to the surface of the all too familiar sky arena.
You get a strange sense of a puzzle piece getting put back into place the closer you get to the reflective tile of the stage. It almost feels like...if you could compare it to anything...a sigh of relief.
Warmer colors blossom forth on your skin while your extended vision allows you to take note of who was all gathered in attendance bellow.
Thereâs all the Unmei no gundan that were assigned to your guard, Ynnam, Erx, Lamassu, Akkar, and Aragog with the addition of Lexx. However, the new faces to the ones gathered draw your attention the most as you immediately recognize the five gathered.
They are the Anointed, some of the most powerful NPCs of all Yggdrasil, and upon seeing your approach all have different reactions.
Dastgir is a giant of a Centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance facing you and his long goat ears stick up high, causing his many earrings to clink together.
Bizerk is not so reserved as he seems to be fangirling and fanning himself. Although heâs currently wearing his white and gold robe, thatâd cover his whole body if he stayed still, it is wide open from the neck down. The rubber hose and cartoon-like entity is odd in shape, almost mimicking that of the grinch, and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. His single white eye glitters comical sparkles behind his hood and you can see his pupil expand at the sight of you.
Kendria cowers behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from your sight. She is a young but very shy angel. She hardly ever comes out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total, at the moment. Despite her hiding, you can clearly see her big blue eyes peeking out from behind her pristine wings glittering in the same manner as Bizerkâs who is now dramatically fainting.
Majesty is the least expressive of the group, only opting to tilt their huge dead piece in your direction. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space from their core engine.
Alvara is also amongst the group, her green eyes boring into your lowering form with a strange look.
Oh fuck! Iâm not ready to have the conversation about what transpired in the throne room with her! Kyahh! What if she already told others?!
You turn your head away as if itâd help you ignore the constant stare coming from her direction, not knowing that the action sends a sharp pang through the womanâs chest.
âœI see youâve gathered here as all requested. This is very good.â You comment idly while landing, thinking of what next to say to all of them. You honestly should have planned on that.
âœWeâll always do as you request of us, my creator.â Dastgirâs voice is deeper and richer than youâd imagine it to be. You thought itâd be raspier because of his dragon-like skull. He bows his humanoid torso slightly and pounds his chest with his right as he does so. âœBizerk!â
âœAIIIEEE!â The dark gremlin screeches out as Dastgir kicks him with one of his many legs, causing them to roll twice and fumble in their cloak as it wraps around them.
âœStop fooling around. You are in the presence of our creator. Show some respect.â
âœGah! I know! Ya donât ave ta kick me like dat!â When Bizerk finally stands back up his hood has fallen off revealing his face which consists of giant red lips that form into two of the three horns on his head. He sticks out his tongue, which also functions as his eye, at Dastgir through his many sharp fangs before he looks your way. His entire head moves up into a smile. âœMy beautiful, radiant, strong, awe inspirinâ,â He scoots closer ever closer to you with reaching arms as he continues to list adjectives to describe you with until heâs almost touching you, âœlovinâ creader,-â He claps his hands together, âœ-for what reason ave ya seen fit ta gather us all ere?â
âœMmmâ*ahem, I must apologize for keeping you all waiting and pulling you from your duties,â Before any of them could wave off your apology you continue, âœbut I have good reason for doing so. May all of you stand before me before I continue? I donât want any of you to feel left out because I wonât turn to look at you as I speak.â
Everyone hurries to do as you asked, all forming a line like preschoolers attentive to a teacher. They all stand far enough back so that you could properly see them, even if your new vision wouldnât expand, and straight in attention except for Kendria who is still cowering away from you.
Dark blue spots spread across a small portion of your chest, right under your collarbone, as a chill settles down there. The feeling almost wants you to pout because the small angel reminds you how skittish animals would shy away from you when youâd want to pet them.
You stomp the feeling down because now wasnât the time to get lost in your thoughts.
âœAs you all know I have commanded that all floors go to maximum security. I have stated this because Iâve taken notice of anomalies in this world of mine. I am still in the process of finding them all and identifying the source of the issue. So until then...Iâll very much appreciate all your cooperation in my endeavor to understand...this.â You wave absently in no general direction to give emphasis on âœthisâ. Your dubious nature is quick to fade and is replaced with a more serious tone. âœHowever, upon going beyond my realm weâve discovered something quite...unnerving. My realm has been transported to a completely unknown location without my jurisdiction.â
âœWhat?!â
âœHow could this be?!â
âœMy. Creator. Are. You. Suggesting. Someone. Used. The. Space. Warp. Question. Mark.â
Their choppy, rich voice remains bland in pitch, not clearly expressing their joy to your arrival, as they raise their head. But what caught you off guard the most was when they added the word "question mark" at the end of their statement. It clicks no sooner than the thought came into your mind that it was a question they had asked. You like their voice. It completely embodies their character not only in personality but on their robotic side-never mind that!
You almost wave off Majestyâs assumption when the thought of your realmâs teleporter pops into mind.
The Space Warp allows you to move your realm around freely through the worlds of Yggdrasil to set off random events and carry out missions of your own. You hardly ever use it, opting to keep your realm near the two god realms. However...the suggestion does play along to the fact that it has been transported to a new strange world. What else would make sense?
â.
No, even if you want answers you shouldnât just settle on the first ideas that come to mind.
Besides, the Space Warp theory has no explanation for the lifelike world youâre now in.
Not to mention that if one of the NPCs did mess with the Space Warp, you hadnât programmed any of them to know how to use the machine. In addition, besides it being a one pilot cockpit, to even use the device costs a huge chunk of mana, approximately the price of 150MP or half of your avatarâs magic power. There are no other beings in the Citadel who have that much MP beside you. Although there could be a situation where NPCs infuse their mana into whoever takes the controls, you highly doubt that there would be a benefit from such an action to bring your realm to an unknown location.
Or how to even get to this new world is possible. The probability of the planet being a realistic version of Midgard is low in your mind.
âœNo. I donât think that is the case.â You shake your head. âœWhat has occurred is beyond my current comprehension. Outside the Seiun isnât that of any of my creations but something entirely alien to me. A new world, I suspect.â
Thereâs a beat of silence for a good few seconds before a light, heavenly voice whimpers, âœAhââ
Your vision shifts to the bundle of pure wings behind Dastgirâs pillar of a back leg and you feel warmth blossom forth at her wide, glittery, cat eyes.
Piteque, sugary, clawed fingers pull gently at a pair of wings to better hide her face as she continues under your gaze, âœH-how could...things exist wu-without our creator ha-having a hand in its creation?! T-thatâs s-scary!â
Urk! So cute! You want to squish her!
Swallowing down the feeling, you nod your head at the Anointedâs words, âœMmph, yes I agree. I too find it off puttingââ Your voice dwindles off when you notice dread spread across the NPCs in attendance.
You shouldnât have voiced your fears out loud! That probably dropped their morales.
Think! Be optimistic!
âœ...b-but despite this, we were able to secure the area around my realmââ You tilt your head to the three undead who stand side by side with the other Reborn. âœ...and we were able to clear an area down on the planet. It is within a mountainous region and although we didnât cover the entirety of one of them, we got started on the peak. Nictis-â The wendigo straightens his form at his name suddenly being called, âœ-Please recall all that youâve gathered.â
âœYes, my creator.â You stand and wait patiently as Nictis retells all that has happened. He starts with the conditions of outer space, then shifts to the trip down to the surface, the layout of the icy terrain, what was and wasnât there, and he finishes up with the wall of rocks you three found.
âœHmmââ Bizerk taps a clawed, red finger on his chin, âœdis cavern seems like an interestinâ place ta search.â
âœWhich is why I want to plan out the next reconnaissance squadron as soon as possible.â Adding in your agreement with a cross of your arms, you turn your head over to the head of the Unmei no gundan, âœDastgir. Iâd like your help on organizing the next scouts and a few other plights regarding security. Is that fine with you?â
âœAwah! My creator!â He pounds his chest with a fist, his muscles swelling with pride, âœYou needn't ask for my opinion! Itâs always a privilege to do as you command!â
âœAhmm...glad to hear. I will talk more about the details of setting it up after this meeting. Bizerk.â
âœYes, my succulent creader~â
âœS-sucââ You shake your head, trying your best to ignore the adjective that left the Anointedâs lips. âœI also would like you to come along and help us. I believe your planning skills would come quite handy.â
âœOOHHH! Why of course! I would never be more appy dan ta do so!â You almost laugh at the small victory dance he displays.
âœGood, now as for the rest of you.â Scanning the crowd you once again make eye contact with Alvara. Pink is quick to appear on your skin from embarrassment. You quickly look away at the memory resurfacing from what had transpired. The human is again struck with a sharp pang by your avoidance. âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted.
âœIn continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut yourself off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us. Is this clear?â
âœYes!â All in attendance confirm full-heartedly which you nod to.
âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â
âœYes, my creator. I have one.â
âœMm?â The one who called out is the Reborn, Lamassu. Achnologing the Aasimar you wave a hand at them. âœYes, go ahead.â
âœMy creator, our group of five were designed by the Anointed Alvara and Dastgir to be your guard. Although we werenât able to serve our purpose in being an escort, I request that we remain guard over you for the time being.â
âœOh? Hmmââ It appears that all five of the Unmei no gundan are thinking the same thing as the angel. They must have discussed this while youâre away. Although you already plan on accepting their offer, you tilt your head, âœMay I ask why?â
âœBy all means. Since we are under a maximum security threat, we and the Anointed have agreed that we wish there to be a guard squadron delegated to you at all times. You are our grandmaster. We cannot allow anything to occur to you, even in death.â
âœ...Is this true?â
Bizerk is the first to speak up, âœYes. Under these circumstances, we would like you to have an extra layer of protection. Now that weâve learned that your wondrous realm has been relocated to an unknown location, I am only more certain that this is necessary. Iâm sure all your servants agree with our sentiment?â
âœI. Am. In. Agreement.â
âœAs am Iââ
âœY-yes! I...I want our creator to be s-safe!â
âœWe were created to act out on your behalf. To do so brings us the greatest joy.â
At all of the Anointedâs confirmations you feel that the issue is settled.
âœIf I may add, my creator,â Lamassu continues, âœwe feel...obligated to fulfill our mission to protect you since none of us were capable before. We want to restore our honor as members of your elite force. We were created to protect you and we wish to fulfill our purpose as such.â
âœHmm...very well. If it will not affect the security of my realm while youâre in watch of me I see no issue. Are your stations covered during your absence?â
The rumble of Dastgirâs throat leaves similar to that of a growl, finding it right to enlighten you, âœIâve already taken the initiative to fill the gaps they left. It has been settled.â
âœAh, thank you. Then...are there any other questions?â
Silence greets your non-existent ears for some time so you decide to dismiss- âœMy creator?â
âœHm-a-ahââ Alvara is the one to speak up, the only person here who youâd love more than anything for them to remain silent. You know what heâs going to ask about.
How youâre a dummy who gets flustered around others when itâs any way intimate.
You were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
All in attendance watch as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Unbeknownst to them, you were internally screaming.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You shake your head hard, giving into reason. You canât just tell her to be quiet after all that youâve said about listening to questions from before. Especially since those who you told you have a listening ear to are all in front of you now.
Stomping down your pride since you know that there is no avoiding the conversation, you stutter out a response, âœY-yes, Alvara?â
The silence is deafening as everyone waits for the Anointed to speak, however, she struggles to find words. âœMy creatorââ She swallows twice before continuing. âœ...my creator. Back in the throne roomââ
Oh god.
âœ...I...Weââ She bites her lips, finally breaking the constant eye contact she had been holding you in to instead peer at her reflection on the floor. âœ...from before-mmââ
Just say it already! Youâre torturing me here!
âœ...my creator...do I displease you?â
âœ...Eh?â
What is this? Is she not going to bring up your flustered emotions?
No, wait. Maybe she understands how embarrassing this is for you? She did feel your emotions...maybe sheâs taking pity and is wording it in a way so that sheâs protecting your privacy from the other NPCs?
You hope so...but why would she word the question that way?
Whatever the case youâre grateful. âœNot at all...why would you?â
âœWell Iââ She shifts on her sandals and only lifts her gaze high enough to stare at your feet. âœItâs nothing, my creator. Just nonsensical worry is allââ
âœ...Alvara. You donât displease me.â
âœI...thank you.â
Not satisfied by her still present pained expression, you walk over to her, âœAlvara.â
âœYes, my creator?â Her eyes only raise enough to land on your chest, her head level.
You keep forgetting how tall you are in this body, âœLook at me please.â
She only hesitates for a twitch but complies by bending her head backward to look up to your blank face. Her face is sculpted beautifully from the modeling program that was set up in Yggdrasil. Even so, you can see clearly that sheâs struggling with something.
And you know exactly whose fault that is.
âœYouâre precious to me...all of you are, soââ Already regretting what youâre about to do, you place your palm on the crown of her head.
The feeling of cold water being poured on you to the intrusion of anxiety enters your being. You braced for it yet every time whatever this is occurs, it feels entirely alien. You can hardly put thoughts together. Only being able to try and process the sensations. Despite it all, you will yourself to project your determination into her being.
âœ..donât feel that youâre inadequate. I appreciate all that youâre doing for me. Never doubt that. Understood?â
Tears well up in her eyes but none pool out beyond her lashes, only a defined âœUmf!â escapes her rosy lips.
âœG-good.â You cut the connection quickly, becoming too overstimulated with the emotions that blossomed forth from the woman. Your head turns either way to check the small crowd that ranged from Reborn all the way to Anointed. Jest on his lonesome reminds you of the need to make some changes to the discipleâs workforce.
After you settle the whole reconnaissance base thing.
But you want to give him a task before sending him back to the throne room, âœJest.â He doesnât respond verbally but he does lighten up at you calling to him. âœBefore returning to your post, Iâd like you to arrange one of the offices on the fifth floor for my debrief with Dastgir and Bizerk.â
âœWaahh! Iâll do just as youâve asked!â
âœMm, Iâm counting on you. Please have it arranged and ready in thirty minutes. Message any member of my guard which room it will be. Do the same for Dastgir and Bizerk so they know where they need to head. I have to settle some things in my quarters before then, which is why itâll take me a while to arrive. With this extra time,â You point to the only two men a part of the Anointed, âœsettle whatever you need to before then. I suspect that weâll be covering much content that will drain our time.â
âœYes, my creator.â They bow in their own manners. Clearing your throat and awkwardly rubbing the hand that is still rippling colors rapidly from your contact with Alvara, you repeat the question a third time, âœIs there anyone else here whoâd like to ask me anything?â
When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you activate ascend. The five Unmei no gundan follow in march around you as you float off with goals in mind. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
â—
âœ*Sigh* Thank the marvelous creator that theyâve returned safely.â Alvara shoulders fall as if a great weight had been removed. She doesnât know what she would have done if things didnât turn out this way. âœWhen I saw that the guard we designed had failedââ
âœHph, I share your feelings, Alvara.â The centaur is gruff in agreement as he turns his upper torso to better address the Reborn remaining. âœYou each have my gratitude. Although none of you are part of the Unmei no gundan, you performed your roles adequately.â
âœPlease donât flatter us.â Malumâs voice is haunting, only adding to the creep factor with its permanent wailing expression. âœWe only did what we were made to do. Besides, it was only Nicits and Jest who were able to accompany our creator for most of the duration we were outside the Seiun.â
Nictis swallows the collection of spit that pooled in his large jaws at the sudden spotlight, âœNo way. Even though I was at their side longer, nothing had occurred. Iâd hardly call that worthy of thanks. We all did as ordered.â
âœWell at least you four got to assist our creator.â Lexxâs beak clicks as they chirp, the hard bone smacking together aggressively. âœI feel so uselessââ
âœDonât mope.â Ukaraâs dead eyes turn eerily to the Kenku, âœBe grateful that you got to serve our master at all.â
Skinnerâs sighs through his teeth in the form of a hiss, âœUkara, donât be rude. The living have emotions stronger than ours. We canât fathom the trait which our master has blessed them with. However, I wouldnât find it hard for you to feel the same way if you too were turned away by our creator.â
âœHahhhhh.â The draugr breaths out a grumble, itâs joints creaking as they move. âœWhatever. Itâs none of my concern. Iâm leaving.â
The Anointed and the Reborn pay little mind to the undeadâs rough personality as he stumbles away. Theyâre just as the creator has designed them to be.
To dislike or hate any of their creatorâs creations is an insult to their masterâs creativity.
âœ...Lexx.â Skinner stretches out their almost skeletal arm and places it on the birdâs shoulder. âœYouâll have a chance to redeem yourself. Iâm sure.â
âœMmm...thank you.â They bend their head down with a sigh.
âœWell, breakinâ off from dat,â Bizerk chimes in with a swirl of his eye over his lips, âœIâm lookinâ forward ta working with ya, Dastgir my man.â
âœUgh, Iâm not. You disgust me, slug.â His ears flick as if trying to swat a pesky bug away from them. âœIâm surprised our creator didnât have me rip out that tongue of yours for flapping it so blatantly in front of them! Did you have to describe them as succulent while theyâre present?! Unbelievable.â
âœAh, someoneâs cheerful. Iâd think youâd be elated. Are ya forgettinâ who else will be dere with us~â
Dasgirâs ears twitch to a stop at the memory of their creator.
âœHa! I knew it! Youâre so easy ta read. Itâs why Iâm able ta beat ya at cards.â
A hoof stomps suddenly, one Kendria isnât clinging on to, which shakes the floor under those whose feet connect with the stage, âœYou wriggling zit! We all know you cheat at poker!â
âœAYe! I donât cheat!â His long, worm-like eye bulges out from his mouth at the accusation, âœItâs not my fault yer a dumb ass whoâs orrible at de game, a sore loser on top of dat! You just suck at playing and blame me for your incompetence!â
âœIâm. Pretty. Sure. Counting. The. Cards. Is. Cheating.â Majesty chimes in which has the dark anointed whip eye back and forth between the pair.
âœOw do you even know if Iâm countinâ de cards or not?! Besides, datâs not cheatinâ! Datâs calculating what is in de ands of my opponents! Itâs basic strategy at its core. If you donât know what youâre up against den youâre only puttinâ yourself up in a position ta fail and Iâm not de type who accepts failure. Blind luck can only get you so far.â His eye bends in the direction of Malum like a snake as he addresses her, âœIsnât dat right?â
The wraith appears lost as they answer, âœWell, Iâve never played poker myself so I canât say...but I will agree that, strategically speaking, reading the enemy is good.â
The Anointed huffs as his tongue slides back into place between the folds of his moist red lips, âœSee? Even Malum knows Iâm right. Dough guessing isnât de only key to da game and I bet I could show you two dat.â Bizerk smirks as he pinches his chin, tilting his head in a cocky way, âœSo whaddya say? Da two of ya play a round wit me? Iâll even go blindfolded ta give ya a chance~â
âœI. Know. Better. Than. To. Be. Tempted. To. A. Game. By. Your. Words. Leech.â
âœAye! I was tryinâ ta be nice!â He clicks his tongue before turning away from the robot to the other Anointed, âœWhateva. I want ta know somethinâ, Alvara.â
âœOh? What is it?â
He taps a clawed finger on his chin as if heâs recalling something odd, âœYou asked our creader a very peculiar question. Might I ask why?â
She quickly sucks in a silent breath. She didnât want to write out say what had occurred between her and the creator, especially after they reassured her, so she brings up a separate issue, âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Evidently, dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvaraâs brows pinch, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvara can only sigh at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she felt so helpless and still does. She wasnât able to assist them at all. Even now, they had been the one helping her...but the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all in attendance stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me-I mean before just now that is.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions and the Reborn scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes dampen. âœAnd not just that, our creator was filled with so much anxiety...but, just now, when they reached out to me...â Her demeanor takes a sudden shift, cupping her hands together under her chin as a small smile slips into place of her pout. Sigh~ I felt how much they cared. If I had truly hurt them before they would have let us know, especially since I asked. They are truly a benevolent being, merciful in all aspects.â
Everyone nods with shared blissful smiles on their faces, reminiscing the grandeur of their creator.
âœTruly, they are the best.â
âœMhm, nothing could ever come close to comparison.â
âœYes! Letâs do our utmost to serve our grandmaster now more than ever!â
All give their approval to the statement, filling their hearts with the thought of pleasing you.
Let's see what's in my room.
Chapter End Notes
Yes, there isn't a multiple choice at the end of this chapter. It's intentional because the next chapter I have planned for this route is going to be quite chaotic. I didn't want there to be a 70 page chapter when I can split it up into sections. Thank you for reading and being patient with me!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: MUD AND SCALES
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance. Choosing to venture out to a forest region...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here! That last semester was a doozy, especially because of what all happened in November, so I couldn't meet my scheduled update. However! I am here now and have four new chapters out just in time for 2021! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: MUD AND SCALES
âœT-there has been a slight change of plans.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre confused and afraid, youâre also curious.
Plus, there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes. That is the rule of nature. Anything and everything that can go wrong will go wrong and only those who adapt will survive.
Now is no different.
While there is the saying âcuriosity killed the cat,â few know the continuation of it which is âbut satisfaction brought it back.â Who knows how far thatâll apply to you but you want to see first hand what this world has to offer you, especially now that youâve learned that there may be bizarre life in this new world.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœIâve found something interesting and Iâve planned on investigating it a little further. However, with that said we shouldn't keep the Anointed waiting. Besides, the spells I cast on you three will cool down soon. To this, Iâll have your group report back and relay what weâve collected on our mission.â
You donât stop talking to prevent the Reborn from trying to refuse you and to avoid running out of time on the spells and buffs.
âœSkinner, since you are the only one who Iâm talking to right now, youâll act as my voice when you return. Understand? You must inform the Anointed what I am about to tell you.â
âœY-yes, my creator...I will not fail.â
âœGood. You will be my tongue for the time being so listen closely to what Iâm about to inform you of.â
You could practically hear the Sluagh swallow under the pressure of your command to which you almost blirt out an apology for giving them such a heavy responsibility, but time is of the essence.
âœThese are the words of your creator, SÅsaku-shaâ. A uhâA high-risk situation has befallen my realm. It has been transported to an unknown location to which even I canât identify. With this in mind, my word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted.
âœIn continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut your self off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us.
âœIn the light of all this, Iâve stumbled upon something interesting and weâll be investigating it by the time you receive this message. I do not plan on dwindling too long in unknown territory and we will return shortly with the results of our search. However, even though we may be practicing the utmost caution, we are still in unknown territory. Due to this, we may run into trouble. If we donât return within three hours tops, you can assume that this has been the case. A rescue party will have to be assembled but know that no living creature can leave the Seiun due to the environment outside. At the very least, use buff spells that protect against freezing, fire, and blast. Spells that grant Flight will also need to be required. Anyone who only relies on the physicality of flight such as wings will not be able to move freely outside my realm. Youâll have to rely on magic.
âœOur current location is a large forest sandwiched between a mountainous region and grassy plains on the closest continent to our realm. The part of the forest Iâm currently in is a wetland so look in areas that have water near them. However, Iâm sure that wonât be enough to find us, so if an emergency does happen, Iâll try my best to draw attention to our origin with light.â You almost consider just setting the forest on fire as a method of light but trees are precious in your eyes since Earth has so little. That means youâll have to use any other light-producing spell in your arsenal of casts.
âœIâm sure youâll be wise to use detection magic. But a word for warning, if we run into something that holds us back for that long, itâll be a great danger since it could even prove troubling to me. Attempt to Message me before coming forth so that youâre not also put into the line of fire. Iâll direct the rescue party accordingly if that does happen. Until then, I expect that my word has become action by the time we do so. Protect my realm in my absence and remain vigilant. That is all. Did you collect all that, Skinner?â
âœYes, my creator!â
Huh. You really spoke like a ruler. You didnât think you could do it. Maybe you had it within you...or SÅsaku-sha is affecting you...They do have the perk Ruler of Rulers. Maybe thatâs what it is?... Well, whatever the case youâre starting to feel secure and in control of your situation even though youâre completely lost to whateverâs occurring.
âœGood. You three may return to the Citadel. All those waiting for our return can be dismissed as well. However, if they refuse and want to wait for us, they can do so as long as theyâre not needed elsewhere. Understood?â
âœOf course, my creator.â
âœBe safe as you head back. Youâre dismissed.â Your message is cut off as you continue staring out at the sky through the canopy for a moment or so, before turning back to the footprint. With your hand still on your temple, you Message for backup upon your discovery to not waste any time. âœJest. Nictis.â
âœMy creator?!â âœAre you in danger?!!â
âœNo, no. Iâm fine but Iâve found a lead. Head my way, please. Iâd like your input.â
âœUnderstood!â âœWeâll make haste! Please stay safe!â
âœThank you.â You end the Message as you let Ascend dwindle off, allowing you to land beside the trail of footprints in the mud so you can get a closer look. You braced for impact since you expected your feet to sink into the squishy cold earth but no. Instead, you land on a firm, soft surface.
âœHm?â The feeling catches you off guard so you quickly shift your attention to your feet to uncover the sensation- âœWait, grass?â
Itâs green, healthy sprouting grass with spurts of tiny colorful wildflowers that vary in array. The patch of grass surrounded a small area in which you were standing.
Oh, jeez. You literally had to land in the one spot where there were flowers...but...you donât remember seeing them when you landed.
You take a few small steps back to spare the growths-
Grass and wildflowers sprout out of the ground, trailing your feet as you move.
A gasp escapes you at the strange display.
âœWell...this is quite bizarre.â
This whole situation is bizarre! This is only a grain of salt compared to everything else!
If this is your doing then youâre completely oblivious to it. You donât believe that you have perks that would cause such growthsâ
You lift your foot quizzically to look at the bundle of green.
No, you donât believe that thereâs a perk that can do this. The plants donât wither without you, and they seem quite fine even after you step on them! Various spells could allow this to occur such as Grow Plant but youâre not using any magic. You know this because you clearly donât remember casting any...and you didnât feel the same sensation that came with casting or depleting MP. You place your slightly damp foot back down on the cushion below to steady your stance.
Well...whatever is the cause of it, you are thankful. You didnât want to soil your feet in the mud.
The sounds of two fast-moving creatures in the brush moving your way put you on guard for a slight second but Undeath Slave Sight shows a familiar sight of trees you had passed a while ago so you relax.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Nictis and Jest emerge from the thicket to join you at your sides.
âœThank you for coming back as soon as you did. Did any of you two encounter anything while we were separated?â
âœOo! I found something odd!â Jest spins on a low hanging tree branch he took purchase on in excitement until he hangs like a bat, âœI was heading to the side of the forest the mountains are closest to and there were a lot of dead plants. The ground is nothing but dirt and the trees were thin and bare. Totally in contrast to the area we are in now.â
âœHuh, that is odd. I wonder what could have caused thatââ Is it a natural occurrence or not? Could that be the work of intelligent life? Humans have a knack for destroying forests, unfortunately. So, while a dead forest is slightly concerning to you, it can be a clue. You find it hard that such a lush environment could witherâ âœHow about you, Nictis?â
âœI didnât find anything, forgive me.â Nictis lowers his skull but he continues, âœBut, I did smell many strange odors while searching. A few I was able to identifyââ You donât even realize he is licking red off his mandibles until he does it. You decide not to bring it up as you continue to listen, âœ...while others, I was not. With this said, I can confirm that there is intelligent life in these woods.â
âœOh? And howâs that?â
âœI smelt the scent of various demi-humans such as ogres, goblins, trolls, and fae. I didnât find any but Iâm certain that their home is somewhere in these woods.â
So there are creatures from Yggdrasil here! âœMmm, very goodââ
Although what youâve learned from your NPCs is promising...now youâre not so confident in your discovery. What the hell is a couple of footprints compared to that?
âœMy creator, what is it that youâve called us for?â
âœA-ah, well. I wanted you twoâs input on...this...â You point down to the mud where the imprints are. They stare blankly in the direction of your attention, only causing your stress levels to rise. âœI-I couldnât figure out what kind of creature could have left such a trail behind so...I wanted to see if either of you could.â
âœHmmââ Nictis grumbles as he sniffs the air where he stands. He doesnât seem satisfied and drops on all fours, his spindly fingers making a squelch as they sink into the Earth. His head bobs up and down as his form crawls against the forest floor. Only a moment later, a dark tongue peeks out from his maw and laps the air, tasting the odor left behind by our mysterious friend.
âœHu Hu! What are you picking up, Nictis?â Jest tilts his head to the undead where he hangs.
âœI...I donât know what it is eitherââ the wendigo whines before pushing himself up on his two legs once again. He shakes his hands of the mud, rumbling through what he has collected. âœI am not familiar with the smell. If it were a creature I was familiar with from my prior life or something present in the Citadel, Iâd know...however-â He shakes his skull, âœ-the only creatures I could compare it to would be the reptilian folk you house graciously in your abode.â
âœOh? Thatâs fascinatingââ So your findings actually proved to be somewhat informative! Not only are there beings from your game here but thereâs possible life that exists beyond its collection! Well...it is a new world. Itâll have new things.
You want to learn of these things.
âœI want to know more about this creature. Nictis, can you track the one who these footprints belong to?â
âœWhy, of course. These tracks are new. We should have no problem finding them.â
âœGood. Youâll lead us. Jest, youâll remain our guard. Let us know if you sense anything amiss.â
âœYes, my creator!â He spins upright to perch on the branch he has left gashes on with his blades.
âœThen let us be on our way.â
âœAs you wish.â They both bow again before getting into formation, Nictis right infront while Jest is taking an aerial guard up in the trees. âœPlease stay close to us.â
âœOf course.â That is your only response before Nictis starts leading your group into the depths of the swamp. You activate Ascend to prevent a flower trail from being left behind from where you walk. Debating on whether or not to bring up the strange growths with the NPCs, you decide that it is of little importance and youâd rather investigate more on the identity of the mysterious creature. âœNictis, is there more that you know about our reptilian friend? All I could pick up from the prints is that it may walk on two legs and has claws.â
âœHa, you neednât be so humble. Iâm sure youâve picked up on more than that. You most likely know more than me.â
âœUh-mm...â All else you know is that the prints look weird. One hundred percent, he knows more than youâsigh...but if you told him that heâd laugh it off as a joke. âœIâd still like to hear your side.â
âœAs you wish. The smell left behind is distinctly sour, much like what odor reptiles tend to carry, more so than their amphibian counterparts.â Sour smell? Youâre surrounded by sour smells. Itâs a swamp! Itâs nothing but sour and Earth drifting in the air. How can he distinguish which is which? âœApart from smell, you are right. It is bipedal with claws but in addition to that, it has webbed flat feet. It is evident by how shallow the indents are and how conjoined the surface of it is.â
âœAhh.â How cool! So the webbed feet would assist them in traversing through a wet environment such as the one youâre in!
âœIs there anything else youâve realized?â
âœApart from those few things, it is possibly no larger than we are due to the spacing and size of its prints. I know nothing else beyond that.â
You nod, processing his words. Thereâs only so much a footprint can tell so it makes sense that heâd have trouble with gathering more information than that.
Letting that be, the three of you remain silent as you each get lost in your thoughts for different reasons. Jest in wonder, Nictis in contemplation, and you in confusion.
Theories of possibilities and plans for the next step after this all flutter through your mind, but truly youâre at a loss for words or definitive thoughts. Even as the three of you continue to make your way further into the swamp where the trees start to disperse into clusters and there are more pools of water scattered about, you find that youâre just thinking random nonsense.
Looking up at the starry sky thatâs no longer often obscured by the canopy, you wonder whatâs going on in your realm while youâre awayâ
â—
âœAre you all sure none of you have other duties you need to be off fulfilling?â
The centaur stomps his foot as he finishes his question, glaring suspiciously at his compatriots.
âœOf course! I wouldnât dream of goinâ against de words of our creader!â A hiss from underneath a white and gold cloak is the first and immediate reply to the slightly accusatory prompt but isnât the last.
âœI concur with Bizerkâs statement.â Alvaraâs soft voice commands attention amongst the five in attendance, âœAnyone here who doesnât agree is a traitor to our loving master. I hope that isnât the case?â
âœYes. . There. Should. Not. Be. Any. One. Here. Who. Has. Not. Made. Arrangements.â
âœHm. Good.â Alvara nods once, her green eyes trailing and eyeing up everyone who is in attendance.
In the middle of the sky arena awaiting their creatorâs return is all of the Anointed.
First is the overseer of the Heroâs Hypogeum, Dastgir. He is a giant of a hybrid centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance with his toned arms crossed. Long goat ears flick frustratedly causing his many earrings to clink together, huffing to continue watching the Seiun.
Second is the overseer of the Commune Workshops, Bizerk. No one knows what kind of creature the Anointed is, even he is in debate. However, Bizerk claims that he has heard their creator describing his form as rubber hose and cartoon-like on a few occasions. Although Alvara doesnât understand what that means, she respects her creator and their creations so Bizerkâs form only fills her with wonder for their masterâs creativity. However, none of his form is visible underneath his robe, only his single white eye peeks out of the shade of the fabric..
Third is the overseer of the Living Quarters, Kendria. She is currently cowering behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from sight. She is a young but very shy angel, hardly ever coming out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total at the moment. Despite her hiding, Alvara can clearly see her big blue eyes out from behind her pristine wings glittering tearfully as she watches the storm clouds along with the giant she clutches to.
Fourth is herself as the overseer of the Great Hall. She shifts uneasily on her feet, the pit in her stomach curling uncomfortably as she looks to the last member of the Anointed.
Fifth is the overseer of the Treasury, Majesty. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space, the only solace in this downright stressful situation.
The fact that their grand creator had left to go out into the unknown.
Alvara winces again in memory that they werenât able to convince them to stay behind and let their servants act on their behalf. If she had, their loving creator wouldnât be in harm's way at the moment.
Just the thought of them getting hurt makes Alvara want to pull her hair out and spill her blood in grief!
If their creator gets harmed in any way sheâll never forgive herself! Thatâs why she prays that they return safely and shortly before the time they set for themselves allots out.
However, the gnawing in Alvaraâs gut spurs her to anxiously repeat the same question she has been to the Automaton, âœHow long has it been since we got word of our creatorâs command?â
âœApproximately. Thirty. Three. Minutes. And. Twelve. Seconds.â
âœOver half an hour nowââ The human whimpers as she turns her gaze up to the sky, conflict splayed out on her features.
What could hold up their creator for so long?
âœWell, dis sucks.â Bizerk huffs dejectedly. âœI was hopinâ dat Iâd be able to gaze upon deir glorious form soonerââ
âœBah!â Dastgir bears his fangs in a grimace to the remark âœOf course thatâs what would be on your mind, gremlin.â
âœAw! Donât tell me dat you donât enjoy beinâ in de presence of such an awe inspirinâ being. Who wouldnât shiver just at de mere concept of such a privilege? Donât be a hypocrite, Dastgir.â
âœIâm sure we both have two entirely different reasons for wanting to be blessed in such a way.â
âœBut ya still want what I want. Fuhuhu~â Bizerk shakes his head as his thin black arms slip out from underneath his cloak, splitting it wide open from the neck down. His body mimics that of the grinch and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. White circles droop down his admin similar to buttons but they appear more like targets. âœYou and I are alike whetha ya like it or not.â
âœGrrr, unfortunately.â His ears flick again frustratedly at the comparison to which Bizerk only chortles in reply.
âœNever de less, our creader is amazinâ for a reason. Although dis is an entirely unprecedented situation, dey are actinâ for de best of de realm.â
âœWhat. Do. You. Mean. Question. Mark.â Majestyâs floating headpiece turns mid-air to the Anointed. Bizerkâs claim also calls attention from all the other Anointed in attendance.
âœAve none of you puzzled it together?â His eye glistens as it turns within the shade of his hood, âœWell, Iâll remind you all of what we already know. One of de many reasons our creader went with de reconnaissance team was because of deir knowledge on de worlds deyâve creaded. Even de Reborn arenât guaranteed ta recognize de outside. No matta ow ya look at it, dey are best fit ta recognize whatâs right and wrong...despite ow aggravatinâ dat is.â A hard sigh clips its way out from behind the dark beingâs lips. âœDeyâre powerful and knowledgeable beyond our comprehension...but dey wouldnât needlessly put demselves in arms way. Dey ave more motive dan just beinâ better suited. If dat were de case, I hardly believe dey would have left de way dey didââ His eye rolls over to take note of Alvaraâs complex expression with a calculated gaze. âœI find it hard to believe dat such a pinnacle mind would act only on any one reason! Datâs why Iâve come up wit a few theories of my own.â
âœW-wuââ A soft shaky peep makes itself known from beneath the legs of the centaur. Kendria shrinks down some but wills herself to finish her inquiry. âœW-what have...you c-come up with?â
âœIâm glad youâve asked!â Fangs appear out from around Bizerkâs eye but the source is still encased in shadow, leaving the pearly whites to float around in the darkness of the hood. âœLet me answer by askinâ a rhetorical question! What caters more respect, a leader who commands or a leader who acts?â He spins before pointing one red claw up towards the sky, âœBut of course! Actions speak louder dan words ever could! Our creader is displayinâ deir grand leadership in dis matter of ability. Doinâ so, dey are commandinâ our respect. In uder words, tey are puttinâ up face or...playinâ der part in difficult circumstances ta keep da peace.â
âœThey donât have to act anything!â Alvara squints her eyes with a pinch of her brows. âœTheyâre the creator. They donât have to work for our respect since they already deserve that and more for everything that theyâve already done for us.â
âœAlthough I agree wit you, de way de Reborn explained ow our creader had been actinâ in addition to your own recollection as me believe dey feel obligated ta not just be de creader but ta also act accordinâ to deir tidle. Wit dat said, I feel da need to retell what Iâve once ovaâeard dem quote ta give you all a better understandinâ of der thoughts. Dat quote was, âpast givinâs donât excuse current negligence.â Dis may be a reason why deyâre peforminâ as dey are...because dey may feel dat doinâ good once doesn't merit our infinite praise. Not only are dey statinâ dat but also settinâ an example for us. Deyâre indirectly sayinâ dat we must constantly do our part as deir servants as dey do as de creader so we can continue ta show our usefulness.â
Static erupts from the processing unit in Majesty before their speaker kicks back up. âœThat. Actually. Makes. Some. Sense.â
âœHuh? Seriously Majesty?â Alvara darts her head in between the two anointed.
âœI hate to agree with Bizerk,â Alvara snaps her neck to Dastgirâs grumble, âœbut I am. If our creator insists on lowering themselves for our sakes it only makes sense that theyâd also do so to raise us to their expectations.â
âœBut they donât need to! Our creator needs simply to command it of us and itâll be done!â
âœHmm...Alvara...you were able ta spend some time wit our creader before dey departed. Did it strike you in any way dat dey just want you ta follow orders?â
âœYes, of course...â She trails off when she recalls her creatorâs mannerisms with a bite of her lip.
The all the more wise Anointed catches onto the womanâs hesitation and urges her with a palm, âœWell?â
âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvara clenches her fists with a pout, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvaraâs pout only grows at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she feels so helpless. She wasnât able to assist them at all...and the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all of the Anointed stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes start to glitter as they fill up with tears. âœAnd not just that, our creator was and still seems filled with so much anxiety...I just wish that there was some way for me to help themââ
âœ...We are helping.â Dastgirâs voice is low as he answers, âœWeâre doing what has been commanded of us and are ready to welcome back our creator properly at a moment's notice, as they should be when they return.â He stomps his back hoof, the one the angel isnât clinging to, before continuing. âœIf they donât weâll be the first to act in the way weâve been advised. Iâve already delegated my soldiers to start forming an extraction squad for us to use if the time comes. However, let us hope that such a situation doesnât arise.â
âœMmmm,â Alvara whines at the warriorâs gloomy words which prompts her to turn to Majesty once again, âœhow long has it been?â
âœApproximately. Thirty. Eight. Minutes. And. Thirty. Seven. Seconds.â
The Anointed fall silent, the only noise being the hum of the robotâs engine, as they wait in the sky arena, clinging onto their shared wish.
That you shall return safely soonâ
â—
âœHm?â
âœMy creator? Is something the matter?â
âœOh, uhâno, itâs just a sudden feeling I got. I think weâre drawing near.â Your sixth sense, which you thought was uncomfortable given how many insects and animals are around your trio, has the all familiar tingling sensation of something in front of you to your left making its way across your skin.
âœYes. I agree. The scent is getting stronger.â Nictis slows his pace some at the mention of the short distance.
You focus on the growing buzzing on your skin that is drawing you to check out the direction you feel its source is. A cluster of trees just a little ways ahead blocks your view.
âœUh, actually, Iâm saying this because I know where it is.â
âœWhat do you mean?â Jest inquiry comes from above.
âœI can sense nearby living beings' presences with a...an ability of mine. With this, Iâm trying to inform you two of an abnormality Iâm picking up in that direction,â You point over to the patch of trees to what lies beyond where the trail seems to lead to. Jest and Nictis scan the direction which you indicate. âœThis...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there have been around us up until now.â
âœI see. Do you think this is the...friend weâre looking for?â
âœI certainly hope so. It seems like we all still have a few of the buffs that I cast upon us. However, let us approach with caution. We donât know what creature this is yet.â
âœGot it.â âœRight.â
Nictis lowers his body until the arch of his back is the same height as his skull, ready to prowl as he sneaks along. Jest, on the other hand, switches from being an alert monkey to a stalking predator within a blink.
And then thereâs youâ
Youâre the only one floating so it makes sense that you wouldnât change your stance. What good would it do you? Besides, the three of you still have silence and invisibility on. There shouldnât be an issue unless the creature youâre after has abilities that can bypass the spells on your party.
So you continue to hover behind the wendigo as he draws you three closer and closer to the mass you sense along your skin.
What kind of creature is it going to be? A bipedal reptile if Nictis is right. So it could be related to Wyverns...highly doubtful though...Dragonkin most likely...but these footprints are so small compared to the ones theyâd leave. Besides, Nictis said it isnât any creature from the Citadel and you have four Dragonkin back in your palace.
Yes, this is something completely new.
But the important question...is whether it is intelligent or not.
Will you be able to learn anything from this thing? Will you be able to speak to it?
â.
Hey! Wait a minute! Can it even speak the same language as you?!
Since youâre a Beast Tamer you have a perk that allows you to be able to communicate with every species that youâve subjugated before. Since you own at least two of every race and creature back in the Citadel from Yggdrasil, you should be able to communicate with every single being in your realm.
But this is something newâ
How are you going to extract information from it this way?
â.
Hrmâ
Guess youâre just going to have to put your brain juices to work and figure something out if worse comes to worst.
All you have been doing so far is winging it and youâve been pretty successful so far. Maybe your luck wonât run out so easy.
âœMy creator, it is just over there.â Nictis points far ahead between many trees to a cluster of shrubbery. âœBehind those bushes.â
âœHm.â Yeah, thatâs the direction your skin is buzzing the most toward and the sound of creaking wood is most prevalent. âœPractice caution and utilize the spells that are active.â
âœMph!â
âœLetâs go.â
Without you knowing, all of you commence a hunting mode.
Nictis slickly gets on all fours once again and almost appears to be slithering by how smooth he stalks. You can only imagine how many times he has practiced this movement. He expertly avoids placing his foothold on anything that could give his position up, even though Silence would cover up any slip-up.
Jest acrobatics truly shows in the way he glides through the trees with his hooked feet. Sasabonsam vampire spawn points or biomes theyâd naturally exist in, due to lore, would be in a jungle. While this isnât necessarily the tropical environment of a rainforest, this is close enough. It must be eliciting some natural, inborn instincts because he appears so free in slipping around tree to tree and springing onto the next ones when he needs to move.
Even you somewhat change. Youâve hunched over and spread your limbs out wider to your sides, ready to act at a moment's notice. Itâs only a tick that youâve developed while you were human. However, you are unaware of what youâre doing because it was a natural reaction. What you do realize is how tense you get when you come up to the bushes.
You join Nictis by crouching down beside him, feet planted on the ground while peaking through the leaves of the brush.
You can hardly make out a dark figure on the other side.
Unsatisfied by the view and wanting to test out whether or not your spells are working, you call out, âœHEY!â
Jest and Nictis jump at your sudden shout but the figure moving about ahead doesnât so much as flinch, continuing whatever itâs doing.
âœMy creator?!â âœWhy did you yell?â
âœHeh Heh. I guess we are hidden...â You sigh shakily as you stand up, braver now that your power has been proven.
Upon the better view, your vision centers on the figure.
A half-lizard half-man...a lizardman kneels on the dirt ground next to a pond. Thick, dark copper, plated scales cover the majority of the surface of its body, all except its underbelly where it remains a neutral beige tone. The scales trail down its backside and beyond to form a thick tail. Its hands differ from its feet slightly, the hands holding five clawed digits while its feet hold four webbed ones.
What piques your interest the most, however, is what itâs doing.
With its back to you it takes bait out from the pouch that hangs at its waist and puts it in a basket fish trap that is laid in front of them. There is also a wooden club with sharpened stones embedded into the thick end propped up against a fishy-smelling dry grass basket to the lizardmanâs left. Finally, tucked under the pouch on its right side is a bone knife, brittle string wrapped around the blunt end to act as a handle.
âœAwah! Itâs intelligent!â Your skin immediately bursts with neon greens and yellows, âœWe found our first teacher!â
âœAmazing, my creator! Only you could lead us down the best path!â
âœWithout you, this would have never happened!â
The two undead praise you with reverence, your skin now popping with bright pinks among the grassy pigments that you consist of.
âœNonsense! Any of you could have done so if you were in my position. Off that topicââ You pinch your chin, keeping your gaze on the lizardman as he continues to fiddle with his kit. âœHow are we going to go about this?â
âœShould we force its tongue?â Jest suggestion comes above you to your right as he hangs onto the trunk of a tree like a bear.
âœ...What do you mean by force?â
âœYouâve given me the role of Assassin, my creator.â Jest automatically looks maniacal since his animalistic clown face doesnât compute emotions well. The sudden joy makes him appear like a deranged serial killer in your eyes. âœIt gives me an advantage in persuasion when I...play with my targets.
Heâs suggesting heâd torture the lizardman to get what you want out from it.
You swallow, âœI...donât think that is necessary.â It irks you how easy he suggested such a horrible thing. âœIâd like to keep things peaceful if we can.â
âœMmm...â The vampire lets out a soft whine at not being able to get his way but Nictis is quick to draw your attention away from the sadist.
âœThen what shall we do?â
âœHmm...give me a minute.â
What should you do? Go up and talk to it?
Youâre surprised that it doesnât sound too bad of an idea...but how would it react?
If you were minding your own business out in the middle of a swamp and a faceless, naked creature waltzes its way up to you to chat, would you not hightail it right on out of there?
Oop. Nevermind. Possibly a horrible idea. 100% you would run off if you were in the lizardmanâs position and that occurred...but is that what it would do?
Some would probably amuse a bizarre creature if it approached them out of the blue. And if this Lizardman is out here on his own then heâs most likely confident in his strength. If you do approach it as you are and it doesnât automatically flee, you should act as non-threatening as possible. Maybe even offer it something in return for its time.
But what if it does run...hermâ.
Charm spells can do the trick. If you canât get it to willingly cooperate with you then youâll resort to magic. Simple as thatâ
But that situation can be avoided if you try a different approachâ
Hmmm...maybe, instead of a strange whatever you are approaching them...then how about another lizard?
Obviously, humans are fearful of things inhuman. Whatâs to say that it isnât the same for this lizardman. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, would it be best to appear somewhat familiar and trustworthy?
You have a couple of spells that can do the trick but you have only one in mind.
Disguise Self
It isnât a high-level spell as it is just a simple illusion. Players can make themselvesâ"including their clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on themâ"look different until the spell ends or until they dismiss it. Players can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. They canât change their body type, so they must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Other than that, the extent of the illusion is pretty flexible. The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection, however. For example, if a player used this spell to add a hat to their outfit, objects will pass through the hat. Likewise, if a player used this spell to appear thinner than they actually are, the hand of someone who reaches out to touch them would bump into them while itâs seemingly still in midair. In addition to that, the spell only has an hour duration so, until you can find a more permanent method of disguising yourself, youâll have to recast it every hour.
An hour is enough time to replenish the loss of MP so, even though youâll have to keep casting it over and over again, it wonât hurt you to do so. As long as you have your perk Life itâll restore your MP double the speed normal players MP can. You did consider using Transmutation but you worry that it may be a painful process and would require you to use other spells to make it more tolerable.
So, for this all to work, you need to change your appearance to appear like the lizardman...
However, currently, that is impossible for you.
You donât know the difference between their sexes and you havenât even seen this creature's face yet! You wonât be able to appear properly.
Dang! It would have been great! Maybe you can save that idea for later.
So is your only option really to just walk up and talk?
Thatâs not good considering that it may not be able to speak to youâ
Mmmmâ.
â.
â.
No, wait! There is another option!
Following the lizardman around while watching, listening, and learning! That way you can observe the qualities of this species before you eventually interact with them. It may be laborious and the spells on you three may not last that long but youâre willing to wait and you can always recast them.
Who knows? Maybe itâll do something or say something unique?
Erk!-but then thereâs the issue of time.
Youâve given yourself three hours to work. You donât know how much time has passed so far but youâre certain that an hour has already been chipped away. If you donât head back in time itâll only cause needless strife for everyone.
*Sigh* So in the end, either choice is pretty crappy.
This is...a very tough choice...but youâd rather be-
Decisive
Patient
Chapter End Notes
Woo! The lizardmen route! Hope you like your choice!
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Chapter 5: NO LONGER
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here! That last semester was a doozy, especially because of what all happened in November, so I couldn't meet my scheduled update. However! I am here now and have four new chapters out just in time for 2021! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Chapter 5: NO LONGER
âœY-yes, of course.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre curious, youâre also confused and afraid.
While there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes, it would look bad on your part if you went back on one of the first things you said youâd do. Especially if itâs avoidable and not urgent.
How would the NPCs view a ruler who doesnât do as they say? Youâd rather not risk it.
Not to mention what could be within these woods. Your past gamer instincts scream at you for being so brash as to go out alone. More often than not and even in Yggdrasil, forests were hot spots for traps, enemy encounters, and mazes.
Your mind supplies you that any gamer shouldnât be focused too much on what gems or chests could be lying in wait to be looted but rather whatâll be in your way to get to such treasures.
Thereâs a good reason why most only remember the first part of the quote, âcuriosity killed the catâ.
Youâd rather take this slow and safe than fast and reckless.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœWeâll be there shortly. Meet us in the exact place we departed from one another.â
âœThank you, my creator. Weâll be ready to retrieve you.â
âœMm.â Your message is cut off as you continue staring out at the sky through the canopy for a moment or so, before turning back to the footprint. With your hand still on your temple, you Message for backup upon your discovery to not waste anytime. âœJest. Nictis.â
âœMy creator?!â âœAre you in danger?!!â
âœNo, no. Iâm fine but our time has run out. Head my way, please, so that we may retreat.â
âœUnderstood!â âœWeâll make haste! Please stay safe!â
âœThank you.â You end the Message so you can wait for the arrival of the two.
However, it is a slightly solemn moment for you since you're letting go of this clue...
You wish that you had found this sooner...or at least have told the other three that you wouldn't be back so soon before.
Sigh...but you said that'd you'd come back soon after they were done to lessen their worry and motivate them to work. Besides, there are the other's back in your realm awaiting you.
Yeah, even though you aren't a ruler, SÅsaku-sha is. This means you must act as such until you can figure out what happened.
The sounds of two fast moving creatures in the brush moving your way puts has you on guard for a slight second but Undeath Slave Sight shows a familiar sight of trees you had passed a while ago so you relax.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Nictis and Jest emerge from the thicket to join you at your sides.
âœThank you for coming back as soon as you did. Did any of you two encounter anything while we were separated?â
âœOo! I found something odd!â Jest spins on a low hanging tree branch he took purchase on in excitement until he hangs like a bat, âœI was heading to the side of the forest the mountains are closest to and there were a lot of dead plants. The ground is nothing but dirt and the trees were thin and bare. Totally in contrast to the area we are in now.â
âœHuh, that is odd. I wonder what could have caused thatââ Is it a natural occurrence or not? Could that be the work of intelligent life? Humanâs have a knack for destroying forests, unfortunately. So, while a dead forest is slightly concerning to you, it can be a clue. You find it hard that such a lush environment could witherâ âœHow about you, Nictis?â
âœI didnât find anything, forgive me.â Nictis lowers his skull but he continues, âœBut, I did smell many strange odors while searching. A few I was able to identifyââ You donât even realize he is licking red off his mandibles until he does it. You decide not to bring it up as you continue to listen, âœ...while others, I was not. With this said, I can definitely confirm that there is intelligent life in these woods.â
âœOh? And howâs that?â
âœI smelt the scent of various demi-humans such as ogres, goblins, trolls, and fae. I didnât find any but Iâm certain that their home is somewhere in these woods.â
So there are creatures from Yggdrasil here! âœMmm, very goodââ
Although what youâve learned from your NPCs is promising...you're off put that you won't be here to find those things first hand.
âœAlthough I want to continue, we should have a more qualified and larger group for this. However, we did somewhat secure this area and gained a bit of insight. Iâll count that as a success.â
âœYes, of course, my creator.â Jest bows his head respectfully alongside Nictis but the Disciple almost looks forlorn in your sight.
Knowing thatâs possibly because he was having fun, a pinching sensation takes hold of your chest.
Iâm sorry! I promise youâll get more opportunities to go out and explore in the future!
âœWell then, we must hurry. My buffs wonât last much longer and we shouldnât keep the others waiting...butââ Hopefully it works, you think.
Despite Gate being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up...though you still donât know if that is still a thing. Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but right now theyâre not important.
Since you and your allies explored the area around the Seiun you donât think there will be an issue. Besides, if you canât summon it for some reason you can use flying spells to get back.
Wait...space...
Your hand falters when you look over to the two undead, âœU-uh, Iâm going to attempt to make a Gate. Since itâll be opening up into outer space Iâm worried that itâllââ Whatâs another word or phrase for vacuum? âœ...the air around us could be viciously sucked into the portal. Just...be prepared for that outcome so none of you will get hurt by flying debris.â
âœWonât our creator also be at risk?â
âœOh, well...yes. Most likely.â
âœThen allow me to protect you!â Jest jumps forward almost causing you to float back in response.
âœEr-ah-mm, thank you.â You nod, allowing Jest to take a wide stance in front of you to face the direction your arm is pointed in.
A skewed expression would be apparent if you had a face still.
How the hell is he expecting to protect me by doing that? Heâd just get sucked in faster than me! You might even end up being the one protecting him.
Nictis, on the other hand, positions himself behind you where Jest should have been and opens his huge gray hands out to your sides, ready to catch you at a moment's notice.
Knowing Nictis has the sense of the group, a sigh leaves as you steady your arm, âœIt may not be the case but if this does start sucking air in try to go through it moderately quick. Weâll be in danger the longer itâs open.â
âœRight!â
Repeating what you had when you cast Chaos Bolt you do the same as you call out "Gate!â in a strong distorted voice.
A great deal of energy suddenly feels sapped out of you when a flash of purple bursts out in the space ahead. The light dims some as is replaced by a darker force, spreading its edges until it is wide enough for all of you to slip through but what remains at the center of the portal is the strange violet light. It seems to be pulsating and drawing magic to its center.
Success! And it didnât even become a vacuum like you thought it would.
âœGood. Letâs hurry through.â Your actions are slightly less energetic than you had been but you hardly notice it as you float in row behind Jest. Heâs first through and just as you float forward an alarming question enters your mind of whether or not the portal leads to the location you desire.
However, youâve already breached the purple veil and exit out into an all familiar sight of undead. The three reborn bow their heads upon seeing you, their backs to the fog like storm of the Seiun. The new world is behind you along with the Gate that Nictis is last to make it through.
Having served its purpose, the portal collapses in on itself with a swirl before sparking out in a flash of purple.
âœItâs good to see you safe and sound, my creator.â The message from Malum was expected so it didnât startle you.
âœThank you, Iâm glad that none of us ran into any difficulty.â Taking one last glance at the strange alien world you motion with an arm for the NPCs to follow. âœLetâs retreat. There are those waiting for our return.â
There are no objections, all in the reconnaissance following you with varied smiles laced on their faces as they joyfully escort their creator back to the safety of their realm.
But the Seuin, as chaotic as it is, remains dreary in palette due to your mood.
While nothing went wrong, this whole situation is.
Itâs a completely new world...not to mention that you feel like you were on the brink of uncovering some hidden knowledge of the planetâ
It probably isnât something pertaining to your current predicament. Youâre certain it isnât...but thereâs the hope lying within that wants it to be.
*Sigh, oh well...maybe the NPCs who return there will find something...you just wish that things will start making sense soon.
The colorful storm and the nightmare spawn it holds fades out into the open field that your palace floats serenely in the middle of, untouched by the bizarre environment it's suspended in.
It only takes a few seconds before the six of you are passing the buttresses and outcroppings and slowly descending to the surface of the all too familiar sky arena.
You get a strange sense of a puzzle piece getting put back into place the closer you get to the reflective tile of the stage. It almost feels like...if you could compare it to anything...a sigh of relief.
Warmer colors blossom forth on your skin while your extended vision allows you to take note of who was all gathered in attendance bellow.
Thereâs all the Unmei no gundan that were assigned to your guard, Ynnam, Erx, Lamassu, Akkar, and Aragog with the addition of Lexx. However, the new faces to the ones gathered draw your attention the most as you immediately recognize the five gathered.
They are the Anointed, some of the most powerful NPCs of all Yggdrasil, and upon seeing your approach all have different reactions.
Dastgir is a giant of a Centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance facing you and his long goat ears stick up high, causing his many earrings to clink together.
Bizerk is not so reserved as he seems to be fangirling and fanning himself. Although heâs currently wearing his white and gold robe, thatâd cover his whole body if he stayed still, it is wide open from the neck down. The rubber hose and cartoon-like entity is odd in shape, almost mimicking that of the grinch, and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. His single white eye glitters comical sparkles behind his hood and you can see his pupil expand at the sight of you.
Kendria cowers behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from your sight. She is a young but very shy angel. She hardly ever comes out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total, at the moment. Despite her hiding, you can clearly see her big blue eyes peeking out from behind her pristine wings glittering in the same manner as Bizerkâs who is now dramatically fainting.
Majesty is the least expressive of the group, only opting to tilt their huge dead piece in your direction. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space from their core engine.
Alvara is also amongst the group, her green eyes boring into your lowering form with a strange look.
Oh fuck! Iâm not ready to have the conversation about what transpired in the throne room with her! Kyahh! What if she already told others?!
You turn your head away as if itâd help you ignore the constant stare coming from her direction, not knowing that the action sends a sharp pang through the womanâs chest.
âœI see youâve gathered here as all requested. This is very good.â You comment idly while landing, thinking of what next to say to all of them. You honestly should have planned on that.
âœWeâll always do as you request of us, my creator.â Dastgirâs voice is deeper and richer than youâd imagine it to be. You thought itâd be raspier because of his dragon-like skull. He bows his humanoid torso slightly and pounds his chest with his right as he does so. âœBizerk!â
âœAIIIEEE!â The dark gremlin screeches out as Dastgir kicks him with one of his many legs, causing them to roll twice and fumble in their cloak as it wraps around them.
âœStop fooling around. You are in the presence of our creator. Show some respect.â
âœGah! I know! Ya donât ave ta kick me like dat!â When Bizerk finally stands back up his hood has fallen off revealing his face which consists of giant red lips that form into two of the three horns on his head. He sticks out his tongue, which also functions as his eye, at Dastgir through his many sharp fangs before he looks your way. His entire head moves up into a smile. âœMy beautiful, radiant, strong, awe inspirinâ,â He scoots closer ever closer to you with reaching arms as he continues to list adjectives to describe you with until heâs almost touching you, âœlovinâ creader,-â He claps his hands together, âœ-for what reason ave ya seen fit ta gather us all ere?â
âœMmmâ*ahem, I must apologize for keeping you all waiting and pulling you from your duties,â Before any of them could wave off your apology you continue, âœbut I have good reason for doing so. May all of you stand before me before I continue? I donât want any of you to feel left out because I wonât turn to look at you as I speak.â
Everyone hurries to do as you asked, all forming a line like preschoolers attentive to a teacher. They all stand far enough back so that you could properly see them, even if your new vision wouldnât expand, and straight in attention except for Kendria who is still cowering away from you.
Dark blue spots spread across a small portion of your chest, right under your collarbone, as a chill settles down there. The feeling almost wants you to pout because the small angel reminds you how skittish animals would shy away from you when youâd want to pet them.
You stomp the feeling down because now wasnât the time to get lost in your thoughts.
âœAs you all know I have commanded that all floors go to maximum security. I have stated this because Iâve taken notice of anomalies in this world of mine. I am still in the process of finding them all and identifying the source of the issue. So until then...Iâll very much appreciate all your cooperation in my endeavor to understand...this.â You wave absently in no general direction to give emphasis on âœthisâ. Your dubious nature is quick to fade and is replaced with a more serious tone. âœHowever, upon going beyond my realm weâve discovered something quite...unnerving. My realm has been transported to a completely unknown location without my jurisdiction.â
âœWhat?!â
âœHow could this be?!â
âœMy. Creator. Are. You. Suggesting. Someone. Used. The. Space. Warp. Question. Mark.â
Their choppy, rich voice remains bland in pitch, not clearly expressing their joy to your arrival, as they raise their head. But what caught you off guard the most was when they added the word "question mark" at the end of their statement. It clicks no sooner than the thought came into your mind that it was a question they had asked. You like their voice. It completely embodies their character not only in personality but on their robotic side-never mind that!
You almost wave off Majestyâs assumption when the thought of your realmâs teleporter pops into mind.
The Space Warp allows you to move your realm around freely through the worlds of Yggdrasil to set off random events and carry out missions of your own. You hardly ever use it, opting to keep your realm near the two god realms. However...the suggestion does play along to the fact that it has been transported to a new strange world. What else would make sense?
â.
No, even if you want answers you shouldnât just settle on the first ideas that come to mind.
Besides, the Space Warp theory has no explanation for the lifelike world youâre now in.
Not to mention that if one of the NPCs did mess with the Space Warp, you hadnât programmed any of them to know how to use the machine. In addition, besides it being a one pilot cockpit, to even use the device costs a huge chunk of mana, approximately the price of 150MP or half of your avatarâs magic power. There are no other beings in the Citadel who have that much MP beside you. Although there could be a situation where NPCs infuse their mana into whoever takes the controls, you highly doubt that there would be a benefit from such an action to bring your realm to an unknown location.
Or how to even get to this new world is possible. The probability of the planet being a realistic version of Midgard is low in your mind.
âœNo. I donât think that is the case.â You shake your head. âœWhat has occurred is beyond my current comprehension. Outside the Seiun isnât that of any of my creations but something entirely alien to me. A new world, I suspect.â
Thereâs a beat of silence for a good few seconds before a light, heavenly voice whimpers, âœAhââ
Your vision shifts to the bundle of pure wings behind Dastgirâs pillar of a back leg and you feel warmth blossom forth at her wide, glittery, cat eyes.
Piteque, sugary, clawed fingers pull gently at a pair of wings to better hide her face as she continues under your gaze, âœH-how could...things exist wu-without our creator ha-having a hand in its creation?! T-thatâs s-scary!â
Urk! So cute! You want to squish her!
Swallowing down the feeling, you nod your head at the Anointedâs words, âœMmph, yes I agree. I too find it off puttingââ Your voice dwindles off when you notice dread spread across the NPCs in attendance.
You shouldnât have voiced your fears out loud! That probably dropped their morales.
Think! Be optimistic!
âœ...b-but despite this, we were able to secure the area around my realmââ You tilt your head to the three undead who stand side by side with the other Reborn. âœ...and we were able to clear an area down on the planet. It is within a forest region and although we didnât cover the entirety it, we got started on a general area. Nictis, Jest-â The two straighten their forms at their names suddenly being called, âœ-Please recall all that youâve gathered.â
âœYes, my creator.â You stand and wait patiently as Nictis retells all that has happened first before Jest adds on his side. They starts with the conditions of outer space, then shift to the trip down to the surface, the layout of the woods, what was and wasnât there, and then finishes up with the last things they each found.
âœHmmââ Bizerk taps a clawed, red finger on his chin, âœdis forest seems like an interestinâ place ta search.â
âœWhich is why I want to plan out the next reconnaissance squadron as soon as possible.â Adding in your agreement with a cross of your arms, you turn your head over to the head of the Unmei no gundan, âœDastgir. Iâd like your help on organizing the next scouts and a few other plights regarding security. Is that fine with you?â
âœAwah! My creator!â He pounds his chest with a fist, his muscles swelling with pride, âœYou needn't ask for my opinion! Itâs always a privilege to do as you command!â
âœAhmm...glad to hear. I will talk more about the details of setting it up after this meeting. Bizerk.â
âœYes, my succulent creader~â
âœS-sucââ You shake your head, trying your best to ignore the adjective that left the Anointedâs lips. âœI also would like you to come along and help us. I believe your planning skills would come quite handy.â
âœOOHHH! Why of course! I would never be more appy dan ta do so!â You almost laugh at the small victory dance he displays.
âœGood, now as for the rest of you.â Scanning the crowd you once again make eye contact with Alvara. Pink is quick to appear on your skin from embarrassment. You quickly look away at the memory resurfacing from what had transpired. The human is again struck with a sharp pang by your avoidance. âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted.
âœIn continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut yourself off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us. Is this clear?â
âœYes!â All in attendance confirm full-heartedly which you nod to.
âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â
âœYes, my creator. I have one.â
âœMm?â The one who called out is the Reborn, Lamassu. Achnologing the Aasimar you wave a hand at them. âœYes, go ahead.â
âœMy creator, our group of five were designed by the Anointed Alvara and Dastgir to be your guard. Although we werenât able to serve our purpose in being an escort, I request that we remain guard over you for the time being.â
âœOh? Hmmââ It appears that all five of the Unmei no gundan are thinking the same thing as the angel. They must have discussed this while youâre away. Although you already plan on accepting their offer, you tilt your head, âœMay I ask why?â
âœBy all means. Since we are under a maximum security threat, we and the Anointed have agreed that we wish there to be a guard squadron delegated to you at all times. You are our grandmaster. We cannot allow anything to occur to you, even in death.â
âœ...Is this true?â
Bizerk is the first to speak up, âœYes. Under these circumstances, we would like you to have an extra layer of protection. Now that weâve learned that your wondrous realm has been relocated to an unknown location, I am only more certain that this is necessary. Iâm sure all your servants agree with our sentiment?â
âœI. Am. In. Agreement.â
âœAs am Iââ
âœY-yes! I...I want our creator to be s-safe!â
âœWe were created to act out on your behalf. To do so brings us the greatest joy.â
At all of the Anointedâs confirmations you feel that the issue is settled.
âœIf I may add, my creator,â Lamassu continues, âœwe feel...obligated to fulfill our mission to protect you since none of us were capable before. We want to restore our honor as members of your elite force. We were created to protect you and we wish to fulfill our purpose as such.â
âœHmm...very well. If it will not affect the security of my realm while youâre in watch of me I see no issue. Are your stations covered during your absence?â
The rumble of Dastgirâs throat leaves similar to that of a growl, finding it right to enlighten you, âœIâve already taken the initiative to fill the gaps they left. It has been settled.â
âœAh, thank you. Then...are there any other questions?â
Silence greets your non-existent ears for some time so you decide to dismiss- âœMy creator?â
âœHm-a-ahââ Alvara is the one to speak up, the only person here who youâd love more than anything for them to remain silent. You know what heâs going to ask about.
How youâre a dummy who gets flustered around others when itâs any way intimate.
You were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
All in attendance watch as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Unbeknownst to them, you were internally screaming.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You shake your head hard, giving into reason. You canât just tell her to be quiet after all that youâve said about listening to questions from before. Especially since those who you told you have a listening ear to are all in front of you now.
Stomping down your pride since you know that there is no avoiding the conversation, you stutter out a response, âœY-yes, Alvara?â
The silence is deafening as everyone waits for the Anointed to speak, however, she struggles to find words. âœMy creatorââ She swallows twice before continuing. âœ...my creator. Back in the throne roomââ
Oh god.
âœ...I...Weââ She bites her lips, finally breaking the constant eye contact she had been holding you in to instead peer at her reflection on the floor. âœ...from before-mmââ
Just say it already! Youâre torturing me here!
âœ...my creator...do I displease you?â
âœ...Eh?â
What is this? Is she not going to bring up your flustered emotions?
No, wait. Maybe she understands how embarrassing this is for you? She did feel your emotions...maybe sheâs taking pity and is wording it in a way so that sheâs protecting your privacy from the other NPCs?
You hope so...but why would she word the question that way?
Whatever the case youâre grateful. âœNot at all...why would you?â
âœWell Iââ She shifts on her sandals and only lifts her gaze high enough to stare at your feet. âœItâs nothing, my creator. Just nonsensical worry is allââ
âœ...Alvara. You donât displease me.â
âœI...thank you.â
Not satisfied by her still present pained expression, you walk over to her, âœAlvara.â
âœYes, my creator?â Her eyes only raise enough to land on your chest, her head level.
You keep forgetting how tall you are in this body, âœLook at me please.â
She only hesitates for a twitch but complies by bending her head backward to look up to your blank face. Her face is sculpted beautifully from the modeling program that was set up in Yggdrasil. Even so, you can see clearly that sheâs struggling with something.
And you know exactly whose fault that is.
âœYouâre precious to me...all of you are, soââ Already regretting what youâre about to do, you place your palm on the crown of her head.
The feeling of cold water being poured on you to the intrusion of anxiety enters your being. You braced for it yet every time whatever this is occurs, it feels entirely alien. You can hardly put thoughts together. Only being able to try and process the sensations. Despite it all, you will yourself to project your determination into her being.
âœ..donât feel that youâre inadequate. I appreciate all that youâre doing for me. Never doubt that. Understood?â
Tears well up in her eyes but none pool out beyond her lashes, only a defined âœUmf!â escapes her rosy lips.
âœG-good.â You cut the connection quickly, becoming too overstimulated with the emotions that blossomed forth from the woman. Your head turns either way to check the small crowd that ranged from Reborn all the way to Anointed. Jest on his lonesome reminds you of the need to make some changes to the discipleâs workforce.
After you settle the whole reconnaissance base thing.
But you want to give him a task before sending him back to the throne room, âœJest.â He doesnât respond verbally but he does lighten up at you calling to him. âœBefore returning to your post, Iâd like you to arrange one of the offices on the fifth floor for my debrief with Dastgir and Bizerk.â
âœWaahh! Iâll do just as youâve asked!â
âœMm, Iâm counting on you. Please have it arranged and ready in thirty minutes. Message any member of my guard which room it will be. Do the same for Dastgir and Bizerk so they know where they need to head. I have to settle some things in my quarters before then, which is why itâll take me a while to arrive. With this extra time,â You point to the only two men a part of the Anointed, âœsettle whatever you need to before then. I suspect that weâll be covering much content that will drain our time.â
âœYes, my creator.â They bow in their own manners. Clearing your throat and awkwardly rubbing the hand that is still rippling colors rapidly from your contact with Alvara, you repeat the question a third time, âœIs there anyone else here whoâd like to ask me anything?â
When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you activate ascend. The five Unmei no gundan follow in march around you as you float off with goals in mind. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
â—
âœ*Sigh* Thank the marvelous creator that theyâve returned safely.â Alvara shoulders fall as if a great weight had been removed. She doesnât know what she would have done if things didnât turn out this way. âœWhen I saw that the guard we designed had failedââ
âœHph, I share your feelings, Alvara.â The centaur is gruff in agreement as he turns his upper torso to better address the Reborn remaining. âœYou each have my gratitude. Although none of you are part of the Unmei no gundan, you performed your roles adequately.â
âœPlease donât flatter us.â Malumâs voice is haunting, only adding to the creep factor with its permanent wailing expression. âœWe only did what we were made to do. Besides, it was only Nicits and Jest who were able to accompany our creator for most of the duration we were outside the Seiun.â
Nictis swallows the collection of spit that pooled in his large jaws at the sudden spotlight, âœNo way. Even though I was at their side longer, nothing had occurred. Iâd hardly call that worthy of thanks. We all did as ordered.â
âœWell at least you four got to assist our creator.â Lexxâs beak clicks as they chirp, the hard bone smacking together aggressively. âœI feel so uselessââ
âœDonât mope.â Ukaraâs dead eyes turn eerily to the Kenku, âœBe grateful that you got to serve our master at all.â
Skinnerâs sighs through his teeth in the form of a hiss, âœUkara, donât be rude. The living have emotions stronger than ours. We canât fathom the trait which our master has blessed them with. However, I wouldnât find it hard for you to feel the same way if you too were turned away by our creator.â
âœHahhhhh.â The draugr breaths out a grumble, itâs joints creaking as they move. âœWhatever. Itâs none of my concern. Iâm leaving.â
The Anointed and the Reborn pay little mind to the undeadâs rough personality as he stumbles away. Theyâre just as the creator has designed them to be.
To dislike or hate any of their creatorâs creations is an insult to their masterâs creativity.
âœ...Lexx.â Skinner stretches out their almost skeletal arm and places it on the birdâs shoulder. âœYouâll have a chance to redeem yourself. Iâm sure.â
âœMmm...thank you.â They bend their head down with a sigh.
âœWell, breakinâ off from dat,â Bizerk chimes in with a swirl of his eye over his lips, âœIâm lookinâ forward ta working with ya, Dastgir my man.â
âœUgh, Iâm not. You disgust me, slug.â His ears flick as if trying to swat a pesky bug away from them. âœIâm surprised our creator didnât have me rip out that tongue of yours for flapping it so blatantly in front of them! Did you have to describe them as succulent while theyâre present?! Unbelievable.â
âœAh, someoneâs cheerful. Iâd think youâd be elated. Are ya forgettinâ who else will be dere with us~â
Dasgirâs ears twitch to a stop at the memory of their creator.
âœHa! I knew it! Youâre so easy ta read. Itâs why Iâm able ta beat ya at cards.â
A hoof stomps suddenly, one Kendria isnât clinging on to, which shakes the floor under those whose feet connect with the stage, âœYou wriggling zit! We all know you cheat at poker!â
âœAYe! I donât cheat!â His long, worm-like eye bulges out from his mouth at the accusation, âœItâs not my fault yer a dumb ass whoâs orrible at de game, a sore loser on top of dat! You just suck at playing and blame me for your incompetence!â
âœIâm. Pretty. Sure. Counting. The. Cards. Is. Cheating.â Majesty chimes in which has the dark anointed whip eye back and forth between the pair.
âœOw do you even know if Iâm countinâ de cards or not?! Besides, datâs not cheatinâ! Datâs calculating what is in de ands of my opponents! Itâs basic strategy at its core. If you donât know what youâre up against den youâre only puttinâ yourself up in a position ta fail and Iâm not de type who accepts failure. Blind luck can only get you so far.â His eye bends in the direction of Malum like a snake as he addresses her, âœIsnât dat right?â
The wraith appears lost as they answer, âœWell, Iâve never played poker myself so I canât say...but I will agree that, strategically speaking, reading the enemy is good.â
The Anointed huffs as his tongue slides back into place between the folds of his moist red lips, âœSee? Even Malum knows Iâm right. Dough guessing isnât de only key to da game and I bet I could show you two dat.â Bizerk smirks as he pinches his chin, tilting his head in a cocky way, âœSo whaddya say? Da two of ya play a round wit me? Iâll even go blindfolded ta give ya a chance~â
âœI. Know. Better. Than. To. Be. Tempted. To. A. Game. By. Your. Words. Leech.â
âœAye! I was tryinâ ta be nice!â He clicks his tongue before turning away from the robot to the other Anointed, âœWhateva. I want ta know somethinâ, Alvara.â
âœOh? What is it?â
He taps a clawed finger on his chin as if heâs recalling something odd, âœYou asked our creader a very peculiar question. Might I ask why?â
She quickly sucks in a silent breath. She didnât want to write out say what had occurred between her and the creator, especially after they reassured her, so she brings up a separate issue, âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Evidently, dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvaraâs brows pinch, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvara can only sigh at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she felt so helpless and still does. She wasnât able to assist them at all. Even now, they had been the one helping her...but the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all in attendance stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me-I mean before just now that is.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions and the Reborn scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes dampen. âœAnd not just that, our creator was filled with so much anxiety...but, just now, when they reached out to me...â Her demeanor takes a sudden shift, cupping her hands together under her chin as a small smile slips into place of her pout. Sigh~ I felt how much they cared. If I had truly hurt them before they would have let us know, especially since I asked. They are truly a benevolent being, merciful in all aspects.â
Everyone nods with shared blissful smiles on their faces, reminiscing the grandeur of their creator.
âœTruly, they are the best.â
âœMhm, nothing could ever come close to comparison.â
âœYes! Letâs do our utmost to serve our grandmaster now more than ever!â
All give their approval to the statement, filling their hearts with the thought of pleasing you.
Let's see what's in my room.
Chapter End Notes
Yes, there isn't a multiple choice at the end of this chapter. It's intentional because the next chapter I have planned for this route is going to be quite filled. I didn't want there to be a 70 page chapter when I can split it up into sections. Thank you for reading and being patient with me!
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Chapter 5: WHAT
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance. Choosing to venture out into the plains...
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I honestly don't know how I was able to make this chapter in time. 2021 is not going well for me, exactly like I thought it would, so I'm glad I wrote ahead. BTW, 🎉it's the first anniversary of GOAWNL!!!🎉 Hope you enjoy this chapter because I know a lot of you have been looking forward to this!
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Chapter 5: WHAT
âœU-um, just give me a few seconds.â Your voice stutters as you end Message abruptly and address Sebas. âœWill you excuse me, sir? All I need is a moment.â
âœOf course,â He nods his head in a bowing manner, âœtake your time.â
âœThank you.â You turn away and start to walk off but stop when Jest and Nictis follow you, âœUh-mm, I need to do this alone. You can stay here with Sebas.â You didnât want to give the old man any more suspicion than what youâll already be doing by going off alone. If the two undead come with you then heâll probably suspect that youâre plotting something with them.
âœBut my creator!â âœPlease, let us stay with you!â
âœIâll be fine. I wonât go far. Behave yourselves, okay?â
âœYes.â They both whine out and they reluctantly do as you ask, remaining put with the butler as the three watches you activate Ascend and float away out of earshot.
While you could see the slight merit in speaking with Skinner in front of the kind man, like informing him that if anything is done to you there are those thatâll come to your rescue, you decide not to. There are too many cons that would bubble up if you spoke willy-nilly of the realm youâre actually in charge of now in front of a stranger.
Once you see that youâre a good distance away, you estimate around two hundred meters, you utter, âœMeditation Ring.â
A light white ring sparkles into existence and encircles you at a gap of five feet. The spell acts as a detection barrier for prying acts. It will notify you if anyone is listening in on your discussion with the Reborn.
Confident that youâre secure, you raise your hand back up to your temple, âœIâm back, Skinner.â
âœThank you. Are you returning?â
âœThere has been a slight change of plans.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre confused and afraid, youâre also curious.
Plus, there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes. That is the rule of nature. Anything and everything that can go wrong will go wrong and only those who adapt will survive.
Now is no different.
While there is the saying âcuriosity killed the cat,â few know the continuation of it which is âbut satisfaction brought it back.â Who knows how far thatâll apply to you but you want to see first hand what this world has to offer you, especially now that youâve learned that there is intelligent life in this new world.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœWeâve found something interesting and Iâve planned on investigating it a little further. However, with that said we shouldn't keep the Anointed waiting. Besides, the spells I cast on you three will cool down soon. To this, Iâll have your group report back and relay what weâve collected on our mission.â
You donât stop talking to prevent the Reborn from trying to refuse you and to avoid running out of time on the spells and buffs.
âœSkinner, since you are the only one who Iâm talking to right now, youâll act as my voice when you return. Understand? You must inform the Anointed what I am about to tell you.â
âœY-yes, my creator...I will not fail.â
âœGood. You will be my tongue for the time being so listen closely to what Iâm about to inform you of.â
You could practically hear the Sluagh swallow under the pressure of your command to which you almost blirt out an apology for giving them such a heavy responsibility, but time is of the essence.
âœThese are the words of your creator, SÅsaku-shaâ. A uhâA high-risk situation has befallen my realm. It has been transported to an unknown location to which even I canât identify. With this in mind, my word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted.
âœIn continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut your self off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us.
âœIn the light of all this, my group has stumbled upon a clue in our predicament and weâll be investigating it by the time you receive this message. I do not plan on dwindling too long here so we will return shortly with the results of our search. However, even though we may be practicing the utmost caution, we are still in unknown territory. Due to this, we may run into trouble. If we donât return within...fou-mm, five hours tops, you can assume that this has been the case. A rescue party will have to be assembled but know that no living creature can leave the Seiun due to the environment outside. At the very least, use buff spells that protect against freezing, fire, and blast. Spells that grant Flight will also need to be required. Anyone who only relies on the physicality of flight such as wings will not be able to move freely outside my realm. Youâll have to rely on magic.
âœOur current location is a fortress in a grassy plain near a great forest that has a mountainous range running through it. We are on the continent closest to my realm...mm...wait another few seconds for me, Skinner. I need to handle something real quick.â You drop your hand before the other could form a response, ending the Message once again to address a problem.
The grassy plains take up a huge area in the section of the land you described. Any rescue party will have a hard time locating you...hmm...how to overcome thisâ
You can place down a beacon or another honing seal but what would Sebas think of that? Would it put off the impression that youâre drawing more of your allies here? Could that be seen as a hostile act?
Youâd rather avoid that scenario.
Then how will you draw others to your location?
â.
You can leave Nictis or Jest behind on the outside. That way they can contact backup properly and direct them accordinglyâ
But who would you leave behind?
Jest is the only one who can cast Gate out of the two. Heâd be able to open up a portal immediately for reinforcements...but you can just cast Gate too. If you do end up getting in trouble you could cast it yourself to escape...well, unless they have anti-teleportation magic. B-besides, Jest is the best option for a guard out of the two. His main job class is Assassin and heâs a Disciple for crying out loud. It would be stupid not to bring him.
Nictis, however, seems to have a good sense of direction. He doesnât have any spells that could draw the attention of aid but with Message heâd be able to communicate...hermm...no, it could take too long that way. Who knows how many fortresses similar to this one are near this general area too. Not to mention that the wendigo is looking forward to those snacks Sebas said would be provided. Youâre sure itâd break his undead heart if you told him to remain guard outside the walls.
*Sigh, in the end, you canât choose which. They probably wouldnât have let you either, insisting to remain your guard.
So what will you do?!
â.
â.
Wu-WAIT! You got it! But letâs see if you can do it first-
Players would need to use the console to bring up items but you donât have that option now. Youâll just...have to try to open your item box just like how you cast spells and how you use Ascend. You just have to try...or youâll have to think of an alternative.
Raising your hand, like you would trying to open your menu, you think about accessing your item box-
And your hand disappears into a dark like fog that has appeared in the form of a small portal.
You almost gasp but youâre focused on drawing out the item you desire.
If your memory serves you right, all you have on yourself is a crap ton of gold, data crystals, seven-no eight spell scrolls, and a few other items you canât remember the uses for at the moment. However, youâre just happy that you were able to pull out your gold for the time being.
Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of one of the particular scrolls when a thin material meets your hand. You slowly retreat your arm from wherever it has gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You pray that it isnât something threatening-
Your hand frees itself from the dark mist and the portal dissipates, revealing a rolled-up, yellowed parchment with a golden wax seal imprinted with SÅsaku-shaâs symbol. You recognize it as your summoning scroll.
Yes! This is it! Youâre a little sour about burning through a consumable but you figure that this is a necessary sacrifice. Now how to use itâ
As you did with accessing your inventory, you toss the scroll up in the air intending to use it.
The wax seal goes loose and the paper unravels. Itâs only afloat in the air for a moment before it is consumed from the bottom up by a strange cyan light. The mana left in the air collects together in a concentrated center to form a bird.
âœWoah!â You exclaim at the sight of sparkles poofing out from the creature you had just summoned, a white raven. Smiling internally, you lift your dominant arm and call out its name, âœGim.â
Your familiar hovers for a few seconds before finding purchase on your hand, wrapping its talons around your fingers securely. You take note that even though youâve summoned Gim your Meditation Ring has not been affected. The reason why it didnât react to the bird's presence looks the same as Yggdrasilâs. This will require further testing to find out the limits but for now, you focus on the raven.
Your chest bursts with glee at being able to interact with a bird in such a manner. Birds are many too little back on Earth due to the air pollution. They die too easily from poisoning so it was a rare sight for you when you could see a healthy-looking bird.
You could describe Gim as the pinnacle of health and you wouldnât be wrong. Petting her with your free hand, you feel how soft her silky feathers are. The raven moves its head around to give you better access, your nails certainly seem to be doing good work in scratching the right places.
But there is a reason you summoned Gim.
Removing your free hand from the snow-white bird, you access your inventory once again and pull out one of your gold coins.
Yggdrasilâs coins are engraved delicately, both sides with the words âœYGGDRASILâ wrapped around the top portion of the images each side holds. The head has the left side profile of a woman with long flowing hair. Originally, the gold coins had the face of a man sealed upon them, before Valkyrieâs Downfall Event, and was switched to a profile of the woman afterward. In addition, it has the gameâs release date below the woman, stating âœSINCE 2126.â The tail is the world tree of Yggdrasil with the snake, Jörmungandr, encircling it.
It glitters prettily as you flip it in between your fingers before you pinch it between your index finger and your thumb.
âœGim.â The raven seems to understand your call and gives you its full attention, âœI need you to carry this coin. Fly around this area but do not stray too far from those walls. I need you nearby.â
A guttural clicking sound is its response, shaking its head quickly with a poof of its feathers.
Before this strange situation, you would have interpreted this as random bird chatter; but now that youâre your avatar you understand that Gim is agreeing to your order.
Thank god youâre a Beast Tamer.
Itâs a job class that comes with the perk that allows you to be able to communicate with every species that youâve subjugated before. Since you own at least two of every race and creature back in the Citadel from Yggdrasil, you should be able to communicate with every single being in your realm.
Gim is no different because you understood her.
So cool!
Offering the gold coin to her, Gim plucks it between her porcelain beak and flaps her wings to become airborne.
âœTake care not to lose that coin either!â You holler as Gim finds a steady air current and starts to glide off, fulfilling your words by remaining close.
Your heart feels a little more at ease with the assistance of one of your familiars. Gim may just be a common raven, the only difference being her buffs against cold and freezing, but she is the beacon thatâll draw the aid to your location.
You Message Skinner hopefully for the last time. You feel bad for cutting off so often.
âœMy creator?â
âœYes, Iâm back. I had to summon one of my familiars. Weâll be inside the fortress that I mentioned. But a word for warning, if we run into something that holds us back for that long, itâll be a great danger since it could even prove troubling to me. Attempt to Message me before coming forth so that youâre not also put into the line of fire. Iâll direct the rescue party accordingly if that does happen but I believe it will be difficult to find my location. That is why Iâve summoned Gim, a white raven. Iâve also given her a gold coin. If you track her or even the coin sheâs holding, sheâll lead you straight to the keep weâre located in. Until then, I expect that my word has become action by the time we do so. Protect my realm in my absence and remain vigilant. That is all. Did you collect all that, Skinner?â
âœYes, my creator!â
Huh. You really spoke like a ruler. You didnât think you could do it. Maybe you had it within you...or SÅsaku-sha is affecting you...They do have the perk Ruler of Rulers. Maybe thatâs what it is?... Well, whatever the case youâre starting to feel secure and in control of your situation even though youâre completely lost to whateverâs occurring.
âœGood. You three may return to the Citadel. All those waiting for our return can be dismissed as well. However, if they refuse and want to wait for us, they can do so as long as theyâre not needed elsewhere. Understood?â
âœOf course, my creator.â
âœBe safe as you head back. Youâre dismissed.â Your message is cut off as you drop your hand, staring out at the sky for a moment or so, before turning back to the three still waiting.
No longer needing Meditation Ring, you dissipate it. The glowing ring sputters out into the air as you finally return. âœIâm sorry for taking up your time, sir. Thank you for being patient.â You also see that many of the spells on your party are now unnecessary so you also dissipate all except the protection and skill buffs.
Sebas gives you a small smile, âœIt is of no qualms, SÅsaku-sha-â
The immediate rage that explodes from the two undead is like a whiplash, the air dropping in temperature as the two unfurl their fangs and claws.
âœWHAT?!!!â
âœHow DARE you utter the most esteemed oneâs name so blatantly!!!â
âœThe gall!!! You should give your head as penance!â
âœWe might as well lob it off! No amount of remorse can ever atone for the sin youâve committed!!!â
âœMy creator! Give the order and weâll enact justice!â
âœWoah, woah, woah, woah, WAIT! Now, woah, hOLD ON!â You become frantic at the back and forth between your two NPCs, not wanting their actions to hurt the relationship youâre trying to develop. âœStop! STOP IT you two!â You sharply smack them upside their skulls, each yelping at the sudden pain. âœWe do NOT threaten those who are kind to us!â
âœB-but my creator!â
âœHe spoke of your name! How can that go unpunished?!â
âœYou two want me to smack you again?!â Their jaws snap shut and they shrink away at your raised hands, âœNow how the hell is speaking my user-erm, my name deserving of death?! I see no issue with it!â
âœMy creator!â Jest drops to a kneeling position as he exclaims, âœYou are the creator of all life! Our ruler! Everything that exists is yours! Everything is below you. All should give supplication to the grandmaster because without you none should exist. To speak your name, with such blatant disregard for your superiority, is the highest treason!â
âœOh dear. It seems I may have misspoken.â The butler sounds remorseful, his expression more subtle in showing he means those words as he bows. âœI apologize for my indiscretion, it was not my intention to offend. I had not known you hold a place of powerââ Sebas lifts his head slightly, âœAm I correct in this assumption?â
âœUh, erââ Crap. Way to go you two! You kind of wanted to play the role of a traveling necromancer to hide your avatarâs identity a bit longer since you were seen out of the blue (even with invisibility on!). Now, however, how are you supposed to lie out of this?! Maybe play off or downgrade the NPCsâ words? âœA-ah ha, no. Iâm nothing that special.â
âœWa-â âœMy creator-â
âœStop. You two have already made a scene. Threatening the life of a fellow who offered to take care of us is shameful. At least say sorry.â You play off the interruption as your way of getting them to apologize when in reality youâre preventing them from spilling any more information about you and your realm.
âœ...â âœ...â
They both remain quiet as they glare at Sebas which you sigh to, âœFine, Iâll do it on your behalfs-â
âœNo!â âœYou neednât do so!â Jest and Nictis both quickly retort before turning to Sebas and apologizing for being hasty in their actions.
Although it sounds like theyâre apologizing more so to you, the older man waves a hand in the air, âœThat is quite alright. None of us got hurt which is most important.â He tucks his arms behind his back to puff out his chest. âœThen, to avoid stepping out of my bounds again, how shall I address you?â
âœErr, well...Iâm fine with you calling me by my name-â The look the two undead give you causes a swallow to lump up your throat, âœb-but I guess otherâs arenât so keen on the idea, though, I canât honestly expect you to address me as âmy creator.â Especially since I didnât bring you to lifeââ At least you donât think you did. This world may very well be Midgard brought into physical life, âœSo...I-mmm...might I suggest the termââ
Jest and Nictis wonât accept anything other than an esteemed title a noble would have but lord or lady would mean that Sebas would still have to say your name unless he uses âœmy.â Not to mention that he is a butler to another ruler. If he referred to you as âœmy anythingâ at any time that could look strange. You donât want to be called Majesty since itâd confuse you with the name of your Anointed. Plus this may be how youâll be referred to now and forever as long as youâre here.
Damn it. You donât care! Youâre 100% fine with being referred to your username. Itâs how players referred to you, even outside the game, so youâve gotten used to it. Itâs almost a nickname to you now...maybe even a second name. Not to mention that SÅsaku-sha isnât actually your avatarâs real name. It was changed due to the audience being mostly Japanese so it could be more easily understood the way it is now. Originally, it was Norse to match the whole âœcreator of Yggdrasil'' gambitâ
What if...why donât you use your avatarâs original name then? Yeah, that shouldn't be an issue!
Letâs use ᛋášá›…á›'á›…ášá›-
Golden glittery light fills your sight the moment your avatarâs true name passes through your mind and sputters out into sparks right after.
â.Ehhhh?!
What the heck was that?! Was that a magical attack?!-Mmm, no, thatâs not right. Ject and Nictis would have reacted...in fact, no one seems to have seen what you have. And what happened to your inner voice when you thought of ᛋášá›…á›'á›…ášá›-
Once again, the yellow sparkles come into existence at you repeating the name in your head.
...ahhh!!
So it must have something to do with your true avatarâs name. Uttering it that is. So what would happen if you or someone else said-erk!...the name?...
Something to test later, you figure. Now, however, you donât have a lot of time to think about this since Sebas is expecting an answer. So, not wanting to give him the wrong impression, trust your gut instinct and blirt out the first thing that comes to your mind that isnât- âœCreatorrrââ
â.
Wait. Shit! Way to go brain! You already said that you wouldnât make the man call you by what your NPCs do!
âœYou want me...to call you by your original title?â
âœN-no, I donât want you to refer to me as âmy creator.â What Iâm saying isââ Come on brain! Donât fail me twice! âœYeeeeou can refer to me as âthe creatorâ...that way there wonât be any issues on either side. A compromise, hahaâthat is until we find a more suitable name...â
Nailed it. Youâre number one at being a complete dingbat, thatâs what you are! You were trying to downgrade yourself but you didnât change a thing!
âœAh, wonderful. Shall I also refer to your...servants in a different manner as well?â
âœSer-â You personally feel that theyâre your colleagues. Equals rather than those below you. However, thatâs the truth. They are servants to your avatar. You want to correct Sebas but the Reborn will throw another fuss at your lie, possibly digging you deeper into the grave that youâve been set in. âœNo, Iâm sure they donât mind being addressed by the name Iâve given them.â
âœOf course! We honor our names!â âœWe wouldn't want to be called by anything else.â
âœVery well. Would the creator like to follow me? Iâll escort you inside now if you wish.â
âœYes, please. Weâve held you up long enough, good sir.â You try to make your smile apparent in your words since you canât express it physically.
âœThen, please, follow behind me.â He turns smoothly, not an ounce of etiquette missed in his movements as he starts a leisurely pace.
Your group of three still keep your distance as you tail the butler but the two NPCs have slightly changed their positions around you, Jest being in your front while Nictis behind you. You appreciate their want to protect you...but some of the things they said may have ruined the veil you were trying to develop to shield your identity by screeching out that youâre royalty or even a-a god?!
Youâre either going to be seen as some nut job or a threat.
The latter is more likely unfortunately since Sebas has seen some of your skillsâ
Uwah...this sucks...but is it too late to shift these bindings? Maybe you can build up a good persona? One that bypasses your threat and more so to appear friendly?
Youâre honest with yourself in that youâre not in the best position but that shouldnât stop you from trying.
If youâre compliant and non-threatening these people may be more complacent and tame in how they treat you. Anger and fear are a crock-pot for bad decision making. If you play into what the two undead are endorsing, youâll all have trouble. So by being peaceful and keeping the two in check, it may not add fuel to the flames. Also, youâre not sure how your stats from Yggdrasil correlate in this situation as youâre still SÅsaku-sha. You may have your magic somewhat but itâd be foolish to put it to the test in violent acts.
But, unfortunately, you donât know what type of people these royals(?) are. Thereâs a possibility that theyâre animated NPCs but you canât be sure. Things could turn for the worst if youâre not careful.
Itâs in your best interest for you three to remain passive no matter how threatening they may become. Your main goal in doing this is to gain information on your situation but if they try to harm youâ
Youâre not sure what youâll do. Run? Defend yourself? Take it?
Best that you think on it but you will focus on how you should interact with these people peacefully.
â.
Maybe chatting is the first step?
Bracing yourself, you speak, âœ...umu...Sebas?â
âœYes?â He turns his head ever so slightly to your query.
âœCould I ask about this place? Iâve never seen it before.â
âœAhââ You canât see his expression but the way his voice responded to your question...and that he seems to be in contemplation sounds- âœAre you from around here?â
âœE-ehââ Crap! Think! What would be a good excuse! Theyâre probably some well-known estate in this area! M-maybe you can go with your original idea! âœNo, sir. Iâm...a traveler. I hadnât seen any settlements for a while and I had become curious when I saw the walls.â Yes! That sounded believable! Itâs true. Not a single one of you three had seen a single settlement until you had stumbled upon this abode. This is a great alibi-
âœOh? So you must have been to many great places and seen quite the sights.â
âœUh...I guess soââ Wait, no! Back up-
âœAh, how wonderful. I would love to hear about your adventures. I can only imagine what youâve experienced.â
â.
FUUUCCK!!! Way to go you!!! Youâve dug the grave many times deeper than what the undead did! How are you supposed to get out of this?!!
âœHaha, yes...but Iâve been around many lands...and the stories I have are...long. I wouldnât want to waste your precious time. You are the head butler of this estate, after all. Iâm sure your duties are more important than indulging in a hermitâs tells.â
âœNonsense. You are a guest of my lord and as long as you are so, I am a humble servant to you.â
GOD DAMN IT!!! NO!
âœA-ah...of course...thank you...but stories like these are served best over food. Am I correct?â
âœIt is as you say.â
Phew- Bought some time to attempt to fix this mess!
Maybe you should just let them think youâre crazy...but you donât want the first people you interact with within this world to look down on you in such a manner...No, youâll never allow yourself to be looked down upon by lesser beings, mere humans. Youâd rather die before letting that happen.
â
Wow, your pride has amped it up. Yeeeokay, itâs okay. You have time to thinkâ
Augh...you shouldnât have opened your mouth in the first placeâ
Hey, wait a minute! He never answered your question! âœSo what is this place, Sebas?â
âœHere?â There it is again, the strange lip in his voice. It was there when you first asked about the estate. He takes a moment like he did the other time but he does answer, âœThis is the Great Tomb of Nazarick, home to my lord-â
âœWhat.â
You stop dead in your tracks, your mind completely going blank the moment the words exited the manâs mouth.
âœMy creator-â
âœRepeat what you just said.â Ignoring the NPCâs inquiry you focus on Sebas who has now turned back to you fully.
âœ...This is the Great Tomb of Nazarick...Is there something the matter?â
Remaining shell shocked, your blank mind now explodes with countless thoughts, your head snapping in the direction of the gray walls.
You hadnât misheard him! He said it! He said this is the Great Tomb of Nazarick! But is it the same one?! Is it the same guild-based dungeon that exists from Helheim?! Is it the same fortress from your game YGGDRASIL?!! Itâs a dungeon recommended for level 80 players to beat in one attempt. Whatâs it doing here?! And, more importantly, wasnât it beaten and taken over by that guild?!
One of the most infamous guilds across the nine worlds!
One of the top guilds in the entire game!!
The first-ever guild to beat and KILL SÅsaku-sha!!!
AINZ OOAL GOWN!!!
Are the players from that guild here?! Are any of them here at all or is it just their base if it is their base?! Is this Sebas fellow...No, heâs not a player. He would have immediately recognized you if he was. He might be one of their NPCs but youâre not certain! You must ask!
âœSebas,â You turn back, walking forward and around Jest until youâre six feet away from the gentleman, âœthis is very important to me so please answer truthfully.â You extend your arms out in front of you in a pleading manner to try to show that youâre of no harm when you notice the shift in the butler's body. Like a wall being built up. âœWho are your masters? I may know them.â
âœ...â Sebas only stares at you as you finish your plee, prompting the wrath of the undead once more.
âœAnswer the creatorâs-â âœThe creator asked you a-â
âœQ u i e t.â
Silence is a long stretch on both sides after your command. However, the silence coming from the man is an infuriating pest since you just want to hear the three magical words.
That youâre not alone or that Ainz Ooal Gown is here.
You wouldnât be lying if you said you wanted to strangle the answers out of the old man because thatâs how desperate the want has blossomed forth-Noâ
Taking a moment to real yourself back and think, you nod with a sigh.
âœOkay. I get it. We are strangers to you. You donât know our intentions and our brashness has not painted us in the best light. You donât want to put Nazarick in harmâs way by answering but I promise you, with the entirety of my soul, if your masters are who I think they are, you have just gained a friend of not only me but all of my colleagues.â
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...very well.â You almost cry out in joy when you hear those words. Balling your fists in front of your chest and hopping slightly on the balls of your feet, the urge to scream out, âœspit it outâ almost comes to fruition; but seeing Sebas sucking in air through his nose you hold back to let him speak. âœThe masters I serve are the supreme beings, the one of which I currently serve is my lord Momonga.â
âœMomonga? Momonga!â THE GUILD LEADER MOMONGA IS HERE! SUZUKI SATORU IS HERE!!
With your skin exploding in green, you jump in the air with a scream. âœYES!! Yes! I knew it!!!â You land back down on the grass still jumping for joy, âœWho else is here?! Bellriver? Luciâ…Fer? Herohero? Are they all here?! Touch Me and Warrior Takemikazuchi! Are they here too?!â
For the first time since youâve met Sebas, his expression changes as you listed the members of Ainz Ooal Gown. One of great surprise, sharp eyes growing wide and mouth going agape at your knowledge.
âœYou...you even know of lord Touch Me?!â
âœOf course! We became somewhat acquainted after he came along with most of Ainz Ooal Gown to-â You stop yourself when you realize you were about to say, âœbeat me.â Not only would that look bad to Sebas but to Jest and Nictis as well. What would happen if either side learned that the reason you know the guild is because you killed each other? Eeeee, best not to bring that up at all. âœ-tooooo my realm. Is Touch Me particularly special to you?â
âœGreatly so. My supreme being gave me life.â
âœAh! So you're his!â You thought he was an NPC, not to mention why his face looked familiar! He looks like him! Not to mention how Sebas calls him and the others supreme beings. It must be similar to how your NPCs call you the creator. âœTouch Me must have talked about me at some point and you overheard him. Thatâs why you recognized my name earlier.â
âœAwh.â Sebasâ eyes brighten considerably at the newfound knowledge you provided about his lord and creator.
âœMy creator, the people you speak of, are they Reborn?â
âœOh no, Nictis.â You turn your body so your sides face the audience on either-or, âœNone of them are Reborn. Theyâre all like me...or similar to what I am.â
âœWhat?! Are you saying there are more like you out there?!â Jest red eyes bulge out from his sockets, flabbergasted by the concept.
âœI-Impossible!â Nictis jaws clack as he roars, âœNo one can match our creator!â
âœHeh heh, thank you but no. Theyâre more like me than you realize but there are our differences.â
But the fact that there are players!
Guess youâre fulfilling your promise sooner than expected.
âœSebas, can you take me to them? I have to see them. Something has happened...Iâm guessing thatâs why youâre out here beyond Nazarick.â
âœYes...Iâve been sent out to investigate the condition of our surroundings.â
So thatâs why there is a butler out in the middle of a field! âœMph, thatâs why Iâm out here too. It turns out we all may be in bigger trouble than we initially thought since Iâve seen where we are.â
âœIs Nazarick in danger?â
âœFor now, I donât think so but that can change at a moment's notice. If it was this easy for me to find this place who knows who else can. Weâll all need to share our combined knowledge of what weâve found so far to avoid that scenario for either of us. Can you use Message to contact any of your supreme beings to notify them that Iâm coming? Theyâll know who I am if you inform them of my name. If you need a Message scroll I have one on me.â Although you distaste the thought of burning through consumables, especially now and after you already used up your summoning scroll. Guess thatâs another issue youâll have to deal with.
âœHmm, yes. That would be wise...I can Message lord Momonga. Will it be alright if I speak your name for this?â
âœYes, Iâm completely fine with it. Especially if it notifies him that Iâm here.â
âœVery well. Iâll speak to my lord.â Raising a hand to his temple he activates the spell. You donât hear what Sebas does but you can hear what he says to the player. âœ...No, my lord. I have contacted you for another matter. Iâve come across some individuals during my investigation. One claims that they know of lord Momonga and the rest of the supreme beingsââââ.No. They informed me that their name is SÅsaku-sha. They said that you may know themââââââ.. My lord?...Yes. They areââ.They are servants to themâ...Iâll do so immediately.â He drops his hand and nods to you, âœLord Momonga wishes to see you. Iâll escort you to his desired meeting place.â
âœThank you so very much. This is an odd situation for all of us. We all need to work together as best we can.â
âœAgreed. Please follow me. Iâll lead you to him.â
Once again, you four walk-in unison over the grassy fields, ever closer to the walls of Nazarick.
To think a second ago that you were freaking out and cursing your existence about how you were going to explain your stories as a traveler to the butler and whoever else thatâd be listening in.
You feel way more relieved in how the situation unfolded. Thank goodness you didnât leave earlier. You would have completely missed the opportunity to meet up with the players of Ainz Ooal Gown. You would have come back at a later time but still, to learn that there are actual people here that are from Earth comes to great comfortâ
But how will they see this? You couldnât hear what Momonga said to Sebas so you have no idea whether he feels as relieved as you are or if heâs furious. Not to mention the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown. You know that some of them have families of their own. Spouses and children. Sebasâ creator, Touch Me falls into that category. No doubt theyâll want answersâ
Unfortunately you donât have many.
Frustration and blame will be unavoidable, youâre sure, but you donât want any of these people to hate you for this...though you canât blame them. Your game did something. Itâs partially your fault but not your fault at the same time. Nevertheless, youâll accept the blame as long as their anger towards you doesnât put your life at risk. This isnât...this isnât a game anymore. Death doesnât just mean you can reload with some level loss. It could be something quite more permanent now.
You wonât allow anyone to harm you to that extent but to say that you donât deserve a good beating for this situation may be a little ways from the truth. You donât...actually...you donât seem to mind much getting beat up for some reason...yeah, thatâs incredibly odd. You were fearful of the NPCs back in your realm turning on you but you also held incredible aggression for Sebas if heâd try anythingâ.
So why donât you feel anything...except anticipation at the thought of Ainz Ooal Gown fighting you?
Thatâs incredibly odd...but no matter how much you think about it you canât seem to shake the feeling of excitement lingering in your chest-
âœMy creator,â Jest whispers with a wild look over his shoulder, âœthereâs eyes on us.â
âœO-oh?â Taken aback from his expression you are slow to continue your inquiry, âœCan you tell who and where?â
âœItâs hard to make out their appearance since theyâre so far away up above us. The clouds mask their presence and they seem to be using magic to mask their presence but the eyes youâve given me canât be fooled.â
âœMmmââ You extend your senses above in search of the one Jest informed you of. It takes you a good minute of raking your eyes across the night sky but you eventually do notice, when a small cloud moves out of the way, a sparkle of something shiny.
Wow, no wonder you didnât feel them with your sixth sense! Theyâre so far away!
Honing into the shape, your vision shutters and zooms in like putting on a pair of binoculars. It makes it hard for you to focus on walking but your vision provides you with a clear image of a dark maid, plated in shiny gold and silver armor. Although her expression is nothing but sour, you canât deny her beauty. Snow-white skin cradled by raven-black hair tied up into a ponytail, reminding you of an ebony ribbon blowing in the slight breeze. A white bonnet sits above it all like a crown, finishing her regal look. What you pay particular attention to is the golden staff plated in silver which she is holding.
Hm, with that weapon, you assume sheâs mainly a magic-user if the outfit and the invisibility spells werenât a big enough hint. Most likely a Mage but with the armor, you think Armored Mage is a huge certainty. What type of magic she excels in is a little bit more difficult to collect on sight alone but you can automatically cancel out off the top of your head Druid, Cleric, a few Elemental classes, and Beast Tamer. To learn anything else youâd have to use evaluation spells or even see her power.
Zooming your vision back in your surroundings comes back to you. âœIs there anyone else?â
âœIâm positive that there isnât.â
Which means heâs not certainâmm... âœYou did a good job, Jest.â
âœHuhu~â Needles fill his face as he smiles wickedly, his whispers coming out with all the more delight, âœall to protect you, my creator. How shall we act?â
âœHmââ The maid didnât seem to be doing anything wrong but considering your situation, eyes from someone unknown is dangerous. Though...you do think this woman is an NPC like Sebas. A butler and a maid. You can see a pattern...plus, if Sebas found you so easily youâd think heâs aware of the woman.
However, you can never be too safe.
âœLeave this to me.â Jest nods when you turn your attention to the older gentleman, âœSebas?â
âœYes, creator?â
âœI donât want to alarm you but weâve noticed someone watching us. Is the maid in the sky a colleague of yours?â
âœYouâve noticed her.â He nods his head slightly but doesnât turn, âœYes, do not be alarmed. She was helping me collect information on our surroundings.â Sebas stops to wave a hand to the floating figure, signaling them to come down.
âœAh, thatâs a relief. For a second there we thought we were in trouble.â We probably still are but you donât want your anxious thoughts to peek through too much.
The maid from the sky disappears for a split second upon seeing Sebas signal only to reappear beside him.
âœLord Sebas.â
âœNaberal, weâre returning under command of Lord Momonga.â
Her dark eyes expand, her gaze darting back and forth between the butler and you three.
Looks like she doesnât know what transpired between Sebas and your group. She must have not been listening in but was watching.
Guess you should fill her in-
âœAre you not going to acknowledge being in the presence of the grand creator?â
âœEh?â Your awkward noise leaks out in response to Nictisâ hiss.
Naberalâs brows pinch, echoing your title, âœCreator?â quizzically as her eyes rake over you, leveling you up you suspect.
âœYes,â Sebas answers, his sharp gaze connecting with the womanâs, âœThe creator along with their servants, Jest and Nictis, were personally invited by Lord Momonga to meet him. The creator seems to have some friendly history with our supreme beings so, because of this, they desire to assist us.â
âœIs that so?â Naberal and Sebas stare at each other, sharing a silent message it seems until Sebas continues.
âœYes. They even spoke of lord Touch Me and a few of our other supreme beings.â
Naberalâs cold expression changes similar to how Sebasâ did when you first brought up the playerâs names, âœWhat?! Really?â
âœIs your creator also Touch Me?â
âœH-huh...no,â The maid turns back to you with a mixed look, âœLordâ.Lord Nishikienrai created me.â
âœOh!â Another bout of green blossoms across your skin to the memories of the player fighting you. âœNishikienrai, the true ninja, huh? I remember how heâd run circles around me. Haha!â
That guy role played his character to a t, focusing all of his abilities on speed and offense. It tremendously helped him in evading your attacks and knocking back a good nick of your HP but when you activated wide AOE attacks it didnât serve him well, especially ones that immobilized movement. A player with low defense stuck in the hitbox of an OP GM boss usually spells out bad news.
He learned his lesson in the first battle because the second time Ainz Ooal Gown challenged you he stuck with the guerilla warfare tactic along with his teammates, never trying to get an extra hit in. You werenât an AI so you could react faster and smarter. So only hitting you once and running away was a good way to stay alive.
âœHe did?!â Nabreal gasps alongside your NPCs.
âœThereâs a being that can do that to you, my creator?!â
âœYes and others too. Thatâs what kind of pl-beings they areâ.hey, Iâll tell you what, while we make our way to Momonga we can chat...well, if youâd like to hear my history with your...supreme beings that is.â
The two NPCs of Ainz Ooal Gown both brighten up considerably but itâs only the butler who spares you a smile.
âœWeâd love to.â
âœHaha, very good. I guess I should start with the first time I had come into contact with Ainz Ooal Gown...though, their guild hadnât even been formed yet.â Sebas and Naberal walk in your front leading you ever nearer to the heart of Nazarick. âœEven so, the first of your supreme beings I had come across was none other than Touch Me.â
âœReally?â Sebas once more sounds greatly pleased at the mention of his creator.
âœMm.â You smile inwardly as you reminisce on your memories of Yggdrasil and, as you get more comfortable, the more you slip into the character you lived as for seven years, âœIt was a grand tournament, spoken of for many months across Yggdrasil to be a time for the greatest of martial artists to test their skills and claim victory over all. It was held once in every one of the nine worlds the great tree processed. It promised gold, glory, and more to the victors of each game. However, above it all, whoever would stand on top at the end of the tournament would gain possession of a special class, World Champion. This drew fighters far and wide to shoot a chance to gain the title and crowds of millions to watch.â
It was the first anniversary of Yggdrasil so you and a few others had gotten together to come up with an idea to celebrate and hype up your game once more to bring players together. Publicity and money were a huge factor as well. So what better way than a tournament?
Conflict is great eye candy to the audience your game catered to since thatâs really what most of D is, what your game is based on.
âœI was present at every single one of those games. I wasnât there to fight but rather to watch. Itâs exciting to see what skills pl-em...the competitors came up with. Very educating and entertaining indeed. So, I couldnât help but notice those who fought their way to the top. Ãlfheimrâs tournament was where I first met him. It was an extremely rewarding experience to watch the competitors climb one by one to the top. Eventually, it was just a Minotaur named Voss versus Touch Me. Many laughed at the irony of an insect fighting a bull.â
âœThe crowd laughed at my lord?â Oh, he doesnât sound pleased in the slightest.
âœYeah...kind of...they were laughing at both of the fighters really. Demi-humans and heteromorphs were looked down upon due to...numerous reasons across the nine worlds. Plus, it was a mixed group in rooting for Touch Me, since many wanted to see an underdog win, and others who wanted to see him lose; saying they wanted the bull to...ahem...forgive me since this is probably rough to hear but they wanted to see him squished like the bug he is.â
The sudden cold breeze that comes out of nowhere causes a shiver to take hold of your shoulders but itâs gone as soon as Sebas places a gloved hand on Naberalâs shoulder. You hardly notice how the undead guarding you went on the defensive, instead watching the two individuals interact.
âœNaberal.â
âœF-forgive me. Imagining lord Touch Me treated in such a disgusting manner infuriated me.â
âœH-hey, itâs not all bad.â Sensing the drop in mood, you attempt to lift it back up though you hardly know what had occurred. âœRight before the match started, the two got to have a chance to say a few choice words for everyone to hear before they fought. Though Voss talked some big game, very hilariously haughty and stereotypical for a Minotaur indeed, Touch Me had some profound things to say. It was about justice for the abused and how heâll protect the weak. Overall moving to the heart. A reason he joined the tournament, he later told me, was to make a statement about how justice will always prevail and to display the power of the discriminated. It didnât seem that he let the crowd get under his skin-or...uh, his exoskeleton.
âœHe held true to his goal and defeated Voss. It was a close match but he won nevertheless. The crowd went crazy after that, chanting his name to his victory and spoke years later of his exploits.â In other words, he became an inside joke amongst the Yggdrasil community but no way you were going to say that. âœTouch Meâs achievement got marked down in history across the nine worlds and he became the World Champion of Ãlfheimr. He was also awarded with the armor he named Compliance with Law. Seems that it became his main form of equipment from then on because Iâve never seen him without it from that day onward. Though it makes sense. That is a very good set of armor.â
âœ...â
âœ...â
âœ...â
Concerned with the silence you utter a small âœUh...â
âœOh, I apologize. Donât mind me. Iâm...overjoyed to hear about my creator.â
Naberal nods to the butlerâs words, causing you to clear your voice. âœYou must love him then.â
âœOf course. More so than anything.â
That sounds just like your NPCs...theyâve been overprotective and loyal to you so far.
You wonder how worried sick they must be with you gone.
Swallowing to that thought, you continue. âœT-then I believe youâd be happy to hear that out of all the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, Iâm most familiar with Touch Me. Itâs not a lot but I have a few other stories about him if youâd like to listen.â
The old man looks over his shoulder with bright, hopeful eyes that come unexpectedly to you, âœYes, please. Weâd be honored to hear more.â
âœHaha, very well.â Looking up at the starry sky, you wonder whatâs going on in your realm while youâre away as you fall deeper into memory lane. âœIt wasnât long after the tournament that Iâd see Touch Me again, for there was held a final match where the world champions from each of the nine realms would fight to see whoâs the greatest amoungst themâ
â—
âœAre you all sure none of you have other duties you need to be off fulfilling?â
The centaur stomps his foot as he finishes his question, glaring suspiciously at his compatriots.
âœOf course! I wouldnât dream of goinâ against de words of our creader!â A hiss from underneath a white and gold cloak is the first and immediate reply to the slightly accusatory prompt but isnât the last.
âœI concur with Bizerkâs statement.â Alvaraâs soft voice commands attention amongst the five in attendance, âœAnyone here who doesnât agree is a traitor to our loving master. I hope that isnât the case?â
âœYes. . There. Should. Not. Be. Any. One. Here. Who. Has. Not. Made. Arrangements.â
âœHm. Good.â Alvara nods once, her green eyes trailing and eyeing up everyone who is in attendance.
In the middle of the sky arena awaiting their creatorâs return is all of the Anointed.
First is the overseer of the Heroâs Hypogeum, Dastgir. He is a giant of a hybrid centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance with his toned arms crossed. Long goat ears flick frustratedly causing his many earrings to clink together, huffing to continue watching the Seiun.
Second is the overseer of the Commune Workshops, Bizerk. No one knows what kind of creature the Anointed is, even he is in debate. However, Bizerk claims that he has heard their creator describing his form as rubber hose and cartoon-like on a few occasions. Although Alvara doesnât understand what that means, she respects her creator and their creations so Bizerkâs form only fills her with wonder for their masterâs creativity. However, none of his form is visible underneath his robe, only his single white eye peeks out of the shade of the fabric..
Third is the overseer of the Living Quarters, Kendria. She is currently cowering behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from sight. She is a young but very shy angel, hardly ever coming out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total at the moment. Despite her hiding, Alvara can clearly see her big blue eyes out from behind her pristine wings glittering tearfully as she watches the storm clouds along with the giant she clutches to.
Fourth is herself as the overseer of the Great Hall. She shifts uneasily on her feet, the pit in her stomach curling uncomfortably as she looks to the last member of the Anointed.
Fifth is the overseer of the Treasury, Majesty. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space, the only solace in this downright stressful situation.
The fact that their grand creator had left to go out into the unknown.
Alvara winces again in memory that they werenât able to convince them to stay behind and let their servants act on their behalf. If she had, their loving creator wouldnât be in harm's way at the moment.
Just the thought of them getting hurt makes Alvara want to pull her hair out and spill her blood in grief!
If their creator gets harmed in any way sheâll never forgive herself! Thatâs why she prays that they return safely and shortly before the time they set for themselves allots out.
However, the gnawing in Alvaraâs gut spurs her to anxiously repeat the same question she has been to the Automaton, âœHow long has it been since we got word of our creatorâs command?â
âœApproximately. Fifty. Three. Minutes. And. Twenty. Nine. Seconds.â
âœAlmost a whole hour nowââ The human whimpers as she turns her gaze up to the sky, conflict splayed out on her features.
What could hold up their creator for so long?
âœWell, dis sucks.â Bizerk huffs dejectedly. âœI was hopinâ dat Iâd be able to gaze upon deir glorious form soonerââ
âœBah!â Dastgir bears his fangs in a grimace to the remark âœOf course thatâs what would be on your mind, gremlin.â
âœAw! Donât tell me dat you donât enjoy beinâ in de presence of such an awe inspirinâ being. Who wouldnât shiver just at de mere concept of such a privilege? Donât be a hypocrite, Dastgir.â
âœIâm sure we both have two entirely different reasons for wanting to be blessed in such a way.â
âœBut ya still want what I want. Fuhuhu~â Bizerk shakes his head as his thin black arms slip out from underneath his cloak, splitting it wide open from the neck down. His body mimics that of the grinch and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. White circles droop down his admin similar to buttons but they appear more like targets. âœYou and I are alike whetha ya like it or not.â
âœGrrr, unfortunately.â His ears flick again frustratedly at the comparison to which Bizerk only chortles in reply.
âœNever de less, our creader is amazinâ for a reason. Although dis is an entirely unprecedented situation, dey are actinâ for de best of de realm.â
âœWhat. Do. You. Mean. Question. Mark.â Majestyâs floating headpiece turns mid-air to the Anointed. Bizerkâs claim also calls attention from all the other Anointed in attendance.
âœAve none of you puzzled it together?â His eye glistens as it turns within the shade of his hood, âœWell, Iâll remind you all of what we already know. One of de many reasons our creader went with de reconnaissance team was because of deir knowledge on de worlds deyâve creaded. Even de Reborn arenât guaranteed ta recognize de outside. No matta ow ya look at it, dey are best fit ta recognize whatâs right and wrong...despite ow aggravatinâ dat is.â A hard sigh clips its way out from behind the dark beingâs lips. âœDeyâre powerful and knowledgeable beyond our comprehension...but dey wouldnât needlessly put demselves in arms way. Dey ave more motive dan just beinâ better suited. If dat were de case, I hardly believe dey would have left de way dey didââ His eye rolls over to take note of Alvaraâs complex expression with a calculated gaze. âœI find it hard to believe dat such a pinnacle mind would act only on any one reason! Datâs why Iâve come up wit a few theories of my own.â
âœW-wuââ A soft shaky peep makes itself known from beneath the legs of the centaur. Kendria shrinks down some but wills herself to finish her inquiry. âœW-what have...you c-come up with?â
âœIâm glad youâve asked!â Fangs appear out from around Bizerkâs eye but the source is still encased in shadow, leaving the pearly whites to float around in the darkness of the hood. âœLet me answer by askinâ a rhetorical question! What caters more respect, a leader who commands or a leader who acts?â He spins before pointing one red claw up towards the sky, âœBut of course! Actions speak louder dan words ever could! Our creader is displayinâ deir grand leadership in dis matter of ability. Doinâ so, dey are commandinâ our respect. In uder words, dey are puttinâ up face or...playinâ der part in difficult circumstances ta keep da peace.â
âœThey donât have to act anything!â Alvara squints her eyes with a pinch of her brows. âœTheyâre the creator. They donât have to work for our respect since they already deserve that and more for everything that theyâve already done for us.â
âœAlthough I agree wit you, de way de Reborn explained ow our creader had been actinâ in addition to your own recollection as me believe dey feel obligated ta not just be de creader but ta also act accordinâ to deir tidle. Wit dat said, I feel da need to retell what Iâve once ovaâeard dem quote ta give you all a better understandinâ of der thoughts. Dat quote was, 'past givinâs donât excuse current negligence.â Dis may be a reason why deyâre peforminâ as dey are...because dey may feel dat doinâ good once doesn't merit our infinite praise. Not only are dey statinâ dat but also settinâ an example for us. Deyâre indirectly sayinâ dat we must constantly do our part as deir servants as dey do as de creader so we can continue ta show our usefulness.â
Static erupts from the processing unit in Majesty before their speaker kicks back up. âœThat. Actually. Makes. Some. Sense.â
âœHuh? Seriously Majesty?â Alvara darts her head in between the two anointed.
âœI hate to agree with Bizerk,â Alvara snaps her neck to Dastgirâs grumble, âœbut I am. If our creator insists on lowering themselves for our sakes it only makes sense that theyâd also do so to raise us to their expectations.â
âœBut they donât need to! Our creator needs simply to command it of us and itâll be done!â
âœHmm...Alvara...you were able ta spend some time wit our creader before dey departed. Did it strike you in any way dat dey just want you ta follow orders?â
âœYes, of course...â She trails off when she recalls her creatorâs mannerisms with a bite of her lip.
The all the more wise Anointed catches onto the womanâs hesitation and urges her with a palm, âœWell?â
âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvara clenches her fists with a pout, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvaraâs pout only grows at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she feels so helpless. She wasnât able to assist them at all...and the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all of the Anointed stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes start to glitter as they fill up with tears. âœAnd not just that, our creator was and still seems filled with so much anxiety...I just wish that there was some way for me to help themââ
âœ...We are helping.â Dastgirâs voice is low as he answers, âœWeâre doing what has been commanded of us and are ready to welcome back our creator properly at a moment's notice, as they should be when they return.â He stomps his back hoof, the one the angel isnât clinging to, before continuing. âœIf they donât weâll be the first to act in the way weâve been advised. Iâve already delegated my soldiers to start forming an extraction squad for us to use if the time comes. However, let us hope that such a situation doesnât arise.â
âœMmmm,â Alvara whines at the warriorâs gloomy words which prompts her to turn to Majesty once again, âœhow long has it been?â
âœApproximately. Fifty. Eight. Minutes. And. Fifty. Four. Seconds.â
The Anointed fall silent, the only noise being the hum of the robotâs engine, as they wait in the sky arena, clinging onto their shared wish.
That you shall return safely soonâ
Back to Nazarick.
Chapter End Notes
Haha! Were you thinking we'd be seeing Momo this chapter? Sorry. The chapter wouldn't have been posted if I continued it any further. Though I'm just as feverish to write it as you all are to read it, we'll have to be patient till it's time for me to post the continuation.
However, I must note, I may not be able to update for next month. I'll try but circumstances are calling for my attention elsewhere.
I'm in my last semester of college and getting ready for graduation. My professor literally told us, on the first day of class, that we'd have grayer hair than them by the end. The number of major projects we have to dish out has legitimately been quadrupled. Plus, I'm taking an extra class just to meet all of my credit hours. If that doesn't keep my hands full, I'm helping with the hospice of my grandmother right now. She...doesn't have long so my family is trying to make her as comfortable as possible and settling her bills before then. With the lack of available hands and how busy we all are, my family doesn't even have time to cook ourselves meals. We're having wonderful friends of ours who've volunteered to bring us meals every day to make up for that.
In short, I've never been busier in my entire life and it's only going to get worse as time goes on. It's a gigantic amount of work with all of it combined and I may be forced to stop producing chapters for a while. I'm NOT quitting on this fic though. I'll write whenever I have free time but if I do not update for a while, this is the reason. I will continue to post updates on my situation but until then I hope you all are doing tremendously better than we are and that my work brings you all joy.
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: I WILL RETURN
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to search for the issue by focusing on reconnaissance.
Chapter Notes
Hey, BBS here. I honestly don't know how I was able to make this chapter in time. 2021 is not going well for me, exactly like I thought it would, so I'm glad I wrote ahead. BTW, 🎉it's the first anniversary of GOAWNL!!!🎉 Hope you enjoy this chapter because I know a lot of you have been looking forward to this!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: I WILL RETURN
âœY-yes, of course.â You hum as you make up your mind.
This is an entirely unprecedented and impossible situation to be in and just as much as youâre curious, youâre also confused and afraid.
While there will be times when things donât go according to plan and youâll have to accommodate to those changes, it would look bad on your part if you went back on one of the first things you said youâd do. Especially if itâs avoidable and not urgent.
How would the NPCs view a ruler who doesnât do as they say? Youâd rather not risk it.
Not to mention what could be within this fortress. Your past gamer instincts scream at you not to just trust a random stranger, no matter how polite they've been. More often than not and even in Yggdrasil, situations like this were hot spots for traps or enemy encounters. Not to mention outside your game, unfortunately. Stranger danger is nailed into the minds of every person on Earth. Even in this new world, that shouldn't change.
Your mind supplies you that any gamer shouldnât be focused too much on what gems or chests could be lying in wait to be looted but rather whatâll be in your way to get to such treasures.
Thereâs a good reason why most only remember the first part of the quote, âcuriosity killed the catâ.
Youâd rather take this slow and safe than fast and reckless.
You nod before turning your head to look up into the sky where you believe your realm is, âœWeâll be there shortly. Meet us in the exact place we departed from one another.â
âœThank you, my creator. Weâll be ready to retrieve you.â
âœMm.â Your message is cut off as you drop your hand, staring out at the sky for a moment or so, before turning back to the two. âœJest, Nictis, as you may have heard, we are heading back." Your vision notifies you that Sebas is still standing there listening. Although you want to continue, you should have a more qualified and larger group for this. However, we did secure this area and gained some insight more or less. Plus, you've found civilization and people to converse with. Youâll count that as a success.
âœYes, of course, my creator.â Jest bows his head respectfully alongside Nictis but the Disciple almost looks forlorn in your sight.
Knowing thatâs possibly because he was having fun, a pinching sensation takes hold of your chest.
Iâm sorry! I promise youâll get more opportunities to go out and explore in the future!
"Sebas."
"Yes?"
"Would it be alright for us to return? At a later time that is." No way you're not going to somehow come back. You need knowledge. "Is...a day from now a good time? Not tomorrow but the day after that?"
"...You and your...companions are welcome to come back any time."
"We are servants to our creator." Jest remarks, Nictis nodding in agreeance. "It would be haughty of us to think of ourselves as anything else."
"I see." Sebas strokes his beard with his free hand but nods, "Nevertheless, our doors will remain open to you all."
âœThank you." You bow your head out of respect and the butler does the same. "Well then, we must hurry. My buffs wonât last much longer and we shouldnât keep the others waiting...butââ Hopefully it works, you think.
Despite Gate being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up...though you still donât know if that is still a thing. Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but right now theyâre not important.
Since you and your allies explored the area around the Seiun you donât think there will be an issue. Besides, if you canât summon it for some reason you can use flying spells to get back.
Wait...space...
Your hand falters when you look over to the two undead then to Sebas, âœU-uh, Iâm going to attempt to make a Gate. Since itâll be opening up into...a strange place Iâm worried that itâllââ Whatâs another word or phrase for vacuum? âœ...the air around us could be viciously sucked into the portal. Just...be prepared for that outcome so none of you will get hurt by flying debris.â
âœWonât our creator also be at risk?â
âœOh, well...yes. Most likely.â
âœThen allow me to protect you!â Jest jumps forward almost causing you to walk back in response.
âœEr-ah-mm, thank you.â You nod, allowing Jest to take a wide stance in front of you to face the direction your arm is pointed in.
A skewed expression would be apparent if you had a face still.
How the hell is he expecting to protect me by doing that? Heâd just get sucked in faster than me! You might even end up being the one protecting him.
Nictis, on the other hand, positions himself behind you where Jest should have been and opens his huge gray hands out to your sides, ready to catch you at a moment's notice.
Knowing Nictis has the sense of the group, a sigh leaves as you steady your arm, âœIt may not be the case but if this does start sucking air in try to go through it moderately quick. Weâll be in danger the longer itâs open.â
âœRight!â
Repeating what you had when you cast Chaos Bolt you do the same as you call out "Gate!â in a strong distorted voice.
A great deal of energy suddenly feels sapped out of you when a flash of purple bursts out in the space ahead. The light dims some as is replaced by a darker force, spreading its edges until it is wide enough for all of you to slip through but what remains at the center of the portal is the strange violet light. It seems to be pulsating and drawing magic to its center.
Success! And it didnât even become a vacuum like you thought it would.
âœGood. Letâs hurry through.â Your actions are slightly less energetic than you had been but you hardly notice it as you activate Ascend and float in row behind Jest. Heâs first through and just as you float forward you halt to bid farewell to the kind man, "Bye. Take care."
"Mm, till we meet again."
With that said, you continue only for an alarming question to enter your mind on whether or not the portal leads to the location you desire.
However, youâve already breached the purple veil and exit out into an all familiar sight of undead. The three reborn bow their heads upon seeing you, their backs to the fog like storm of the Seiun. The new world is behind you along with the Gate that Nictis is last to make it through.
Having served its purpose, the portal collapses in on itself with a swirl before sparking out in a flash of purple.
âœItâs good to see you safe and sound, my creator.â The message from Malum was expected so it didnât startle you.
âœThank you, Iâm glad that none of us ran into any difficulty.â Taking one last glance at the strange alien world you motion with an arm for the NPCs to follow. âœLetâs retreat. There are those waiting for our return.â
There are no objections, all in the reconnaissance following you with varied smiles laced on their faces as they joyfully escort their creator back to the safety of their realm.
But the Seuin, as chaotic as it is, remains dreary in palette due to your mood.
While nothing went wrong, this whole situation is.
Itâs a completely new world...not to mention that you feel like you were on the brink of uncovering some hidden knowledge of the planetâ
It probably isnât something pertaining to your current predicament. Youâre certain it isnât...but thereâs the hope lying within that wants it to be.
*Sigh, oh well...maybe next time we'll find more...you just wish that things will start making sense soon.
The colorful storm and the nightmare spawn it holds fades out into the open field that your palace floats serenely in the middle of, untouched by the bizarre environment it's suspended in.
It only takes a few seconds before the six of you are passing the buttresses and outcroppings and slowly descending to the surface of the all too familiar sky arena.
You get a strange sense of a puzzle piece getting put back into place the closer you get to the reflective tile of the stage. It almost feels like...if you could compare it to anything...a sigh of relief.
Warmer colors blossom forth on your skin while your extended vision allows you to take note of who was all gathered in attendance bellow.
Thereâs all the Unmei no gundan that were assigned to your guard, Ynnam, Erx, Lamassu, Akkar, and Aragog with the addition of Lexx. However, the new faces to the ones gathered draw your attention the most as you immediately recognize the five gathered.
They are the Anointed, some of the most powerful NPCs of all Yggdrasil, and upon seeing your approach all have different reactions.
Dastgir is a giant of a Centaur, standing well over 243 cm (8 feet) in height. His toned olive body is hardly hidden under his armor, like that of an Aztec warrior, and darker tinted boney exteriors. He waits in attention as he has taken a wide stance facing you and his long goat ears stick up high, causing his many earrings to clink together.
Bizerk is not so reserved as he seems to be fangirling and fanning himself. Although heâs currently wearing his white and gold robe, thatâd cover his whole body if he stayed still, it is wide open from the neck down. The rubber hose and cartoon-like entity is odd in shape, almost mimicking that of the grinch, and only consists of the colors black, white, and red. His single white eye glitters comical sparkles behind his hood and you can see his pupil expand at the sight of you.
Kendria cowers behind Dastgirâs legs as if trying to hide from your sight. She is a young but very shy angel. She hardly ever comes out of the cocoon she has made for herself out of her many wings numbering up to twenty in total, at the moment. Despite her hiding, you can clearly see her big blue eyes peeking out from behind her pristine wings glittering in the same manner as Bizerkâs who is now dramatically fainting.
Majesty is the least expressive of the group, only opting to tilt their huge dead piece in your direction. They are a hovering animated mannequin, their exterior form an amalgamation of armor, donned with the Citadelâs gold and quartz theme. Their body only consists of a misshapen torso, four separate poles that make up its arms, six needle-like fingers, blades for joints, an Egyptian like headdress, and an extended flat which is currently holding a masquerade mask. A distinct sound of humming mechanical parts fills the empty space from their core engine.
Alvara is also amongst the group, her green eyes boring into your lowering form with a strange look.
Oh fuck! Iâm not ready to have the conversation about what transpired in the throne room with her! Kyahh! What if she already told others?!
You turn your head away as if itâd help you ignore the constant stare coming from her direction, not knowing that the action sends a sharp pang through the womanâs chest.
âœI see youâve gathered here as all requested. This is very good.â You comment idly while landing, thinking of what next to say to all of them. You honestly should have planned on that.
âœWeâll always do as you request of us, my creator.â Dastgirâs voice is deeper and richer than youâd imagine it to be. You thought itâd be raspier because of his dragon-like skull. He bows his humanoid torso slightly and pounds his chest with his right as he does so. âœBizerk!â
âœAIIIEEE!â The dark gremlin screeches out as Dastgir kicks him with one of his many legs, causing them to roll twice and fumble in their cloak as it wraps around them.
âœStop fooling around. You are in the presence of our creator. Show some respect.â
âœGah! I know! Ya donât ave ta kick me like dat!â When Bizerk finally stands back up his hood has fallen off revealing his face which consists of giant red lips that form into two of the three horns on his head. He sticks out his tongue, which also functions as his eye, at Dastgir through his many sharp fangs before he looks your way. His entire head moves up into a smile. âœMy beautiful, radiant, strong, awe inspirinâ,â He scoots closer ever closer to you with reaching arms as he continues to list adjectives to describe you with until heâs almost touching you, âœlovinâ creader,-â He claps his hands together, âœ-for what reason ave ya seen fit ta gather us all ere?â
âœMmmâ*ahem, I must apologize for keeping you all waiting and pulling you from your duties,â Before any of them could wave off your apology you continue, âœbut I have good reason for doing so. May all of you stand before me before I continue? I donât want any of you to feel left out because I wonât turn to look at you as I speak.â
Everyone hurries to do as you asked, all forming a line like preschoolers attentive to a teacher. They all stand far enough back so that you could properly see them, even if your new vision wouldnât expand, and straight in attention except for Kendria who is still cowering away from you.
Dark blue spots spread across a small portion of your chest, right under your collarbone, as a chill settles down there. The feeling almost wants you to pout because the small angel reminds you how skittish animals would shy away from you when youâd want to pet them.
You stomp the feeling down because now wasnât the time to get lost in your thoughts.
âœAs you all know I have commanded that all floors go to maximum security. I have stated this because Iâve taken notice of anomalies in this world of mine. I am still in the process of finding them all and identifying the source of the issue. So until then...Iâll very much appreciate all your cooperation in my endeavor to understand...this.â You wave absently in no general direction to give emphasis on âœthisâ. Your dubious nature is quick to fade and is replaced with a more serious tone. âœHowever, upon going beyond my realm weâve discovered something quite...unnerving. My realm has been transported to a completely unknown location without my jurisdiction.â
âœWhat?!â
âœHow could this be?!â
âœMy. Creator. Are. You. Suggesting. Someone. Used. The. Space. Warp. Question. Mark.â
Their choppy, rich voice remains bland in pitch, not clearly expressing their joy to your arrival, as they raise their head. But what caught you off guard the most was when they added the word "question mark" at the end of their statement. It clicks no sooner than the thought came into your mind that it was a question they had asked. You like their voice. It completely embodies their character not only in personality but on their robotic side-never mind that!
You almost wave off Majestyâs assumption when the thought of your realmâs teleporter pops into mind.
The Space Warp allows you to move your realm around freely through the worlds of Yggdrasil to set off random events and carry out missions of your own. You hardly ever use it, opting to keep your realm near the two god realms. However...the suggestion does play along to the fact that it has been transported to a new strange world. What else would make sense?
â.
No, even if you want answers you shouldnât just settle on the first ideas that come to mind.
Besides, the Space Warp theory has no explanation for the lifelike world youâre now in.
Not to mention that if one of the NPCs did mess with the Space Warp, you hadnât programmed any of them to know how to use the machine. In addition, besides it being a one pilot cockpit, to even use the device costs a huge chunk of mana, approximately the price of 150MP or half of your avatarâs magic power. There are no other beings in the Citadel who have that much MP beside you. Although there could be a situation where NPCs infuse their mana into whoever takes the controls, you highly doubt that there would be a benefit from such an action to bring your realm to an unknown location.
Or how to even get to this new world is possible. The probability of the planet being a realistic version of Midgard is low in your mind.
âœNo. I donât think that is the case.â You shake your head. âœWhat has occurred is beyond my current comprehension. Outside the Seiun isnât that of any of my creations but something entirely alien to me. A new world, I suspect.â
Thereâs a beat of silence for a good few seconds before a light, heavenly voice whimpers, âœAhââ
Your vision shifts to the bundle of pure wings behind Dastgirâs pillar of a back leg and you feel warmth blossom forth at her wide, glittery, cat eyes.
Piteque, sugary, clawed fingers pull gently at a pair of wings to better hide her face as she continues under your gaze, âœH-how could...things exist wu-without our creator ha-having a hand in its creation?! T-thatâs s-scary!â
Urk! So cute! You want to squish her!
Swallowing down the feeling, you nod your head at the Anointedâs words, âœMmph, yes I agree. I too find it off puttingââ Your voice dwindles off when you notice dread spread across the NPCs in attendance.
You shouldnât have voiced your fears out loud! That probably dropped their morales.
Think! Be optimistic!
âœ...b-but despite this, we were able to secure the area around my realmââ You tilt your head to the three undead who stand side by side with the other Reborn. âœ...and we were able to clear an area down on the planet. It is within a grassy plain biome and although we didnât cover the entirety of the expanse, we found civilization and conversed with one of their residents. Nictis, Jest-â The two straighten their forms at their names suddenly being called, âœ-Please recall all that youâve gathered.â
âœYes, my creator.â You stand and wait patiently as Nictis retells all that has happened first before Jest adds on his side. They start with the conditions of outer space, then shift to the trip down to the surface, the layout of the flat lands, what was and wasnât there, and then finishes up with the events with Sebas.
âœHmmââ Bizerk taps a clawed, red finger on his chin, âœDis butler sounds extremely dangerous...but while I highly doubt de reliability of dis Sebas fellow...we can't deny da knowledge dat can be gained from dis fortress of deirs...my creader, please indulge yer foolish servant for just a moment. You said ya plan on returnin' dere within a day.â
"Yes, I did."
"Can ya specify exactly when?"
"I'd prefer it be by morning...O-Not by tomorrow morning! The day after this next day."
"Ah...and...what are your intentions?"
"...Negotiate and learn of our situation?"
"Haha, yes of course." Jest giggles along with most in the NPCs in attendance, like you had made some sort of joke that you're completely oblivious of. You also giggle but out of nervousness to not make a fool of yourself.
You probably said something stupid and that's why they laughed. Damn it.
"But ow do you want to go about achieving such a goal? Are you intendin' on establishing relations or mobilizin' a force to extract da content which you desire? Which ever you decide, we, your loyal servants, will carry out yer grand scheme."
Relations?...You-well...that isn't a bad idea. That's kind of what you were doing in the first place before since you didn't want to fight anyone...but now that you're thinking, you realize the position you're in.
You are a ruler now. You are SÅsaku-sha, master of your realm.
You no longer act just for your sake but those who follow you. You wouldn't be making friends just to avoid conflict.
You'd be doing it to avoid war between this new world and your realm.
FUCK.
You're not qualified for this shit. All you know how to do is make and play games!!! Maybe even a bit of roleplaying!!! But now that you've interacted with an unknown nation and promised to return at a set time-
FUCK.
Why did you make it so soon!!! Is it too late-Gaw! It is too late to use memory altering spells...how about charm magic? Dominance? That'd probably make it worse! GAHH! What will you do?! WHAT WILL YOU DO?!!
M-maybe...maybe it's something you don't have to
"After conversing with the man myself, I find that not only would it be rude of me not to do as I said. We are establishing...or at least I'd like to establish a...mm...a mutual relationship. Possibly a beneficial one.â Adding in your agreement with a cross of your arms, you turn your head over to the heads of each floor, "We do not know to the extent how permanent our situation is, nor what powers lie in dormant in this new world. Causing trouble will only return trouble for now and I distaste the thought of causing needless conflict when they hadn't provoked us. In fact, Sebas had been very hospitable despite us being strangers. Although I don't trust him yet, we will have to. My Anointed, I will acquire your assistance directly to make the necessary arrangements for our arrival."
âœYes, my creator!" They all shout in unison.
âœGood, now as for the rest of you. My word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. In continuation, spread the word that if any Anointed, Disciple, or Reborn feels or takes notice of a shift in their abilities they are to report it immediately, no matter how small. If the strength of one who serves me were changed then so has the overall strength of the Citadel. That would be a disastrous fault in this time of crisis to ignore such. We must find out where we stand so weâre not at risk of failure. A structure with weak supports is bound to crumble under the weight of a storm-â You cut yourself off once again at the illustration before deciding to just roll with it, âœWe must prepare for the storms that are bound to shake us. Is this clear?â
âœYes!â All in attendance confirm full-heartedly which you nod to.
âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â
âœYes, my creator. I have one.â
âœMm?â The one who called out is the Reborn, Lamassu. Achnologing the Aasimar you wave a hand at them. âœYes, go ahead.â
âœMy creator, our group of five were designed by the Anointed Alvara and Dastgir to be your guard. Although we werenât able to serve our purpose in being an escort, I request that we remain guard over you for the time being.â
âœOh? Hmmââ It appears that all five of the Unmei no gundan are thinking the same thing as the angel. They must have discussed this while youâre away. Although you already plan on accepting their offer, you tilt your head, âœMay I ask why?â
âœBy all means. Since we are under a maximum security threat, we and the Anointed have agreed that we wish there to be a guard squadron delegated to you at all times. You are our grandmaster. We cannot allow anything to occur to you, even in death.â
âœ...Is this true?â
Bizerk is the first to speak up, âœYes. Under these circumstances, we would like you to have an extra layer of protection. Now that weâve learned that your wondrous realm has been relocated to an unknown location, I am only more certain that this is necessary. Iâm sure all your servants agree with our sentiment?â
âœI. Am. In. Agreement.â
âœAs am Iââ
âœY-yes! I...I want our creator to be s-safe!â
âœWe were created to act out on your behalf. To do so brings us the greatest joy.â
At all of the Anointedâs confirmations you feel that the issue is settled.
âœIf I may add, my creator,â Lamassu continues, âœwe feel...obligated to fulfill our mission to protect you since none of us were capable before. We want to restore our honor as members of your elite force. We were created to protect you and we wish to fulfill our purpose as such.â
âœHmm...very well. If it will not affect the security of my realm while youâre in watch of me I see no issue. Are your stations covered during your absence?â
The rumble of Dastgirâs throat leaves similar to that of a growl, finding it right to enlighten you, âœIâve already taken the initiative to fill the gaps they left. It has been settled.â
âœAh, thank you. Then...are there any other questions?â
Silence greets your non-existent ears for some time so you decide to dismiss- âœMy creator?â
âœHm-a-ahââ Alvara is the one to speak up, the only person here who youâd love more than anything for them to remain silent. You know what heâs going to ask about.
How youâre a dummy who gets flustered around others when itâs any way intimate.
You were more anxious about those things than what you know to be normal. In fact, most who knew you would call you prude even though...well...you donât think youâre prude but you certainly...acted aloof when presented with nudity or anything relating to s-sensual adult content!
All in attendance watch as your skin starts to glow a bright, rosy color.
Unbeknownst to them, you were internally screaming.
Kieeeahhhh! Itâs one of the many reasons you kept Yggdrasil PG-13! You werenât going to program any of that-Gahhh! Enough of that!
You shake your head hard, giving into reason. You canât just tell her to be quiet after all that youâve said about listening to questions from before. Especially since those who you told you have a listening ear to are all in front of you now.
Stomping down your pride since you know that there is no avoiding the conversation, you stutter out a response, âœY-yes, Alvara?â
The silence is deafening as everyone waits for the Anointed to speak, however, she struggles to find words. âœMy creatorââ She swallows twice before continuing. âœ...my creator. Back in the throne roomââ
Oh god.
âœ...I...Weââ She bites her lips, finally breaking the constant eye contact she had been holding you in to instead peer at her reflection on the floor. âœ...from before-mmââ
Just say it already! Youâre torturing me here!
âœ...my creator...do I displease you?â
âœ...Eh?â
What is this? Is she not going to bring up your flustered emotions?
No, wait. Maybe she understands how embarrassing this is for you? She did feel your emotions...maybe sheâs taking pity and is wording it in a way so that sheâs protecting your privacy from the other NPCs?
You hope so...but why would she word the question that way?
Whatever the case youâre grateful. âœNot at all...why would you?â
âœWell Iââ She shifts on her sandals and only lifts her gaze high enough to stare at your feet. âœItâs nothing, my creator. Just nonsensical worry is allââ
âœ...Alvara. You donât displease me.â
âœI...thank you.â
Not satisfied by her still present pained expression, you walk over to her, âœAlvara.â
âœYes, my creator?â Her eyes only raise enough to land on your chest, her head level.
You keep forgetting how tall you are in this body, âœLook at me please.â
She only hesitates for a twitch but complies by bending her head backward to look up to your blank face. Her face is sculpted beautifully from the modeling program that was set up in Yggdrasil. Even so, you can see clearly that sheâs struggling with something.
And you know exactly whose fault that is.
âœYouâre precious to me...all of you are, soââ Already regretting what youâre about to do, you place your palm on the crown of her head.
The feeling of cold water being poured on you to the intrusion of anxiety enters your being. You braced for it yet every time whatever this is occurs, it feels entirely alien. You can hardly put thoughts together. Only being able to try and process the sensations. Despite it all, you will yourself to project your determination into her being.
âœ..donât feel that youâre inadequate. I appreciate all that youâre doing for me. Never doubt that. Understood?â
Tears well up in her eyes but none pool out beyond her lashes, only a defined âœUmf!â escapes her rosy lips.
âœG-good.â You cut the connection quickly, becoming too overstimulated with the emotions that blossomed forth from the woman. Your head turns either way to check the small crowd that ranged from Reborn all the way to Anointed. Jest on his lonesome reminds you of the need to make some changes to the discipleâs workforce.
After you settle the whole reconnaissance base thing.
But you want to give him a task before sending him back to the throne room, âœJest.â He doesnât respond verbally but he does lighten up at you calling to him. âœBefore returning to your post, Iâd like you to arrange one of the offices on the fifth floor for my debrief with the Anointed.â
âœWaahh! Iâll do just as youâve asked!â
âœMm, Iâm counting on you. Please have it arranged and ready in thirty minutes. Message any member of my guard which room it will be. Do the same for the Anointed so they know where they need to head. I have to settle some things in my quarters before then, which is why itâll take me a while to arrive. With this extra time,â You point to the ones you'll see later, âœsettle whatever you need to before then. I suspect that weâll be covering much content that will drain our time.â
âœYes, my creator.â They bow in their own manners. Clearing your throat and awkwardly rubbing the hand that is still rippling colors rapidly from your contact with Alvara, you repeat the question a third time, âœIs there anyone else here whoâd like to ask me anything?â
When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you activate ascend. The five Unmei no gundan follow in march around you as you float off with goals in mind. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
â—
âœ*Sigh* Thank the marvelous creator that theyâve returned safely.â Alvara shoulders fall as if a great weight had been removed. She doesnât know what she would have done if things didnât turn out this way. âœWhen I saw that the guard we designed had failedââ
âœHph, I share your feelings, Alvara.â The centaur is gruff in agreement as he turns his upper torso to better address the Reborn remaining. âœYou each have my gratitude. Although none of you are part of the Unmei no gundan, you performed your roles adequately.â
âœPlease donât flatter us.â Malumâs voice is haunting, only adding to the creep factor with its permanent wailing expression. âœWe only did what we were made to do. Besides, it was only Nicits and Jest who were able to accompany our creator for most of the duration we were outside the Seiun.â
Nictis swallows the collection of spit that pooled in his large jaws at the sudden spotlight, âœNo way. Even though I was at their side longer, extreme had occurred. Iâd hardly call that worthy of thanks. We all did as ordered.â
âœWell at least you four got to assist our creator.â Lexxâs beak clicks as they chirp, the hard bone smacking together aggressively. âœI feel so uselessââ
âœDonât mope.â Ukaraâs dead eyes turn eerily to the Kenku, âœBe grateful that you got to serve our master at all.â
Skinnerâs sighs through his teeth in the form of a hiss, âœUkara, donât be rude. The living have emotions stronger than ours. We canât fathom the trait which our master has blessed them with. However, I wouldnât find it hard for you to feel the same way if you too were turned away by our creator.â
âœHahhhhh.â The draugr breaths out a grumble, itâs joints creaking as they move. âœWhatever. Itâs none of my concern. Iâm leaving.â
The Anointed and the Reborn pay little mind to the undeadâs rough personality as he stumbles away. Theyâre just as the creator has designed them to be.
To dislike or hate any of their creatorâs creations is an insult to their masterâs creativity.
âœ...Lexx.â Skinner stretches out their almost skeletal arm and places it on the birdâs shoulder. âœYouâll have a chance to redeem yourself. Iâm sure.â
âœMmm...thank you.â They bend their head down with a sigh.
âœWell, breakinâ off from dat,â Bizerk chimes in with a swirl of his eye over his lips, âœIâm lookinâ forward ta working with yall. Especially you, Dastgir my man.â
âœUgh, Iâm not. You disgust me, slug.â His ears flick as if trying to swat a pesky bug away from them. âœIâm surprised our creator didnât have me rip out that tongue of yours for flapping it so blatantly in front of them! Did you have to describe them with so many endearments while theyâre present?! Unbelievable.â
âœAh, someoneâs cheerful. Iâd think youâd be elated. Are ya forgettinâ who else will be dere with us~ A certain master of ours?â
Dasgirâs ears twitch to a stop at the memory of their creator.
âœHa! I knew it! Youâre so easy ta read. Itâs why Iâm able ta beat ya at cards.â
A hoof stomps suddenly, one Kendria isnât clinging on to, which shakes the floor under those whose feet connect with the stage, âœYou wriggling zit! We all know you cheat at poker!â
âœAYe! I donât cheat!â His long, worm-like eye bulges out from his mouth at the accusation, âœItâs not my fault yer a dumb ass whoâs orrible at de game, a sore loser on top of dat! You just suck at playing and blame me for your incompetence!â
âœIâm. Pretty. Sure. Counting. The. Cards. Is. Cheating.â Majesty chimes in which has the dark anointed whip eye back and forth between the pair.
âœOw do you even know if Iâm countinâ de cards or not?! Besides, datâs not cheatinâ! Datâs calculating what is in de ands of my opponents! Itâs basic strategy at its core. If you donât know what youâre up against den youâre only puttinâ yourself up in a position ta fail and Iâm not de type who accepts failure. Blind luck can only get you so far.â His eye bends in the direction of Malum like a snake as he addresses her, âœIsnât dat right?â
The wraith appears lost as they answer, âœWell, Iâve never played poker myself so I canât say...but I will agree that, strategically speaking, reading the enemy is good.â
The Anointed huffs as his tongue slides back into place between the folds of his moist red lips, âœSee? Even Malum knows Iâm right. Dough guessing isnât de only key to da game and I bet I could show you two dat.â Bizerk smirks as he pinches his chin, tilting his head in a cocky way, âœSo whaddya say? Da two of ya play a round wit me? Iâll even go blindfolded ta give ya a chance~â
âœI. Know. Better. Than. To. Be. Tempted. To. A. Game. By. Your. Words. Leech.â
âœAye! I was tryinâ ta be nice!â He clicks his tongue before turning away from the robot to the other Anointed, âœWhateva. I want ta know somethinâ, Alvara.â
âœOh? What is it?â
He taps a clawed finger on his chin as if heâs recalling something odd, âœYou asked our creader a very peculiar question. Might I ask why?â
She quickly sucks in a silent breath. She didnât want to write out say what had occurred between her and the creator, especially after they reassured her, so she brings up a separate issue, âœWell...they listened to my request to take the Unmei no gundan with them...though they were turned back due to unforeseen circumstancesââ
âœHerm...dere...is a possibility...no, I believe our creader was perceptive enough ta know dat dey wouldnât ave been able ta make it outside deir realm.â
âœHuh?â
âœI wouldnât be surprised. Our creader is an all-wise being. Dey were able to sense dat somethinâ happened to da location of deir realm before any of us could, which is why dey formed da reconnaissance in de first place. Could dat foresight not also extend to what lies beyond? Dey knew dat de guard dat youâd come up, with Dastgir, would prove futile which is why dey had Jest select a group in da first place. Is it not true dat de livinâ are more likely ta side with de livinâ while the undead vice versa? Evidently, dat is da criteria ta leave and dey most likely predicted whoâd come up with more reliable force.â
âœIf that was the case wouldnât they just need to ask me to select Unmei no gundan that could match up with the Disciple's selection?!â
âœIf you found something off, wouldnât you take de opportunity ta test and see if your hypothesis is true?â
âœB-but...yeah, wellââ Alvaraâs brows pinch, âœ...why accept my suggestion if theyâd known itâd fail, even if it was to test a theory?!â
Bizerk places a hand over where his heart would be. âœDey wanted ta show dat dey care for our suggestions, dough we canât ever measure up ta da genius dat lies within our grand creader. Whatâs more, dey wanted ta lessen your worry about deir safety so you wonât be ruining yourself in deir absence. Sigh~ Isnât our creader amazinâ?â
Alvara can only sigh at Bizerkâs words. Although everything the Anointed said sounds true...she felt so helpless and still does. She wasnât able to assist them at all. Even now, they had been the one helping her...but the way they flinched from her-
âœAlvara.â
âœHm?â Majesty suddenly addressing her catches the Anointed off guard.
âœIs. There. Something. You. Are. Not. Telling. Us. Question. Mark. . I. Can. Tell. When. That. Is. The. Case. With. You.â
âœA-ah...well umââ She stumbles over her words, ashamed by what transpired between her and their beloved creator. She doesnât want to recall the meeting, however, since she didnât outright deny Majestyâs suspicion all in attendance stare wide-eyed in her direction.
âœAlvara, you didnât do anything, did you?â The warning in Dastgirâs voice has the human shaking her head and arms in surrender.
âœI-I donât think I did b-but...it certainly seemed so by the way they acted.â Alvara shivers at the memory of her creatorâs cold shoulder.
âœWhat?!â Dastgir bares his fangs with a hiss. âœExplain yourself, now!â
âœIt was-I-do you remember what Akkar and Erx told us? How they were able to share their emotions with our grand creator and them back through touch?â
âœYeah, hmph!â Berserk throws his head off to the side to not so quietly grumble, âœLuckyââ under his breath.
âœWell...something similar happened to me-I mean before just now that is.â
âœWHAT?!â Her four companions and the Reborn scream out at once at varying degrees, static continuing to bellow out of Majesty as they process Alvaraâs words. âœYa lucky bastard!â âœW-what wu-as it like?!â âœSpeak further of this!â
âœAh...it wasââ She looks up to the Seiun that drifts high above their heads, a mile away. She watches the colors shift amongst the Seiun and she frowns at the murky color palette, âœThey did so while we were alone in the throne room, just after they realized something was amiss.â
âœReally? Did dey state why dey wanted ta do so?â
âœNo. They just kneeled in front of me and stretched out their hand. I wasnât expecting it at all at the time.â
âœHm...and where did dey touch you?â
âœJust my shoulder...â Alvara looks off to the side to bite her lip in shame, âœbut when they made contact with me they acted as if I had burned them. They dismissed me immediately afterward...â
âœOh...â Bizerkâs intrigue immediately dulls at her words which she simply meets with a nod and a frown.
âœIt saddens me to my core to think that I may have hurt our creator in some wayââ Alvara's green eyes dampen. âœAnd not just that, our creator was filled with so much anxiety...but, just now, when they reached out to me...â Her demeanor takes a sudden shift, cupping her hands together under her chin as a small smile slips into place of her pout. Sigh~ I felt how much they cared. If I had truly hurt them before they would have let us know, especially since I asked. They are truly a benevolent being, merciful in all aspects.â
Everyone nods with shared blissful smiles on their faces, reminiscing the grandeur of their creator.
âœTruly, they are the best.â
âœMhm, nothing could ever come close to comparison.â
âœYes! Letâs do our utmost to serve our grandmaster now more than ever!â
All give their approval to the statement, filling their hearts with the thought of pleasing you.
â—
âœItâs about time for him to return.â
Under an illusionary night sky in a circular arena, surrounded on all sides by many tiers of audience seats modelled after the arenas of the Roman Empire, seven figures watch as a butler jogs over to them, until he reaches the powerful creatures genuflecting before a mysterious undead entity in rich purple robes.
Dropping to one knee, he bows his head in respect. âœLord Momonga, forgive my lateness.â
âœItâs fine. Then, your report on the surrounding conditions.â
Sebas raised his head and looked around at the Guardians kneeling beside him.
âœ...The situation is critical, so obviously the Floor Guardians need to know as well.â
âœYes. To begin with, the terrain surrounding us for a kilometer in each direction is a plain."
âœ...I see. Then, were the plains you speak of covered in frozen grass which would cut you as you passed them?â
âœNo, it was simple grass. There was nothing special about it.â
âœAnd you did not see any sky castles or similar buildings?â
âœNo, I did not. There was no sign of man-made illumination in the sky or on the land.â
âœI see, so there was only a starry skyâwere there any signs of life?â
"Yes, my lord." Sebas' expression grows hard as he recalls what had transpired. "At first, we had only spotted some small animals, but not long after...a very powerful creature made itself known along with two others.â
âœOh? What type of creatures were they?â
"I recognized two as a Wendigo and a Vampire, though they were odd. The Wendigo holds a higher level of intelligence than that of its kind and the Vampire, dressed as a jester, is a breed in which I am unfamiliar with. And for their master, I'm sorry to say but I could not tell what they were. They had the form of a human but the appearance was blank, similar to that of a DoppelgÃnger. Their skin was unique too as it'd change in hue but I must emphasize, my lord, they're extremely powerful."
"They must be if you say so...could you estimate how strong?"
"...the level of magical aura they extrude...is triple your own."
"WHAT?!" "Impossible!" The beings known as the floor guardians screech out in shock to the butler's claim.
"Quiet." Silence greets the skeletal hand the supreme being raises, "Sebas, are you certain?!"
"Yes, my lord. Naberal confirmed this as well. So unless they were using some method to trick us, they're truly monstrous."
"Mmm..." Momonga's Aura of Despair thickens considerably at the news and he ponders on how this will affect their security. "Were they doing anything to Nazarick?
"No, they didn't do anything that I'd noticed. In addition, they had stated they became curious when they saw our walls and came to investigate."
"Wu-Really?! You spoke to them?!"
"Yes. I had approached since I didn't feel any malicious intent from them. They had cooperated with me till they had to leave due to outside circumstances."
"That was extremely reckless of you to do. If they are as strong as you say what would you have done if they had attacked you? Would you have been able to?"
"I apologize, my lord." He bows his head, silver bangs falling forward to hide his face. "I know you had warned me to retreat if we were in trouble, however, they were heading towards Nazarick. If their intentions were to attack I didn't want the place our supreme beings call home to be harmed. Even if I were just to stall them, I would give Naberal time to notify you of the threat."
"...I see...thank you, Sebas, but I still stand by what I said. Do not risk your life like that, we don't know how permanent death is now."
"Yes, my lord."
"...Did you learn anything while speaking with them?"
"Yes, the two undead that were with the being kept referring to their master as the creator. I had also gained possession of each of their names."
"Oh, what were they?"
"The Wendigo is called Nictis and the Vampire is called Jest. The one that they call creator is named SÅsaku-sha."
"...eh?"
Let's see what's in my room.
Chapter End Notes
Sorry there isn't more. The chapter wouldn't have been posted if I continued it any further. Though I'm just as feverish to write it as you all are to read it, we'll have to be patient till it's time for me to post the continuation.
However, I must note, I may not be able to update for next month. I'll try but circumstances are calling for my attention elsewhere.
I'm in my last semester of college and getting ready for graduation. My professor literally told us, on the first day of class, that we'd have grayer hair than them by the end. The number of major projects we have to dish out has legitimately been quadrupled. Plus, I'm taking an extra class just to meet all of my credit hours. If that doesn't keep my hands full, I'm helping with the hospice of my grandmother right now. She...doesn't have long so my family is trying to make her as comfortable as possible and settling her bills before then. With the lack of available hands and how busy we all are, my family doesn't even have time to cook ourselves meals. We're having wonderful friends of ours who've volunteered to bring us meals every day to make up for that.
In short, I've never been busier in my entire life and it's only going to get worse as time goes on. It's a gigantic amount of work with all of it combined and I may be forced to stop producing chapters for a while. I'm NOT quitting on this fic though. I'll write whenever I have free time but if I do not update for a while, this is the reason. I will continue to post updates on my situation but until then I hope you all are doing tremendously better than we are and that my work brings you all joy.
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Chapter 5: SMALL WORDS LEAD TO BIG DISCOVERIES 2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to build up relations. In doing so, you find a clue to what you are...
Chapter Notes
Hey! It's BBS and I'm back with a chapter I know you've all been waiting for! I hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter 5: SMALL WORDS LEAD TO BIG DISCOVERIES 2
âœAragog, Alvara. Welcome to my domain.â You gesture with your somewhat free hand, clutching onto the book still while you continue to lead Kendria to the couches; the waiters clean the space on the center table to start serving you plates...or...in other words, paradise condensed into the form of finger food.
âœMy creator!â They both bow in respect but Alvara is the one who continues unsurely. âœWe apologize for entering without permission-â
âœNonsense, Iâve already invited you and the doors were open. Make yourselves comfortable and collect your drinks.â You completely dismiss their apologies, opting to lift the angelic ball with your single hand clasped around their tiny wrist. A small squeak escapes the feathers but nothing else is revealed as you maneuver her dangling form onto the cushions of the couch that faces the tree.
Numerous species in gold and white uniforms finish up the assortment, having temporarily moved the previous assembly onto one of the empty carts, to completely cover the wooden surface with porcelain cloth and dishes.
You want to salivate over everything before you, but without the biology to do so, you bend and seat yourself beside the angel to fill your senses with the aroma wafting off the table and the touch of the plump pillows that swallow you.
Your mind numbly drifts around the question of what deity you pleased to allow you this moment of reprieve, unaware of the angel nearly choking on her ice cream and the remainder of the room shocked as the same thought runs through all of their minds-
âKendria is sitting beside the CREATOR!!!â
Some bite their cheeks in envy but whoâd raise their jealous tongue in the presence of their master? Most others cheer internally for the girl, envisioning themselves in her place or remaining proud for her sake. Kendria herself only stares at you, remaining blissfully unaware of your action, as she takes a bite of her sundae with a smirk unseen. The girl, for the moment, forgets the troubling information you had relayed to her to, instead, slip into her own blissful world.
She wonders how she pleased you to allow her this moment of reprieve.
âœThank you for setting this up, all of you. This is magnificent.â You wave to the food before straightening your posture for the news youâre going to put out. âœHowever, Iâve learned some...valuable information while I was alone here. Some facts were insightful and some were troubling about my body...anatomy or...who-what I am. How I function as a living creature.â You rub your neck looking down at the item lain upon your lap. Your expanded vision shows the awe of your audience when they recognize the book within your grasp.
âœM-my creator, is thatâ?â
Nodding to the Gnollâs inquiry, you lift it so that the NPCs should see. Gasps fill the room as you answer, âœIt is the Book of Creation. The very book I used to design you all. I used it to look up my character shee-*ahem* uh, the pages that contain information about my current form. Most of what I had filled has remained the same...butââ
Your hand lowers, leaving the book adrift in the space in front of you but remembering the changes, you wave the book away out of your direct line of sight to your right, still perturbed by what youâve learned. With your wide vision, however, moving it did nothing but get it out of your blank face as you could still see it.
âœ...that doesnât mean nothing has changed. My race, job classes, perks, levels, and more have all been altered. I have yet to find out how this came to be and if these are beneficial or detrimental changes. Only looking into the text will further educate, as well as experimenting and being patient. So, I apologize to you all in advance if I have to require more assistance from you in the future for occasions such as these.â
âœNonsense, my creator!â âœThis is a privilege!â âœPlease donât apologize!â
You should have expected the NPCs to respond like this but you hadnât. It only caught you off guard for a second, however, âœA-ah, umu, Iâm most grateful. Thank you.â Waving your arms in surrender assists in quieting them down enough for you to continue, âœI promise, this will not be forever. The more we all learn the fewer uncertainties there will be for...my survival-erk, well...my well being is a better phrase.â A sigh is long and drawn out from your chest, the vibrations of your core almost sound like the rumble of thunder to your non-existent ears but you donât dwell too long on pondering the noise. âœSo, going along with what I need to survive...it turns out that eating and drinking are unnecessary to me. I donât need it to live...or at least thatâs what the text within the Book of Creation says. When I read that, I felt bad that I had put you all to work for not.â
You donât think the pig realizes it but he deflates some to your words, even though he puts on a cheery smile. âœOh-ink, itâs of no trouble. If Iâm speaking on behalf of the kitchen department and all the Reborn who have assisted me, we all believe it was an honor to help you in any way we could even if it didnât bear any fruit. I wonât lie and say that I wasnât looking forward to feeding you but not all can eat. Some of us arenât designed that way, oink.â
The giant shakes his head solemnly which reminds you that you had programmed him with the desire to fill the stomachs of all those in your realm. It was a basic command phrase. Feed the NPCs so that none starve, hunt each other, or that you have to do it yourself. However, now that itâs no longer just a command or a trait listed in Chiefâs bio. Like Kendria, those codes are now his qualities. Some of the warm colors along your skin dull, understanding that he was probably really looking forward to feeding you. But you canât help what your avatarâs perks areâ
Can you?
âœWould you like us to move these dishes out of the way?â
A hand comes up from your lap to halt the advances of the attendants. âœNo...no...I think...hmmââ
Book of Creation says that eating is unnecessary...but...it didnât say you canât. Usually, for Yggdrasil standards, if a player has that perk it means that their avatar canât eat...but for a few races, such as some types of spirits, automatons, and more, can eat or can only eat certain things. It was mainly a way for characters to gain buffs from certain meals, such as a few deity races with nectar or ichor and a handful of undead with the spirit or flesh of the living. Sometimes, certain races had to eat certain things to activate abilities, spells, and more.
Is that your case now? DoppelgÃngers are a race that has to eat to live. Although youâre an Amalgamate, that shouldnât affect how you eat. The supernatural aspect may have the key but you canât forget that youâre a Creator as well. Those two racial aspects may be why eating is unnecessary but has it made eating impossible for you?
Might as well figure out.
âœThis may not mean I canât eat at all. Just that I donât need to eat to live.â You lower your hand back to wave to the plates laid out on the table, the NPCs perking up to you what youâre getting at. âœI donât want to waste this opportunity to see if I can. Itâd be a waste of resources and time...plus, quite frankly, I want to try out all of these delectables! Everything looks so good!â Spring colors spark along with the joy spreading across the room. âœNow...the real question, how can I eat if I can?â
âœMy creator,â Aragog hums out after she took a couple of swigs from a pitcher within her talons, âœwas there anything within the Book of Creation that could have given you hints how to?â
âœNot much but Iâve learned somewhat of what kind of creature I am now. Apparently, Iâm no longer just a Creator but an Amalgamate. It is a hybrid version of DoppelgÃngers. Plus, reading over my perks, I have connections to Lovecraftians whether by biological, supernatural, or...â Hey, wait a minute. Supernatural? Is that the reason youâre an-
âœAwwaaah! Amazing!â Her legs tap happily to the news, cutting off your line of thought.
âœAh, mm, I guess it is?â
Scratching your neck an attendant steps out amongst the group surrounding your space to reveal himself to you. âœMy creator, do you think I could be of assistance?â
âœUni?â His name leaves you as you eye the figure in the all familiar white and gold uniform. Everything about him appears as a normal Caucasian man...except for his four-fingered hands and blank face consisting of three holes. A greater DoppelgÃnger. âœ...Yes, I think you may be able to assist me since we are of a similar race.â
Maybe you should get into contact with the other DoppelgÃngers of the Citadel. One such DoppelgÃnger is a Disciple on the fifth floor, the ballroom. Maybe you could also seek her out when you have the time. Spending time with those of similar race could potentially teach you more about...what you are as your avatar.
âœFor now, could you explain how you eat?â
âœYes but would my creator already know how I eat?â
âœMore or less.â You point to the spot where your mouth would be. âœBut unlike normal DoppelgÃngers, I donât have any facial extremities as you do. How would you deal with such a problem or...howâd you recommend a solution to my predicament?â
âœMm, well, given thatâââ Uni lets his head fall into thought. âœI would suggest using Alter Self to take up a form that would allow you to obtain a form thatâd allow you to eat. It is a skill all DoppelgÃngers have to allow us to accomplish tasks our regular forms would not.â
â.
Why didnât you think of that?!
Itâs something thatâd normally snap to your head while playing your avatar but...maybe youâre confusing this reality with the reality of Earth, where magic and supernatural abilities don't exist. Now that thatâs an option should you use it? Can you? You donât have your menu anymore...
You nod softly, âœThat is a good suggestion...my concern is in my change in controls-or er my prowess. I havenât yet tested out how my abilities have been altered so I may not be able to pull off such a task, even though it is a racial ability. Additionally, while I may be related to DoppelgÃngers, I am predominantly an Amalgamate and a Creator. Being a Creator gives freedom overall low-level perks, skills, and spells of all races...so it may be possible for me to use Alter Self that way. However, I read over the description of the prior. Amalgamate has some mild differences over what DoppelgÃngers are accustomed to. One of those large facts being that my shapeshifting abilities are not dependent on what I can mimic but what I comprehend. Nothing definite but all abstract. What worries me is that if Iâd try to use Alter Self I may not come out the way I intend.â
âœAny form you take up would be wonderful because itâd be you!â Alvara cuts in, clutching onto her empty glass fervently. âœIf I am so bold to say, Iâd love to see all that you can be, my creator!â
âœR-really? Youâd like that?â
âœAs long as it is of no harm to you, yes.â Her confirmation also has Kendria peeping up to your left.
âœT-thatâs right! Youâre...youâre always am-mazing no matter h-how you look!â
No you wouldnât! What if you turn into some horrid frothing beast?! Especially since you have Lovecraftian perks like Cosmic Horror. You canât even imagine what would happen to their minds if you turned into one of the old ones.
You donât relay your worries. Instead, a sigh slithers out along with the dark purple and green splotches bubbling up along your exterior, âœIâm...flattered. But Iâm more worried about the safety of all of you. There are things that...exist that arenât meant to be seen-â
You stop mid-sentence as the sudden fact that Lovecraftâs beasts are real things now that Yggdrasil is real.
You have to live in a reality knowing that abominations like the crawling chaos or the slumbering god exist. That reality as you know it is just a dream fabricated by Aza-NONONONOO! Donât think the name. Donât think the name! Donât THINK of the NAME! You fully know that doing so is very taboo and you donât need the extra trouble. You donât need to poke the bear with the stick, the bear being the ruler of the Outer Gods and the incarnation of chaos.
Yeah. No thank you. Youâre going to distract yourself by dealing with the now.
âœ-Ahem, yeah. Yes. There are certainly things best left in the dark...â You rub your neck, trying to dispel the mental crisis that had settled on you only seconds prior, the dark purple splotches slowly fading as you continue your massage.
Lost in your turmoil, you once again become arrogant to the crowd. Few recognize the colors flicking across your form, two of them being the Anointed who share a look, while everyone as a whole notices your tone shift.
Wanting to support you but not knowing how to help their grand creator due to their lack of knowledge, they remain silent as they attentively continue to listen to your rant. âœThe uncertainties are there and are legitimate. Iâm...I was considered very powerful and still claimed to be, in the Book of Creation, as the most powerful being. If I use my abilities wrong I could hurt those around me...maybe even more than that.â Swallowing to the vision of you becoming some celestial, genocide-craved, atrocity, you go on. âœSo now that my ability to control my ava...powers have been compromised, those around me and myself are in greater danger of disasterââ
Your gaze drops to the plates of food and glasses of drink lain out beautifully on the ornate table.
Steam still wafts off various edibles that donât have a cover over them and, with that, those adrift moisture particles feel like heaven on your senses. That isnât also to mention the other aromas wafting from other pickings. Syrupy, succulent, sweet, sour, spicy, satisfaction summoned in smell!!!
â.
â.
Come on...
Is it really worth possibly summoning an armageddon incarnate of yourself just to have the best meal of your life?
â.
You eye the glistening meat, the fluffy slices of bread, the condensation on the pitcher of estranged fruit juice, the vibrant assortment of veggies, and more with a gaze full of desire.
Yes.
Youâll regret it later if it turns out for the worst but the temptation is too great.
âœHowever, the fry who never lets curiosity guide its fin shall never see the glory of the seaââ Lord, another one. âœ...In other words, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Iâm willing to give this a try. This is something I would have inevitably had to do so better now than never.â You nod, trying to hype yourself up for the task.
âœYou can do it!â The Bangaaâs guttural hiss spurs others to call out encouragement.
âœWe believe in you!â âœWeâll support you all the way!â
Alvara hums happily at the sight of their creatorâs skin returning to their spriteful palette, rosey and green. It seems that their creator just needs their support to regain their rightful confidence. They just need a helping hand for support.
The woman rubs her thumb softly over her empty hands, now that an attendant has taken away her empty glass, in remembrance of the moment she had with the creator in the throne room. A blush feathers across her features lightly.
She was blessed to be the helping hand at their time of ne-
âœM-My creator!â Kendria reaches out and places one of her petite talons on the creatorâs arm, âœI-Iâll-weâll help y-you in any way w-we can!â
âœAww,â The creator coos at the childâs kind act while Alvaraâs jaw drops.
Hey! T-thatâs my job! My honor! And yet the angel stole it so swiftly and brazenly straight in my face!
The creator doesnât scold the girl but instead pats the top of her wings, âœThank you, all of you, once again. Iâm privileged to have you at my side.â You turn your attention back to Uni who still stands out in front of the other attendants attentively. âœI guess we are going through with your suggestion. I must ask since I can no longer...perform as I used to, how do you go about using Alter Self?â
âœIt is very simple, my creator. It is envisioning the being you want to become such as-â His head bounces from one Reborn to another before his gaze lands on a Gnoll- âœWook, for example. I would only need to envision her and feel as if Iâm her. With the intent to changeââ His skin begins to bubble as if he is boiling from the inside. You watch, mesmerized as Uniâs form expands and dissolves into the lump of flesh that twists and squelches as it reforms.
In a matter of seconds, a replica of Wook takes the place of Uni as he finishes the morphing process.
The gruff feminine voice of Wook is what comes out of the DoppelgÃnger. âœ...our bodies do the rest of the work. Or they should for a typical DoppelgÃnger. You are special, my creator, in every aspect so the process may be different for you.â
âœA-ah, mm. Yes. Maybe so. That is definitely a different process than what Iâm accustomed to.â Itâs about intent again? Thatâs a recurring theme youâre seeing with your avatarâs abilities. Ascend for one. Not to mention how youâre able to control Book of Creation. Maybe this is no different? Is that the same for all of your abilities? Hmm...best to find out when you have the chance to. Right now you have to take up a form thatâd allow you to eat. âœSo you said that I should envision myself looking like the one I want to transform into?â
âœNot necessarily, my creator.â Uni places one of his...or her paws on their chest. âœWe donât want to look like our goal but we want to become our desired form. Spells like Disguise Self focus more on looks but Alter Self is changing our bodies to become all and all that we need.â
âœOh, got it. I got to want to be instead of look. Right?â
âœExactly.â
âœFantastic.â You nod as you run over what you should become.
Human preferably. Itâs the form you most understand and are missing more every minute youâre stuck in this alien of a body. Besides, this is human food. If you transform into something too far from humanoids, you can run into problems consuming the hors d'oeuvres.
Yes, definitely...but this does make you wonderâ
What type of mouth would your avatar have if it did have one?
Probably something beastly and inhuman most likely.
You imagine rows of fangs, something similar to what Bizerk has. But youâre sure that yours wouldnât be black and red. No, if anything your mouth would be gold and white to match your realmâs theme.
Would your head just become a mouth then since you have no other facial features? But...youâre an Amalgamate, a relative of DoppelgÃnger. Would that not mean that youâd have the gaps as they do? Hmm, no. That doesnât feel right. Besides, you arenât only an Amalgamate. Youâre a Creator...but what does that imply? Your mouth could be...anything? That doesnât sound comforting considering your connections to the old ones. Grrr...yeah, your mouth would not be human...but you canât deny what you based SÅsaku-sha off of. The human form. A neutral even of all humans...so shouldnât that mean that your mouth should look somewhat human?
So Iâd have something in the middle? Thatâd be most likely the case-
âœYou did it! Congratulations!â Alvara claps her hands as others cheer alongside the Anointed.
âœH-huh?â The sudden spur of triumph caused you to jump in your spot, âœI-I did it?â
âœY-yes, my creator!â Kendria bounces in her seat, her anxious joy radiating off of her as she clutches at your arm again, âœI k-knew...you could do it!â
Eh?
âœWow! Iâm astonished, my creator!â Uni laughs airily as their form shifts back to their normal self, âœAmalgamates must be different! You altered your pre-existing form rather than become something different entirely! I canât do that myself!â
EHHH?!!
Your arms look the same, twirling them as you search for any differences. You don't see anything else...at least below your neck. So the only change you're assuming has occurred must be on your head and that it must be some orifice.
Wondering what kind of jaw...thing that has come to fruition due to your accidental use of your avatar's abilities, you swallow-
You feel the difference immediately in that motion.
Previously, swallowing had only felt like your muscles were flexing. Now you could feel the gap that exists within your neck and the liquid that's forced down, from a space in your head, through your throat until it settles in your chest.
It's not an alien feeling, as this is what swallowing naturally feels like when you were a human...but you're not human and the organs allowing you to do this shouldn't even exist in your avatar. Eating wasnât even something that could be felt in the game without those illegal extension mods.
So those facts are what makes your skin crawl as an unforeseen appendage worms within the confines of the moist space in your head, which you quickly puzzle to be your avatar's mouth.
What you assume is your tongue twitches the more you focus on it, involuntary motions to the spotlight of your mind. As it flicks it rubs against the fleshy folds of your gums and the solid surface of bony extensions. Smooth...the back of your front teeth are smooth...straight.
Youâre quick to mastering controls over your tongue, guiding it to explore your maw.
The muscles loosen around the bottom of your head where your jaw is, separating the top and bottom of your mouth to give better access to your gliding muscle.
It slips forward, smoothing over a ridge of flesh before sliding through the front of your row of teeth, still all hidden within your head behind a soft wall. Twirling your appendage, you happily realize you donât have fangs-or at least on the front of your mouth. Your front teeth feel nice and rectangular, smooth on the top and sides.
You slide your tongue left, now counting your teeth.
One, two, thre-oh! A canine! Just where it should be! It doesnât feel long...well, you canât really tell by feeling alone. It feels slightly longer than the others you explored thus far. But as you slide your tongue further down the ridges, counting four, five, six, and more, you quickly find that after your canine that your teeth become sharper and longer than regular molars. In addition, the number of your teeth keeps going on beyond what your tongue can reach as it stands, making you wonder how deep your mouth is.
As you retreat your slimy extension back to the front, you smooth it over what should be your cheek.
Itâs squishy and has strange ridges and bums that line in a certain pattern as your tongue skates across the length. However, the closer your tongue gets to returning, the thinner the flesh of your cheek becomes until it is strings of tissue connecting with gaps between.
Thatâs not normal. It feels like there are holes within the side of your face or as if the skin has been sewn over the space.
Nervously curious, your hand comes up to brush your fingers lightly over what your tongue is poking at and you find that, indeed, very little is there near the entrance to your mouth. Fingers feather along the soft surface of skin, flowing over your lips to see if you could gauge the size of your mouth. Silently peeking your tongue to wet your lips, your fingers drift, and drift, and continue to drift over your bottom lip off to the left until you almost trail off to your jaw.
The HELL?!! Your mouth takes up HALF of your fucking FACE!!!
Wanting to confirm, you bring up your other hand to smooth over your lips. Again, your hand travels further down your face almost to your jaw.
T-this...this is insane!
You need to see your face better.
You almost ask an attendant to find a mirror for you to use but you quickly remember your odd extended vision and how youâre able to manipulate it across your new body.
Peering at your hands, you find that theyâd be perfect sources of vision if you can transfer your sight to them.
How though?
âœHmmââ Intention? Seems to work on everything more or less. Wouldnât hurt to give it a try.
You hardly begin to will your sight to your appendages, your vision shifting like water out to your palms facing your face.
You canât hold back from blanching slightly at the sight.
A line stretches across the expanse of the lower section of your face as if it has been cut but, with the color of your avatarâs skin, you look more like a reptile. A frog, lizard, or snake even.
Daring to take a peek at whatever is within the confines of your lips, your jaw loosens and splits the gap. Your lips separate and the first thing you see is your teeth-
Normal human, white pearly, straight, teeth.
Nice! This is what you were hoping for!
The muscles around your lips constrict to form a smile-
You freeze the action immediately to the sight.
Golden flesh sparkles in the light, sharp-looking canines, and a thin veil of shredded tissue like a dragon connect the corners of your mouth with a metallic yellow tint.
So...not exactly humanâwell...itâs not...terrible. You could have subconsciously formed something way worse than this.
You open your mouth more to get a better look, not noticing the NPCs also leaning over one another to also take a peek.
Your maw opens wide, allowing you to easily gaze within the depths. Anything that isnât your teeth looks like it has been Magnus touched. It glimmers like jewelry, gums, cheeks, tongue, and all.
The color palette of your realm makes sense. Your insides seem to be made of literal gold.
Tilting your head to watch how the light bounces along your insides, you finally take notice of the shape of your tongue. Itâs stumpy and round. No long forked organ or flat leathery appendage. It sits in the middle of your bottom jaw in what appears to be a separate pair of toothless mandibles behind your first pair.
You find the anatomy weird but satisfactory as you let your arms fall back to your lap, vision returning as to what it was before, âœThis...isnât what I was expecting to form-b-but! This will make do!â As you spoke, your mouth remained frozen as if it was separate from your ability to speak. Strange but you go on. âœYouâve assisted me greatly, Uni. Your guidance was helpful.â
âœUwah, Iâm most honored to hear you say so!â He almost screams his delight as he bows; you, as his creator, only curtly nodding in acknowledgment.
âœYes, and I must thank the rest of you for your support. I must confess that my anxieties are a weakness of mine that halt my step and are a hurdle hard to overcome.â The room fills with an air of high spirits as if a great battle has been won. You let out a content hum at the small victory, changing your gaze to look down at your prize.
Your mouth waters.
You want to dig in...but where to start?! There are so many different delights to try out! How will you come to a choice? Only eight of the items on the table you can recognize as food acquainted to Japan-err or...only items that sickeningly rich people can buy in Japan. Everything else is either stuff sourced beyond the Asian continent or are completely unrecognizable, in no way originating from Earth.
You particularly think this as you stare at meat patties wrapped in battered, crispy wings of some type of reptilian or bat creature. A complete contrast is the pink cotton coons with a gummy grub laid out on the top of each one. The insect is a larva state of the Loliflies, a friendly mob spawn in the candy land event during Yggdrasil's ninth year for Valentines.
To be honest, it was an idea pitch that was thrown out of the ass.
It was meant more as an uncanonical jape, making fun of the world systematic, and a publicity stunt to bring in couples since the popularity of your game started to level down.
The whole thing kinda went to crap from the start.
Even the storyline was cheesy; being that the Devourer of the Nine Worlds spit out a piece of the Candy World since it was too sweet, allowing a small new map for players to explore for a short period.
It was very thrown together but you won't lie and say it was a total loss, seeing as to how the players reacted...and now that a few of the candy creatures have now been served to you...
âœMmmââ You twirl your tongue, saliva starting to drown the appendage, actually drooling at the estranged assortment as if youâre actually considering gulping down the still writhing worm. You swallow your spit.
Would I be disgusted by the thought of eating a bug if I were still human?
Herm...well...since youâre not put off on munching some maggots, little to nothing deters the saliva from flushing back around your gums with new vigor.
But you donât need to start there. You have many other edibles. Hell, there are still four other charts full of food. You can start anywhere. And even if you donât like anything here (as if) you could ask Chief to have whatever you want to be made and you're certain he would. Itâs an option but not one youâre considering since the smells youâre catching only tell of how delicious the meal is going to be.
So this leads back into what to start withâ
âœMmmââ You tap your lip as you continue to ponder, your audience patiently waiting for your next move.
What should you choose first? Something familiar or something different? Sweet or Spicy? Meaty or fruity?
Wahh, youâre so indecisive. Youâll be eating everything here that you can anyway. Why does it matter?...
â.
Because itâll be the first real piece of food youâd ever eat. No more energy tablets, flavored gel packets, artificial supplements, or rotting meals.
This is real foodâ
Blue starts to ripple down your form starting from your head onward.
Real food!
So why are you holding off?!! Just dig in!!!
Swallowing, you look over the assortment with desire-
âœM-my creator? Is s-something bothering you?â
âœAh?â Before you could reach out, Kendria's timid whimpers break your concentration. âœOh no. Everything is perfect. Iâm just having a hard timeââ
Wait...should you let Kendria choose for you?
While you think the pressure of choosing something for you to eat may be hard on her, youâd show her that youâll love whatever she chooses. You think that this may help her build confidence in her actions and that sheâll learn not to be as nervous. These are small steps, but you want Kendria to grow out of the programming you designed her with if thatâs even possible.
Plus itâll help alleviate some of the pressure of the choiceâ
But this is a life-changing experience for you...should you leave it to the girl? She may crumble under the spotlight and have a meltdown. Making her choose also feels like dumping a task you canât do yourself on herâ
Grrr...what should you do?
Let Kendria choose.
Iâll pick myself.
Chapter End Notes
I've finally graduated! Now that that's out of the way I'll have a bit more time to make updates! Thank you all for being patient with me! In addition to the good news, I've started to pick up art projects that I've been sitting on for a while. One of those being a deck of cards which you can view on my Reddit! I've also been thinking on opening up commissions and starting a account to see how it goes. Until next month!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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Chapter 5: START
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you waited in the throne room for your game, Yggdrasil, to shut down and decide that it's best to build up relations. Challenging Dastgir to a spar...
Chapter Notes
HEY, BBS here! I can say with certainty that I've 100% bitten off more than I can chew with this update.
In total, just for the START chapters, there will possibly be 32 ENDINGS for the fight with Dastgir and 63 CHAPTERS JUST FOR THE OFFENSIVE ROUTE!!!!! I've only written 10 chapters so far but I'll be adding more throughout the day and so on. They're all relatively short each but that many chapters with two or more pages in each, shared in a document adds up pretty fast.
I've doomed myself but I hope you enjoy what I have out so far and the updates I'll be making to this! We've also hit 200 kudos, whoo!
If you want to see more stuff from me check out my accounts on:
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter 5: START
DISCLAIMER: Youâre about to engage in battle. The next few chapters are going to be highly interactive, jumping from one link to another. Each decision you make will turn the tide of what you learn and what you lose so be careful of what you choose to do!
In addition, some choices will be luck-based, utilizing dice in DnD. If you have your own dice, you can use them; I will be providing a link every time there is a need for a success roll. For this to be more immersive, Iâd suggest being honest in your answers and select the number you get rather than trying to select the roll you wanted. Sometimes, even if you succeed in your roll it doesnât mean itâll be the best outcome for you!
If, at any time, you want to restart your battle, in the notes section there will be a link labled RESTART which will bring you back to the start of the fight route you chose. This way, you don't have to continuously press PREVIOUS to get back to the start.
Remember to have fun and let's get back to the story!
âœIâll be focusing on attack power.â You confirm your decision with a nod.
âœVery well.â Dastgir straightens his posture and moves his bulky arms out in front of himself, mumbling under his breath something incomprehensive.
He grips tighter on the handle in his grasp. âœHow shall we start this spar, my creator?â
âœHmm...I could count down for us? Usually, I only act once attacked or provoked in some way, but this wonât be a real battle. We are not fighting for our lives here, only testing our limitations. This will be a casual mock 1v1 so counting down shouldnât seem so bad? Are you okay with this?â
âœI see no reason not to be.â
âœCool, cool...so Iâll be counting down from three. After one I will saaay...âstart.â Once that occurs you can start doing what you can to defend yourself from any attacks I hurl your way. Still sounds good?â
âœYes.â
âœGreatââ Swallowing, you wonder how you should go about fighting the Anointed.
In any battle...gaming battle youâve been in, youâve always opted to sit back to observe, send small projectiles to prompt their defensive measures, or even tank attacks to learn as much as you can about unknown opponents. Back when youâd have player raids on the Citadel, casting Essence and Detect spells was almost like breathing to you once you spotted players. Now that you know how to cast spells...well...hardly know. It was a fluke you could cast Chaos Bolt earlier. You have no idea what prompted it to workâ
Well...in any case, casting such evaluations is unneeded since you know Dastgirâs stats and current weapon of choice.
âœIâll start counting then, ready yourself.â
You canât do much yourself since youâre floating within the air, not currently planning on using any buffs to increase your ATK. You donât want to deliberately cause more damage to Dastgir if any of your spells land a hit. You can always practice buffs later.
âœThreeââ
So how should you treat this? Like a light spar or target practice? That is the question... You know Dastgir can defend himself quite well so you donât need to worry too much, especially since youâre using magic against him.
âœTwoââ
Just that depending on how you attack can affect how this practice will go. Is it just a test or a spar to you? Testing your skills can teach you the basics of how to use a wide variety of magic though youâll lose the chance to learn what battle is like now. Sure, youâve fought players but those were with mechanics. They were not physical. If you spar you can learn how to better fight in this new world...though there is danger in that as well as you wonât be able to test out a larger variety of spells.
âœOneââ
Well, itâs now or never.
How do you want to fight?
I just want to test my magic.
I will do the light spar.
Chapter End Notes
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âœStart!â
A violet heat ignites with a crack as a whip is summoned from the end of the gold grip in Dastgirâs hand, dangling the serrated blades to his side which burn with purple flames, ready to flick off any attack you throw his way.
However, you arenât as quick to act. Slowly you lift your dominant arm like you had before with Chaos Bolt and try to mimic what you had done with that first spell.
Letâs try out another tier-one before moving up from there to sustain your mana.
Those in the bleachers become perplexed at your prone form as well as the centaur himself. They all fully expected a battle but their creator has hardly moved?
Finally, you nod, recalling a specific spell and focusing your vision back on your opponent, âœGuiding Bolt.â
A streak of light forms out of a small magic circle and is upon the centaur as quick as your vision tracks it. Dastgir merely sidesteps the projectile, keeping his defensive posture as he watches your calculating movements.
âœSweet! Okay yeah.â You nod at how your first spell of the fight has turned out.
It seems that just wanting a spell cast allows you access to your intended cast...intention? Is that it? Huh. Okay. Letâs see if it works for a different class.
âœIce Knife.â A blue magic circle appears, snow particles flowing from the edges to the center to form the blade. Green is flickering wildly across your skin as you grasp the cold blade at the hilt.
This is so cool! You can feel the cold but it seems muted. Whether thatâs because youâre the caster of the attack or your Freeze and Frost immunities still donât stop you from feeling the sensation.
Plus youâre starting to feel something else. Whenever you cast, a sense of loss or draining occurs in the back of your mind. Itâs hardly there but itâs enough information for you to puzzle that the sensation is the drawing of your mana. Such a strange feeling.
Your vision expands away from the knife to allow you to see Dastgir still waiting. Huh, well you seem to have fine aim with your magic projectiles...will throwing be different? HmmmââœHey Dastgir, Iâll be throwing this at you to test my accuracy. Be ready for that.â
âœI will.â
With his response, you turn sideways and position yourself to throw the blade his way.
This can test your accuracy but...should you also practice your speed? The force you throw it at could help you determine that since youâre not running around to avoid attacks.
I guess Iâllâ
Toss it.
Chuck it.
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Your arm passes by your head with enough force to send the blade airborne but you donât send all your strength into the throw. Like the previous magic attack, it is direct in its accuracy but Dastgir slaps it to the side with a hooved hand, shattering immediately.
Woah! The sight immediately starts up a low thrum in your chest. âœNice job!â
âœIt was nothing, my creator. Feel free to go harder on me if you wish.â He shakes his hand to rid it of frost and takes up his defensive stance again.
Was that a taunt or was he permitting you? Heh heh. You canât tell but youâll try. Itâll be another first tier but itâll be a little bit more.
Another magic circle appears, âœMagic Missile!â
Glowing darts of mana start to rain out of your palm at the centaur.
He finally moves his arm gripping Hearth of the Thousand Dragon Needles and cracks the whip out in front of him to intersect the projectiles. Itâs a mesmerizing sight as he uses the metal to swirl and bat the attacks out of the way with incredible precision. How he maneuvers the magical blades imbued in comet flames so elegantly is beyond you. He is a genius weaponâs wielder after all.
With a last flick, he knocks the end of the Magic Missiles into oblivion while you clap your hands.
âœWhoo! That was a pretty display!â You can tell this spar is bringing back some fond memories and an all too familiar spark in your core.
âœI suppose...it was...my creator?â
âœYes, Dastgir?â
âœWe are sparing, yes?â
âœWell, kind of? I said from the start that I wanted to test out my MP as well as my other stats, not fight. I donât want to hurt you or any of my other creations.â Actually, you donât want to get hurt yourself but you can only imagine how selfish that would sound if you said so out loud. But beyond your wall of rationality and fear is that spark protesting for more. Something more from this brawl
âœ...Can I speak freely?â
âœOf course you can.â
âœThank youââ His shoulders doop but he keeps his posture rigid. âœWhile I appreciate your concern for my well-being, would you act this way if I were not one of your creations?â
...What does that mean? Is he asking if youâd still not attempt to harm him if he werenât one of your NPCs? Is he asking that in a way of a warriorâs pride? He did permit you to go harder and you know he was pleased to fight you, a strong opponent...or is he asking this in a way that if he were an enemy of yours, would you still be going easy?
âœUm...well, that depends on the scenario, Dastgir. Iâve-err, well, I canât say that Iâve never gone easy on invading enemies and other opponents Iâve had in the past, but I can and have fought with all my strength before. If youâre asking if I could or should go harder on you...um, Iâm not sure if I can yet. Iâm still uncertain if my abilities are the same which is why Iâm sparring with you. Iâm working my way up to be able to, my confidence in the very leastââ Was that answer satisfactory? You canât read Dastgir as his face is nothing except a boney exterior. D-does he want you to try to hurt him? Maybe you should ask and see if you can gain something from it other than his retaliation and your self-indulgence? âœ...but...if youâre eager for me to go tougher on you thenâ
would youâ
let me poison you?â
let me attempt a higher tier cast?â
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âœPoison me?â
âœY-yes, if youâd allow me. Iâm testing out my range of spells at the moment. With my racial and job class as a Creator, I should be able to use lower tier spells and various perks off all class systems. I want to try using a spell contrary to the job classes I currently have...or should have. Itâll be âœRay of Sickness,â still a tier-one...although its potency will be amped marginally because of my levelsââ You scratch your neck timidly, âœYou should be able to tank it, r-right? At my level, you have an eighteen percent ratio of being afflicted because of your magic negators and resistances to poison, of course excluding the use of your other preventatives?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœAh-good, good...so are you willing to take a hit from me for this?â
âœIf I may be so bold to ask, should I not just avoid the cast as I had with your others?â
âœThatâs the thing, I need it to hit you so that if you are poisoned I can try healing you afterward. Itâll confirm I still have the field stretch advantage in lower-tier casts if the ray isnât proof enough. Plus, itâll be my next step up in tier as well as give me a new feel of the healing system and abjuration spell casts.â
âœI see. Very well then. I will withstand it.â
âœThank you. Sorry for this though. Iâll heal you soon after.â Repeating the motions with your intentions clear in your head, you yell âœRay of Sickness!â
Roll a D20 and select the number you get:
(You can use your dice or use this â†' LINK)
1-16
17-20
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A ray of sickening greenish energy lashes out toward Dastgir and makes landfall on his lower chest. He grunts but that is all he expresses to the attack.
âœAre you alright?â
âœNo need to worry, my creator. I am fine. However, it has failed in poisoning me.â
âœAh, I see. Iâm glad to know that your protective stats are still in working order. Would you still like me to heal you of the damage taken?â
âœIt is of minor consequence so I wouldnât bother you with it.â
âœ...So youâre good?â
âœYes.â
âœOkay.â You tap your finger on your chin, âœWell now I know I still have my variety and since I wonât be healing you Iâll be using a different cast of higher tier. Be ready for it!â All you get is a grunt as you raise another magic circle. âœThunder Lance!â
A clap of electricity meets your non-existent ears and crackles as it zaps to your opponent. Dastgir has to move a bit more urgently to dodge your attack, his metallic hooves clicking against the arenaâs flooring.
So second tier is achievable...how about third?
Spreading out your arms wide you holler, âœPulse Wave!â before clapping your hands together with a sonic boom.
Dastgir hardly dodges this time to which he hisses at. He may be a centaur and can run fast in a straight line but heâs still built like a tank and canât move as skillfully to his sides or back, even with his Barbarian class.
You donât let up though, trying to work up seeing that third tier is in the clear. âœElemental Bane!â
Dastgir busies himself with absorbing the flames youâve summoned around him with the whip of his as you call out another fourth tier cast, âœHoly Ray!â
Unlike all of your other casts, nothing occurs.
Just to your expectations.
Such a spell isnât part of your current class lists. Your creator perk only allows you to use third tier and below of every cast system. Since this was a fourth tier spell, nothing occurred. If you want to cast something unachievable with your current classes, youâd have to change classes.
Instead of doing that, you cast another spell, âœControl Winds, Downdraft!â
With a marginally larger drain from your mana, the fifth tier spell activates when high force winds rain down around Dastgir and you.
It pushes your Ascended form down slightly but the perk fights against the gusts to keep you adrift. Dastgir is visibly having more trouble.
âœTsk!â The flames you had summoned around him before as well as the ones on his whip grow chaotic to the onslaught of air. In addition, he could not easily wield his whip as ranged weapons are at a disadvantage to the cast. This meant that he could not properly defend himself from the flames around him, his weapon turned against him.
Only slightly slower, Dastgir casts the whip aside and forces himself out through the heat, his Dragonoid race greatly assisting in enduring the flames alongside the shield he summoned.
Watching him struggle is weird chemistry. A spark of heat and a chill combined in your chest. âœAre you okay?!â
He hears your call through the gusts and nods, âœOnly a little singed!â
âœThatâs good.â Knowing this onslaught of wind would last another hour, you wave your hand uttering âœDispel Magic.â to rid the attack.
The air settles to its natural state upon your words and you hum in content.
âœI made you replace your weapon with a shield. Do you think Iâve gone hard enough on you?â
âœHardly so, my creator. You merely produced conditions that made it detrimental to me using my whip.â
âœI guess soââ You focus on the scutum in his grasp with the classic white and gold designs on it to display the artistic engravings on its surface. Glat Guild is the name of the shield and it provides buffs against fire, electricity, blunt, and piercing damage as well as makes the user less likely to become prone or paralyzed.
You could keep throwing higher tier spells at him to see how high your casts still go, but thatâd mean youâd still be burning through mana. Another option is to try out your physical strength now that he has replaced the whip with something less likely to harm you. He could still try to summon another weapon or even attack you physically, however, itâll show you if your other non-magical stats have been altered.
How should you continue?
I want to keep up with the magic!
I want to try to switch it up!
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âœIâll be continuing! Bones of the Earth!â Pillars of bone blast through the flooring to impale Dastgir but he narrowly dodges and starts on a sprint to avoid the attacks. Seeing him run you call out your next higher leveled attack, âœCrown of Stars!â
Thirteen sparkling lights appear around your head with a heavy pull you feel on your mana. You have the knowledge that your magic supply is presently plentiful but you are also aware of the decent size dent youâve made in your MP. Despite this, you wave your hands to send the stars out like bullets at the centaur.
He blocks the projectiles with Glat Guild and continues to dodge the bone pillars that shoot up from behind him.
When this cycle of you shooting and Dastgir evading repeats a few times, your mind starts to revert to how you'd calculate durning raids.
There will only be two more of those bone pillars thatâll be summoned as well as two stars...perhaps you should give Dastgir what he wants? An all-familiar heat is starting to grow in the pit of your stomach of which you want to scratch. Should you?
Taking one star in each of your hands you aim them at Dastgir as he dodges another pillar.
One left then-
You hurl the two stars at once, aiming for two different locations on Dastgir simultaneously. One near his shoulder and one near his hind leg. He canât defend both with his shield so heâll have to dodge one. However, if he stops to move out of the way of one of the stars, heâd get hit by the bone attack. Either get hit with a star and loose mobility in a limb or get glocked by a pillar if he doesn't find a way out fast enough.
Youâre eager to see his next move.
Baring his fangs, Dastgir halts but jumps farther away from you and puts his shield up to defend his upper torso. With the last pillar summoned, it blasts out of the flooring to hit him but instead blocks one of your stars from making landfall on his hind. The other star hits his shield protecting his shoulder.
Wide eyed in excitement, you giggle.
Hoho! Now that was slick! Using your own attack as a shield~
Grining to yourself, Dastgir seemingly wearing the same expression judging by the way his boney jaw sets.
âœYou almost had me there, my creator!â
âœFlattery? I'm not even fighting you seriously.â
âœThen would you be willing to teach this lowly servant of yours?â
A chuckle comes out of you involuntarily, giddy in pitch. It comes as a shock to your rational side how a drive to act is starting to take the reins. You want to fight but you know you shouldnât...shouldnât you? You feel very tempted to say yes-
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Rahh...just when it was getting good.
âœ...Maybe next time. For now, I think we should listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his shield to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them visibly relax, dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
âœHeh.â Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a mincing grin. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least err...fifteen minutes? Are fifteen minutes achievable?â
âœIf. I. Hurried. It. Is. Probable.â
âœHmm...Iâll make it twenty minutes just to be on the safe side. There are those with jobs...the five minutes will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work
Chapter End Notes
You made it to the end of the fight, whoo! I hope you liked this interactive battle! I know it's a little janky since not all of the chapters are out at the moment but they will be soon! Next chapters will focus more on the perspective of the NPCs in reaction to your decisions!
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âœThen let me produce conditions for a shield to be favorable!â Calling out with a shake of your hands, you ball them into fists and will Ascend to deactivate.
Letâs see if your speed is still there.
The moment your feet touch the ground your legs move to prepare you for a sprint. Dastgir notices your stance and holds up his shield in front of his human torso. âœMy creator, arenât you a magic-oriented being? Would this not put you at a disadvantage in a real battle?â
âœAlthough I may not be a monk, assuming I canât harm with my fists is a fatal mistake many have made in the past.â Upon transferring power into your legs, air blasts by you as you launch yourself at Dastgir.
He canât dodge at all at the speed you move at, his shield protecting his form from the blow you make with your punch. The hit echos a horrible metallic bang through the arena and the force alone sends the tank of an Anointed skidding back.
âœHaha! Iâm glad I still have it in me. Looks like my speed and physical attack are still good!â Also your durability. Thankfully, your hand didnât break upon hitting the surface of the shield. However, you do shake it to get rid of the sting.
âœ...It seems so.â Baring his fangs, Dastgir smirks. âœI didnât know you were so strong in such a way. This is quite a pleasant surprise.â
âœFlattery? I'm not even fighting you seriously.â
âœThen would you be willing to teach this lowly servant of yours?â
A chuckle comes out of you involuntarily, giddy in pitch. It comes as a shock to your rational side how a drive to act is starting to take the reins. You want to fight but you know you shouldnât...shouldnât you? You feel very tempted to say yes-
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Rahh...just when it was getting good.
âœ...Maybe next time. For now, I think we should listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his shield to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them visibly relax, dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
âœHeh.â Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a mincing grin. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least err...fifteen minutes? Are fifteen minutes achievable?â
âœIf. I. Hurried. It. Is. Probable.â
âœHmm...Iâll make it twenty minutes just to be on the safe side. There are those with jobs...the five minutes will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work.
Chapter End Notes
You made it to the end of the fight, whoo! I hope you liked this interactive battle! I know it's a little janky since not all of the chapters are out at the moment but they will be soon! Next chapters will focus more on the perspective of the NPCs in reaction to your decisions!
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A ray of sickening greenish energy lashes out toward Dastgir and makes landfall on his lower chest. He grunts but that is all he expresses to the initial attack.
âœAre you alright?â
âœNo need to worry, my creator. I am fine-tsk!â He grits his teeth in a pained hiss, âœThough, I must inform you that youâve succeeded in poisoning me.â
âœO-oh, uh. Thank you for informing me.â You will yourself to float up to the anointed who clutches the area the ray hit him. You can see, as you draw closer, green veins blossom from the epicenter where his hooves cover.
The feeling upon seeing the success is both sweet and sour. Youâve learned something but youâve hurt an ally. You were able to land an attack but your opponent allowed it to happen.
Strange is the way your mind works in this new body of yours.
âœPlease move your hand. Iâll need to t-touch you for this cast to work.â
âœ...yes, my creator.â He obeys and lays his chest bare for you to work with.
â.
â.
Why the hell did you make this man so chiseled?! Are you staring at a brick wall?!!
Ferociously shaking your head, you shift your attention to the afflicted area.
The muscle affected by the toxins is visibly fighting against the foreign magical substance, twitching under his olive skin to shake off the attack.
This could have been a way for you to practice retrieving items from your inventory since you know you have at least a scroll or something that could do the trick and heal Dastgir. However, thatâd waste burnable items and you have other options.
Bracing yourself for the onslaught of emotions, you place your shaky palm right under his humanoid diaphragm where he was hit-
Curiosity, pain, desire, pride, love, eggerness, worry, strength-
âœLesser Restoration, Poison.â When the spell activates, the green veins you saw from before retreat and fade away as if it had never existed. âœT-there. That should have done the trick. Are you feeling better?â
âœ...â
Dastgir doesnât answer right away. Rather, his sharp skull remains dipped downward to where your hand rests, rippling with various colors to the shared feelings.
âœ...um.â
âœSorry, my creator. Iâm just enraptured by thisââ Raising one of his hooved hands to hover over your contact he continues in his ramble. âœ...so this is what your touch feels like...your power as well...â
âœH-huh?!â A pink glow creeps its way out at his words and you retract your hand, becoming flustered, âœA-ah, yes. Iâve just recently learned with Alvara that whoever comes in physical contact with me shall share their emotions with me.â
You canât tell how he feels about you suddenly jerking away from him, his stony exterior not assisting in reading his expression, but his voice lowers as he replies, âœThis is new?â
âœThat is correct.â You rub your palm with your other hand to reduce the colors still rippling across it. âœItâs one of the reasons why I could tell something has occurred. My body shouldnât be able to do this. Itâs why Iâm so concerned about other changes not just in my abilities but everything else.â
âœ...because youâve been noticing changes elsewhere.â His firm voice parrots what you had told him earlier, along with the other NPCs, and you nod to confirm what he said. He stomps one of his hooves before growling. âœMy creator is your realm in danger-â His head bolts up quickly- âœAre you in danger?!â
âœI...canât say yet.â You lament. âœI donât want to scare any of you but...these changes that Iâve detected can very much impact us in ways that I have yet to foresee. There may even be changes that I have yet to find out. I only figured out that my sense of touch had been altered after I had contact with Alvara. If I had not touched her, Iâd still be completely oblivious if I hadnât touched you either. My vision, hearing, and smell have also been altered, which is why I was so quick to pick up the change.â
You wrap your darkening arms around yourself as if to protect yourself from unseen dangers as you layout your fears to the Anointed. âœYou all say you donât feel any different but...I can see that there is something different...about all of you. I...canât...explain what it is becauseââ
How could you tell them that theyâre not supposed to be alive?!
âœ...i-itâs complicated...itâs beyond what...you or anyone of my subjects can perceive.â You shake your head at the bad explanation, âœI-Iâm sorry-itâs just...something only I can comprehend. One cannot teach water to become fire. The closest one can achieve this is by air.â Ack! Another illustration!
âœIs our change harmful to you?â When you donât deny him right away he steps back from you, âœMy creator, if we are dangerous you must let us know.â
âœA-a...emmââ You cringe debating whether or not to tell him your concerns. That friendly fire is off by the very fact that you can hit Dastgir and Bizerk and that they have to defend themselves from it.
That they can attack you and have the minds and strength to do it.
You have no idea what youâd be able to do in the face of that. If they were all just NPCs, with no mental thought process, youâd still have a struggle. The anointed would be an extreme struggle for you. They each have the power to take on whole guilds of players as final bosses of each floor. If they fought you itâd be like fighting multiple high tier guilds at once. Although thatâs something youâve been able to overcome in the past, this is real life. Youâd be fighting for your life rather than for a game. Youâre not even certain all of your abilities and power levels are the same anymore. Itâs already been shown through Kendria and Alvara that they have changed but to what extent?! What does it all mean?!
The Anointed are all extremely threatening in their own ways to your well-being but you canât leave out that the Disciples and the Reborn can betray you too. The sheer numbers and strength-
You dig your nails into your skin where you hug yourself.
Your beasts too. Though they should obey you with your additional Beast Tamer skills, if you still have them, your familiars and other creatures could attack you too. They are the least likely to do so but you have no idea what to trust yet, let alone wild monstrous creatures.
What could you do in the face of that?... What in the world could you possibly do?!
You have magic still, yes, but to what limit?! Youâve already spent a portion on this spar with Dastgir. Not a lot since youâve memorized the mana costs for the spells youâve cast but if youâre in for a full-on war against the entirety of the Citadelâ
You may die.
The mortality of your position starts to sink in with a blackening color, the void bleeds like ink across your chest. You dig your nails deeper to the point it hurts.
You...want to think youâd fight. The back of your mind screams that youâd fight. This is your realm and they are your servants through a blood pact. The gall of traitors...youâd obliterate them...at least...thatâs what your mind is supplying with a vicious heat...but, rationally, youâd have to either die fighting, surrender, or flee. Itâd already be an uphill battle if it were in-game, nearly impossible even with your avatarâs build. You lack items and equipment to assist you. All that could aid you are in your bedroom, the core room on the 4th floor. With long-distance teleportation disabled in your realm, if it still is, youâd have to fight four of your floors just to retrieve them. Youâd most likely die before then, especially since this is no longer a game.
If you tell Dastgir that he and the others are threats to you, thatâd confirm to him that they can overwhelm you in some way. Should you even provide him with that kind of information? Should you deny it so you can buy time to plan for such an outcome?
Thatâs...so bleak...but it could possibly save your life.
However, besides your fears and obvious looming threat...they havenât shown you any signs that they want to hurt you. All the NPCs youâve interacted with so far respect the very ground you walk on. Some may be shy or scared of you like Kendria is but most of the NPCs seem to adore you. Worship you even!
You recall the Reborn clapping and looking glittery-eyed your way, bowing as you passed but smiled and cheered to themselves once they thought you were far enough away not to notice. Theyâve all been respectful, if not a little too supportive. The Disciples the same way and the Anointed are no different from this. Alvara cried tears as she pleaded for your happiness. Bizerk threw some...flattery your way. Dastgir even sparred with you and allowed you to attack him without retaliating. You didnât feel any distaste for you when you touched him. Maybe heâs concerned for you?
He probably is...but that doesnât change the fact that if you tell him the truth of your concerns that, even if he doesnât use it against you, he could be hurt by your words. How would he serve you if he thinks heâd be endangering you? Plus, if you told him your fears, other NPCs would have to be informed about them being a danger. This may cause a civil war with those who support you and those who want to take advantage of your confused state.
Youâd have to stake your life on the integrity of your NPCs, codes that have taken life. With the different Karma levels all spread throughout your subjects as well as some of your own choice reprogramming in a few to give them certain personalities and beliefs, your answer has the potential to be a crockpot for disaster.
This is fucked up.
âœMy creator, I must request that you answer.â His voice hardens and he bares his teeth, his grip on his weapon tightening with an audible creak.
Swallowing at his not at all pleased body languageâ
...you decideâ
...to hide your fear.
...to be honest.
Chapter End Notes
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âœI-itâs more so that...certain liberties that had been up are now lowered. The best way I can say this is that...you are harmful to yourselves.â
âœWe can hurt ourselves?â
âœYes-ish.â You nod to the thought you didnât lie. They can hurt themselves and each other with friendly fire disabled. You just donât want it centered on your vulnerability. âœItâs a little more in-depth than that but you and the rest of my subjects have the capacity to do and be harmed. This isnât the only abnormality in you all. There are a few others Iâve picked up but I wanted to answer your question.â
âœHow...could we have changed in such ways? Under our noses no less.â Baffled beyond words, Dastgirâs voice drops near to a whisper. âœIf my creator wasnât so perceptive, we would all have been oblivious! Forgive us for not detecting-â
âœThereâs no way you could have...well, very little any of you could have caught on to. I only know these things because I created you all and I know how you all should operate. Donât blame yourselves for something you canât comprehend. Iâve changed as well so donât feel that you or anyone else is a burden to me right now. This is just something for us to learn from and adapt to. If we donât...weâll either suffer or weâll die. That is the law of nature.â
âœYou certainly wonât die! Iâll never allow it!!!â
âœA-ah, thank you. Iâm happy to hear youâre vehement against the idea but this rule also applies to everyone and everything in my realm. I do not want any, not a single one of my subjects, to fall victim to this rule. Itâs why I want to find and take note of any changes in them.â
âœThe tests?â
âœExactly. I want to see for myself if anything else can come into the picture, like any new issues. I also want to know if these abnormalities lie outside my realm which is why Iâm eager for the reconnaissance to return.â
âœI could call the Reborn back for you.â
âœThereâs no need. I donât want to interrupt their investigation. Besides, they should be arriving any moment now-â
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Speak of the devil.
âœWell, what do you know? They must have heard me. Letâs listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his whip to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them visibly relax, dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a small smile. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least err...fifteen minutes? Are fifteen minutes achievable?â
âœIf. I. Hurried. It. Is. Probable.â
âœHmm...Iâll make it twenty minutes just to be on the safe side. There are those with jobs...the five minutes will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work
Chapter End Notes
You made it to the end of the fight, whoo! I hope you liked this interactive battle! I know it's a little janky since not all of the chapters are out at the moment but they will be soon! Next chapters will focus more on the perspective of the NPCs in reaction to your decisions!
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âœ*Sigh*...yes, Dastgir. Some of the changes that have occurred to you and others have put me at risk.â Cringing when you see his jaw drop you continue, âœI-itâs not as...well, it could be disastrous, but Iâm not saying you are all a threat to me currently!â
âœBut we can be?!â
âœErr-well, uh, if certain circumstances are met. But this is just a general thing! Iâm not the only one who can be harmed. You are also threats to one another and yourselves, just as I am to you all and myself!â
âœMy creator! Why didnât you bring this issue up earlier?! Your safety is our top priority! Why would you withhold this horrible turn from us?! Why tell me now?!â
Because I didnât want you all to attack me. âœ...if...I said anything about it...the circumstances that could result in such outcomes would become apparent. If that information got out to ones who donât hold the best interests of those afflicted, it would allow them to act out in mannerââ
âœ...So you were protecting all of us by keeping silentââ
No, I was looking out for myself. âœMore or less. Besides, there were more urgent issues I needed to get handled.â
âœMy creator, I must protest!â He shakes his head and his dreads whip back and forth with the movement. âœYou are our purpose! My purpose! There isnât anything more urgent than looking out for your well-being! Why put other tasks ahead of ensuring your safety?!â
Because I wanted to appear like the ruler you all believe I am so Iâm less likely to be retaliated against. âœWhile I may be your purpose, one of my own is to protect my realm and those who reside here. It is my duty for all of your faith in me. But donât mistake this as me disowning my welfare. The commands I have given thus far will hopefully sustain our safety net and give us more leverage to fortify it. This is a new and odd situation for us all. Although the what-ifs are there...Iâm willing to trust you all to be at my side as we all figure this out. Is that all right with you?â
Dastgir remains still as a statue to your response but after some long awkward seconds pass he grumbles, âœYes, my creator...However, there must be something we can do to help assist you with this issue.â
âœWhich one?â
âœAll of them, but the ones Iâm most driven to eradicate are the threats posed to you.â
âœI do too...but thereâs nothing we can do presently with the information we have. The only things we can do are avoid the circumstances and...be patient as we gather information. I hate this. I do. Itâs one of the reasons why Iâm eager for the reconnaissance to return. I want to know if these changes are not an isolated incident.â
âœI could call the Reborn back for you.â
âœThereâs no need. I donât want to interrupt their investigation. Besides, they should be arriving any moment now-â
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Speak of the devil.
âœWell, what do you know? They must have heard me. Letâs listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his whip to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them visibly relax, dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a slight frown. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least err...fifteen minutes? Are fifteen minutes achievable?â
âœIf. I. Hurried. It. Is. Probable.â
âœHmm...Iâll make it twenty minutes just to be on the safe side. There are those with jobs...the five minutes will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work
Chapter End Notes
You made it to the end of the fight, whoo! I hope you liked this interactive battle! I know it's a little janky since not all of the chapters are out at the moment but they will be soon! Next chapters will focus more on the perspective of the NPCs in reaction to your decisions!
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âœA higher cast?â
âœY-yes. Iâm testing out my range of spells at the moment. With my levels as the GM-ahem, as the creator, I should be able to use casts up to super tier magic, casts beyond 10th tier. Although I'm not certain in this, I want to try using a spell a little higher in tier than my previous ones since itâs clear I can cast those of lower tiers.â You scratch your neck timidly, âœTheyâll be a little bit more potent but Iâm sure you can handle yourself, right?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœAh-good, good. Are you ready for something a little stronger?â
âœYes!â
Both determined to see this through, you raise your hand and call out, âœPrismatic Spray!â
With a noticeably huge drain pool from your mana, red flashes within your palm to be met with a swoosh, a fire beam is targeted at Dastgir which he absorbs with his whip. Orange flashes next and acid comes with the next beam, sizzling against the heat of the blades as Dastgir defends himself.
He grits his teeth to the poisonous vapor and splatter of acid around him but he has to leap over the orange liquid to avoid the violet beam sent his way. It can blind and send the victim into another plane of existence if they canât recover quickly enough. Dastgir is able to dodge that outcome as well as the next violet, green, indigo, and yellow beam that was shot at him.
When he blocks the final red beam, you call out another attack with a finger pointed up, âœReverse Gravity!â
Holy light meets your vision and a luminescent scythe is summoned in Dastgirâs free hand. As he starts to fall towards the Seiun he throws his weight into the blade and pierces the arena tiles with the weapon before he could get far.
âœWoah! Nice fast handling there!â You giggle as you watch the orange acid puddle fall off into the distant stormy sky, unperturbed by the reverse of gravity with Ascend aiding you.
âœHeh! Thank you, my creator! Youâve put me in a tight spot.â Chuckling as he hangs his entire tank of weight on his one humanoid arm gripping onto the weapon dubbed Radiant Reap.
âœIt should be active for less than a minute now, soââ
Should you attack him while he hangs?
Yes, I want to keep testing my spells and see how he can defend himself.
No, I should dispell the attacks before he's put in too much danger.
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âœ...let's see how you react to this! Earthquake!â
With another gulp of mana extinguished, you will Ascend to propel your form, heel first, into the surface of the arena Dastgir is dangling from. An ear-piercing crack screeches out and the reflective panels shatter immediately, sending seismic tremors out from where you landed and particles of mirror-like panels to rain up from the floor into the sky.
Those watching in the bleachers have to grip onto their seats to keep themselves steady as they continue to watch their Creatorâs incredible display of strength.
Earthquake has the capability of destroying underground structures, such as the floors below the one youâre sparing on. Youâd be worried about the damage if not for the fact that the ground which youâre now floating above isnât connected to the structure of the sky palace. In reality, the floor of the arena is suspended like a disk above a dome that runs underneath the flooring. Magnetic suspension with fixed physics. That way, any AOE attacks raiders could inflict on the first floor, like Meteor Fall, wouldnât affect the othersâ
Well, that and the fact that each floor has reality boxes...non-euclidean, um, liminal spaces...hyperbolic type fields...uh, err, separate realms from one another with interlaced dimensions within each. Yeah, that. If an AOE attack is used on this floor, itâd be like using it in one of the nine realms of Yggdrasil and expecting it to affect the others. It just wonât work. Plus, you put coding into making certain structures of the Citadel indestructible so, all in all, youâre confident this attack has done nothing to the other floors.
The scythe rattles as it starts to slip out from where it is lodged in and Dastgir grits his fangs as he is shaken back and forth over the cloudy sky of the Seiun.
âœMy creator! Am I allowed to use methods to ensure my safety?!â
âœIâll allow it!â You holler out in concern and curiosity. You donât want him to get seriously hurt and you also want to see what he can do to get out of the predicament heâs in.
Dastgirâs muscles bulge the moment he hears the words leave you and you recognize the animation.
âœR A G E !â The hiss bellows out with a rumble that could challenge the Earthquake, steam and spit spraying out from his maw as he casts aside his flame whip to summon a wooden halberd dubbed BarkânâBulk. Using his one massive arm, he spins so his back is to you and pulls himself up in one quick movement, stabbing the still shaking ground with the beak of the halberd.
Spiky vines spring out from the weapon and seep into the cracks of the arena to give better leverage to the berserk barbarian.
Upon seeing this, Dastgir does a pull-up and smashes his thick legs into the arena to ground himself.
Defying the current gravity, with his legs now hooked into the ground with the help of the blades on his hooves and the two long weapons hooked in the ground at his sides, he stands proudly in defiance to your attacks.
âœHohohohoh~â You donât know what sound just left you at the display of strength but the heat that had been crawling up inside your chest now BURNS with the desire to FIGHT! You could feel the wicked smile youâd be wearing if you had the lips to display it! âœColor me impressed, Dastgir! Do you think you can handle more? Iâm starting to have fun!â
âœMe too!â He growls still in an enraged manner but the way his jaw sets displays how truly excited he is.
That is all you need for your rational side to be overruled by a belligerent mind.
âœReality Slash!â You swipe your dominant arm at Dastgir but with a glow underneath a cloth around his lower humanoid torso, he blips out of existence before the attack can make landfall.
Your extended vision shows you that he has reappeared a short distance away, quickly hooking himself into the ground so as not to fall away.
Nice. You were confident heâd be able to dodge. While a little miffed that you missed, youâre relieved that he wasnât hit as it could have severely hurt him.
Plus itâd be no fun if he didnât struggle.
Gravity returns, the seventh tier spellâs allotted time runs out and dispels the effect.
This changes nothing for you but Dastgir unhooks himself from the surface of the arena and holds his weapons up defensively.
Earthquake is still in effect, keeping Dasgirâs stance unsteady, but it wonât be for long.
What would be a smart move in this instance?
Take advantage of the environment caused by Earthquake.
Take advantage of the status effect on Dastgirâs movement.
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As a Druid, taking advantage of your environment is all part of the job class and right now, with all the fissures about the playing field, your mind starts to work in overdrive.
Heâll keep deflecting and dodging your attacks as long as he can. Plus, with the belt hidden underneath the cloth around his waist, even if you get close enough to hit him, he can teleport away; albeit, the belt only does this so many times so he canât rely on it forever.
Still, that doesnât mean that heâll allow you to hit him...
Not if he canât help it that is!
The cracks line almost the entirety of the floor thanks to Earthquake and your mind travels back to a few raids where you used this tactic.
Letâs see how Dastgir can handle this!
âœSummon Primal Air Elemental!â
A spirit accumulated from wind appears and, as the particles that had flown up into the sky from Reverse Gravity fall back to the ground, shards of sharp panels are sucked into the body of the creature you summoned.
âœDastgir, you can fight my helper here if youâd like. Air elemental, attack the Anointed there!â
You receive no answer but it does screech in a haunting way as it rushes forth for its battle with the centaur.
More focused on your next task, you rise with the help of Ascend as multiple blue rings of magic circles come into existence as you concentrate your mana into the spell.
Your next attack requires at least one minute of casting time to gather up the mana required for it, which is why you summoned a helper. Your Beast Tamer and Druid classes come very much in handy when you need a distraction.
While you know the wind elemental isnât an extreme challenge for Dastgir, itâs still challenging enough for him to keep defending himself and slashing at it with Radiant Reep when he has the chance.
You watch curiously as the small battle unfolds before you. The elemental summoning Whirlwind, picking up debris, as Dastgir defends himself better now that Earthquake is no longer in effect.
Thatâs alright though. All you need to do is cast two more attacks for your plan to work.
His RAGE is amplifying his attack power so, although radiant damage isnât necessarily a weakness to the wind elemental, itâs causing considerable damage to it. No worries though, it has enough HP to hold off until you finish your wound up.
Itâs a little wait but as soon as the circles flash, a sign theyâre ready to be used, you donât even bother recalling the elemental as you call out âœTsunami!â
An earth-shattering roar of water bellows out of the point between the cracks in the floor you selected to which Dastgir immediately notices.
He casts away BarkânâBulk with a âœtsk!â to replace it with an item to defend himself as the white foam of the rushing current crashes towards him.
The wind elemental keeps up its attack to disrupt Dastgir as long as possible but itâs very ineffective as he slashes it consecutively in seconds with the scythe. The elemental fades away with a sigh as the water comes upon them.
With the new weapon in hand, Dastgir activates the mace at the last second and a soap bubble membrane forms around him. Even at the speed and power the waters crash into the substance, it doesnât break through the water-repellant force field the mace has imbued on Dastgir.
You focus on lowering yourself as the waters start to recede, calling out to Dastgir just as his head appears out from the water, âœNot enough for you?â
âœHeh, not yet, my creator!â
âœOh reallyââ You float down just above the slowly sinking water, focused on the bubble around Dastgir.
Now that the waters finish rushing past the warrior, only a light stream flowing by as it starts to sink into the cracks in the floor panels does the mace deactivate on its own, water now pooling around Dastgirâs knees.
Itâs just what youâve been waiting for.
âœMaximize Magic, Freeze Plane!â
Since you were so close to the surface of the water and were casting it on water, you had a larger attack range and increased potency. Dastgir doesnât react fast enough for his teleporter to activate, the ice spread trapping his legs instantly as it covers the entire floor of the arena.
Underneath the panels of the field are a few material components for spells that require it. Itâs a limited supply and only for basic elements; however, theyâre there to assist players and you as you all fought, lessening their load in their inventory slots. Theyâre accessible as long as the flooring is damaged enough for them to be accessible through the panels.
Youâd take advantage of this fact every battle.
This method of entrapment is one of your favorites when thereâs a lot of players using vision obstructions like walls and the like so that you canât use Eye of Providence. Theyâd think theyâre safer as long as they move and take cover with the structures but after using Tsunami and either an electrical or freeze-type attack itâd change their minds real fast.
You abstained from using an electrical type attack this time as you didnât want to severely hurt Dastgir...not yet at least.
âœYou were saying?â You puff out your chest proudly at Dastgirâs prone state.
He looks down at his frozen legs with an expression hard to read due to its little facial components and boney structure.
Without saying a word, he disposes of the mace and the all-familiar handle reappears in its place. With a crack, Hearth of the Thousand Dragon Needles activates and a whirlwind of snaps of the blades shatter and melt the ice around him instantly.
With the last of his RAGE, he pulls his legs free and stands stoic on top of the frozen plane.
Wide eyed in excitement, you giggle.
Hoho! Now that was slick! Breaking prone with elemental and PHY advantages~
âœYou almost had me there, my creator!â
âœFlattery? I'm not even fighting you seriously.â
âœThen would you be willing to teach this lowly servant of yours?â
A chuckle comes out of you involuntarily, giddy in pitch. It comes as a shock to your rational side how a drive to act is starting to take the reins. You want to fight but you know you shouldnât...shouldnât you? You feel very tempted to say yes-
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Rahh...just when it was getting good.
âœ...Maybe next time. For now, I think we should listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his weapons to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them rake their eyes across the frozen landscape with unchanging expressions before dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
âœHeh.â Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a mincing grin. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least errââ Looking out at the frozen ground you shift your plans. âœActually, we should wait until the arena repairs itself. That should be about an hour...is seventy minutes achievable?â
âœMore. Than. So.â
âœGood. I know that there are those with jobs...the hour or so will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work
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As a veteran MLG, taking advantage of your opponent's weaknesses are part of PVPing, and right now, with all the fissures about the playing field, your mind starts to work in overdrive.
Heâll keep deflecting and dodging your attacks as long as he can. Plus, with the belt hidden underneath the cloth around his waist, even if you get close enough to hit him, he can teleport away; albeit, the belt only does this so many times so he canât rely on it forever.
Still, that doesnât mean that heâll allow you to hit him...
Not if he canât help it that is!
The cracks line almost the entirety of the floor thanks to Earthquake and your mind travels back to a few raids where you used this tactic.
Letâs see how Dastgir can handle this!
âœDimensional Lock!â
A golden pulse of energy leaves you and fades off after it reaches its AOE limit just as the particles, which had flown up into the sky from Reverse Gravity, fall back to the ground to rain upon Dastgir and you. Neither of you is affected by the debris.
âœE-eh?â The croak comes out with a quirk of a non-existent brow as you dust your shoulder off. âœWhy did it appear that way? Thatâs odd.â
Dimensional Lock shouldnât have appeared with that color...thatâs extremely new.
Something to think about later though, youâre still in combat.
This will be a moment of truth. Players would need to use the console to bring up items but you donât have that option now. Youâll just...have to try to open your item box just like how you use magic and how you use Ascend. You just have to try or youâll have to come up with another plan.
Raising your hand, like you would trying to open your menu, you think about accessing your item box-
And your hand disappears into a dark, fog-like portal that has appeared.
You almost gasp at the display. Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of the bag that holds various items of use. When a leathery fiber meets your hand you slowly retreat your arm from wherever it has gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You pray that it isn't something else while you raise your other hand to Dastgir to occupy him, âœTriplet Maximize Magic, Obsidian sword!â
Three long blades that glow a haunting black manifest at your sides as your hand frees from the dark mist. The portal dissipates, revealing a moderate-sized green and brown leather satchel.
The dyed leather is sewn together with a divine beastâs hair and dried glow grass. It has various accessories holding different purposes that hang from its sides, all either organic, magical, or crystalline. Lastly, it has intricate rune and incantation engravings on the surface of its sides and flap to imbue the bag with magical attributes. You immediately recognize it as your Component Pouch.
Theyâre a standard starting item for all players. They start as a watertight leather belt pouch that has compartments to hold all the material components and other special Items needed to cast spells, except for those components that have a specific cost.
While there exist other higher-level bags in the game to store better items in, they are usually catered specifically to certain classes and can only hold certain types of items.
That serves as a problem for your multi-class avatar who can change their orientation due to their Creator perk.
This was also an issue for other multi-class players but you gave them and yourself solutions.
Many items in the game can be added on to and altered to fit a playerâs needs and the Component Pouch is just one of them. It wonât be able to hold as many items as the other specified bags however it can hold a much wider variety when upgraded like you have to your own.
You wave the swords to attack Dastgir as you reach into the bag that now floats at your side due to one of the attachments. While you know the swords arenât an extreme challenge for Dastgir, itâs still challenging enough for him to keep defending himself and slash at them when he has the chance.
Back to you, however, youâre not too concerned about using the thing youâre searching for since it isnât burnable items as long as you collect it back after use. You just hope Dastgir doesnât decide to cut them up too bad before you can do so.
The clang of blades meeting one another sounds out as Dastgir meets the attacks with his weapons.
You note that he still doesnât change his hand choice.
Good, youâd have had to change your plan if he did.
You open your palm when you finish rummaging to see if you got the right items. Extended vision allows you to see three fuzzy, pill-like seeds.
Gotcha!
Just as Dastgir bats the swords again you throw the seeds out in front of you as you call out âœGrow!â and they tumble into the cracks in the flooring. Vines immediately blast out from them, crawling through the cracks in the shaky flooring to Dastgir.
He shatters a single blade as you call out your next attack âœCrack in the Ground!â
The floor, aided by Earthquake, splits wide underneath Dastgir to swallow his legs.
He tsks and moves his legs to leap away but anticipating this you call out your final attack, âœTwinge Plant!â
Vines shoot out from the large crack and snatch Dastgirâs retreating legs to pull him back.
Seeing his situation, he attempts to slice away his capture but the two remaining Obsidian Swords return to pull his attention away.
He knocks them away with BarkânâBulk while he slices a few vines with Radiant Reap. More vines come however and capture not only his legs but his sythe and the arm holding it, pulling him down into the crevice in the ground.
Earthquake has ended but Crack in the Ground closes its jaws around Dastgirâs bottom half, entrapment him in both the floor and vines as they continue to snake up around him.
âœAck!â He yelps as the vines pull on his shoulders now. His one free arm doing nothing to free himself to fend off the swords. âœWhat kind of vines are these?!â
âœTheyâre called Sticky Vines. Theyâre specifically used for entrapment as theyâre even more difficult to break out of than normal ones. Even the most physically adapt have trouble with them so your RAGE wonât help much! Theyâre weak against slashing and fire damage though but seeing as you no longer have a slashing or a burning weapon available to you...I must say youâre in a tough spot! Your belt wonât do much to help you either since Iâve disabled teleportation in this given area!â
Youâd take advantage of playerâs specs and equipment every battle.
This method of entrapment is one of your favorites when few players are lingering on the field, worming their way around your attacks. ten to thirty arre the golden number of players to properly fight you safely without backfiring on the challengers. Theyâd think theyâre safer spread out because you canât risk AOE attacks, like Eye of Providence, since you canât waste the cost on something that might not land in the end but after theyâd change their minds real fast if they canât escape your vines and the attacks leading after.
You abstained from using any more attacks this time as you didnât want to severely hurt Dastgir...not yet at least.
âœSo what will you do now, hm?â You puff out your chest proudly at Dastgirâs prone state as he continues to swat the blades away with the halberd.
He turns his chin down an expression hard to read due to its little facial components and boney structure.
Without saying a word, he disposes of the halberd and the all-familiar handle reappears in its place. With a crack, Hearth of the Thousand Dragon Needles activates and a whirlwind of snaps of the blades shatter the obsidian weapons and burn the vines around him instantly.
With the last of his RAGE, he pulls his body free and stands stoic on top of the broken plane.
Wide eyed in excitement, you giggle.
Hoho! Now that was slick! Breaking prone with elemental and PHY advantages, albeit with a little hint from you~
âœYou almost had me there, my creator!â
âœFlattery? I'm not even fighting you seriously.â
âœThen would you be willing to teach this lowly servant of yours?â
A chuckle comes out of you involuntarily, giddy in pitch. It comes as a shock to your rational side how a drive to act is starting to take the reins. You want to fight but you know you shouldnât...shouldnât you? You feel very tempted to say yes-
A flicker of three figures exiting the Seiun catches your attention away from the centaur. For a second you think they are players invading the Citadel but when you narrow in on them with your expanded vision you understand who they are.
Rahh...just when it was getting good.
âœ...Maybe next time. For now, I think we should listen to the report the scouts have brought back.â
âœHm?â Dastgir turns his gaze to the sky and huffs. He puts away his weapons to watch as Cruella, Nut, and Sparse draw closer to your group until they land to your left, wavering in how they should act with their eyes flickering between Dastgir and you.
âœMy creator...were you just fighting Anointed Dastgir?â
âœYes, we were just participating in a light spar.â
All three of them rake their eyes across the broken landscape with unchanging expressions before dropping to their knees to bow. As they do so, the six who watched from the sidelines approached to receive the report.
âœMy creator, we have urgent news on the surroundings of your realm.â Nut hums out in a similar way that Majesty does, however, the gold plated warforgeâs manner of speech is more put together and less choppy than the Anointed.
âœPlease relay what you all have found.â You almost cross your fingers, hoping that at least one more thing has stayed consistent and that SÅsaku-shaâs realm is still above that of the terrain of Asgard and Vsnaheim, the dwelling places of Norse mythology Gods and two of the nine worlds.
âœIt ssseemsssââ Sparse growls in a hissing way, her long fangs probably assisting her lisp, âœthat the outssside terrain isssnât what it usssed to be. I remember-we remember clearly when we were sssummoned by our creator that there were landsss of gold and light. Howeverââ
âœThere wasnât any of that.â Cruellaâs bones rattle as she shakes her head, âœIt was a void. Dark expands as far as the eye can see with scattered stars. A never-ending night sky in every direction.â
â.
â.
What?...
What the fuck?!
âœBut thereâs something else too.â Nut nods at the skeleton before setting his attention back on you, âœWe appear to be near a world. None of us three have ever seen Midgard since none of us originated from that world but we believe it is such.â
âœIt matchesss the dissscription of what fellow Reborn have relayed onto usss. It even hasss a moon orbiting it and a sssun in the dissstancsse.â
â.
...You donât know what to think.
Had your realm moved without you accessing the Space Warp to the outskirts of Midgard...or some other plane of the nine worlds of Yggdrasilâ
What if this planet they speak of isnât a world from your game at allâ
...but an entirely new one?
âœHmm. Iâll have to take a peek at your discovery later. Is there anything else?â
âœOther than the planet appearing to be mostly covered in blue, maybe by the seas Iâve been told about...nothing else stands out besides the fact that we canât talk out there. We had to resort to using Message to communicate with one another.â
âœOh?â This never-ending night they speak of might be outer space then. It would explain why Erx and Aragog had difficulty breathing. Has Yggdrasil taken a more literal form in this lifelike scenario? That could also be the answer...however, there needs to be more research conducted before you can draw any more conclusions, âœDid any of the Kaonashi trouble you?â
âœNo, they had only followed us.â
âœAnd none of you were affected by the Seiunâs status effects?â
âœNo, my creator.â
âœMmm. Good. Thank you for informing me of this. I will plan steps to further identify what youâve seen. Until then,â You widen your stance in the air and raise your voice to project your authority, âœMy word still stands on the condition of each floor. We must all stay on high alert until we have more answers. Maximum security will remain in effect but I expect all floors to keep passageways open unless an intruder is spotted. As for the security of this first floor...sigh, Iâll keep to my word and...step back as overseer of it. While my attack power doesnât seem to be any different, there are many holes in what we have yet to unclose.â You face toward the Anointed whom youâve sparred with and nod. âœI'd like to continue our tests sometime soon. Maybe...hmm...maybe we could even go further than target practice next time?â
âœHeh.â Dastgir pounds his chest with a fist and a mincing grin. âœItâd be my great honor.â
âœTo me as well. For now, however, Iâll have you select the Unmei no gundan who shall take guard here. You may select any number of guards you wish but it should not be to the detriment of the other floors. Set up a schedule for them to rotate and take breaks as normal. Those selected should also be informed of the maze rotation schedule here beyond the pillars of the arena. Can you accomplish this?â
âœYes, my creator.â
âœYou may seek help where you need it. Donât be shy to ask one of the Disciples, Anointed, or me for assistance but I believe you wonât need it. I trust your judgment.â Your focus travels to the rest. âœWe will start the evaluations as I had stated before of each floor. Majesty, the treasury will be first. Have those on your floor gathered here in at least errââ Looking out at the shattered ground you shift your plans. âœActually, we should wait until the arena repairs itself. That should be about an hour...is seventy minutes achievable?â
âœMore. Than. So.â
âœGood. I know that there are those with jobs...the hour or so will give them time to wrap up what theyâre working onââ
Aw man. Did you just make a huge mess by checking all of the NPCs of the citadel? There are thousands of creatures living within your sky palace with various jobs. How are you going to pull them from their jobs without incidents occurring? The cooking district is a big issue if you pull the chefs away while preparing meals. The farming district too. They have to attend to animals farmed here.
How can you do this without making a mess?
âœMmmââ How about remembering the scheduling of the NPCs, that way you can test districts of floors when you know theyâre least busy? Not to mention once you test a district, they can look after the empty areas when youâre testing others. Also, you can have the Anointed inform their floors Disciples when theyâre going to have to be tested. That way, they can prepare themselves for when theyâre called.
Not a bad idea...it can get sticky if there isnât proper scheduling though. Youâll have to produce some before you move away from the treasury up. The districts become more and more complex the higher the floors are.
âœThe first district Iâd like you to call up is the Archive Holders. Message Disciple Full to also have him bring up some clear parchments to write on. A large quantity, if you will. Weâll need enough paper, ink, and files to produce a proper testing schedule to designate to each floor as well as to take note of every Reborn, Disciple, and Anointed, in addition to our beasts and other creatures while theyâre being evaluated.â
âœYes. My. Creator. . Iâll. Do. Just. As. Youâve. Requested.â
âœThank you. We will also need a table...tables to work upon and seating arrangements to be made so that we can write. Bizerk, can you have some brought up here from your or Dastgirâs floor?â
âœOf course!â
âœAlright. Alvara, Kendria. Start preparing your floors for evaluations after Majestyâs. The ones for the Great Hall may not be for another few hours and itâll be even longer for Living Quarters but itâs best to have them prepared beforehand. Will you be able to achieve this?â
âœYes!â âœI-I canââ
You nod at their affirmatives, âœThen does anyone else have anything to state or ask before weâre dismissed?â When youâre greeted by silence you turn, âœThen this meeting is officially over. Thank you for all of your cooperation.â
âœYes, my creator!â They all answer you as you watch them disperse to fulfill the duties assigned to them. You will find out what is going on and what has changed.
You will make it through this. Youâre sureâ
Time to get to work
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Golden light flashes across your vision, filling you with a murderous aura which seals your intent to retaliate. âœAll living creatures should know this ruleââ You address the mob with your new-found confidence that blossomed forth from rage, âœ...that when you intend to take life...you should be prepared TO LOSE YOUR OWN!!! ⟪FLASH!⟫â
The bright white light pierces their eyes through the dark of the night, blinding all who were facing your attack. You could fly away now that they couldnât see you but you wanted to make sure that they would not come after you after this. The thought of them hunting you keeps running through your head with a pounding tempo so you waste no time with your next spell.
âœâŸªShock Wave!⟫â
The blast of air sends the men in the front flying with sounds of blood-curdling cries and crunching bones into the ones behind them. They all end up in a heap, calling out to one another in blind panic trying to figure out what happened.
You spot that some of the ones youâve hit were still, not responding to the voices of others nor the physical actions installed on them. Most of those who were limp had crimson flowing from their lips, nose, ears, and eyes and stared blankly in no given direction.
They are dead, you realizeâ
â.
And yet you feel nothing but relief. It shocks you that you arenât traumatized by what youâve done...but youâre not. You know that you are defending yourself and all that seems to matter is that youâre in less danger now. It justifies the act.
âœNo! NO!â The voice belonging to the man named Nate reminds you that youâre not out of the fire yet. He grips blindly onto another young man with short caramel hair who you saw use himself as a shield by grabing him when you used Shock Wave. He too has blood pouring from his face but you could care less about who the human was holding, all you care about is getting rid of your threat. Youâre still in danger and that pest is the one you know who possesses the most.
You have one final spell to use before you take your leave. This last one will show them that youâre not one to be trifled with.
âœâŸªAnimate Dead!⟫â
The ones you had killed suddenly groan and start to move. The blind men have no way to tell whatâs happening until their throats are ripped open in the teeth of the zombies. Those who are killed by the undead also become such, attacking the living. You watch as the men who are still alive panic at the sound of death and start to swing around their weapons in a blind fit, sometimes killing each other in the process.
Your job here is done.
They werenât going to follow you after this and if they do theyâll be weakened fools soon to be corpses.
You will yourself to turn and your body allows it. Echos of screams and chaos fall behind, dwindling off into nothing as you fade into the shadows of the wood.
You have successfully escaped...
â—
You awaken with a nudge at your side, pulling you out of the dark space you drifted off to sleep in.
In amazement, when your vision returns, you realize that the thing that woke you is a deer sniffing you.
WOW! H-how is there a...hey wait.
Where are you?
Upon further search, you realize that you are in a familiar forest surrounded by various animals from the tree youâre leaning against. Two bunnies are curled up in your lap, finding great pleasure in absorbing the heat of your body into their own, while squirrels, mice, and other small creatures are huddled around your sides. How they didnât wake you is a surprise in itself. Deers mull about, either feasting on the grass and flowers that had sprouted around you, drink from the stream that runs nearby, or basking in the sunlight that peeked out from the leaves.
Sunlight...
When you turn your face up you feel a slight pressure take off from the top of your head and watch as a finch flies off, followed by the ones that were perched on your shoulders into the canopy above. Blue meets your sight when you focus on a spot not blocked off by the trees. The clouds slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon.
Beautiful...
So...it wasnât all a dreamâ
You really are stuck in your avatar SÅsaku-sha...and you really had killed a bunch of people last nightâ
â
âœ*Sigh* Shit.â
Great...you should have expected this. No way that could have all been a dream. It was too vivid. But howâ
How in the world are you your avatar?
You lift your arm off your pastel stomach and look it over. It is your dominant hand...yet it looks nothing like the hand you know to be your own. For one, it is nowhere near your natural skin tone and the blood that has dried and caked onto it is an unnatural gold color that shimmers as you turn it, reflecting the morning light. The hand doesn't have any of the calluses you've grown onto and show you which fingers youâd use to write. It has no hair...just like the rest of your avatar. You now have reasonably sized nail beds, small cuticles, and long enough nails to be able to scratch the rabbit in your lap.
The tan furball stretches its body, truly relaxing as you continue your ministrations. When the dark brown bunny squints open its eye at the otherâs pleasure you decide to not to leave them out and start to pet them with your other hand.
If you had a face right now youâd be smiling at the display...you know you would...Youâve never experienced something so magical in your life.
At least...it's something you consider to be better than magic.
Considering what you did the first instance you get to use it.
â
You still donât feel bad about what you did. Youâre trying to find reasons to make yourself feel horrible for what youâve done. Youâve taken the lives of men who were probably just scared and wanted to protect themselves and their families. Maybe they had wives. Maybe they had children. Maybe they had parents they were providing for. Maybe youâve killed them in a more brutal manner than you should haveâ
Nothing. For some unknown reason, youâre not guilty. Not one bit. If you had to describe what you felt like in one word it would be âœJustified.â You feel that you did what you had to to live. In the moment, something took hold of you an your body acted on it's own. It felt as if you were behind a screen just watching it all happen...You intitianally didn't want to...just for a split second you hadn't wanted to enact that kind of force...but that strange light...
What was that glow?
Whatever, what's done is done.
Would you feel this way if you were still...No, youâre still you. Just not in your real-erm...original body. But would you still be feeling this way if you were still human?
You canât help but feel that the reason youâre not sickened by your actions is because of SÅsaku-sha. Theyâre not evil. You know that. You had designed the character with a Karma level of 100. That means that they should be good. They might not be a saint because itâs neutral good but they still hold positive Karma.
So is the reason you wonât blink an eye at the bloody act you pulled because of that?
Are you okay with any type of murder now?
âœNo.â You surprise yourself when you answer yourself out loud and feel a heavy weight settle in your diaphragm.
No? Why did you not feel anything for those men that you slaughtered while you feel that anything else is-Oh! OH!
You sit up suddenly, causing the critters around you to wake and make others jump away much to your displeasure, being hit with a realization.
SÅsaku-sha only fights when players come to defeat them! That means that the only reason SÅsaku-sha kills is to either protect themselves or things they care about! This must be transferring onto yourself somehow since youâre them now!
Only a few ways to test this theory but the only one you could think of is to quiz yourself and see how you feel.
Would you kill others to protect yourself and the things you value?
You feel pride in response.
Would you kill others to protect strangers?
You feel that it would depend on the circumstances.
Would you kill others for fun?
You feel disgusted at the mere thought of using others for your own entertainment and youâd definitely kill any others whoâd do such vile acts.
Wow...who knew that being stuck in your avatar could change your value on life itself.
How about for sustenance?
You look down at the bunnies in your lap. They are plump, obviously having had their fill on the grass and flowers that surround you. They could provide a lot of meat for a hungry travelerâ
Would you kill for food?
â
Depends on circumstances, you feel like...and this isnât one of them. Besides, you arenât hungry.
You cup the bunnies into your arms as you shift your body onto your legs and proceed to place the two on the area you had only occupied seconds prior before standing up. Eyes of all sizes watch as you proceed to stretch in place. The grass and flowers that grow out of almost everything you touch seem to be good for at least one thing besides feeding animals and leading murderous people to you. It makes one damn great makeshift bed. If youâre honest, you feel that if you were actually tired when you had laid down there the night prior you probably would have never woken up out of your slumber.
Youâre surprised that you even slept at all. Such a peaceful one at that.
You had only settled against the tree after going straight for three hours and deciding that you wanted to think out what had occurred.
You came to many conclusions during the time you were lucid.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. Itâs...still a hypothesis and you donât know yet for a fact if that is or what is true yet. All you have to back up your theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots.
2. Voice commands meant jack shit until you wanted to fight back.
3. You went open when you felt secure while you stayed shielded when you hadnât felt in control of the situation.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy and physical strength showed when you were throwing the small hard objects with the intention to hit specific things.
5. SÅsaku-shaâs speed allowed you to outrun the mob because you intended to outrun them.
6. You probably could have leaped straight out of that barn if you wanted to because of SÅsaku-shaâs physical abilities but, because you intended to, you had only jumped up high enough to grab hold of the second story floorboards.
7. SÅsaku-shaâs skin color is reliant on what they are feeling.
8. A strange golden light might be able to affect your actions.
Another piece of information that youâve obtained is that you still have your avatarâs racial perks or at least two of them. Ascend was one that you were desperately trying to get a hold of during most of your time in the small village. Only after you got hit did it activate but you still have it.
With one last stretch you walk over to the stream to wash up. Youâre surprised at the clarity of the water, despite it being in the wild. Youâve only seen distilled water, back in the real world, that rival such purity. You proceed to start rubbing handfuls over your new body to clean yourself. It's cold but doesn't bother you. Not a bath but itâll make do.
Ascend isn't activated at the moment despite you being open now. As your hypothesis suggests, it wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float. If you really wanted to float then youâd start to like the many times you tested it out last night. Although, typically, youâd jump at the opportunity to fly, after the traumatic fall and the fact that it could cut off on you at any time, youâre hesitant to rely on it.
You splash your face and neck, scrubbing the areas where blood still stuck to your skin. You watch as sparkly flakes detach themselves from you and start to drift down the stream.
Life is the second perk you know you still have and youâre very grateful for it. It saved your hide last night. You thought you were hallucinating at first but, indeed, your wound had healed without you having to use any of your spells or seeking medical attention. If it hadnât activated, surely you would have...hmmm...youâre not even sure if youâd resurrect if you had died. Youâre not even sure how permanent death is now. Would you return to your normal life or is it something finalâ
You donât want to find out...you wonât find out...at least, not by your own self sacrifice.
You try your best to wipe the excess water off of your body because your vision starts to get blurry. Thatâs another oddity youâve found. SÅsaku-sha doesnât have eyes so for them to be able to see is different from how you...used to see. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
So when anything gets on that bubble it obscures your vision. It was SÅsaku-shaâs gold blood but now it is the water that's the blinder.
âœ*Sigh*...what is going on?â You turn to the various forest folk whoâve not shied away from you, âœWould any of you know?â Musing with a hum, you turn back to the stream to stare at the water. You couldnât see your reflection in the water, just your shadow...but it isnât your shadow. âœMmm, I wouldnât expect any of you to know the answers. I don't think anyone can help me now...â
You couldnât go back to the village. Well...you could with a disguise spell but you honestly have no desire to return as it is. You donât think youâd be able to fit in anyway. Grass and flower trails don't help you in any manner.
Shifting your vision you look down at your feet, completely cushioned by the greenery that blossomed underneath, untouched by the dirt bellow.
If you had shoes then maybe this wouldnât happen...Still, how would you fit in? You donât know anything about how this world works. Obviously, people are fearful of you in this form. It may have been circumstances but you could read in between the lines. They attacked you without you showing hostility so they've possibly seen things that are...not human. Sure...you probably would have been defensive like they were if you saw something like your avatar. Even thenâ*sigh*
You donât have clothes either. You never had a need for armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical strength when you fought, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. If you had stuff like that, no players would have ever been able to touch you in-game. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls (that you don't have any use for at the moment), and a few other items that you have no use for. You still have gold, though. Using what you have can really help you secure yourself and possibly even get you the supplies you need. Although you have plenty of it, you really don't want to rely on that just yet nor too much.
You donât know the monetary system of this world. The value of gold may be more or less than the gameâs currency was. Also, youâre in uncharted territory and flashing your wealth may not be the brightest of ideas. Doing so is only asking to be mugged and/or found by some unfavorable people. That what happens in the real world. You want to remain under the radar for quite a bit until you can get your bearings. Atop of those concerns, you have a finite amount of gold in your inventory and you donât want to use it willy nilly. You donât know how long youâll be in this situation and it may be in your best interests to conserve them. You at least want to learn a bit more before considering them...unless you run into an emergency, of course.
You sigh once again, suspecting that you'll be doing that a lot more often now. Many of your burdens would be alleviated if you could access the Citadel or even its supplies...
The thought of teleporting back to your realm did cross your mind at one point, the night prior. Youâd be somewhere familiar. Somewhere you knew youâd be safe and surrounded by NPCs that you had programmed to serve and protect youâ
Lifting your hand, you try opening Gate once more...but nothing occurs.
âœTsk...Just like last nightââ You had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. In fact, when you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. Doubts are starting to blossom within you on whether this is all still really Yggdrasil...but until you gain some information...
...you're completely lost and have nothingâ
You thought of going off to look for your realm in this new world but, realistically, you understand why that's a pipe dream of a pipe dream. Given your current circumstances, you have more pressing matters to attend to. Plus, it's not guaranteed that your realm is here, in this...whatever this is. It's not worth searching. Not yet at least.
âœ...Great.â You slump to the ground, flicking a small wildflower with a finger absentmindedly while listening to the sound of life around you.
You feel naked...well, you are, but more vulnerable than before. Like a baby, completely confused.
Like, why are you stuck here in the first place? Is this even Yggdrasil? It doesnât seem like it. And why do plants grow from yo-SÅsaku-shaâs touch? You really have no clue about how that works. That's something you never added to your avatar. Not to mention the color of their blood. Why gold of all things?! You must admit it looks pretty but you seriously donât want to have to bleed anymore let alone have your neck blown out!
You shiver at the phantom pain before massaging your hands over the areas where the holes had been.
Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
â.
*Sigh*
You have very little to help you...and nothing to guide you...what are you going to do? You donât know where to go...Not back to the village, thatâs for sure...but that couldnât be the only civilization. No, that couldnât have been. There must be more...if...thereâs more...maybe you have a chance at learning. You donât want a repeat of what had occurred last night so youâll have to approach this differently. If you find another civilization that is. You see it as your best course for survival. You donât know the first thing about surviving out in the wilderness and frankly, you donât want to.
Looking up, you try to gauge what time of day it is. It appears to be somewhere near noon, it looks like it since the sun is overhead.
That gives you roughly six? Seven hours to search around...if the sun moves at the same pace across the sky as Earth. Ascend will surely cut down on the time but youâre very hes-
A nudge at your backside pulls you out of your thoughts. Another deer is poking you with its snout urging for your attention. It is an odd enough display that you are completely in shock for a good second before you comply. âœWhat are you poking me for?â
The deer steps back, allowing you to turn in spot to face the horned buck, and turns its body to the side, still staring at you. You donât do anything but watch it, trying to puzzle together what itâs doing. A snort escapes its snout after a second and it trots away a few steps before turning back with a small stomp of its front legs to the herd of deer that were now heading off into the woods. Something clicks with the odd movement and you figure out what it is communicating.
âœDo...do you want me to follow you?â You say as if the buck could understand you. You have the Beast Tamer class but you're not sure if it's working for you as it gives no reply to your comment. It just stands there, waiting for you to make a choice.
You have no idea where these deer are going and why one would want you to go along with them is mind-boggling, though, it is such a bizarre act that you almost immediately start following them. Before you take a step forward, however, look back up at the sun. Rationally, you shouldnât follow the herd. You could spend the remaining hours of the day gathering information to survive...Well...you donât have a need to rush...really...you were stuck here until someone takes you out of your neuro-nano interface (hopefully sooner). Besides, you should wait until the heat dies down from what you did at that village. Maybe you could learn of the terrain better this way? Well, flying would be a better method of scouting than walking if youâre going to be honest. Safer too as long as you don't fall... You donât know what the forest holds. If this is still Yggdrasil or anything like the magical world, there will be monstrous creatures in these woods that youâll have to face.
Another snort of the deer calls to your attention. Realizing that itâs becoming impatient you mull over the two choices in your head.
Where will you go?
I will follow the herd and see where they will take me.
I will scout the land and try to find civilization.
Chapter End Notes
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âšïTRIGGERING CONTENTâšï
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Determined to live, you steel yourself for what's to come. âœAll living creatures should know this ruleââ You address the mob with your new-found confidence that blossomed forth from rage, âœ...that when you intend to take life...you should be prepared TO LOSE YOUR OWN!!! ⟪FLASH!⟫â
The bright white light pierces their eyes through the dark of the night, blinding all who were facing your attack. You could fly away now that they couldnât see you but you wanted to make sure that they would not come after you after this. The thought of them hunting you keeps running through your head with a pounding tempo so you waste no time with your next spell.
âœâŸªShock Wave!⟫â
The blast of air sends the men in the front flying with sounds of blood-curdling cries and crunching bones into the ones behind them. They all end up in a heap, calling out to one another in blind panic trying to figure out what happened.
You spot that some of the ones youâve hit were still, not responding to the voices of others nor the physical actions installed on them. Most of those who were limp had crimson flowing from their lips, nose, ears, and eyes and stared blankly in no given direction.
They are dead, you realizeâ
â.
And yet you feel nothing but relief. It shocks you that you arenât traumatized by what youâve done...but youâre not. You know that you are defending yourself and all that seems to matter is that youâre in less danger now. It justifies the act.
âœNo! NO!â The voice belonging to the man named Nate reminds you that youâre not out of the fire yet. He grips blindly onto another young man with short caramel hair who you saw use himself as a shield by grabing him when you used Shock Wave. He too has blood pouring from his face but you could care less about who the human was holding, all you care about is getting rid of your threat. Youâre still in danger and that pest is the one you know who possesses the most.
You have one final spell to use before you take your leave. This last one will show them that youâre not one to be trifled with.
âœâŸªAnimate Dead!⟫â
The ones you had killed suddenly groan and start to move. The blind men have no way to tell whatâs happening until their throats are ripped open in the teeth of the zombies. Those who are killed by the undead also become such, attacking the living. You watch as the men who are still alive panic at the sound of death and start to swing around their weapons in a blind fit, sometimes killing each other in the process.
Your job here is done.
They werenât going to follow you after this and if they do theyâll be weakened fools soon to be corpses.
You will yourself to turn and your body allows it. Echos of screams and chaos fall behind, dwindling off into nothing as you fade into the shadows of the wood.
You have successfully escaped...
â—
You awaken with a nudge at your side, pulling you out of the dark space you drifted off to sleep in.
In amazement, when your vision returns, you realize that the thing that woke you is a deer sniffing you.
WOW! H-how is there a...hey wait.
Where are you?
Upon further search, you realize that you are in a familiar forest surrounded by various animals from the tree youâre leaning against. Two bunnies are curled up in your lap, finding great pleasure in absorbing the heat of your body into their own, while squirrels, mice, and other small creatures are huddled around your sides. How they didnât wake you is a surprise in itself. Deers mull about, either feasting on the grass and flowers that had sprouted around you, drink from the stream that runs nearby, or basking in the sunlight that peeked out from the leaves.
Sunlight...
When you turn your face up you feel a slight pressure take off from the top of your head and watch as a finch flies off, followed by the ones that were perched on your shoulders into the canopy above. Blue meets your sight when you focus on a spot not blocked off by the trees. The clouds slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon.
Beautiful...
So...it wasnât all a dreamâ
You really are stuck in your avatar SÅsaku-sha...and you really had killed a bunch of people last nightâ
â
âœ*Sigh* Shit.â
Great...you should have expected this. No way that could have all been a dream. It was too vivid. But howâ
How in the world are you your avatar?
You lift your arm off your pastel stomach and look it over. It is your dominant hand...yet it looks nothing like the hand you know to be your own. For one, it is nowhere near your natural skin tone and the blood that has dried and caked onto it is an unnatural gold color that shimmers as you turn it, reflecting the morning light. The hand doesn't have any of the calluses you've grown onto and show you which fingers youâd use to write. It has no hair...just like the rest of your avatar. You now have reasonably sized nail beds, small cuticles, and long enough nails to be able to scratch the rabbit in your lap.
The tan furball stretches its body, truly relaxing as you continue your ministrations. When the dark brown bunny squints open its eye at the otherâs pleasure you decide to not to leave them out and start to pet them with your other hand.
If you had a face right now youâd be smiling at the display...you know you would...Youâve never experienced something so magical in your life.
At least...it's something you consider to be better than magic.
Considering what you did the first instance you get to use it.
â
You still donât feel bad about what you did. Youâre trying to find reasons to make yourself feel horrible for what youâve done. Youâve taken the lives of men who were probably just scared and wanted to protect themselves and their families. Maybe they had wives. Maybe they had children. Maybe they had parents they were providing for. Maybe youâve killed them in a more brutal manner than you should haveâ
Nothing. For some unknown reason, youâre not guilty. Not one bit. If you had to describe what you felt like in one word it would be âœJustified.â You feel that you did what you had to to live. In the moment, something took hold of you an your body acted on it's own. It felt as if you were behind a screen just watching it all happen...
Would you feel this way if you were still...No, youâre still you. Just not in your real-erm...original body. But would you still be feeling this way if you were still human?
You canât help but feel that the reason youâre not sickened by your actions is because of SÅsaku-sha. Theyâre not evil. You know that. You had designed the character with a Karma level of 100. That means that they should be good. They might not be a saint because itâs neutral good but they still hold positive Karma.
So is the reason you wonât blink an eye at the bloody act you pulled because of that?
Are you okay with any type of murder now?
âœNo.â You surprise yourself when you answer yourself out loud and feel a heavy weight settle in your diaphragm.
No? Why did you not feel anything for those men that you slaughtered while you feel that anything else is-Oh! OH!
You sit up suddenly, causing the critters around you to wake and make others jump away much to your displeasure, being hit with a realization.
SÅsaku-sha only fights when players come to defeat them! That means that the only reason SÅsaku-sha kills is to either protect themselves or things they care about! This must be transferring onto yourself somehow since youâre them now!
Only a few ways to test this theory but the only one you could think of is to quiz yourself and see how you feel.
Would you kill others to protect yourself and the things you value?
You feel pride in response.
Would you kill others to protect strangers?
You feel that it would depend on the circumstances.
Would you kill others for fun?
You feel disgusted at the mere thought of using others for your own entertainment and youâd definitely kill any others whoâd do such vile acts.
Wow...who knew that being stuck in your avatar could change your value on life itself.
How about for sustenance?
You look down at the bunnies in your lap. They are plump, obviously having had their fill on the grass and flowers that surround you. They could provide a lot of meat for a hungry travelerâ
Would you kill for food?
â
Depends on circumstances, you feel like...and this isnât one of them. Besides, you arenât hungry.
You cup the bunnies into your arms as you shift your body onto your legs and proceed to place the two on the area you had only occupied seconds prior before standing up. Eyes of all sizes watch as you proceed to stretch in place. The grass and flowers that grow out of almost everything you touch seem to be good for at least one thing besides feeding animals and leading murderous people to you. It makes one damn great makeshift bed. If youâre honest, you feel that if you were actually tired when you had laid down there the night prior you probably would have never woken up out of your slumber.
Youâre surprised that you even slept at all. Such a peaceful one at that.
You had only settled against the tree after going straight for three hours and deciding that you wanted to think out what had occurred.
You came to many conclusions during the time you were lucid.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. Itâs...still a hypothesis and you donât know yet for a fact if that is or what is true yet. All you have to back up your theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots.
2. Voice commands meant jack shit until you wanted to fight back.
3. You went open when you felt secure while you stayed shielded when you hadnât felt in control of the situation.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy and physical strength showed when you were throwing the small hard objects with the intention to hit specific things.
5. SÅsaku-shaâs speed allowed you to outrun the mob because you intended to outrun them.
6. You probably could have leaped straight out of that barn if you wanted to because of SÅsaku-shaâs physical abilities but, because you intended to, you had only jumped up high enough to grab hold of the second story floorboards.
7. SÅsaku-shaâs skin color is reliant on what they are feeling.
Another piece of information that youâve obtained is that you still have your avatarâs racial perks or at least two of them. Ascend was one that you were desperately trying to get a hold of during most of your time in the small village. Only after you got hit did it activate but you still have it.
With one last stretch you walk over to the stream to wash up. Youâre surprised at the clarity of the water, despite it being in the wild. Youâve only seen distilled water, back in the real world, that rival such purity. You proceed to start rubbing handfuls over your new body to clean yourself. It's cold but doesn't bother you. Not a bath but itâll make do.
Ascend isn't activated at the moment despite you being open now. As your hypothesis suggests, it wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float. If you really wanted to float then youâd start to like the many times you tested it out last night. Although, typically, youâd jump at the opportunity to fly, after the traumatic fall and the fact that it could cut off on you at any time, youâre hesitant to rely on it.
You splash your face and neck, scrubbing the areas where blood still stuck to your skin. You watch as sparkly flakes detach themselves from you and start to drift down the stream.
Life is the second perk you know you still have and youâre very grateful for it. It saved your hide last night. You thought you were hallucinating at first but, indeed, your wound had healed without you having to use any of your spells or seeking medical attention. If it hadnât activated, surely you would have...hmmm...youâre not even sure if youâd resurrect if you had died. Youâre not even sure how permanent death is now. Would you return to your normal life or is it something finalâ
You donât want to find out...you wonât find out...at least, not by your own self sacrifice.
You try your best to wipe the excess water off of your body because your vision starts to get blurry. Thatâs another oddity youâve found. SÅsaku-sha doesnât have eyes so for them to be able to see is different from how you...used to see. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
So when anything gets on that bubble it obscures your vision. It was SÅsaku-shaâs gold blood but now it is the water that's the blinder.
âœ*Sigh*...what is going on?â You turn to the various forest folk whoâve not shied away from you, âœWould any of you know?â Musing with a hum, you turn back to the stream to stare at the water. You couldnât see your reflection in the water, just your shadow...but it isnât your shadow. âœMmm, I wouldnât expect any of you to know the answers. I don't think anyone can help me now...â
You couldnât go back to the village. Well...you could with a disguise spell but you honestly have no desire to return as it is. You donât think youâd be able to fit in anyway. Grass and flower trails don't help you in any manner.
Shifting your vision you look down at your feet, completely cushioned by the greenery that blossomed underneath, untouched by the dirt bellow.
If you had shoes then maybe this wouldnât happen...Still, how would you fit in? You donât know anything about how this world works. Obviously, people are fearful of you in this form. It may have been circumstances but you could read in between the lines. They attacked you without you showing hostility so they've possibly seen things that are...not human. Sure...you probably would have been defensive like they were if you saw something like your avatar. Even thenâ*sigh*
You donât have clothes either. You never had a need for armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical strength when you fought, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. If you had stuff like that, no players would have ever been able to touch you in-game. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls (that you don't have any use for at the moment), and a few other items that you have no use for. You still have gold, though. Using what you have can really help you secure yourself and possibly even get you the supplies you need. Although you have plenty of it, you really don't want to rely on that just yet nor too much.
You donât know the monetary system of this world. The value of gold may be more or less than the gameâs currency was. Also, youâre in uncharted territory and flashing your wealth may not be the brightest of ideas. Doing so is only asking to be mugged and/or found by some unfavorable people. That what happens in the real world. You want to remain under the radar for quite a bit until you can get your bearings. Atop of those concerns, you have a finite amount of gold in your inventory and you donât want to use it willy nilly. You donât know how long youâll be in this situation and it may be in your best interests to conserve them. You at least want to learn a bit more before considering them...unless you run into an emergency, of course.
You sigh once again, suspecting that you'll be doing that a lot more often now. Many of your burdens would be alleviated if you could access the Citadel or even its supplies...
The thought of teleporting back to your realm did cross your mind at one point, the night prior. Youâd be somewhere familiar. Somewhere you knew youâd be safe and surrounded by NPCs that you had programmed to serve and protect youâ
Lifting your hand, you try opening Gate once more...but nothing occurs.
âœTsk...Just like last nightââ You had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. In fact, when you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. Doubts are starting to blossom within you on whether this is all still really Yggdrasil...but until you gain some information...
...you're completely lost and have nothingâ
You thought of going off to look for your realm in this new world but, realistically, you understand why that's a pipe dream of a pipe dream. Given your current circumstances, you have more pressing matters to attend to. Plus, it's not guaranteed that your realm is here, in this...whatever this is. It's not worth searching. Not yet at least.
âœ...Great.â You slump to the ground, flicking a small wildflower with a finger absentmindedly while listening to the sound of life around you.
You feel naked...well, you are, but more vulnerable than before. Like a baby, completely confused.
Like, why are you stuck here in the first place? Is this even Yggdrasil? It doesnât seem like it. And why do plants grow from yo-SÅsaku-shaâs touch? You really have no clue about how that works. That's something you never added to your avatar. Not to mention the color of their blood. Why gold of all things?! You must admit it looks pretty but you seriously donât want to have to bleed anymore let alone have your neck blown out!
You shiver at the phantom pain before massaging your hands over the areas where the holes had been.
Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
â.
*Sigh*
You have very little to help you...and nothing to guide you...what are you going to do? You donât know where to go...Not back to the village, thatâs for sure...but that couldnât be the only civilization. No, that couldnât have been. There must be more...if...thereâs more...maybe you have a chance at learning. You donât want a repeat of what had occurred last night so youâll have to approach this differently. If you find another civilization that is. You see it as your best course for survival. You donât know the first thing about surviving out in the wilderness and frankly, you donât want to.
Looking up, you try to gauge what time of day it is. It appears to be somewhere near noon, it looks like it since the sun is overhead.
That gives you roughly six? Seven hours to search around...if the sun moves at the same pace across the sky as Earth. Ascend will surely cut down on the time but youâre very hes-
A nudge at your backside pulls you out of your thoughts. Another deer is poking you with its snout urging for your attention. It is an odd enough display that you are completely in shock for a good second before you comply. âœWhat are you poking me for?â
The deer steps back, allowing you to turn in spot to face the horned buck, and turns its body to the side, still staring at you. You donât do anything but watch it, trying to puzzle together what itâs doing. A snort escapes its snout after a second and it trots away a few steps before turning back with a small stomp of its front legs to the herd of deer that were now heading off into the woods. Something clicks with the odd movement and you figure out what it is communicating.
âœDo...do you want me to follow you?â You say as if the buck could understand you. You have the Beast Tamer class but you're not sure if it's working for you as it gives no reply to your comment. It just stands there, waiting for you to make a choice.
You have no idea where these deer are going and why one would want you to go along with them is mind-boggling, though, it is such a bizarre act that you almost immediately start following them. Before you take a step forward, however, look back up at the sun. Rationally, you shouldnât follow the herd. You could spend the remaining hours of the day gathering information to survive...Well...you donât have a need to rush...really...you were stuck here until someone takes you out of your neuro-nano interface (hopefully sooner). Besides, you should wait until the heat dies down from what you did at that village. Maybe you could learn of the terrain better this way? Well, flying would be a better method of scouting than walking if youâre going to be honest. Safer too as long as you don't fall... You donât know what the forest holds. If this is still Yggdrasil or anything like the magical world, there will be monstrous creatures in these woods that youâll have to face.
Another snort of the deer calls to your attention. Realizing that itâs becoming impatient you mull over the two choices in your head.
Where will you go?
I will follow the herd and see where they will take me.
I will scout the land and try to find civilization.
Chapter End Notes
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-Why would you attack them?!
That building coil of desperate rage slows to a halt as you forcibly hold it back with a shutter.
While it would be to your defence, why are you dead set on killing them?! Why do you feel this need to maul them?!
Your extended arm falters, slowly lowering as you struggle with yourself, blues and purples swallow the red in their wake.
T-this isn't right. It's not-what-this isn't-you need to-you-
The panicked mob watches as you groan a gutteral note, curling in on yourself as you furiously scratch your blank head in a frantic manner.
"GRAHHH!" What the hell are you?!! Why do you suddenly think this is right?! What's wrong with-
"What the HELL are you all waiting for?! Kill IT!!"
A man's voice reels you back to your current predicament, seeing that the call has rallied up the mob again.
E-enough of this! There will be time to think this over later! You just need to run away, far enough that they won't follow so you don't die or do something you'll regret!
Ascend follows your will to move speedily out from the line of three arrows shot your way. More and more is thrown at you as you retreat into the trees, all the while you hold yourself back from the ever growing need to retaliate. Rocks, knives, clubs, arrows, and more of those ⟪Magic Arrows⟫ from that one pest!
You're able to dodge them all, much to your gander, as you fly faster and further away from the village into the cover of the wood. You notice some of the lights of their torches following you but soon enough Ascend picks up speed and you shoot through the air, ever further away. Even as the men's shouts fade to nothing, you continue to retreat into the shadows of the wood.
You have successfully escaped...
â—
You awaken with a nudge at your side, pulling you out of the dark space you drifted off to sleep in.
In amazement, when your vision returns, you realize that the thing that woke you is a deer sniffing you.
WOW! H-how is there a...hey wait.
Where are you?
Upon further search, you realize that you are in a familiar forest surrounded by various animals from the tree youâre leaning against. Two bunnies are curled up in your lap, finding great pleasure in absorbing the heat of your body into their own, while squirrels, mice, and other small creatures are huddled around your sides. How they didnât wake you is a surprise in itself. Deers mull about, either feasting on the grass and flowers that had sprouted around you, drink from the stream that runs nearby, or basking in the sunlight that peeked out from the leaves.
Sunlight...
When you turn your face up you feel a slight pressure take off from the top of your head and watch as a finch flies off, followed by the ones that were perched on your shoulders into the canopy above. Blue meets your sight when you focus on a spot not blocked off by the trees. The clouds slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon.
Beautiful...
So...it wasnât all a dreamâ
You really are stuck in your avatar SÅsaku-sha...
â
âœ*Sigh* Shit.â
Great...you should have expected this. No way that could have all been a dream. It was too vivid. But howâ
How in the world are you your avatar?
You lift your arm off your pastel stomach and look it over. It is your dominant hand...yet it looks nothing like the hand you know to be your own. For one, it is nowhere near your natural skin tone and the blood that has dried and caked onto it is an unnatural gold color that shimmers as you turn it, reflecting the morning light. The hand doesn't have any of the calluses you've grown onto and show you which fingers youâd use to write. It has no hair...just like the rest of your avatar. You now have reasonably sized nail beds, small cuticles, and long enough nails to be able to scratch the rabbit in your lap.
The tan furball stretches its body, truly relaxing as you continue your ministrations. When the dark brown bunny squints open its eye at the otherâs pleasure you decide to not to leave them out and start to pet them with your other hand.
If you had a face right now youâd be smiling at the display...you know you would...Youâve never experienced something so magical in your life.
At least...it's something you consider to be better than magic.
Considering what you almost did the first instance you got to use it.
â
You donât know what to feel. You should feel bad about what you almost did but...no. You don't. Youâre trying to find reasons to make yourself feel horrible for what you could've done if you didn't struggle to stop your hand from acting. You could've taken the lives of men who were probably just scared and wanted to protect themselves and their families. Maybe they have wives. Maybe they have children. Maybe they have parents they were providing forâ
Nothing. For some unknown reason, youâre not guilty. Not one bit. If you had to describe what you felt like in one word it would be âœJustified.â You feel that you would've done what you had to do to live. In the moment, it felt like...something...was about to take hold of you, if that's the best way to describe it... Like something was about to take the reins.
That, in itself, scares you...knowing you don't have full control of yourself and that you could snap at any time. You hardly held back whatever was trying to possess you.
There's no way you would be this way if you were still you. Well, in your real-erm...original body, that is.
You canât help but feel that the reason youâre not sickened by your actions is because of SÅsaku-sha. Theyâre not evil. You know that. You had designed the character with a Karma level of 100. That means that they should be good. They might not be a saint because itâs neutral good but they still hold positive Karma.
So is the reason you wonât blink an eye at the bloody act you pulled because of that?
Are you okay with any type of murder now?
âœNo.â You surprise yourself when you answer yourself out loud and feel a heavy weight settle in your diaphragm.
No? Why don't you feel anything for those men that you almost slaughtered while you feel that anything else is-Oh! OH!
You sit up suddenly, causing the critters around you to wake and make others jump away much to your displeasure, being hit with a realization.
SÅsaku-sha only fights when players come to defeat them! That means that the only reason SÅsaku-sha kills is to either protect themselves or things they care about! This must be transferring onto yourself somehow since youâre them now!
Only a few ways to test this theory but the only one you could think of is to quiz yourself and see how you feel.
Would you kill others to protect yourself and the things you value?
You feel pride in response.
Would you kill others to protect strangers?
You feel that it would depend on the circumstances.
Would you kill others for fun?
You feel disgusted at the mere thought of using others for your own entertainment and youâd definitely kill any others whoâd do such vile acts.
Wow...who knew that being stuck in your avatar could change your value on life itself.
How about for sustenance?
You look down at the bunnies in your lap. They are plump, obviously having had their fill on the grass and flowers that surround you. They could provide a lot of meat for a hungry travelerâ
Would you kill for food?
â
Depends on circumstances, you feel like...and this isnât one of them. Besides, you arenât hungry.
You cup the bunnies into your arms as you shift your body onto your legs and proceed to place the two on the area you had only occupied seconds prior before standing up. Eyes of all sizes watch as you proceed to stretch in place. The grass and flowers that grow out of almost everything you touch seem to be good for at least one thing besides feeding animals and leading murderous people to you. It makes one damn great makeshift bed. If youâre honest, you feel that if you were actually tired when you had laid down there the night prior you probably would have never woken up out of your slumber.
Youâre surprised that you even slept at all. Such a peaceful one at that.
You had only settled against the tree after going straight for three hours and deciding that you wanted to think out what had occurred.
You came to many conclusions during the time you were lucid.
For one, you could control and access SÅsaku-shaâs magical and physical abilities still but they were now reliant on either your intentions, feelings, and/or will. Itâs...still a hypothesis and you donât know yet for a fact if that is or what is true yet. All you have to back up your theory is the fact that:
1. You didnât have and still don't have access to your spell slots.
2. Voice commands meant jack shit until you wanted to fight back.
3. You went open when you felt secure while you stayed shielded when you hadnât felt in control of the situation.
4. SÅsaku-shaâs accuracy and physical strength showed when you were throwing the small hard objects with the intention to hit specific things.
5. SÅsaku-shaâs speed allowed you to outrun the mob because you intended to outrun them.
6. You probably could have leaped straight out of that barn if you wanted to because of SÅsaku-shaâs physical abilities but, because you intended to, you had only jumped up high enough to grab hold of the second story floorboards.
7. SÅsaku-shaâs skin color is reliant on what they are feeling.
8. If you're under enough threat, you'll be motivated to retaliate by some unknown force.
Another piece of information that youâve obtained is that you still have your avatarâs racial perks or at least two of them. Ascend was one that you were desperately trying to get a hold of during most of your time in the small village. Only after you got hit did it activate but you still have it.
With one last stretch you walk over to the stream to wash up. Youâre surprised at the clarity of the water, despite it being in the wild. Youâve only seen distilled water, back in the real world, that rival such purity. You proceed to start rubbing handfuls over your new body to clean yourself. It's cold but doesn't bother you. Not a bath but itâll make do.
Ascend isn't activated at the moment despite you being open now. As your hypothesis suggests, it wonât activate as long as you intend to walk around rather than float. If you really wanted to float then youâd start to like the many times you tested it out last night. Although, typically, youâd jump at the opportunity to fly, after the traumatic fall and the fact that it could cut off on you at any time, youâre hesitant to rely on it.
You splash your face and neck, scrubbing the areas where blood still stuck to your skin. You watch as sparkly flakes detach themselves from you and start to drift down the stream.
Life is the second perk you know you still have and youâre very grateful for it. It saved your hide last night. You thought you were hallucinating at first but, indeed, your wound had healed without you having to use any of your spells or seeking medical attention. If it hadnât activated, surely you would have...hmmm...youâre not even sure if youâd resurrect if you had died. Youâre not even sure how permanent death is now. Would you return to your normal life or is it something finalâ
You donât want to find out...you wonât find out...at least, not by your own self sacrifice.
You try your best to wipe the excess water off of your body because your vision starts to get blurry. Thatâs another oddity youâve found. SÅsaku-sha doesnât have eyes so for them to be able to see is different from how you...used to see. Vision is defined as light entering the pupal which then, in turn, creates an image for you to perceive the world as. For SÅsaku-sha, however, their whole body is the pupil, it seems. Itâs like looking through a telescope when you focus on particular things but when you want to focus on everything at once itâs like removing the barriers of the scope (the peripherals) and realizing youâre in a bubble (SÅsaku-shaâs âœpupilâ). The bubble is your vision and all that the bubble catches you can see. Up, down, left, right, back, front, close, far, it doesnât matter.
So when anything gets on that bubble it obscures your vision. It was SÅsaku-shaâs gold blood but now it is the water that's the blinder.
âœ*Sigh*...what is going on?â You turn to the various forest folk whoâve not shied away from you, âœWould any of you know?â Musing with a hum, you turn back to the stream to stare at the water. You couldnât see your reflection in the water, just your shadow...but it isnât your shadow. âœMmm, I wouldnât expect any of you to know the answers. I don't think anyone can help me now...â
You couldnât go back to the village. Well...you could with a disguise spell but you honestly have no desire to return as it is. You donât think youâd be able to fit in anyway. Grass and flower trails don't help you in any manner.
Shifting your vision you look down at your feet, completely cushioned by the greenery that blossomed underneath, untouched by the dirt bellow.
If you had shoes then maybe this wouldnât happen...Still, how would you fit in? You donât know anything about how this world works. Obviously, people are fearful of you in this form. It may have been circumstances but you could read in between the lines. They attacked you without you showing hostility so they've possibly seen things that are...not human. Sure...you probably would have been defensive like they were if you saw something like your avatar. Even thenâ*sigh*
You donât have clothes either. You never had a need for armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical strength when you fought, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. If you had stuff like that, no players would have ever been able to touch you in-game. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you have on yourself is data crystals, eight spell scrolls (that you don't have any use for at the moment), and a few other items that you have no use for. You still have gold, though. Using what you have can really help you secure yourself and possibly even get you the supplies you need. Although you have plenty of it, you really don't want to rely on that just yet nor too much.
You donât know the monetary system of this world. The value of gold may be more or less than the gameâs currency was. Also, youâre in uncharted territory and flashing your wealth may not be the brightest of ideas. Doing so is only asking to be mugged and/or found by some unfavorable people. That what happens in the real world. You want to remain under the radar for quite a bit until you can get your bearings. Atop of those concerns, you have a finite amount of gold in your inventory and you donât want to use it willy nilly. You donât know how long youâll be in this situation and it may be in your best interests to conserve them. You at least want to learn a bit more before considering them...unless you run into an emergency, of course.
You sigh once again, suspecting that you'll be doing that a lot more often now. Many of your burdens would be alleviated if you could access the Citadel or even its supplies...
The thought of teleporting back to your realm did cross your mind at one point, the night prior. Youâd be somewhere familiar. Somewhere you knew youâd be safe and surrounded by NPCs that you had programmed to serve and protect youâ
Lifting your hand, you try opening Gate once more...but nothing occurs.
âœTsk...Just like last nightââ You had tried to use Gate to arrive just outside the Seiun but the portal wouldnât appear. Despite it being a spell that doesnât have any limitations with distance there are a few ways that it wouldnât work. You canât use Gate to teleport into the Seiun because of the barrier you had set up (that is why you tried to set it just outside, yet it still didn't work). Not only that but Gate was designed to be used by players whoâve been places. You and a couple of others wanted to produce a fast travel mechanic in Yggdrasil but still wanted players to explore the world you had created and not skip over it. Thatâs why Gate can only travel to places players have already been to. There were some exceptions to that rule but in your case, you donât have those. In fact, when you tried to teleport anywhere in Yggdrasil it didnât work despite it all being discovered territory for SÅsaku-sha. Only when you had used Gate for places youâve already been to since the shut down does it appear. Doubts are starting to blossom within you on whether this is all still really Yggdrasil...but until you gain some information...
...you're completely lost and have nothingâ
You thought of going off to look for your realm in this new world but, realistically, you understand why that's a pipe dream of a pipe dream. Given your current circumstances, you have more pressing matters to attend to. Plus, it's not guaranteed that your realm is here, in this...whatever this is. It's not worth searching. Not yet at least.
âœ...Great.â You slump to the ground, flicking a small wildflower with a finger absentmindedly while listening to the sound of life around you.
You feel naked...well, you are, but more vulnerable than before. Like a baby, completely confused.
Like, why are you stuck here in the first place? Is this even Yggdrasil? It doesnât seem like it. And why do plants grow from yo-SÅsaku-shaâs touch? You really have no clue about how that works. That's something you never added to your avatar. Not to mention the color of their blood. Why gold of all things?! You must admit it looks pretty but you seriously donât want to have to bleed anymore let alone have your neck blown out!
You shiver at the phantom pain before massaging your hands over the areas where the holes had been.
Thereâs so much you know...yet the more you learn the more you realize that you donât know anything!
â.
*Sigh*
You have very little to help you...and nothing to guide you...what are you going to do? You donât know where to go...Not back to the village, thatâs for sure...but that couldnât be the only civilization. No, that couldnât have been. There must be more...if...thereâs more...maybe you have a chance at learning. You donât want a repeat of what had occurred last night so youâll have to approach this differently. If you find another civilization that is. You see it as your best course for survival. You donât know the first thing about surviving out in the wilderness and frankly, you donât want to.
Looking up, you try to gauge what time of day it is. It appears to be somewhere near noon, it looks like it since the sun is overhead.
That gives you roughly six? Seven hours to search around...if the sun moves at the same pace across the sky as Earth. Ascend will surely cut down on the time but youâre very hes-
A nudge at your backside pulls you out of your thoughts. Another deer is poking you with its snout urging for your attention. It is an odd enough display that you are completely in shock for a good second before you comply. âœWhat are you poking me for?â
The deer steps back, allowing you to turn in spot to face the horned buck, and turns its body to the side, still staring at you. You donât do anything but watch it, trying to puzzle together what itâs doing. A snort escapes its snout after a second and it trots away a few steps before turning back with a small stomp of its front legs to the herd of deer that were now heading off into the woods. Something clicks with the odd movement and you figure out what it is communicating.
âœDo...do you want me to follow you?â You say as if the buck could understand you. You have the Beast Tamer class but you're not sure if it's working for you as it gives no reply to your comment. It just stands there, waiting for you to make a choice.
You have no idea where these deer are going and why one would want you to go along with them is mind-boggling, though, it is such a bizarre act that you almost immediately start following them. Before you take a step forward, however, look back up at the sun. Rationally, you shouldnât follow the herd. You could spend the remaining hours of the day gathering information to survive...Well...you donât have a need to rush...really...you were stuck here until someone takes you out of your neuro-nano interface (hopefully sooner). Besides, you should wait until the heat dies down from what you did at that village. Maybe you could learn of the terrain better this way? Well, flying would be a better method of scouting than walking if youâre going to be honest. Safer too as long as you don't fall... You donât know what the forest holds. If this is still Yggdrasil or anything like the magical world, there will be monstrous creatures in these woods that youâll have to face.
Another snort of the deer calls to your attention. Realizing that itâs becoming impatient you mull over the two choices in your head.
Where will you go?
I will follow the herd and see where they will take me.
I will scout the land and try to find civilization.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
You choose to go with the herd of deer despite your worries.
Seeking information also brings attention. You donât want attention for the time being.
Besides, when will you ever experience something like this again?
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to walk in its direction and it trots off a few feet only to turn to check that you were following. It repeats the action a few more times until youâve caught up to the herd.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre curious as to why the deer would want you to come along. You follow, knowing that if you change your mind or canât find anything else to gain from following them you can just use Gate to come back here or find your own way from where they take you. Maybe they see you as some kind of source of protection? You donât know how they would have been able to tell that youâre powerful if that is the case. Maybe itâs your Beast Tamer skills? Maybe itâs because youâre not human anymore? Are animals just generally more trusting in this...world? Or is it because of the flower trails?
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail.
Do they see you as some kind of thing that can feed them now? You honestly donât have a problem with that. Just being able to walk alongside them is satisfying enough...but youâre mainly doing this to wait until the memory of you fades. So...maybe you shouldnât be leaving a trail for others to follow you with.
Your feet disconnect from the ground as Ascend activates, cutting off the grass path with an abrupt stop. While that might have helped you slightly, the deer will still be leaving trails in their wake. So, until you leave the herd, youâre still at risk of being followed by the villigers.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds and other various forest creatures tag alongside the herd you are in. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have at now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted deeper and deeper into the wood by the forest folkâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, it has grown dark and thick underneath the towering canopy that makes up the green labyrinth. The shade has dropped the temperature of the forest floor but, while you are naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks in the forest. A mushroom here. A bush there. Oh, another patch of weeds. All that and a maze of trees. Itâs impossible to tell in which direction one could be moving in but that mattered little to you as you followed the herd. The sky-scraping trees further intensified as though theyâre swallowing you up. It truly feels that you are entering into the belly of a beast...and it fills you with awe.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to those wondrous forests were the ones in Yggdrasil.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been following the herd for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you.
Other than the animals that you were following and the ones trailing you, there seemed to be no evident wildlife other than the vegetation. Youâd hear the distant songs of birds and ticks of insects from a distance but nothing else. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
Since the terrain had become more difficult to navigate the herd of deer had slowed their pace, giving you plenty of time to look around while they try to move.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Trees and vegetation blocked the way behind, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from. In addition, you assume that not only would the terrain make it hard for ones to track you but it would be very hard to tell if you were being tracked. It seems like a double-edged sword but you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the animals of course but you tried not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You had gaged a couple of times upon sniffing some of them and out of the blue piss smells.
The piss smell had been distant but as you followed the deer it had become more and more potent. At one point, it just seemed to engulf you like a musky cloud, almost running into an invisible wall, and you just abruptly cut off your smelling senses until you are sure that the smell is far behind.
You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors but you just couldnât stand that smell of piss.
The issue with the piss smell is that you know for a fact that youâre in some kind of creatureâs territory now and you suspect that it may not be good news for you. Even so, you have more confidence in your abilities and the herd hasn't faltered in their journey so you havenât either.
You stay alert though, keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary reassures you.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend but it does tell you when a bird or a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. Your vision only does so much in an environment like this even though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and with the smell of piss ferment in the air like you know it probably still is, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to watch your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly kept it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is tracking you. The only living things that were following you were the ones you didnât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy.
The deer havenât changed in direction since you started following them which makes you suspect that they may be heading to an actual location.
You donât know how to feel about that.
It could mean nothing but the thought of them actually trying to lead you somewhere specific both concerns and intrigues you at the same time. Could they actually understand you? When you had asked for help did they really listen? Itâs an absurd thought but, after all that has occurred to you in a span of...not even a day, you wouldnât call it impossible anymore.
Any hint as to what it could be eludes you except maybe something with one of your default job classes as a Beast Tamer...you don't know.
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated back. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack.
You rub your neck and grimace at the memory.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one it only shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Well, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villigers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you really think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, that something that future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on making a game plan. You start following the herd again and continue to mull.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the birds on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the birds return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from the karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused, worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again, and being able to keep yourself in control. Another thing youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to follow the herd.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out a small opening in the canopy to the late afternoon sky above as animals scatter away from you.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue with the herd-!!!
A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to focus on the source of the feeling.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the-fast? Oh WOAH! What the fuck?! Itâs heading toward you at an alarming rate!
W-what should you do?! Crouch in the grass?! No! Itâs a land animal! You need to go higher! If you do so not only will you be out of its way but youâll have a better chance at spotting it!
With that thought you rise up high into the air to a height thatâd surely shatter your legs if you fellâ Shaking your head at the morbid thought at hand you try to look for what was coming but itâs hard to see beyond the trees.
What you do see is the deer and other animals around the area scatter as the sound of something approaching becomes clearer and soon all youâre left with is silence.
All the animals had retreated and the large creature in question has come to a stop a little distance away, but is still remaining hidden.
Meanwhile, you stay in your place high up in the air, only a quarter away from the canopy, as you try to distinguish what it is youâre feeling.
I-is this a monster? It feels...larger than any deer. Way larger. Like an ELEPHANT! Youâve seen how big those things can be on digital platforms and from what you can sense, itâs probably safe to assume that it is that big. The only issue is that you donât know what kind of monster it could be! Yggdrasil contains many creatures of similar size and thatâs only if youâre considering the possibility of-
âœHeard your voices from afar, I did.â
...I did?
Your nonexistent face becomes skewed. Perplexed and concerned with what you could possibly be facing, you remain silent as you wonder...why it reminds you of how a certain green alien speaks.
âœHide from me, you canât.â Their confident voice echoes around you as they continue, âœTrespassing on my territory, you are. Leave now for merciful today, I am. Rejoice, for I will not give chase in your retreat.â
â.
...youâ
...you donât know what you should do.
Respecting its wishes might be the smart thing to do. You donât want to pick a fight...well, actually...youâre not really opposed to the idea of testing your strengths-No! No. Youâre not going to fight a monster. If anything, since it speaks, you might be able to get information from it. What kind of information you could get from a monster, you donât know. But itâs better than what you know now.
However, if you try to question it, it might get aggressive and that, in turn, will push you to be aggressive. Youâve already seen decimated an entire mob when they tried to kill you. This might not be any different if you donât find a way to subdue this creature fast.
*Sigh* maybe you should cut your losses and leave. The deer have already gone past where your sixth sense feels so you canât follow them anymore unless you go looking for them. Maybe you should fly off and look for civilization like you planned to from the beginning.
This sucks. It seems like no matter where you go youâll always find conflict...
âœWhat shall it be, intruders?â
Iâll just leave.
Iâll face the creature.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50
What will you do? I'd be tempted to talk to a creature of the woods but it doesn't sound like it wants you there.
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
You choose to go with the herd of deer despite your worries.
Seeking information also brings attention. You donât want attention for the time being.
Besides, when will you ever experience something like this again?
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to walk in its direction and it trots off a few feet only to turn to check that you were following. It repeats the action a few more times until youâve caught up to the herd.
You have no idea where you are headed. Off to the middle of nowhere? Someplace mystical? You have no clue...but youâre curious as to why the deer would want you to come along. You follow, knowing that if you change your mind or canât find anything else to gain from following them you can just use Gate to come back here or find your own way from where they take you. Maybe they see you as some kind of source of protection? You donât know how they would have been able to tell that youâre powerful if that is the case. Maybe itâs your Beast Tamer skills? Maybe itâs because youâre not human anymore? Are animals just generally more trusting in this...world? Or is it because of the flower trails?
You take a second to shift your gaze to the trail.
Do they see you as some kind of thing that can feed them now? You honestly donât have a problem with that. Just being able to walk alongside them is satisfying enough...but youâre mainly doing this to wait until the memory of you fades. So...maybe you shouldnât be leaving a trail for others to follow you with.
Your feet disconnect from the ground as Ascend activates, cutting off the grass path with an abrupt stop. While that might have helped you slightly, the deer will still be leaving trails in their wake. So, until you leave the herd, youâre still at risk of being followed by the villigers...even though they have no reason to.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds and other various forest creatures tag alongside the herd you are in. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have at now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted deeper and deeper into the wood by the forest folkâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, it has grown dark and thick underneath the towering canopy that makes up the green labyrinth. The shade has dropped the temperature of the forest floor but, while you are naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks in the forest. A mushroom here. A bush there. Oh, another patch of weeds. All that and a maze of trees. Itâs impossible to tell in which direction one could be moving in but that mattered little to you as you followed the herd. The sky-scraping trees further intensified as though theyâre swallowing you up. It truly feels that you are entering into the belly of a beast...and it fills you with awe.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to those wondrous forests were the ones in Yggdrasil.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been following the herd for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you.
Other than the animals that you were following and the ones trailing you, there seemed to be no evident wildlife other than the vegetation. Youâd hear the distant songs of birds and ticks of insects from a distance but nothing else. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
Since the terrain had become more difficult to navigate the herd of deer had slowed their pace, giving you plenty of time to look around while they try to move.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Trees and vegetation blocked the way behind, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from. In addition, you assume that not only would the terrain make it hard for ones to track you but it would be very hard to tell if you were being tracked. It seems like a double-edged sword but you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the animals of course but you tried not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You had gaged a couple of times upon sniffing some of them and out of the blue piss smells.
The piss smell had been distant but as you followed the deer it had become more and more potent. At one point, it just seemed to engulf you like a musky cloud, almost running into an invisible wall, and you just abruptly cut off your smelling senses until you are sure that the smell is far behind.
You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors but you just couldnât stand that smell of piss.
The issue with the piss smell is that you know for a fact that youâre in some kind of creatureâs territory now and you suspect that it may not be good news for you. Even so, you have more confidence in your abilities and the herd hasn't faltered in their journey so you havenât either.
You stay alert though, keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary reassures you.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend but it does tell you when a bird or a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. Your vision only does so much in an environment like this even though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and with the smell of piss ferment in the air like you know it probably still is, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to watch your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing something is there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly kept it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is tracking you. The only living things that were following you were the ones you didnât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy.
The deer havenât changed in direction since you started following them which makes you suspect that they may be heading to an actual location.
You donât know how to feel about that.
It could mean nothing but the thought of them actually trying to lead you somewhere specific both concerns and intrigues you at the same time. Could they actually understand you? When you had asked for help did they really listen? Itâs an absurd thought but, after all that has occurred to you in a span of...not even a day, you wouldnât call it impossible anymore.
Any hint as to what it could be eludes you except maybe something with one of your default job classes as a Beast Tamer...you don't know.
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated back. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack.
You rub your neck and grimace at the memory.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one it only shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you did what you could to live while not murdering anyone.
Well, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villigers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you really think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! Not again! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, that something that future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on making a game plan. You start following the herd again and continue to mull.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the birds on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the birds return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from the karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused, worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again, and being able to keep yourself in control. Another thing youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust last night...so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to follow the herd.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out a small opening in the canopy to the late afternoon sky above as animals scatter away from you.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue with the herd-!!!
A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to focus on the source of the feeling.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the-fast? Oh WOAH! What the fuck?! Itâs heading toward you at an alarming rate!
W-what should you do?! Crouch in the grass?! No! Itâs a land animal! You need to go higher! If you do so not only will you be out of its way but youâll have a better chance at spotting it!
With that thought you rise up high into the air to a height thatâd surely shatter your legs if you fellâ Shaking your head at the morbid thought at hand you try to look for what was coming but itâs hard to see beyond the trees.
What you do see is the deer and other animals around the area scatter as the sound of something approaching becomes clearer and soon all youâre left with is silence.
All the animals had retreated and the large creature in question has come to a stop a little distance away, but is still remaining hidden.
Meanwhile, you stay in your place high up in the air, only a quarter away from the canopy, as you try to distinguish what it is youâre feeling.
I-is this a monster? It feels...larger than any deer. Way larger. Like an ELEPHANT! Youâve seen how big those things can be on digital platforms and from what you can sense, itâs probably safe to assume that it is that big. The only issue is that you donât know what kind of monster it could be! Yggdrasil contains many creatures of similar size and thatâs only if youâre considering the possibility of-
âœHeard your voices from afar, I did.â
...I did?
Your nonexistent face becomes skewed. Perplexed and concerned with what you could possibly be facing, you remain silent as you wonder...why it reminds you of how a certain green alien speaks.
âœHide from me, you canât.â Their confident voice echoes around you as they continue, âœTrespassing on my territory, you are. Leave now for merciful today, I am. Rejoice, for I will not give chase in your retreat.â
â.
...youâ
...you donât know what you should do.
Respecting its wishes might be the smart thing to do. You donât want to pick a fight...well, actually...youâre not really opposed to the idea of testing your strengths-No! No. Youâre not going to fight a monster. Stop that! STOP that! If anything, since it speaks, you might be able to get information from it. What kind of information you could get from a monster, you donât know. But itâs better than what you know now.
However, if you try to question it, it might get aggressive and that, in turn, will push you to be aggressive. Youâve almost decimated an entire mob when they tried to kill you. This might not be any different if you donât find a way to subdue this creature fast.
*Sigh* maybe you should cut your losses and leave. The deer have already gone past where your sixth sense feels so you canât follow them anymore unless you go looking for them. Maybe you should fly off and look for civilization like you planned to from the beginning.
This sucks. It seems like no matter where you go youâll always find conflict...
âœWhat shall it be, intruders?â
Iâll just leave.
Iâll face the creature.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51
What will you do? I'd be tempted to talk to a creature of the woods but it doesn't sound like it wants you there.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 5:4
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Maybe itâs best that you donât just wander off into the middle of nowhere, especially in a world that may contain monsters.
Seeking information is the only way you can take steps to survive and following deer doesnât sound very educating if youâre being quite honest.
You pout at not partaking in something amazing but you need to do this. Your life may depend on this.
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to float up into the air and it trots off to join back up with the herd. You watch the forest folk all head off in their own set directions as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean, and you sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation you're in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Youâre definitely not going to go back South. Thatâs where the village resides.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there. Whatâs most important right now is finding out how you can survive and the only way you can do that is if you learn. Only then could you start finding clues to your predicament...however, you donât think thereâs an answer in the world that could explain what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out into the open sky.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint...to no avail.
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West all the way to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52
Which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 5:6
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Maybe itâs best that you donât just wander off into the middle of nowhere, especially in a world that may contain monsters.
Seeking information is the only way you can take steps to survive and following deer doesnât sound very educating if youâre being quite honest.
You pout at not partaking in something amazing but you need to do this. Your life may depend on this.
One of the buckâs ears flick as it sees you start to float up into the air and it trots off to join back up with the herd. You watch the forest folk all head off in their own set directions as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean, and you sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation you're in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Youâre definitely not going to go back South. Thatâs where the village resides.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there. Whatâs most important right now is finding out how you can survive and the only way you can do that is if you learn. Only then could you start finding clues to your predicament...however, you donât think thereâs an answer in the world that could explain what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out into the open sky.
Blue sky. A blue sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint...to no avail.
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West all the way to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53
Which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:1
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
After what youâve done, youâre not confident in your self-control.
It will fight you if you refuse to leave, it has made that much clear and your mind is already motivating you to attack it.
Itâs your fault for coming into its territory in the first place. You knew from the beginning that seeking information by following the deer wouldnât have been fruitful and likely led you to trouble.
All this has taught you is that youâre not welcome here either.
You could fight it to gain its territory...but you rationally donât want the trouble even if your mind is for it. You donât know the strength of monsters in this world. You donât know why this is its territory. You donât know if thereâs more of it here that will defend this place alongside its leader, if this is their leader. You donât know how youâd defend a territory you donât know the landscape of. You donât know what youâd be defending against.
There are too many factors leveled against you here... you canât find it in yourself to see why instigating conflict with this creature would be good for you in any way, thatâd be equivalent to you leaving.
âœIâm sorry for intruding. Iâll leave now.â You consent as you begin to float up into the air towards the canopy.
You hear it say, âœAbove?â in a hushed tone but it doesnât peek out of its hiding place as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean... You sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation youâre in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Thereâs no point using Gate to go back where you started. Itâs not like youâre double lost now. Besides, youâre not going back South. Thatâs where the village resides; and if thereâs one thing youâve gained by going with the herd of deer, it has brought you further away from there.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there.
You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint. It assists in spotting some differences because following the deer has brought you closer.
To the West there are only forests just like the East. The North and North West has mountains stretching across. The only difference between the two is that a portion of the forest leading North West is dead. Oddâ Lastly, the North-East appears to be a swampland.
Other than those few things, nothing pops out at you...
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54
Oh well, following the deer didn't work out for you but that's okay. It was a pleasant experience while it lasted. So which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:8
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
After what youâve done, youâre not confident in your self-control.
It will fight you if you refuse to leave, it has made that much clear and your mind is already motivating you to attack it.
Itâs your fault for coming into its territory in the first place. You knew from the beginning that seeking information by following the deer wouldnât have been fruitful and likely led you to trouble.
All this has taught you is that youâre not welcome here either.
You could fight it to gain its territory...but you rationally donât want the trouble even if your mind is for it. You donât know the strength of monsters in this world. You donât know why this is its territory. You donât know if thereâs more of it here that will defend this place alongside its leader, if this is their leader. You donât know how youâd defend a territory you donât know the landscape of. You donât know what youâd be defending against.
There are too many factors leveled against you here... you canât find it in yourself to see why instigating conflict with this creature would be good for you in any way, thatâd be equivalent to you leaving.
âœIâm sorry for intruding. Iâll leave now.â You consent as you begin to float up into the air towards the canopy.
You hear it say, âœAbove?â in a hushed tone but it doesnât peek out of its hiding place as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean... You sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation youâre in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Thereâs no point using Gate to go back where you started. Itâs not like youâre double lost now. Besides, youâre not going back South. Thatâs where the village resides; and if thereâs one thing youâve gained by going with the herd of deer, it has brought you further away from there.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there.
You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint. It assists in spotting some differences because following the deer has brought you closer.
To the West there are only forests just like the East. The North and North West has mountains stretching across. The only difference between the two is that a portion of the forest leading North West is dead. Oddâ Lastly, the North-East appears to be a swampland.
Other than those few things, nothing pops out at you...
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55
Oh well, following the deer didn't work out for you but that's okay. It was a pleasant experience while it lasted. So which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:15
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
After what you almost did, youâre not confident in your self-control.
It will fight you if you refuse to leave, it has made that much clear and your mind is already motivating you to attack it. You hardly held yourself back then. What are the chances of you doing so again?
Besides, itâs your fault for coming into its territory in the first place. You knew from the beginning that seeking information by following the deer wouldnât have been fruitful and likely led you to trouble.
All this has taught you is that youâre not welcome here either.
You could fight it to gain its territory...but you rationally donât want the trouble even if your mind is for it. You donât know the strength of monsters in this world. You donât know why this is its territory. You donât know if thereâs more of it here that will defend this place alongside its leader, if this is their leader. You donât know how youâd defend a territory you donât know the landscape of. You donât know what youâd be defending against.
There are too many factors leveled against you here... you canât find it in yourself to see why instigating conflict with this creature would be good for you in any way, thatâd be equivalent to you leaving.
âœIâm sorry for intruding. Iâll leave now.â You consent as you begin to float up into the air towards the canopy.
You hear it say, âœAbove?â in a hushed tone but it doesnât peek out of its hiding place as you rise higher and higher until a breeze hits you above the treeline.
For a split second you jump because you thought you were about to fall again but the breeze just slips past you, making the tops of the trees appear like a flowing green ocean... You sigh.
âœRemember. Itâs all about intentions.â You reassure yourself as you float a bit higher to try to see where you could head.
Life meets your gaze as you hover twenty or so feet above the top of the forest. A breathing hilly expanse of green made up of leaves as far as the eye can see below while blue swallows up the sky above.
A gasp escapes as you gape at the world above. Again, that all-enveloping gray that you thought youâd never escape from is absent and this blue is...so blue. Itâs so...refreshing. Rejuvenating. The clouds that occupy it slowly drift in a slow march across the expanse of the sky to fade off on the horizon, casting down shadows on the green planet below.
This...is what Earth was like? How had this existed before your time? Itâs so clean. Like the ones you see in digital format in ads, movies, and more. Like the ones you had created in Yggdrasil. The forest was like being in an alien world for you but the sky is something you can relate to and understand. It only further drills in what reality youâre in now.
The breeze that passes you this time doesnât startle you but reminds you of the natural beauty that still exists here.
No...this is not Earth. You already know that...but...how sad that it isnâtâ
â.
Shaking your head, you remind yourself of the situation youâre in.
To what you only guess is the North West, due to the angle of the sun, are some snowy mountains. The icy rockfaces are the only masses that stick out amongst the trees.
You hum as you look in every other direction to try to see where you could head.
Thereâs no point using Gate to go back where you started. Itâs not like youâre double lost now. Besides, youâre not going back South. Thatâs where the village resides; and if thereâs one thing youâve gained by going with the herd of deer, it has brought you further away from there.
âœSo I guess the only option is forwardââ
But which way is forward? Frankly, whichever path you choose now might just be another step backward. This is a whole new alien world to you and from here all you can do is choose a direction to go in and continue from there.
You shift your gaze outward again as you cautiously drift higher, trying to see anything that sticks out to give you a hint. It assists in spotting some differences because following the deer has brought you closer.
To the West there are only forests just like the East. The North and North West has mountains stretching across. The only difference between the two is that a portion of the forest leading North West is dead. Oddâ Lastly, the North-East appears to be a swampland.
Other than those few things, nothing pops out at you...
Frowning, you take in your options.
All you really can do now is hope for the best and fly off in a set direction.
The feeling of the frown deepens.
Thatâs not very helpful...well...if the path you choose turns out to be a bust tooâyouâll look someplace else.
With a sigh, you weigh your options and decide to cut your losses and wing it. No south. Just the West to the East.
Which way shall you journey?
West to where the sun will set.
North West to the mountains.
North to the far mountains.
North East to what appears to be spotty trees.
East to where the sun rises.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56
Oh well, following the deer didn't work out for you but that's okay. It was a pleasant experience while it lasted. So which way will you go? I'd say no ballz it and pick a direction without thinking too hard on where you're located in the new world. You can cheat by pulling up a map of the new world but where's da fun in dat? You're supposed to be lost, not knowing where you're going. If you already know what's in a particular direction, I suggest you don't pick it. There's nothing wrong with not doing what I'm offering but I think it'd be more exhilarating this way.
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 4:7
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Your hand stretches further in anticipation.
You've always enjoyed the comfort of others. It was a warmth and comfort...you couldn't get it much anywhere else...
You don't ask for it since you'd be called clingy...plus, with Earth as it is and the area you lived, it's a growing practice not to touch others.
...But...is it wrong that you'd like a hug every once in a while?
Although Nate seems to have calmed down some, he smacks your hand away, still miffed that you had flicked him. âœNo thanks. I want both of my hands available if you try something. Iâll stick to walking behind you.â
You froze still at the smack, your hand slightly trembling at a heat that has exploded within you at the act, completely clearing your mind of your previous thoughts.
How...fucking dare this pest hit me!!! THE GALL!
You didn't feel anything when he smacked your hand away but it burst a dam within you, flooding your vision with the most violent images of manslaughter your mind can muster.
Crimson and black splotches spark across your twitching arm at the dark thoughts.
You should rip this ant's arms off-
Wait-Hold on! Woah- Now wait. Wait. There's no need-It did dare hit you, yes-NO, No! No, no, no! I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually contemplating murdering this...boy. Is slapping you really that bad?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior-
"Why has it gone all silent?..."
The hushed tone of one of the men snaps you out of your thoughts and you awkwardly chuckle an apology. âœA-ah, sorry. I'm still...in shock from falling so I'm having trouble collecting my thoughts...so much so that I've forgotten what we were just talking about. I must have hit my head on my way down..." Mumbling the last part, the hand extended out to Nate fumbles to reach up to scratch the back of your neck.
Is that the reason you're struggling to remember? Did you damage your memory with the fall? Isn't that called post-traumatic amnesia? It's plausible...but not good.
"Oh dear. You must have injured yourself." The older man hums with a pinch of his brows but Nate has the opposite reaction.
"Seriously? It doesn't look hurt to me!" He scoffs in an unbelieving tone.
"Nate, you and I know that not all injuries are visible." The boy at his side contradicts him with a side glance. "Besides, don't you remember when this happened to me?"
"You didn't fall through a barn, Liam." Nate bluntly retorts but the one who you now know is Liam has none of it.
"No, but I was still hit in the head hard. I still can't remember things from that week." He sighs, sending you a knowing look. "They may be having memory loss issues. I...don't know if I can heal-"
"LIAM!" Nate snaps, his teeth set to a snarl. "No! Not another word. Don't forget this is a monster! We don't need to do anything for it." He levels a glare your way.
You send one back but, without a face, no one sees your expression. "I hope that's not the issue with me. I really can't afford to be forgetting things right now..." You turn back to the old man, âœI assume youâre the one in charge around here based on how you've been acting. What was the last thing we were...conversing about?"
"Oh, we were talking about where we should wait until we estimate damage costs."
"Ah, so I was..." When did you ever mention moving locations? This is strange..."Would you like me to stay here or would you like to take me someplace else?â
The group exchange glances, all seeming to have various opinions on the situation, but they all turn to the old man before you who strokes his beard once again, closing his eyes with a sigh. âœI will bring you to my house. I live alone so it shouldnât be much of an issue.â Some try to object but Barry had made up his mind, waving them off with a hand, âœI have plenty of room to house Sawsocku-sha for the night. If you men are so against it, why donât you come over and give this old man some company?â
âœThen I guess we three will be spending the night at your house.â The dark-haired boy, who hadnât spoken a word up until this moment, cooly nods to the elder.
âœWhat?â Liam exclaims before his ear is pinched between the fingers of Nateâs hand.
âœDamn straight we are.â He tugs a bit roughly as his captive starts to whine. âœWe arenât letting Barry spend the night alone with a monster!â
Asshole.
âœGuess thatâs settled.â The old man dubbed Barry nods. âœYou four will spend the night with me. When the morning rises, the damage can be estimated and then Sawsocku-sha can pay the due.â
âœU-um, I donât mean to be rude sirââ You raise your dominant hand to point up, in a matter of fact, âœbut my name is pronounced SÅsaku-sha. Iâm not offended. I know it is a long name to say. You can just call me SÅ if it is easier for you.â
âœOh, my apologies.â
âœHey, like I said. Itâs no problem.â
âœHa, well...SÅ...you can follow me. Iâll take you straight to my house.â
âœWait.â The old man was mid turn when he stopped at your call. âœWon't...won't your people be afraid of me?â
âœ...Yes, they may be.â His wise eyes flow through the group gathered around you, sighing solemnly. âœOur village, Bourn, is a frontier village. We act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Those items are collected from the Great Forest of Tob that is just to the North of our village.
âœOh, thatâs the forest I saw from earlier, right before I...fell...â You cringe at the memory with a scratch to your neck.
âœ...Then...as you probably saw, Bourn is situated near Tob. It's so we can collect rare resources that are housed within. However, the forest is also home to many monsters. Bizarre and magical beings alike that far surpass normal human strength. Our village is often attacked by such creatures since we live near the forest. Because of this, we are wary of anything considered inhuman.â
âœOhââ You swallow at the visual that your mind supplies. With a village situated so close to such a forest, no wonder they acted the way they did. How they feel on edge even though you're...more or less friendly. They probably thought they were all going to die or something along those lines. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, those who know what you truly are have backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
âœIâm sorry. I can only imagineââ You almost ask if theyâve done anything to prevent monsters from attacking or what types of creatures these monsters are but you donât want to appear insensitive.
The older man makes a grumbling noise from the back of his throat like a raspy sigh, acknowledging your sentiments. "It's alright... If you can, please stay close to us and don't...interact with anyone in the village. That way they won't be as fearful of you."
He wants you to ignore people?...well...If he thinks that's for the best then...you won't argue. "I'll try...so, uh...is it time for my big reveal?â Looking to the barn doors you feel your anxiety starting to climb again. Not as much as it had been before you tried to talk your way out of getting murdered, though.
Swallowing at the thought is reflexive and grounds you in the reality of your situation.
âœI believe so.â Barry nods, âœSeth, Mat. Tell the boys at the doors to be kind to SÅ here. Iâll be taking these four to my house now. After you do so, inform them on what we will be doing so we can get this all settled. As for everyone else, please get them back to where they wereâ*sigh* though Iâm sure everyone is spooked enough as it is, no one will go back to bed.â
âœSure, thing Barry.â Mat nods and walks ahead of your group to the side of the barn he did before.
âœMmm, please take care of yourselves.â He pats Barry on the shoulder before nodding to the three boys, âœHave a good night. I certainly pray to God that you all do.â Seth spares you a glance at the end before walking to the side of the barn Liam had gone to before.
âœCome now. This way, SÅ.â Barry waves for you to follow him and you do so, walking towards the direction that Mat went in, âœMy house is a little walk from here but it isnât too long. Youâll stay at my home until we settle this affair.â
âœThank you for your hospitality...â You say as you four eye the growths sprouting at your feet in grimace, âœdespite what I am..."
No one responds to your comment right away, Barry waving at the men to open the doors but Liam does whimper a query, "Uh, SÅ? Is there a way for you to...not grow flowers where you walk?"
"Err...I'm not sure. I don't think there is..."
"Ah, I see..." He hums just as you walk past the doormen, all glaring your way, and finally, make it outside.
Youâd exhale in relief if you could. You honestly thought that the interior of the barn would be the last thing youâd see and now that is no longer the case. However, the sight of families gathered around the barn all looking wearily your way keeps you from relaxing. All their eyes, men, women, children of all ages, hold fear as they try to see what is occurring.
Upon seeing you, some of the most terrified expressions humans can muster tear through the crowd, startled cries and shouts of 'Monster!' echo around you.
Your legs stumble a bit due to the shock of the reaction, watching as they back away from you wide eyed, clutching onto each other and gripping their weapons in new fever.
You knew they'd be afraid of you by the initial interactions you had with the six men but...you've never been in this situation before and you hadn't prepared mentally for such a reaction. As a human, you were used to seeing smiles and greetings for your accomplishments and bored or somber expressions from those who didn't know you...but now that you're not human...
Are they that afraid of monsters?... That afraid of you just because of your appearance?
âœEveryone, return as you were!â Barryâs booming voice causes you to jolt in surprise at the sudden high volume of his reassurance, âœEverything has been settled! Thereâs no danger! It was all just an accident! If any of you have questions about what has occurred feel free to come to me in the morning! For now, please, return to your homes and try to get some sleep!â
Did...he lie for the sake of their mindsets?... Or does he really not believe you're a threat?... No, you're sure he knows you hold some sort of danger... You're only starting to realize the range of SÅsaku-sha's
The man doesnât wait for the crowd to comply, he takes a torch from a fellow nearby and continues straight on his way. It takes you a moment to recognize his retreating form and you will your body to follow, albit stiffly. You keep your head down as you watch the families slowly do just as he asked, louring your way as they move with murmur. "What is that thing?"
"It has no face..."
"What are they doing with it?"
"Did it do something to them"
"It's so huge... It towers over them."
"Back away. We don't want to be near it if it attacks"
"Why is it following the chieftain?"
"Look! It's growing flowers where it walks"
"It's so ugly!"
"Freak"
"What's going on?"
"Where are they taking it?!"
"I don't want to stay here knowing that it's still here..."
"Why didn't they kill it?"
"Let's stay together at my place."
"Collect your bags in case we need to flee"
"Fucking monster..."
A mixture of murky colors blotch and stream over your form as you continue to hear their discussions even as you walk further and further away. How you can hear their whispers from such a distance doesn't even occur to you to think. All you can focus on is their harsh words and that uncomfortable heat swelling in your chest.
They're just scared. Ignore them like Berry said. Ignore them... They don't know you. They wouldn't say these things if they truly knew you...
Ignore them... Focus on something else.
You're here to get information! Focus on collecting knowledge!
You now know that Barry is the chieftain of Bourn. What else is there to learn?!
To distract you from the harsh words of the villagers, you try to observe your surroundings by expanding your vision as much as you can so that you can pick up on any little thing that could tell you whatâs going on.
Thatâs exactly when it hits you.
Your legs seize up at the pure shock that rattles you to your core as your vision displays what lies above you.
âœWhat the hell are you doing?â Nate barks as he notices your shift.
The group stops and all turn your way to where you stand frozen, processing the sight with your head turned upward.
âœWhy the hell did you stop?!â Nate hisses as he widens his legs, âœDonât even think about running away, freak!â
âœIââ You shudder before you could continue, âœIâve never seen a night sky with such clarity beforeââ
It is...stunning. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as you feel your eyes watering up, expanding your vision even further now that you know you can do so, âœIt's like crystal shards or firefliesââ
No, it couldnât even be compared to those things. This is beyond magical...more than anything youâve ever dreamed...but a voice inside of your head informs you of something troubling. The stars above. They are not the constellations of Yggdrasil...neither the ones of Earth.
What could this mean? Are you truly in a new world?
âœEnough, keep moving.â Nate hisses as if dismissing the fact that youâre going through a revelation.
That's enough to prompt you to throw him a dirty look over your shoulder, as if he ruined the wonderful memory you were developing. However, you donât do anything more than that since youâre still on thin ice amongst these individuals. You turn your head back to Barry, motioning him to continue his walk.
Your head may be centered back to eye level but you keep your focus out, enjoying the sight above with every fiber of your being. Stars and all. And with your focus trained outward to your surroundings, you learn quickly that these people are impoverished.
You had suspected as much since Yggdrasilâs humanoid villager NPCs are mainly just barely above the technological advancements of the lower class of the medieval age. It is the same here.
The houses that you pass are made of stone with brick roof tiles and shabby wooden shutters that keep the windows shut. All the houses are either one or two stories high off the ground, surrounded by dirt but on the rare occasion, greenery. Candles and torches were the only available sources of light to guide your group to Mr. Barryâs house.
That might be the answer as to why they are struggling with monsters so much. They donât have the money to take precautions and what little they make probably goes to keeping them alive and repairing what is damaged. No wonder theyâre holding you to fix what mess youâve made.
âœHey, SÅ?â
âœHm?â Liamâs inquiry has you glancing his way.
âœWhere...where did you come from?â
âœOh, well ah...I was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane. It is a mountain range located in Midgard. Does it sound familiar?â
âœMmn...no. Not at all.â He shakes his head to which you pout.
You were hoping that he or anyone would at least know what Midgard is. It is the human realm of Yggdrasil. Here essentially if this is still your game. This is not at all Earth, that you know for a fact now. However, the possibility of a new world is growing increasingly apparent.
âœThe only mountains I know are the Azerlisia Mountains.â
âœIâve...never heard of them?â Wait, could it be that this is Yggdrasil and that they just have different names for landmarks than...no, you donât think so. You had the interactable NPCs programmed with the knowledge of the landmarks of their realms. If these people were living NPCs then theyâd be using the actual terms from your game.
âœThey are a range of mountains that are situated far into the Great Forest of Tob. They are known to be very dangerous. Only top-level adventurers dare go there since itâs home to many crazy powerful monsters. Rumor has it that it is home to the great frost dragons.â
âœOh? Frost dragons? Now thatâs interesting.â
âœWhyâs that?â The quiet voice of the dark haired boy is surprising to hear but youâre caught up in the fact that there may be frost dragons in this world.
Since your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, is a Beast Tamer, you were able to collect various creatures within the nine worlds and house them all across the rooms and floors of the Citadel.
With that in mind, you have two frost dragons as pets. You had left them to guard the ice biome with the Unmei no gundan on the second floor of the Citadel. You believe, if you remember correctly, that they are both level eighty, the level cap a frost dragon can get to without extensions. Theyâre not high-level dragons considering the other dragon races. Even their close compatriot, ice dragons, are a bit higher level than frost dragons.
Dragons were considered one of if not the strongest enemy race feared by players. The central World Enemy of Yggdrasil, the final boss, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a great dragon that continuously tried to eat the remaining leaves of the World Tree. Your avatar was still technically the final boss of the game but you were just an extra. A secret boss per se to give guilds a run for their money. Players earn the beat the game achievement, Protector of Yggdrasil, by slaying the dragon but they could win records and real-life trophies by beating your avatar.
Back to the topic of frost dragons, however, you canât dismiss their power entirely. They are in no way weak, nor are they the weakest of their kind. They were still pretty troublesome if you werenât of the right race, levels, or defense. They could spawn in particular locations in Jötunheim and maybe the rarer occasion in other ice biomes if you use particular items to make it so.
If this world is like your game, then you can assume that the Azerlisia Mountains are cold year-round if those dragons are fabled to reside there.
âœI...have a little history with frost dragons.â
âœHistory?â
âœMmm.â You affirm Liamâs echo, âœIâm well...acquainted...yeah, with two in particular. However, Iâm certain that the ones you speak of are different from the ones I know. They do not live anywhere near mountains.â
âœAmazing!â Liam blurts out a matter of fact. âœWhat are they like?!â
You almost throw a joke at him by saying theyâre chill or cool but you notice that the other three men have their full attention on you, aghast expressions morphing their facial features into ones that you could almost call comical.
âœEhaaâtheyâre...â Did you say something wrong? Shoot. Maybe you shouldn't have brought up your avatar's relation to the lizards. It may be a little too exposing of your Beast Tamer class... Though, their shock is to take note of... How important are dragons in this place? Certainly seems high... But in what manner? Religious? Legend? Cultural? A topic to prod. However, you didnât want to outright tell them all your secrets right off the bat without gaining anything back so you decide to make a trade. âœIâll tell you what. If you tell me more about where we are Iâll answer your questions back. Sound fair?â
âœOh?â Liam looks in between his fellow men. None of them object so he takes it as it is given. âœWell, in general, Bourn is part of the Re-Estize Kingdom.â
âœ...Iâve never heard of a kingdom named such. At least...where Iâm from.â
âœYou must have come from really far then. The kingdom is one of the three major nations in this general area and we are right in the center of where all three are. In fact, Iâve heard from traders that it takes at least a little over a half a month by carriage to make it to the sea on the far west of the continent if you continue in a straight line and only stop to rest.â
âœO-oh. Heh, wow.â You scratch your neck as you mull over the information. âœI guess Iâm really lost then. Heh hehââ Shit. This is not right. âœWhat are the other two nations, might I ask?â
âœThe nation to the East of ours is the Baharuth Empire. This country and theirs are...well to put it, theyâre on bad terms and often fight on the plains South of us where borders connect. The Slane Theocracy is further South and is a kingdom that was formed even before the kingdom and the empire was. We donât personally know much about the theocracy since the kingdom has little interactions with them but Vance, Nate, and I have met an individual from the country.â Liam grimaces.
âœThey were very religious.â Vance nods as if agreeing with the blond that the individual they speak of was odd.
âœThough, they did have a point,â Nate grunts, âœdemi-humans and monsters alike are demons that should all die.â
Since heâs behind you he canât see your blank expression morph into something vile, once more pondering the boy's deservance of his lower jaw; however, the two boys at your sides notice the color change along your skin.
âœNATE!â Liam yells, âœThey haven't done anything yet to warrant such behavior! Say something uncalled for like that again and I won't be sparing you the medical help the next time you get in trouble.â
That takes the young man back a bit before he opens his mouth-
âœThat also means that I donât want to hear your voice for at least a good hour. Itâs exhausting to hear you constantly complain.â
Nateâs teeth click shut and he returns to staring a hole through your skull again, submitting to Liamâs commands.
Not wanting there to be a stretch of awkward silence after Liam snapped at Nate you hum, âœThank you, Liam, for telling me all of that. Iâm sure thereâs more to it but every bit of information is helpful. Iâm starting to realize how lost I am.â No, youâre starting to realize how fucked you are. Nothing of what Liam informed you of is any landmarks from Midgard. Not just there though but nothing from any of the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
This is a completely new world.
Cursing under your breath, you continue. âœI remember the deal we made. Iâll tell you a little bit more about those frost dragons I mentioned.â
âœThat's nice.â The older man scratches his beard and waves his torch forward. âœWeâve arrived at my house. You can tell us more when we get you four settled in a room. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Barry.â You nod as the other three show their appreciation for the older manâs hospitality. The chieftainâs house appears no different than the ones that litter the rest of the village. Same stone exterior, same shabby wooden shutters and doors, and same dark tile roofing. It doesnât even appear that it has more grass near it. It seems that there are more patches of dirt around this house than most of the others. You piece it together that Mr. Barryâs house must be often visited for the grass to recede so much.
Using his only free arm, Barry is able to grab the handle on his door and step in to hold it open. âœHere you go, make yourself at home.â
You want to show the chieftain your appreciation for him welcoming you but the blaring fact in your mind drowns out all words that could try to find their way onto your tongue. This is a new world. Nothing could have prepared you for the shock. How you got here is a mystery you donât even think can ever be solved.
A shake of your head brings you back to now.
This isnât something you can expect an answer for immediately, nor should you. This is something youâll have to puzzle together on your own and these people can help you. They will help you. Youâll make sure of it one way or another. Youâd prefer it to be voluntary but youâll do what you have to if it comes down to it. You need to learn for your sake and for whoever was also transported to this world with you.
To that last thought, you step into the threshold of Barryâs home with the intention to use every fiber of your being to get what you need.
Tonight is going to be a long nightâ
â—
You shift again uncomfortably on a creaky wooden chair youâve been sitting on for the past five hours, making it whine under your weight.
You kind of regret making your avatar a seven foot tall monster now that you can't fit your legs under the table due to the design of not only the table but the chair. After getting some weird stares from you doing the eagle, you bashfully settled on keeping your legs together on the right side of your chair (the side closest to the only doorway into the small area), making it so that you have to keep your body twisted uncomfortably to face those in the room.
You patiently wait for Barry, whose full name youâve learned is Barry Long, to return after he had stepped out of the slightly spacious room youâre held up in. Meanwhile, you silently stare at the young boys keeping watch of you: Nate, Liam, and the dark-haired boy with the bow and arrows you now know as Vance.
Why these young men were assigned to the task rather than the men who looked like they could punch a hole through a tree is beyond you. Thereâs got to be a reason but you're too caught up in your thoughts, swiveling your feet into the grass and flower patch that now surrounds the area you occupy, replaying all the things youâve learned during the hours you spent asking the men questions in your head.
You've picked up much while killing time here.
The first thing you had asked about when they finally settled you in the room youâre in now was for them to explain more about the countries Liam spoke of and the geography of the surrounding land. Mr. Barry had gone and pulled out a withered map to lay it out on the table, pointing out specific areas of interest on the strange continent displayed as he spoke. He went off to further explain the countries they had told you about earlier in more detail.
You listened intently, being swept away in awe of your situation, of what little knowledge they said they have. You could tell that it was indeed limited, choppy and obscure at best, but you engraved every word that they told into memory.
History of each country, how they handled currency, who ruled the nations, if there were monsters or even other intelligent beings living amongst the human population, how magic works in this world, and more...and your mind was blown away with knowledge. Royalty, nobility, knights in shining armor, religions, cults, gangs, war, treasures, rumors, myths, legend, unforeseen dangers, beasts of great proportions, potions, adventurer guilds, strange languages, ruins, everything you live for!
You felt like a giddy child brought to an amusement park for the first time! You completely gushed over everything they told you and your curiosity surprised the men present.
Mr. Barry had stepped out after five straight hours of talking himself dry to make something to clear his throat and to keep himself awake as the sun rises to start the new day.
Now, in the present, your gaze shifts over to the map again which sits off to the side of the table along with other items brought up for your vague education. You don't recognize the shape of the land depicted at all. How could you anyway? There are no coast lines depicted on the map so you can't try to deduce what region it is. The mountainous regions are the only indicators of distinction...but to no avail.
However, even if there was a visible coastline on the map, you could bet an arm nothing here originates from Earth. The knowledge of magic and monsters sharing a place in this world only further adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things having occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be human in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japan. You don't need a map to see that.
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
Now that you think back on it, their lips would move but different words would come out. You didn't linger on it too long since you were doing your best to memorize what they were showing and telling you...but, with this quiet time due to Mr. Barry's absence, the oddity can't help but stand out in your mind again.
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
Ah, actually, thatâd make sense.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hear and eyes to see. The words across the map are in a language you have no prior knowledge of but...you can read the text like it's your native tongue. The words don't shift around to your prefered language, no. It's like you have pre-knowledge of what the text is and can read it as it is. This may have something to do with the settings you had set for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch. It must be doing something similar now.
Hmmm...but what do I sound like to others? You flick your gaze to Liam for a second, poking your cheek curiously. Dialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But these people have no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and you understand all they said...so, in what way do they understand you?
All Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
So, to these villagers, when you speak to them, is it in their language?... Well, of course it is. This whole ordeal would've gone South if they couldn't understand you when you had first greeted them. So in their ears, you sound one way...but in your ears, you sound normal. But what do you sound like to others? Other than your voice being distorted...Herm...wellâ. This voice does fit this avatar but why do you have this voice in particular and not your normal voice? You donât even use a voice box to change your voice IG, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? You think itâs the latterâ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to lay it on the wall closest to you. A window sits right there, feet from your head where you can make out a draft and the faintest blue light of dawn...
Nevermind the voice...if you talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do you sound like to them? Is it the one you're directing your attention to who has your words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
If itâs the prior, youâd have to be careful to be certain who you're speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would you regulate that? What if you say something you're not directing toward them and they hear it. How would you explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if you're speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands you anyway. How would the other react to hearing you speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand? How would you go about e-
At the sound of an annoyed huff, your vision shifts outward and notice Nate staring at you once again with a tired grimace from the wall he is leaning against. Psh, that boy... Frowning seems to be his resting B-face but you can tell he has something to say to you. Not wanting to wait in awkward silence until the chieftain is back you try to prompt up another discussion. âœYou seem to have something on your mind, Mr. Nate.â
âœDonât call me Mr. Nate. It sounds weird.â
âœErmm, Iâm...sorry?" You lift your head from its spot on the wall to face the kid. "From where Iâm from it is respectable to address individuals who youâre in a professional or business relationship with by their first names. Is...that not the same here?â
He shakes his head with a scoff, âœNo. We go by surnames.â
âœAh...no wonder Mr. Barry was making that face every time I said his name.â So, theyâre more Westernized here than Japanese. How bizarre. âœNow I feel like a dumbass.â
Nate actually coughs out a laugh at your statement before hurrying to cover it up as Liam and Vance turn to him. âœJust Nate. None of that Mr. crap. That should go for the rest of us. Not only is it weird, you make me feel old.â He pushes himself off the wall, resuming his frown, to properly face you. âœHowever, youâre strange.â
âœOh uh, mmm...thanks?â
âœI didnât mean that as a compliment.â He quickly retorts back with a squint of his eyes. âœI mean that youâre a sore thumb. Youâre something Iâve never seen before.â He takes two slow steps toward you before continuing. âœWhat are you?â
âœHmm? My race? To be honest, I canât really say I know. Iâm the only one of my kind to my knowledgeââ You reply back as you roleplay as your avatar. You couldnât really tell them the truth because, frankly, no one would believe you. Besides, you donât want to reveal too much information about your real self.
âœNo parents?â He takes two more steps to the table but still hasnât quite reached it yet.
âœNone. I created myself after all so...yeah.â You swallow back the fact that you have...or had human parents up until this situation started.
âœHaaaa? You created yourself? Really? Everything comes from something. I don't believe you for a second.â
You would have reacted the same way if someone told you that they had come into existence out of their own vendetta. It's just impossible...in human terms.
âœI did though. I really created myself...mmm...actually, this may help-What do you think my name means-my full name that is?â
âœUh...donât remember it.â
âœThatâs okay. Itâs SÅsaku-sha. Do you know what that name means?â
âœNo. Why does it matter?â
âœSÅsaku-sha means Creator. I am a creator. I create life, essentially, and I build worlds for that life to exist on.â You lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœSo, wouldnât it only make sense that Iâd give myself a vessel to occupy so that I may interact with my creations?â
âœAre you saying that you created us?â Vance's voice is soft but cool in tone, surprising you as he addresses you for the first time since youâve entered Barry's abode.
âœNot at all. Iâve created humans in the past but nothing from...here. In fact, thatâs why Iâm so intrigued by this new world. I had nothing to do with the creation of this place. It's all an anomaly to me!â Yes, yes. That is what a creator would do. Theyâd be drawn to the chance to see otherâs work to get inspired for their own. You can use that! âœItâs amazing! This is all so similar to the worlds I have created! Your social hierarchies, technologies-Hell, you even have magic! Haha! To think something like this existed! It makes me wonder...if there is someone else like me out thereââ You mumble off and once again think about the possibility of players being stuck in this new world with you.
If there are...youâd like to find them.
They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. You can only imagine where they would have popped up. You hope that theyâre nowhere near the trouble youâre in.
The three young men exchange odd looks to one another at the information but before they could ask for any more out of you Mr. Bar-err, Mr. Long comes in with a tray of clay cups and a steaming kettle. âœSorry for the wait but I wanted to make tea for us all. Itâs my form of thanks for staying up with this old man.â
âœAw, thank you, Barry.â Liam hums sleepily as heâs handed a cup. A strange, rather sweet, smell catches your attention as Mr. Long pours the steaming liquid into the cups he has handed out. You canât tell by the smell what type of tea it is but by the way the young men accept their mugs with gratitude it must be something good-
âœYou wanted tea as well, didnât you?â The old manâs voice draws you out of your thoughts and you see that heâs handed you a cup. You stare at his hand maybe a second too long, not remembering ever saying that, but you eventually move your hands to slowly take the cup from his.
âœ...You didnât have to.â
Mr. Long holds the kettle steady as he pours the herbal liquid into your cup, âœYes, but I believe it would have been rude on my part to not serve you as a guest since youâve been cooperating and kind with us.â
âœOh...Thank you.â You bow your head to him before pulling the cup of tea to yourselfâ
Only to realize you might not be able to drink it.
SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a mouth on them so can you drink? Can you eat? Maybe you can still eat and drink but it's just another hidden trait? Youâre finding out new weird ticks about your avatar so maybe this is one of them? Maybe you absorb things like a slime or that a mouth appears on your face just like SÅsaku-shaâs Eye of Providence? Or maybe you really donât eat because SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a need to eat?
Well...only one way to find out.
You bring the cup up to your blank face and let the teaâs vapor run across your skin, enjoying the earthy aroma before trying to blow on it.
Nothing.
All you did was make a noise mimicking the sound of blowing. You sigh, lamenting the fact that you were about to try to gulp down boiling hot liquid, as you bring the rim up to where your lips would be. Unbeknownst to you, the four men in the room were watching you expectantly as you tip the cup back to take a sip-
Hot tea runs down your chin, neck, and chest, causing you to jerk the cup away as Nate busts out laughing.
âœErk-ugh, Iâm sorry! I didnât mean to spill it.â You wipe your face with the back of your hand, surprised that you hadnât been burned before remembering your invincibility to blistering...but also upset that you hadnât been able to drink the tea.
âœN-no problem. Here take this.â Mr. Long takes the towel he had used to hold the hot kettle out to you.
âœThank you. I thought I could drink it.â Taking the towel you start to dry your new body off, huffing in frustration as Nate steps up to the table. âœA shame. It smells nice.â
âœHow did you expect that to work?â He pulls out a chair and sits beside Liam, across the table from you, âœDidnât you tell us that you donât have a mouth?â
âœYeah. I donât have a mouth...â You fold and place the now slightly damp towel on the table in order to pull back the cup of tea to you and pear into it. You had thought that maybe a mouth would form when you tipped the tea back but it didnât. You were slightly thankful since you didnât want to burn your mouth the moment it was summoned if you could summon one. But you haven't been burned by the tea even though itâs super hot. It just felt very warm and tingly when it had dribbled down your face. Burn invincibility, thank you.
So, could you really not eat or is there something youâre not seeing?
*Sigh, oh well...itâll just require more testing on your behalf. For now, you are content with holding the beverage close to yourself despite how sad you are about missing out on its flavor. âœNot all creatures need a mouth to eat... Iâve never tried to eat or drink in this body before so I don't know if that's the case for me.â
âœWhatâs this about?â Mr. Long asks before Liam gives him a quick summary, making the old man give you a strange look. âœAre...are you a God?â
âœPffffff-Ha, who, what?!â You shake your head, trying to clear your head from the whiplash of emotion, âœD-do I look like a God?... You know what, nevermind. Donât answer that. Iâll clear your assumption up by saying blatantly that Iâm not.â You answered your own question after they gave you a look, reminding you that youâre not human. âœEven though I was...kind of worshiped as one where I came fromââ
You think about the NPCs that would hint players to your existence and the cults that searched for your avatar by collecting the items used to form Faceless Key. They were typically the targets of players whoâd try to access your realm but at the same time, the players who held the items or even Faceless Key were under constant threat of those cultists. Either way, SÅsaku-sha was seen as an elevated being of sorts and, sure, you designed SÅsaku-sha as a type of deity-like being, similar to the Lovecraftians, but not a God. Nowhere near a God. An elevated being? Yes. A God? Absolutely not! Especially not a God while youâre possessing your avatarâs body.
âœ...I do not want to be referred to as one. I...Iâm not a God anyway.â
âœGood, I wasnât about to start kissing your ass anyway.â Nate huffs and takes a sip out of his cup before cringing, having burned his tongue.
âœStop being a jerk, Nate.â Liam elbows his friend before turning to you. âœSo youâre not a God...then what do you think you are? You claim to have...created worlds? What would you call something or someone that could do that?â
âœThe only thing Iâll claim to be is a creator. Nothing more than a powerful, magical...creature on that topic.â
âœHow many of these worlds have you created?â Vance once again surprises you by asking you a question but this one...you werenât so sure you wanted to share with them information about Yggdrasil but...youâve already given your character a story...and these men had given you lots of information. If you stop now, the persona youâve built might crumble. What type of creator doesnât jump at the opportunity to show others their work? Only shy ones, you know, but you havenât portrayed yourself as shy. Besides, if you speak about Yggdrasil they may tell others. That way, if another player hears about the game from the mouths of others theyâll try to find the source of the rumor!
âœIâve created around seventeen worlds,â Yggdrasil isnât the only game youâve created, nor the first, so you count the games that have your name as part of the list of developers, âœbut the universe I created this form in is what I dubbed with the name Yggdrasil. That universe consisted of nine worlds within. Their names were-
A knock sounded on the door, interrupting the spiel you were about to go on, and Mr. Long gives you all a look before he gets up to check it. Only a moment later he comes back with a sigh, âœNate, the sun has risen and the boys outside want your help determining the damage.â
âœ*Sigh, fine.â He turns his head to Vance as he scoots out of his chair. âœStay with it and make sure that it behaves until we come back.â Seems heâs still content with calling you an âitâ and âthingâ much to your agitation. âœCommon, Liam-â Nate slaps the kid on the back as he was trying to drink some of the tea, making him cough, âœI need your help.â
Liam groans as he gets up from his chair, "Why am I always the one being dragged along?! Take Vance for once! I actually want to hear what they say!"
Nate almost looks offended by Liams words, "Because I know Vance has enough common sense to tell the difference between fact and fairy tales, unlike you!" Nate roughly grabs the boy's arm to escort him out. All the while he does so he squints in your direction, "Ignore them. Don't let their bullshit get in your head."
"Don't worry, Liam. I'll make sure to tell you what you miss." Vance pats the blond's back as the two hurry out the door to go on their quest to assess the damage you wrought. When the click of the front door of the house echoes through the walls, Mr. Long clears his throat after taking a sip of tea.
"Please, don't mind Nate's rudeness. The boy has been through much."
"...It's water under the bridge, Mr. Long... We all have...the individual right to choose what to believe in..." You swirl the tea in your mug as you watch the old man smile not only because you didn't (visibly) let Nate get under your skin but you also addressed him correctly.
"What were those worlds you were speaking of?" Vance prompts you to continue which makes you quizzically raise a brow.
"You actually want to hear what I have to say?"
"Nate can't speak for me. I'll decide if it's bullshit or not." He sips his tea as he stares at you, seemingly intrigued as to what you have to say.
"Hmmph...delighting in the ripe fruit, curiosity seems to draw man to the tree-" You cut yourself off, catching yourself speaking strange again, and with a shake of your head you continue, "Very well. I will satisfy that hunger for knowledge..."
The two men lean in as you start your rant, describing the worlds of your game, Yggdrasil, as if you were reading your script once again...
"The great world tree is my creation, taken from a horn of mine..."
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'5â†'10â†'57
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LOST ROUTE 4:8
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
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Your hand remains still as you patiently wait.
You've never minded the touch of others. You've never hated it nor loved it.
You'd give it freely when asked and respected those who'd want space. It was just a simple gesture to you and nothing more.
It's really nothing to you, so a handshake is the same as you'd do so with other business affiliates.
Although Nate seems to have calmed down some, he smacks your hand away, still miffed that you had flicked him. âœNo thanks. I want both of my hands available if you try something. Iâll stick to walking behind you.â
You froze still at the smack, your hand slightly trembling at a heat that has exploded within you at the act, completely clearing your mind of your previous thoughts.
How...fucking dare this pest hit me!!! THE GALL!
You didn't feel anything when he smacked your hand away but it burst a dam within you, flooding your vision with the most violent images of manslaughter your mind can muster.
Crimson and black splotches spark across your twitching arm at the dark thoughts.
You should rip this ant's arms off-
Wait-Hold on! Woah- Now wait. Wait. There's no need-It did dare hit you, yes-NO, No! No, no, no! I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually contemplating murdering this...boy. Is slapping you really that bad?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior-
"Why has it gone all silent?..."
The hushed tone of one of the men snaps you out of your thoughts and you awkwardly chuckle an apology. âœA-ah, sorry. I'm still...in shock from falling so I'm having trouble collecting my thoughts...so much so that I've forgotten what we were just talking about. I must have hit my head on my way down..." Mumbling the last part, the hand extended out to Nate fumbles to reach up to scratch the back of your neck.
Is that the reason you're struggling to remember? Did you damage your memory with the fall? Isn't that called post-traumatic amnesia? It's plausible...but not good.
"Oh dear. You must have injured yourself." The older man hums with a pinch of his brows but Nate has the opposite reaction.
"Seriously? It doesn't look hurt to me!" He scoffs in an unbelieving tone.
"Nate, you and I know that not all injuries are visible." The boy at his side contradicts him with a side glance. "Besides, don't you remember when this happened to me?"
"You didn't fall through a barn, Liam." Nate bluntly retorts but the one who you now know is Liam has none of it.
"No, but I was still hit in the head hard. I still can't remember things from that week." He sighs, sending you a knowing look. "They may be having memory loss issues. I...don't know if I can heal-"
"LIAM!" Nate snaps, his teeth set to a snarl. "No! Not another word. Don't forget this is a monster! We don't need to do anything for it." He levels a glare your way.
You send one back but, without a face, no one sees your expression. "I hope that's not the issue with me. I really can't afford to be forgetting things right now..." You turn back to the old man, âœI assume youâre the one in charge around here based on how you've been acting. What was the last thing we were...conversing about?"
"Oh, we were talking about where we should wait until we estimate damage costs."
"Ah, so I was..." When did you ever mention moving locations? This is strange..."Would you like me to stay here or would you like to take me someplace else?â
The group exchange glances, all seeming to have various opinions on the situation, but they all turn to the old man before you who strokes his beard once again, closing his eyes with a sigh. âœI will bring you to my house. I live alone so it shouldnât be much of an issue.â Some try to object but Barry had made up his mind, waving them off with a hand, âœI have plenty of room to house Sawsocku-sha for the night. If you men are so against it, why donât you come over and give this old man some company?â
âœThen I guess we three will be spending the night at your house.â The dark-haired boy, who hadnât spoken a word up until this moment, cooly nods to the elder.
âœWhat?â Liam exclaims before his ear is pinched between the fingers of Nateâs hand.
âœDamn straight we are.â He tugs a bit roughly as his captive starts to whine. âœWe arenât letting Barry spend the night alone with a monster!â
Asshole.
âœGuess thatâs settled.â The old man dubbed Barry nods. âœYou four will spend the night with me. When the morning rises, the damage can be estimated and then Sawsocku-sha can pay the due.â
âœU-um, I donât mean to be rude sirââ You raise your dominant hand to point up, in a matter of fact, âœbut my name is pronounced SÅsaku-sha. Iâm not offended. I know it is a long name to say. You can just call me SÅ if it is easier for you.â
âœOh, my apologies.â
âœHey, like I said. Itâs no problem.â
âœHa, well...SÅ...you can follow me. Iâll take you straight to my house.â
âœWait.â The old man was mid turn when he stopped at your call. âœWon't...won't your people be afraid of me?â
âœ...Yes, they may be.â His wise eyes flow through the group gathered around you, sighing solemnly. âœOur village, Bourn, is a frontier village. We act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Those items are collected from the Great Forest of Tob that is just to the North of our village.
âœOh, thatâs the forest I saw from earlier, right before I...fell...â You cringe at the memory with a scratch to your neck.
âœ...Then...as you probably saw, Bourn is situated near Tob. It's so we can collect rare resources that are housed within. However, the forest is also home to many monsters. Bizarre and magical beings alike that far surpass normal human strength. Our village is often attacked by such creatures since we live near the forest. Because of this, we are wary of anything considered inhuman.â
âœOhââ You swallow at the visual that your mind supplies. With a village situated so close to such a forest, no wonder they acted the way they did. How they feel on edge even though you're...more or less friendly. They probably thought they were all going to die or something along those lines. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, those who know what you truly are have backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
âœIâm sorry. I can only imagineââ You almost ask if theyâve done anything to prevent monsters from attacking or what types of creatures these monsters are but you donât want to appear insensitive.
The older man makes a grumbling noise from the back of his throat like a raspy sigh, acknowledging your sentiments. "It's alright... If you can, please stay close to us and don't...interact with anyone in the village. That way they won't be as fearful of you."
He wants you to ignore people?...well...If he thinks that's for the best then...you won't argue. "I'll try...so, uh...is it time for my big reveal?â Looking to the barn doors you feel your anxiety starting to climb again. Not as much as it had been before you tried to talk your way out of getting murdered, though.
Swallowing at the thought is reflexive and grounds you in the reality of your situation.
âœI believe so.â Barry nods, âœSeth, Mat. Tell the boys at the doors to be kind to SÅ here. Iâll be taking these four to my house now. After you do so, inform them on what we will be doing so we can get this all settled. As for everyone else, please get them back to where they wereâ*sigh* though Iâm sure everyone is spooked enough as it is, no one will go back to bed.â
âœSure, thing Barry.â Mat nods and walks ahead of your group to the side of the barn he did before.
âœMmm, please take care of yourselves.â He pats Barry on the shoulder before nodding to the three boys, âœHave a good night. I certainly pray to God that you all do.â Seth spares you a glance at the end before walking to the side of the barn Liam had gone to before.
âœCome now. This way, SÅ.â Barry waves for you to follow him and you do so, walking towards the direction that Mat went in, âœMy house is a little walk from here but it isnât too long. Youâll stay at my home until we settle this affair.â
âœThank you for your hospitality...â You say as you four eye the growths sprouting at your feet in grimace, âœdespite what I am..."
No one responds to your comment right away, Barry waving at the men to open the doors but Liam does whimper a query, "Uh, SÅ? Is there a way for you to...not grow flowers where you walk?"
"Err...I'm not sure. I don't think there is..."
"Ah, I see..." He hums just as you walk past the doormen, all glaring your way, and finally, make it outside.
Youâd exhale in relief if you could. You honestly thought that the interior of the barn would be the last thing youâd see and now that is no longer the case. However, the sight of families gathered around the barn all looking wearily your way keeps you from relaxing. All their eyes, men, women, children of all ages, hold fear as they try to see what is occurring.
Upon seeing you, some of the most terrified expressions humans can muster tear through the crowd, startled cries and shouts of 'Monster!' echo around you.
Your legs stumble a bit due to the shock of the reaction, watching as they back away from you wide eyed, clutching onto each other and gripping their weapons in new fever.
You knew they'd be afraid of you by the initial interactions you had with the six men but...you've never been in this situation before and you hadn't prepared mentally for such a reaction. As a human, you were used to seeing smiles and greetings for your accomplishments and bored or somber expressions from those who didn't know you...but now that you're not human...
Are they that afraid of monsters?... That afraid of you just because of your appearance?
âœEveryone, return as you were!â Barryâs booming voice causes you to jolt in surprise at the sudden high volume of his reassurance, âœEverything has been settled! Thereâs no danger! It was all just an accident! If any of you have questions about what has occurred feel free to come to me in the morning! For now, please, return to your homes and try to get some sleep!â
Did...he lie for the sake of their mindsets?... Or does he really not believe you're a threat?... No, you're sure he knows you hold some sort of danger... You're only starting to realize the range of SÅsaku-sha's
The man doesnât wait for the crowd to comply, he takes a torch from a fellow nearby and continues straight on his way. It takes you a moment to recognize his retreating form and you will your body to follow, albit stiffly. You keep your head down as you watch the families slowly do just as he asked, louring your way as they move with murmur. "What is that thing?"
"It has no face..."
"What are they doing with it?"
"Did it do something to them"
"It's so huge... It towers over them."
"Back away. We don't want to be near it if it attacks"
"Why is it following the chieftain?"
"Look! It's growing flowers where it walks"
"It's so ugly!"
"Freak"
"What's going on?"
"Where are they taking it?!"
"I don't want to stay here knowing that it's still here..."
"Why didn't they kill it?"
"Let's stay together at my place."
"Collect your bags in case we need to flee"
"Fucking monster..."
A mixture of murky colors blotch and stream over your form as you continue to hear their discussions even as you walk further and further away. How you can hear their whispers from such a distance doesn't even occur to you to think. All you can focus on is their harsh words and that uncomfortable heat swelling in your chest.
They're just scared. Ignore them like Berry said. Ignore them... They don't know you. They wouldn't say these things if they truly knew you...
Ignore them... Focus on something else.
You're here to get information! Focus on collecting knowledge!
You now know that Barry is the chieftain of Bourn. What else is there to learn?!
To distract you from the harsh words of the villagers, you try to observe your surroundings by expanding your vision as much as you can so that you can pick up on any little thing that could tell you whatâs going on.
Thatâs exactly when it hits you.
Your legs seize up at the pure shock that rattles you to your core as your vision displays what lies above you.
âœWhat the hell are you doing?â Nate barks as he notices your shift.
The group stops and all turn your way to where you stand frozen, processing the sight with your head turned upward.
âœWhy the hell did you stop?!â Nate hisses as he widens his legs, âœDonât even think about running away, freak!â
âœIââ You shudder before you could continue, âœIâve never seen a night sky with such clarity beforeââ
It is...stunning. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as you feel your eyes watering up, expanding your vision even further now that you know you can do so, âœIt's like crystal shards or firefliesââ
No, it couldnât even be compared to those things. This is beyond magical...more than anything youâve ever dreamed...but a voice inside of your head informs you of something troubling. The stars above. They are not the constellations of Yggdrasil...neither the ones of Earth.
What could this mean? Are you truly in a new world?
âœEnough, keep moving.â Nate hisses as if dismissing the fact that youâre going through a revelation.
That's enough to prompt you to throw him a dirty look over your shoulder, as if he ruined the wonderful memory you were developing. However, you donât do anything more than that since youâre still on thin ice amongst these individuals. You turn your head back to Barry, motioning him to continue his walk.
Your head may be centered back to eye level but you keep your focus out, enjoying the sight above with every fiber of your being. Stars and all. And with your focus trained outward to your surroundings, you learn quickly that these people are impoverished.
You had suspected as much since Yggdrasilâs humanoid villager NPCs are mainly just barely above the technological advancements of the lower class of the medieval age. It is the same here.
The houses that you pass are made of stone with brick roof tiles and shabby wooden shutters that keep the windows shut. All the houses are either one or two stories high off the ground, surrounded by dirt but on the rare occasion, greenery. Candles and torches were the only available sources of light to guide your group to Mr. Barryâs house.
That might be the answer as to why they are struggling with monsters so much. They donât have the money to take precautions and what little they make probably goes to keeping them alive and repairing what is damaged. No wonder theyâre holding you to fix what mess youâve made.
âœHey, SÅ?â
âœHm?â Liamâs inquiry has you glancing his way.
âœWhere...where did you come from?â
âœOh, well ah...I was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane. It is a mountain range located in Midgard. Does it sound familiar?â
âœMmn...no. Not at all.â He shakes his head to which you pout.
You were hoping that he or anyone would at least know what Midgard is. It is the human realm of Yggdrasil. Here essentially if this is still your game. This is not at all Earth, that you know for a fact now. However, the possibility of a new world is growing increasingly apparent.
âœThe only mountains I know are the Azerlisia Mountains.â
âœIâve...never heard of them?â Wait, could it be that this is Yggdrasil and that they just have different names for landmarks than...no, you donât think so. You had the interactable NPCs programmed with the knowledge of the landmarks of their realms. If these people were living NPCs then theyâd be using the actual terms from your game.
âœThey are a range of mountains that are situated far into the Great Forest of Tob. They are known to be very dangerous. Only top-level adventurers dare go there since itâs home to many crazy powerful monsters. Rumor has it that it is home to the great frost dragons.â
âœOh? Frost dragons? Now thatâs interesting.â
âœWhyâs that?â The quiet voice of the dark haired boy is surprising to hear but youâre caught up in the fact that there may be frost dragons in this world.
Since your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, is a Beast Tamer, you were able to collect various creatures within the nine worlds and house them all across the rooms and floors of the Citadel.
With that in mind, you have two frost dragons as pets. You had left them to guard the ice biome with the Unmei no gundan on the second floor of the Citadel. You believe, if you remember correctly, that they are both level eighty, the level cap a frost dragon can get to without extensions. Theyâre not high-level dragons considering the other dragon races. Even their close compatriot, ice dragons, are a bit higher level than frost dragons.
Dragons were considered one of if not the strongest enemy race feared by players. The central World Enemy of Yggdrasil, the final boss, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a great dragon that continuously tried to eat the remaining leaves of the World Tree. Your avatar was still technically the final boss of the game but you were just an extra. A secret boss per se to give guilds a run for their money. Players earn the beat the game achievement, Protector of Yggdrasil, by slaying the dragon but they could win records and real-life trophies by beating your avatar.
Back to the topic of frost dragons, however, you canât dismiss their power entirely. They are in no way weak, nor are they the weakest of their kind. They were still pretty troublesome if you werenât of the right race, levels, or defense. They could spawn in particular locations in Jötunheim and maybe the rarer occasion in other ice biomes if you use particular items to make it so.
If this world is like your game, then you can assume that the Azerlisia Mountains are cold year-round if those dragons are fabled to reside there.
âœI...have a little history with frost dragons.â
âœHistory?â
âœMmm.â You affirm Liamâs echo, âœIâm well...acquainted...yeah, with two in particular. However, Iâm certain that the ones you speak of are different from the ones I know. They do not live anywhere near mountains.â
âœAmazing!â Liam blurts out a matter of fact. âœWhat are they like?!â
You almost throw a joke at him by saying theyâre chill or cool but you notice that the other three men have their full attention on you, aghast expressions morphing their facial features into ones that you could almost call comical.
âœEhaaâtheyâre...â Did you say something wrong? Shoot. Maybe you shouldn't have brought up your avatar's relation to the lizards. It may be a little too exposing of your Beast Tamer class... Though, their shock is to take note of... How important are dragons in this place? Certainly seems high... But in what manner? Religious? Legend? Cultural? A topic to prod. However, you didnât want to outright tell them all your secrets right off the bat without gaining anything back so you decide to make a trade. âœIâll tell you what. If you tell me more about where we are Iâll answer your questions back. Sound fair?â
âœOh?â Liam looks in between his fellow men. None of them object so he takes it as it is given. âœWell, in general, Bourn is part of the Re-Estize Kingdom.â
âœ...Iâve never heard of a kingdom named such. At least...where Iâm from.â
âœYou must have come from really far then. The kingdom is one of the three major nations in this general area and we are right in the center of where all three are. In fact, Iâve heard from traders that it takes at least a little over a half a month by carriage to make it to the sea on the far west of the continent if you continue in a straight line and only stop to rest.â
âœO-oh. Heh, wow.â You scratch your neck as you mull over the information. âœI guess Iâm really lost then. Heh hehââ Shit. This is not right. âœWhat are the other two nations, might I ask?â
âœThe nation to the East of ours is the Baharuth Empire. This country and theirs are...well to put it, theyâre on bad terms and often fight on the plains South of us where borders connect. The Slane Theocracy is further South and is a kingdom that was formed even before the kingdom and the empire was. We donât personally know much about the theocracy since the kingdom has little interactions with them but Vance, Nate, and I have met an individual from the country.â Liam grimaces.
âœThey were very religious.â Vance nods as if agreeing with the blond that the individual they speak of was odd.
âœThough, they did have a point,â Nate grunts, âœdemi-humans and monsters alike are demons that should all die.â
Since heâs behind you he canât see your blank expression morph into something vile, once more pondering the boy's deservance of his lower jaw; however, the two boys at your sides notice the color change along your skin.
âœNATE!â Liam yells, âœThey haven't done anything yet to warrant such behavior! Say something uncalled for like that again and I won't be sparing you the medical help the next time you get in trouble.â
That takes the young man back a bit before he opens his mouth-
âœThat also means that I donât want to hear your voice for at least a good hour. Itâs exhausting to hear you constantly complain.â
Nateâs teeth click shut and he returns to staring a hole through your skull again, submitting to Liamâs commands.
Not wanting there to be a stretch of awkward silence after Liam snapped at Nate you hum, âœThank you, Liam, for telling me all of that. Iâm sure thereâs more to it but every bit of information is helpful. Iâm starting to realize how lost I am.â No, youâre starting to realize how fucked you are. Nothing of what Liam informed you of is any landmarks from Midgard. Not just there though but nothing from any of the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
This is a completely new world.
Cursing under your breath, you continue. âœI remember the deal we made. Iâll tell you a little bit more about those frost dragons I mentioned.â
âœThat's nice.â The older man scratches his beard and waves his torch forward. âœWeâve arrived at my house. You can tell us more when we get you four settled in a room. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Barry.â You nod as the other three show their appreciation for the older manâs hospitality. The chieftainâs house appears no different than the ones that litter the rest of the village. Same stone exterior, same shabby wooden shutters and doors, and same dark tile roofing. It doesnât even appear that it has more grass near it. It seems that there are more patches of dirt around this house than most of the others. You piece it together that Mr. Barryâs house must be often visited for the grass to recede so much.
Using his only free arm, Barry is able to grab the handle on his door and step in to hold it open. âœHere you go, make yourself at home.â
You want to show the chieftain your appreciation for him welcoming you but the blaring fact in your mind drowns out all words that could try to find their way onto your tongue. This is a new world. Nothing could have prepared you for the shock. How you got here is a mystery you donât even think can ever be solved.
A shake of your head brings you back to now.
This isnât something you can expect an answer for immediately, nor should you. This is something youâll have to puzzle together on your own and these people can help you. They will help you. Youâll make sure of it one way or another. Youâd prefer it to be voluntary but youâll do what you have to if it comes down to it. You need to learn for your sake and for whoever was also transported to this world with you.
To that last thought, you step into the threshold of Barryâs home with the intention to use every fiber of your being to get what you need.
Tonight is going to be a long nightâ
â—
You shift again uncomfortably on a creaky wooden chair youâve been sitting on for the past five hours, making it whine under your weight.
You kind of regret making your avatar a seven foot tall monster now that you can't fit your legs under the table due to the design of not only the table but the chair. After getting some weird stares from you doing the eagle, you bashfully settled on keeping your legs together on the right side of your chair (the side closest to the only doorway into the small area), making it so that you have to keep your body twisted uncomfortably to face those in the room.
You patiently wait for Barry, whose full name youâve learned is Barry Long, to return after he had stepped out of the slightly spacious room youâre held up in. Meanwhile, you silently stare at the young boys keeping watch of you: Nate, Liam, and the dark-haired boy with the bow and arrows you now know as Vance.
Why these young men were assigned to the task rather than the men who looked like they could punch a hole through a tree is beyond you. Thereâs got to be a reason but you're too caught up in your thoughts, swiveling your feet into the grass and flower patch that now surrounds the area you occupy, replaying all the things youâve learned during the hours you spent asking the men questions in your head.
You've picked up much while killing time here.
The first thing you had asked about when they finally settled you in the room youâre in now was for them to explain more about the countries Liam spoke of and the geography of the surrounding land. Mr. Barry had gone and pulled out a withered map to lay it out on the table, pointing out specific areas of interest on the strange continent displayed as he spoke. He went off to further explain the countries they had told you about earlier in more detail.
You listened intently, being swept away in awe of your situation, of what little knowledge they said they have. You could tell that it was indeed limited, choppy and obscure at best, but you engraved every word that they told into memory.
History of each country, how they handled currency, who ruled the nations, if there were monsters or even other intelligent beings living amongst the human population, how magic works in this world, and more...and your mind was blown away with knowledge. Royalty, nobility, knights in shining armor, religions, cults, gangs, war, treasures, rumors, myths, legend, unforeseen dangers, beasts of great proportions, potions, adventurer guilds, strange languages, ruins, everything you live for!
You felt like a giddy child brought to an amusement park for the first time! You completely gushed over everything they told you and your curiosity surprised the men present.
Mr. Barry had stepped out after five straight hours of talking himself dry to make something to clear his throat and to keep himself awake as the sun rises to start the new day.
Now, in the present, your gaze shifts over to the map again which sits off to the side of the table along with other items brought up for your vague education. You don't recognize the shape of the land depicted at all. How could you anyway? There are no coast lines depicted on the map so you can't try to deduce what region it is. The mountainous regions are the only indicators of distinction...but to no avail.
However, even if there was a visible coastline on the map, you could bet an arm nothing here originates from Earth. The knowledge of magic and monsters sharing a place in this world only further adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things having occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be human in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japan. You don't need a map to see that.
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
Now that you think back on it, their lips would move but different words would come out. You didn't linger on it too long since you were doing your best to memorize what they were showing and telling you...but, with this quiet time due to Mr. Barry's absence, the oddity can't help but stand out in your mind again.
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
Ah, actually, thatâd make sense.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hear and eyes to see. The words across the map are in a language you have no prior knowledge of but...you can read the text like it's your native tongue. The words don't shift around to your prefered language, no. It's like you have pre-knowledge of what the text is and can read it as it is. This may have something to do with the settings you had set for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch. It must be doing something similar now.
Hmmm...but what do I sound like to others? You flick your gaze to Liam for a second, poking your cheek curiously. Dialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But these people have no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and you understand all they said...so, in what way do they understand you?
All Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
So, to these villagers, when you speak to them, is it in their language?... Well, of course it is. This whole ordeal would've gone South if they couldn't understand you when you had first greeted them. So in their ears, you sound one way...but in your ears, you sound normal. But what do you sound like to others? Other than your voice being distorted...Herm...wellâ. This voice does fit this avatar but why do you have this voice in particular and not your normal voice? You donât even use a voice box to change your voice IG, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? You think itâs the latterâ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to lay it on the wall closest to you. A window sits right there, feet from your head where you can make out a draft and the faintest blue light of dawn...
Nevermind the voice...if you talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do you sound like to them? Is it the one you're directing your attention to who has your words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
If itâs the prior, youâd have to be careful to be certain who you're speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would you regulate that? What if you say something you're not directing toward them and they hear it. How would you explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if you're speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands you anyway. How would the other react to hearing you speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand? How would you go about e-
At the sound of an annoyed huff, your vision shifts outward and notice Nate staring at you once again with a tired grimace from the wall he is leaning against. Psh, that boy... Frowning seems to be his resting B-face but you can tell he has something to say to you. Not wanting to wait in awkward silence until the chieftain is back you try to prompt up another discussion. âœYou seem to have something on your mind, Mr. Nate.â
âœDonât call me Mr. Nate. It sounds weird.â
âœErmm, Iâm...sorry?" You lift your head from its spot on the wall to face the kid. "From where Iâm from it is respectable to address individuals who youâre in a professional or business relationship with by their first names. Is...that not the same here?â
He shakes his head with a scoff, âœNo. We go by surnames.â
âœAh...no wonder Mr. Barry was making that face every time I said his name.â So, theyâre more Westernized here than Japanese. How bizarre. âœNow I feel like a dumbass.â
Nate actually coughs out a laugh at your statement before hurrying to cover it up as Liam and Vance turn to him. âœJust Nate. None of that Mr. crap. That should go for the rest of us. Not only is it weird, you make me feel old.â He pushes himself off the wall, resuming his frown, to properly face you. âœHowever, youâre strange.â
âœOh uh, mmm...thanks?â
âœI didnât mean that as a compliment.â He quickly retorts back with a squint of his eyes. âœI mean that youâre a sore thumb. Youâre something Iâve never seen before.â He takes two slow steps toward you before continuing. âœWhat are you?â
âœHmm? My race? To be honest, I canât really say I know. Iâm the only one of my kind to my knowledgeââ You reply back as you roleplay as your avatar. You couldnât really tell them the truth because, frankly, no one would believe you. Besides, you donât want to reveal too much information about your real self.
âœNo parents?â He takes two more steps to the table but still hasnât quite reached it yet.
âœNone. I created myself after all so...yeah.â You swallow back the fact that you have...or had human parents up until this situation started.
âœHaaaa? You created yourself? Really? Everything comes from something. I don't believe you for a second.â
You would have reacted the same way if someone told you that they had come into existence out of their own vendetta. It's just impossible...in human terms.
âœI did though. I really created myself...mmm...actually, this may help-What do you think my name means-my full name that is?â
âœUh...donât remember it.â
âœThatâs okay. Itâs SÅsaku-sha. Do you know what that name means?â
âœNo. Why does it matter?â
âœSÅsaku-sha means Creator. I am a creator. I create life, essentially, and I build worlds for that life to exist on.â You lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœSo, wouldnât it only make sense that Iâd give myself a vessel to occupy so that I may interact with my creations?â
âœAre you saying that you created us?â Vance's voice is soft but cool in tone, surprising you as he addresses you for the first time since youâve entered Barry's abode.
âœNot at all. Iâve created humans in the past but nothing from...here. In fact, thatâs why Iâm so intrigued by this new world. I had nothing to do with the creation of this place. It's all an anomaly to me!â Yes, yes. That is what a creator would do. Theyâd be drawn to the chance to see otherâs work to get inspired for their own. You can use that! âœItâs amazing! This is all so similar to the worlds I have created! Your social hierarchies, technologies-Hell, you even have magic! Haha! To think something like this existed! It makes me wonder...if there is someone else like me out thereââ You mumble off and once again think about the possibility of players being stuck in this new world with you.
If there are...youâd like to find them.
They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. You can only imagine where they would have popped up. You hope that theyâre nowhere near the trouble youâre in.
The three young men exchange odd looks to one another at the information but before they could ask for any more out of you Mr. Bar-err, Mr. Long comes in with a tray of clay cups and a steaming kettle. âœSorry for the wait but I wanted to make tea for us all. Itâs my form of thanks for staying up with this old man.â
âœAw, thank you, Barry.â Liam hums sleepily as heâs handed a cup. A strange, rather sweet, smell catches your attention as Mr. Long pours the steaming liquid into the cups he has handed out. You canât tell by the smell what type of tea it is but by the way the young men accept their mugs with gratitude it must be something good-
âœYou wanted tea as well, didnât you?â The old manâs voice draws you out of your thoughts and you see that heâs handed you a cup. You stare at his hand maybe a second too long, not remembering ever saying that, but you eventually move your hands to slowly take the cup from his.
âœ...You didnât have to.â
Mr. Long holds the kettle steady as he pours the herbal liquid into your cup, âœYes, but I believe it would have been rude on my part to not serve you as a guest since youâve been cooperating and kind with us.â
âœOh...Thank you.â You bow your head to him before pulling the cup of tea to yourselfâ
Only to realize you might not be able to drink it.
SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a mouth on them so can you drink? Can you eat? Maybe you can still eat and drink but it's just another hidden trait? Youâre finding out new weird ticks about your avatar so maybe this is one of them? Maybe you absorb things like a slime or that a mouth appears on your face just like SÅsaku-shaâs Eye of Providence? Or maybe you really donât eat because SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a need to eat?
Well...only one way to find out.
You bring the cup up to your blank face and let the teaâs vapor run across your skin, enjoying the earthy aroma before trying to blow on it.
Nothing.
All you did was make a noise mimicking the sound of blowing. You sigh, lamenting the fact that you were about to try to gulp down boiling hot liquid, as you bring the rim up to where your lips would be. Unbeknownst to you, the four men in the room were watching you expectantly as you tip the cup back to take a sip-
Hot tea runs down your chin, neck, and chest, causing you to jerk the cup away as Nate busts out laughing.
âœErk-ugh, Iâm sorry! I didnât mean to spill it.â You wipe your face with the back of your hand, surprised that you hadnât been burned before remembering your invincibility to blistering...but also upset that you hadnât been able to drink the tea.
âœN-no problem. Here take this.â Mr. Long takes the towel he had used to hold the hot kettle out to you.
âœThank you. I thought I could drink it.â Taking the towel you start to dry your new body off, huffing in frustration as Nate steps up to the table. âœA shame. It smells nice.â
âœHow did you expect that to work?â He pulls out a chair and sits beside Liam, across the table from you, âœDidnât you tell us that you donât have a mouth?â
âœYeah. I donât have a mouth...â You fold and place the now slightly damp towel on the table in order to pull back the cup of tea to you and pear into it. You had thought that maybe a mouth would form when you tipped the tea back but it didnât. You were slightly thankful since you didnât want to burn your mouth the moment it was summoned if you could summon one. But you haven't been burned by the tea even though itâs super hot. It just felt very warm and tingly when it had dribbled down your face. Burn invincibility, thank you.
So, could you really not eat or is there something youâre not seeing?
*Sigh, oh well...itâll just require more testing on your behalf. For now, you are content with holding the beverage close to yourself despite how sad you are about missing out on its flavor. âœNot all creatures need a mouth to eat... Iâve never tried to eat or drink in this body before so I don't know if that's the case for me.â
âœWhatâs this about?â Mr. Long asks before Liam gives him a quick summary, making the old man give you a strange look. âœAre...are you a God?â
âœPffffff-Ha, who, what?!â You shake your head, trying to clear your head from the whiplash of emotion, âœD-do I look like a God?... You know what, nevermind. Donât answer that. Iâll clear your assumption up by saying blatantly that Iâm not.â You answered your own question after they gave you a look, reminding you that youâre not human. âœEven though I was...kind of worshiped as one where I came fromââ
You think about the NPCs that would hint players to your existence and the cults that searched for your avatar by collecting the items used to form Faceless Key. They were typically the targets of players whoâd try to access your realm but at the same time, the players who held the items or even Faceless Key were under constant threat of those cultists. Either way, SÅsaku-sha was seen as an elevated being of sorts and, sure, you designed SÅsaku-sha as a type of deity-like being, similar to the Lovecraftians, but not a God. Nowhere near a God. An elevated being? Yes. A God? Absolutely not! Especially not a God while youâre possessing your avatarâs body.
âœ...I do not want to be referred to as one. I...Iâm not a God anyway.â
âœGood, I wasnât about to start kissing your ass anyway.â Nate huffs and takes a sip out of his cup before cringing, having burned his tongue.
âœStop being a jerk, Nate.â Liam elbows his friend before turning to you. âœSo youâre not a God...then what do you think you are? You claim to have...created worlds? What would you call something or someone that could do that?â
âœThe only thing Iâll claim to be is a creator. Nothing more than a powerful, magical...creature on that topic.â
âœHow many of these worlds have you created?â Vance once again surprises you by asking you a question but this one...you werenât so sure you wanted to share with them information about Yggdrasil but...youâve already given your character a story...and these men had given you lots of information. If you stop now, the persona youâve built might crumble. What type of creator doesnât jump at the opportunity to show others their work? Only shy ones, you know, but you havenât portrayed yourself as shy. Besides, if you speak about Yggdrasil they may tell others. That way, if another player hears about the game from the mouths of others theyâll try to find the source of the rumor!
âœIâve created around seventeen worlds,â Yggdrasil isnât the only game youâve created, nor the first, so you count the games that have your name as part of the list of developers, âœbut the universe I created this form in is what I dubbed with the name Yggdrasil. That universe consisted of nine worlds within. Their names were-
A knock sounded on the door, interrupting the spiel you were about to go on, and Mr. Long gives you all a look before he gets up to check it. Only a moment later he comes back with a sigh, âœNate, the sun has risen and the boys outside want your help determining the damage.â
âœ*Sigh, fine.â He turns his head to Vance as he scoots out of his chair. âœStay with it and make sure that it behaves until we come back.â Seems heâs still content with calling you an âitâ and âthingâ much to your agitation. âœCommon, Liam-â Nate slaps the kid on the back as he was trying to drink some of the tea, making him cough, âœI need your help.â
Liam groans as he gets up from his chair, "Why am I always the one being dragged along?! Take Vance for once! I actually want to hear what they say!"
Nate almost looks offended by Liams words, "Because I know Vance has enough common sense to tell the difference between fact and fairy tales, unlike you!" Nate roughly grabs the boy's arm to escort him out. All the while he does so he squints in your direction, "Ignore them. Don't let their bullshit get in your head."
"Don't worry, Liam. I'll make sure to tell you what you miss." Vance pats the blond's back as the two hurry out the door to go on their quest to assess the damage you wrought. When the click of the front door of the house echoes through the walls, Mr. Long clears his throat after taking a sip of tea.
"Please, don't mind Nate's rudeness. The boy has been through much."
"...It's water under the bridge, Mr. Long... We all have...the individual right to choose what to believe in..." You swirl the tea in your mug as you watch the old man smile not only because you didn't (visibly) let Nate get under your skin but you also addressed him correctly.
"What were those worlds you were speaking of?" Vance prompts you to continue which makes you quizzically raise a brow.
"You actually want to hear what I have to say?"
"Nate can't speak for me. I'll decide if it's bullshit or not." He sips his tea as he stares at you, seemingly intrigued as to what you have to say.
"Hmmph...delighting in the ripe fruit, curiosity seems to draw man to the tree-" You cut yourself off, catching yourself speaking strange again, and with a shake of your head you continue, "Very well. I will satisfy that hunger for knowledge..."
The two men lean in as you start your rant, describing the worlds of your game, Yggdrasil, as if you were reading your script once again...
"The great world tree is my creation, taken from a horn of mine..."
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
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LOST ROUTE 4:9
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be.
Chapter Notes
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Your hand falters while you grimace.
You've never liked touching others nor receiving it. The way you were raised rubbed off on you and you can't help but not like it anymore.
You'd tolerate the photo ops you'd partake in but you'd always feel gross after being near others physically for too long.
You're always called rude or mean when you reject others but is it wrong to not like something? You get...angry when your bounds are over stepped. It's...a violating feeling, like someone going through your belongings without your permission. Even when the intent is innocent like giving support...
...You've often wondered if there's something wrong with you to not like physical contact as you do.
Although Nate seems to have calmed down some, he smacks your hand away, still miffed that you had flicked him. âœNo thanks. I want both of my hands available if you try something. Iâll stick to walking behind you.â
You froze still at the smack, your hand slightly trembling at a heat that has exploded within you at the act, completely clearing your mind of your previous thoughts.
How...fucking dare this pest hit me!!! THE GALL!
You didn't feel anything when he smacked your hand away but it burst a dam within you, flooding your vision with the most violent images of manslaughter your mind can muster.
Crimson and black splotches spark across your twitching arm at the dark thoughts.
You should rip this ant's arms off-
Wait-Hold on! Woah- Now wait. Wait. There's no need-It did dare hit you, yes-NO, No! No, no, no! I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually contemplating murdering this...boy. Is slapping you really that bad?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior-
"Why has it gone all silent?..."
The hushed tone of one of the men snaps you out of your thoughts and you awkwardly chuckle an apology. âœA-ah, sorry. I'm still...in shock from falling so I'm having trouble collecting my thoughts...so much so that I've forgotten what we were just talking about. I must have hit my head on my way down..." Mumbling the last part, the hand extended out to Nate fumbles to reach up to scratch the back of your neck.
Is that the reason you're struggling to remember? Did you damage your memory with the fall? Isn't that called post-traumatic amnesia? It's plausible...but not good.
"Oh dear. You must have injured yourself." The older man hums with a pinch of his brows but Nate has the opposite reaction.
"Seriously? It doesn't look hurt to me!" He scoffs in an unbelieving tone.
"Nate, you and I know that not all injuries are visible." The boy at his side contradicts him with a side glance. "Besides, don't you remember when this happened to me?"
"You didn't fall through a barn, Liam." Nate bluntly retorts but the one who you now know is Liam has none of it.
"No, but I was still hit in the head hard. I still can't remember things from that week." He sighs, sending you a knowing look. "They may be having memory loss issues. I...don't know if I can heal-"
"LIAM!" Nate snaps, his teeth set to a snarl. "No! Not another word. Don't forget this is a monster! We don't need to do anything for it." He levels a glare your way.
You send one back but, without a face, no one sees your expression. "I hope that's not the issue with me. I really can't afford to be forgetting things right now..." You turn back to the old man, âœI assume youâre the one in charge around here based on how you've been acting. What was the last thing we were...conversing about?"
"Oh, we were talking about where we should wait until we estimate damage costs."
"Ah, so I was..." When did you ever mention moving locations? This is strange..."Would you like me to stay here or would you like to take me someplace else?â
The group exchange glances, all seeming to have various opinions on the situation, but they all turn to the old man before you who strokes his beard once again, closing his eyes with a sigh. âœI will bring you to my house. I live alone so it shouldnât be much of an issue.â Some try to object but Barry had made up his mind, waving them off with a hand, âœI have plenty of room to house Sawsocku-sha for the night. If you men are so against it, why donât you come over and give this old man some company?â
âœThen I guess we three will be spending the night at your house.â The dark-haired boy, who hadnât spoken a word up until this moment, cooly nods to the elder.
âœWhat?â Liam exclaims before his ear is pinched between the fingers of Nateâs hand.
âœDamn straight we are.â He tugs a bit roughly as his captive starts to whine. âœWe arenât letting Barry spend the night alone with a monster!â
Asshole.
âœGuess thatâs settled.â The old man dubbed Barry nods. âœYou four will spend the night with me. When the morning rises, the damage can be estimated and then Sawsocku-sha can pay the due.â
âœU-um, I donât mean to be rude sirââ You raise your dominant hand to point up, in a matter of fact, âœbut my name is pronounced SÅsaku-sha. Iâm not offended. I know it is a long name to say. You can just call me SÅ if it is easier for you.â
âœOh, my apologies.â
âœHey, like I said. Itâs no problem.â
âœHa, well...SÅ...you can follow me. Iâll take you straight to my house.â
âœWait.â The old man was mid turn when he stopped at your call. âœWon't...won't your people be afraid of me?â
âœ...Yes, they may be.â His wise eyes flow through the group gathered around you, sighing solemnly. âœOur village, Bourn, is a frontier village. We act as stations for adventurers and explorers to gather materials and resources necessary for magic casters and other clients. Those items are collected from the Great Forest of Tob that is just to the North of our village.
âœOh, thatâs the forest I saw from earlier, right before I...fell...â You cringe at the memory with a scratch to your neck.
âœ...Then...as you probably saw, Bourn is situated near Tob. It's so we can collect rare resources that are housed within. However, the forest is also home to many monsters. Bizarre and magical beings alike that far surpass normal human strength. Our village is often attacked by such creatures since we live near the forest. Because of this, we are wary of anything considered inhuman.â
âœOhââ You swallow at the visual that your mind supplies. With a village situated so close to such a forest, no wonder they acted the way they did. How they feel on edge even though you're...more or less friendly. They probably thought they were all going to die or something along those lines. However...it just doesnât sit right with you about how fast they judged your entire character based on your appearance. How ready they were to just butcher you on that fact alone. Racism at its peak...though...you can agree with them to some extent. If you saw a person dressed like a mugger in your own home wouldnât you see to it to defend yourself and your possessions? Either way, those who know what you truly are have backed away for now...but itâs very apparent that the distaste for you is strong in their heartsâ
âœIâm sorry. I can only imagineââ You almost ask if theyâve done anything to prevent monsters from attacking or what types of creatures these monsters are but you donât want to appear insensitive.
The older man makes a grumbling noise from the back of his throat like a raspy sigh, acknowledging your sentiments. "It's alright... If you can, please stay close to us and don't...interact with anyone in the village. That way they won't be as fearful of you."
He wants you to ignore people?...well...If he thinks that's for the best then...you won't argue. "I'll try...so, uh...is it time for my big reveal?â Looking to the barn doors you feel your anxiety starting to climb again. Not as much as it had been before you tried to talk your way out of getting murdered, though.
Swallowing at the thought is reflexive and grounds you in the reality of your situation.
âœI believe so.â Barry nods, âœSeth, Mat. Tell the boys at the doors to be kind to SÅ here. Iâll be taking these four to my house now. After you do so, inform them on what we will be doing so we can get this all settled. As for everyone else, please get them back to where they wereâ*sigh* though Iâm sure everyone is spooked enough as it is, no one will go back to bed.â
âœSure, thing Barry.â Mat nods and walks ahead of your group to the side of the barn he did before.
âœMmm, please take care of yourselves.â He pats Barry on the shoulder before nodding to the three boys, âœHave a good night. I certainly pray to God that you all do.â Seth spares you a glance at the end before walking to the side of the barn Liam had gone to before.
âœCome now. This way, SÅ.â Barry waves for you to follow him and you do so, walking towards the direction that Mat went in, âœMy house is a little walk from here but it isnât too long. Youâll stay at my home until we settle this affair.â
âœThank you for your hospitality...â You say as you four eye the growths sprouting at your feet in grimace, âœdespite what I am..."
No one responds to your comment right away, Barry waving at the men to open the doors but Liam does whimper a query, "Uh, SÅ? Is there a way for you to...not grow flowers where you walk?"
"Err...I'm not sure. I don't think there is..."
"Ah, I see..." He hums just as you walk past the doormen, all glaring your way, and finally, make it outside.
Youâd exhale in relief if you could. You honestly thought that the interior of the barn would be the last thing youâd see and now that is no longer the case. However, the sight of families gathered around the barn all looking wearily your way keeps you from relaxing. All their eyes, men, women, children of all ages, hold fear as they try to see what is occurring.
Upon seeing you, some of the most terrified expressions humans can muster tear through the crowd, startled cries and shouts of 'Monster!' echo around you.
Your legs stumble a bit due to the shock of the reaction, watching as they back away from you wide eyed, clutching onto each other and gripping their weapons in new fever.
You knew they'd be afraid of you by the initial interactions you had with the six men but...you've never been in this situation before and you hadn't prepared mentally for such a reaction. As a human, you were used to seeing smiles and greetings for your accomplishments and bored or somber expressions from those who didn't know you...but now that you're not human...
Are they that afraid of monsters?... That afraid of you just because of your appearance?
âœEveryone, return as you were!â Barryâs booming voice causes you to jolt in surprise at the sudden high volume of his reassurance, âœEverything has been settled! Thereâs no danger! It was all just an accident! If any of you have questions about what has occurred feel free to come to me in the morning! For now, please, return to your homes and try to get some sleep!â
Did...he lie for the sake of their mindsets?... Or does he really not believe you're a threat?... No, you're sure he knows you hold some sort of danger... You're only starting to realize the range of SÅsaku-sha's
The man doesnât wait for the crowd to comply, he takes a torch from a fellow nearby and continues straight on his way. It takes you a moment to recognize his retreating form and you will your body to follow, albit stiffly. You keep your head down as you watch the families slowly do just as he asked, louring your way as they move with murmur. "What is that thing?"
"It has no face..."
"What are they doing with it?"
"Did it do something to them"
"It's so huge... It towers over them."
"Back away. We don't want to be near it if it attacks"
"Why is it following the chieftain?"
"Look! It's growing flowers where it walks"
"It's so ugly!"
"Freak"
"What's going on?"
"Where are they taking it?!"
"I don't want to stay here knowing that it's still here..."
"Why didn't they kill it?"
"Let's stay together at my place."
"Collect your bags in case we need to flee"
"Fucking monster..."
A mixture of murky colors blotch and stream over your form as you continue to hear their discussions even as you walk further and further away. How you can hear their whispers from such a distance doesn't even occur to you to think. All you can focus on is their harsh words and that uncomfortable heat swelling in your chest.
They're just scared. Ignore them like Berry said. Ignore them... They don't know you. They wouldn't say these things if they truly knew you...
Ignore them... Focus on something else.
You're here to get information! Focus on collecting knowledge!
You now know that Barry is the chieftain of Bourn. What else is there to learn?!
To distract you from the harsh words of the villagers, you try to observe your surroundings by expanding your vision as much as you can so that you can pick up on any little thing that could tell you whatâs going on.
Thatâs exactly when it hits you.
Your legs seize up at the pure shock that rattles you to your core as your vision displays what lies above you.
âœWhat the hell are you doing?â Nate barks as he notices your shift.
The group stops and all turn your way to where you stand frozen, processing the sight with your head turned upward.
âœWhy the hell did you stop?!â Nate hisses as he widens his legs, âœDonât even think about running away, freak!â
âœIââ You shudder before you could continue, âœIâve never seen a night sky with such clarity beforeââ
It is...stunning. Back in the real world, you live in an apartment in a crowded city. Despite the fact that you lived in a much better part of the metropolis, you still spent some lonely nights peering out over your balcony, watching the world below buzz with life but the sky dead as the void itself. If you were lucky youâd be able to see one or two stars beyond the smog that constantly drifted overhead...or maybe those were just planes...
Pale light casts down from the sparkling heavens above reminding you what Earth once possessed before your time. You inserted scenery into Yggdrasil that was impossible to see anymore in the real world due to pollution. Still, this natural scenery couldnât be compared with what you had developed in Yggdrasil, only giving further proof that this might not be your game anymore.
Nothing could compare to this.
âœIt's...so beautifulââ You choke out as you feel your eyes watering up, expanding your vision even further now that you know you can do so, âœIt's like crystal shards or firefliesââ
No, it couldnât even be compared to those things. This is beyond magical...more than anything youâve ever dreamed...but a voice inside of your head informs you of something troubling. The stars above. They are not the constellations of Yggdrasil...neither the ones of Earth.
What could this mean? Are you truly in a new world?
âœEnough, keep moving.â Nate hisses as if dismissing the fact that youâre going through a revelation.
That's enough to prompt you to throw him a dirty look over your shoulder, as if he ruined the wonderful memory you were developing. However, you donât do anything more than that since youâre still on thin ice amongst these individuals. You turn your head back to Barry, motioning him to continue his walk.
Your head may be centered back to eye level but you keep your focus out, enjoying the sight above with every fiber of your being. Stars and all. And with your focus trained outward to your surroundings, you learn quickly that these people are impoverished.
You had suspected as much since Yggdrasilâs humanoid villager NPCs are mainly just barely above the technological advancements of the lower class of the medieval age. It is the same here.
The houses that you pass are made of stone with brick roof tiles and shabby wooden shutters that keep the windows shut. All the houses are either one or two stories high off the ground, surrounded by dirt but on the rare occasion, greenery. Candles and torches were the only available sources of light to guide your group to Mr. Barryâs house.
That might be the answer as to why they are struggling with monsters so much. They donât have the money to take precautions and what little they make probably goes to keeping them alive and repairing what is damaged. No wonder theyâre holding you to fix what mess youâve made.
âœHey, SÅ?â
âœHm?â Liamâs inquiry has you glancing his way.
âœWhere...where did you come from?â
âœOh, well ah...I was flying above SunnmÃrsalpane. It is a mountain range located in Midgard. Does it sound familiar?â
âœMmn...no. Not at all.â He shakes his head to which you pout.
You were hoping that he or anyone would at least know what Midgard is. It is the human realm of Yggdrasil. Here essentially if this is still your game. This is not at all Earth, that you know for a fact now. However, the possibility of a new world is growing increasingly apparent.
âœThe only mountains I know are the Azerlisia Mountains.â
âœIâve...never heard of them?â Wait, could it be that this is Yggdrasil and that they just have different names for landmarks than...no, you donât think so. You had the interactable NPCs programmed with the knowledge of the landmarks of their realms. If these people were living NPCs then theyâd be using the actual terms from your game.
âœThey are a range of mountains that are situated far into the Great Forest of Tob. They are known to be very dangerous. Only top-level adventurers dare go there since itâs home to many crazy powerful monsters. Rumor has it that it is home to the great frost dragons.â
âœOh? Frost dragons? Now thatâs interesting.â
âœWhyâs that?â The quiet voice of the dark haired boy is surprising to hear but youâre caught up in the fact that there may be frost dragons in this world.
Since your avatar, SÅsaku-sha, is a Beast Tamer, you were able to collect various creatures within the nine worlds and house them all across the rooms and floors of the Citadel.
With that in mind, you have two frost dragons as pets. You had left them to guard the ice biome with the Unmei no gundan on the second floor of the Citadel. You believe, if you remember correctly, that they are both level eighty, the level cap a frost dragon can get to without extensions. Theyâre not high-level dragons considering the other dragon races. Even their close compatriot, ice dragons, are a bit higher level than frost dragons.
Dragons were considered one of if not the strongest enemy race feared by players. The central World Enemy of Yggdrasil, the final boss, the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, was a great dragon that continuously tried to eat the remaining leaves of the World Tree. Your avatar was still technically the final boss of the game but you were just an extra. A secret boss per se to give guilds a run for their money. Players earn the beat the game achievement, Protector of Yggdrasil, by slaying the dragon but they could win records and real-life trophies by beating your avatar.
Back to the topic of frost dragons, however, you canât dismiss their power entirely. They are in no way weak, nor are they the weakest of their kind. They were still pretty troublesome if you werenât of the right race, levels, or defense. They could spawn in particular locations in Jötunheim and maybe the rarer occasion in other ice biomes if you use particular items to make it so.
If this world is like your game, then you can assume that the Azerlisia Mountains are cold year-round if those dragons are fabled to reside there.
âœI...have a little history with frost dragons.â
âœHistory?â
âœMmm.â You affirm Liamâs echo, âœIâm well...acquainted...yeah, with two in particular. However, Iâm certain that the ones you speak of are different from the ones I know. They do not live anywhere near mountains.â
âœAmazing!â Liam blurts out a matter of fact. âœWhat are they like?!â
You almost throw a joke at him by saying theyâre chill or cool but you notice that the other three men have their full attention on you, aghast expressions morphing their facial features into ones that you could almost call comical.
âœEhaaâtheyâre...â Did you say something wrong? Shoot. Maybe you shouldn't have brought up your avatar's relation to the lizards. It may be a little too exposing of your Beast Tamer class... Though, their shock is to take note of... How important are dragons in this place? Certainly seems high... But in what manner? Religious? Legend? Cultural? A topic to prod. However, you didnât want to outright tell them all your secrets right off the bat without gaining anything back so you decide to make a trade. âœIâll tell you what. If you tell me more about where we are Iâll answer your questions back. Sound fair?â
âœOh?â Liam looks in between his fellow men. None of them object so he takes it as it is given. âœWell, in general, Bourn is part of the Re-Estize Kingdom.â
âœ...Iâve never heard of a kingdom named such. At least...where Iâm from.â
âœYou must have come from really far then. The kingdom is one of the three major nations in this general area and we are right in the center of where all three are. In fact, Iâve heard from traders that it takes at least a little over a half a month by carriage to make it to the sea on the far west of the continent if you continue in a straight line and only stop to rest.â
âœO-oh. Heh, wow.â You scratch your neck as you mull over the information. âœI guess Iâm really lost then. Heh hehââ Shit. This is not right. âœWhat are the other two nations, might I ask?â
âœThe nation to the East of ours is the Baharuth Empire. This country and theirs are...well to put it, theyâre on bad terms and often fight on the plains South of us where borders connect. The Slane Theocracy is further South and is a kingdom that was formed even before the kingdom and the empire was. We donât personally know much about the theocracy since the kingdom has little interactions with them but Vance, Nate, and I have met an individual from the country.â Liam grimaces.
âœThey were very religious.â Vance nods as if agreeing with the blond that the individual they speak of was odd.
âœThough, they did have a point,â Nate grunts, âœdemi-humans and monsters alike are demons that should all die.â
Since heâs behind you he canât see your blank expression morph into something vile, once more pondering the boy's deservance of his lower jaw; however, the two boys at your sides notice the color change along your skin.
âœNATE!â Liam yells, âœThey haven't done anything yet to warrant such behavior! Say something uncalled for like that again and I won't be sparing you the medical help the next time you get in trouble.â
That takes the young man back a bit before he opens his mouth-
âœThat also means that I donât want to hear your voice for at least a good hour. Itâs exhausting to hear you constantly complain.â
Nateâs teeth click shut and he returns to staring a hole through your skull again, submitting to Liamâs commands.
Not wanting there to be a stretch of awkward silence after Liam snapped at Nate you hum, âœThank you, Liam, for telling me all of that. Iâm sure thereâs more to it but every bit of information is helpful. Iâm starting to realize how lost I am.â No, youâre starting to realize how fucked you are. Nothing of what Liam informed you of is any landmarks from Midgard. Not just there though but nothing from any of the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.
This is a completely new world.
Cursing under your breath, you continue. âœI remember the deal we made. Iâll tell you a little bit more about those frost dragons I mentioned.â
âœThat's nice.â The older man scratches his beard and waves his torch forward. âœWeâve arrived at my house. You can tell us more when we get you four settled in a room. Does that sound good?â
âœYes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Barry.â You nod as the other three show their appreciation for the older manâs hospitality. The chieftainâs house appears no different than the ones that litter the rest of the village. Same stone exterior, same shabby wooden shutters and doors, and same dark tile roofing. It doesnât even appear that it has more grass near it. It seems that there are more patches of dirt around this house than most of the others. You piece it together that Mr. Barryâs house must be often visited for the grass to recede so much.
Using his only free arm, Barry is able to grab the handle on his door and step in to hold it open. âœHere you go, make yourself at home.â
You want to show the chieftain your appreciation for him welcoming you but the blaring fact in your mind drowns out all words that could try to find their way onto your tongue. This is a new world. Nothing could have prepared you for the shock. How you got here is a mystery you donât even think can ever be solved.
A shake of your head brings you back to now.
This isnât something you can expect an answer for immediately, nor should you. This is something youâll have to puzzle together on your own and these people can help you. They will help you. Youâll make sure of it one way or another. Youâd prefer it to be voluntary but youâll do what you have to if it comes down to it. You need to learn for your sake and for whoever was also transported to this world with you.
To that last thought, you step into the threshold of Barryâs home with the intention to use every fiber of your being to get what you need.
Tonight is going to be a long nightâ
â—
You shift again uncomfortably on a creaky wooden chair youâve been sitting on for the past five hours, making it whine under your weight.
You kind of regret making your avatar a seven foot tall monster now that you can't fit your legs under the table due to the design of not only the table but the chair. After getting some weird stares from you doing the eagle, you bashfully settled on keeping your legs together on the right side of your chair (the side closest to the only doorway into the small area), making it so that you have to keep your body twisted uncomfortably to face those in the room.
You patiently wait for Barry, whose full name youâve learned is Barry Long, to return after he had stepped out of the slightly spacious room youâre held up in. Meanwhile, you silently stare at the young boys keeping watch of you: Nate, Liam, and the dark-haired boy with the bow and arrows you now know as Vance.
Why these young men were assigned to the task rather than the men who looked like they could punch a hole through a tree is beyond you. Thereâs got to be a reason but you're too caught up in your thoughts, swiveling your feet into the grass and flower patch that now surrounds the area you occupy, replaying all the things youâve learned during the hours you spent asking the men questions in your head.
You've picked up much while killing time here.
The first thing you had asked about when they finally settled you in the room youâre in now was for them to explain more about the countries Liam spoke of and the geography of the surrounding land. Mr. Barry had gone and pulled out a withered map to lay it out on the table, pointing out specific areas of interest on the strange continent displayed as he spoke. He went off to further explain the countries they had told you about earlier in more detail.
You listened intently, being swept away in awe of your situation, of what little knowledge they said they have. You could tell that it was indeed limited, choppy and obscure at best, but you engraved every word that they told into memory.
History of each country, how they handled currency, who ruled the nations, if there were monsters or even other intelligent beings living amongst the human population, how magic works in this world, and more...and your mind was blown away with knowledge. Royalty, nobility, knights in shining armor, religions, cults, gangs, war, treasures, rumors, myths, legend, unforeseen dangers, beasts of great proportions, potions, adventurer guilds, strange languages, ruins, everything you live for!
You felt like a giddy child brought to an amusement park for the first time! You completely gushed over everything they told you and your curiosity surprised the men present.
Mr. Barry had stepped out after five straight hours of talking himself dry to make something to clear his throat and to keep himself awake as the sun rises to start the new day.
Now, in the present, your gaze shifts over to the map again which sits off to the side of the table along with other items brought up for your vague education. You don't recognize the shape of the land depicted at all. How could you anyway? There are no coast lines depicted on the map so you can't try to deduce what region it is. The mountainous regions are the only indicators of distinction...but to no avail.
However, even if there was a visible coastline on the map, you could bet an arm nothing here originates from Earth. The knowledge of magic and monsters sharing a place in this world only further adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things having occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be human in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japan. You don't need a map to see that.
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
Now that you think back on it, their lips would move but different words would come out. You didn't linger on it too long since you were doing your best to memorize what they were showing and telling you...but, with this quiet time due to Mr. Barry's absence, the oddity can't help but stand out in your mind again.
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
Ah, actually, thatâd make sense.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hear and eyes to see. The words across the map are in a language you have no prior knowledge of but...you can read the text like it's your native tongue. The words don't shift around to your prefered language, no. It's like you have pre-knowledge of what the text is and can read it as it is. This may have something to do with the settings you had set for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch. It must be doing something similar now.
Hmmm...but what do I sound like to others? You flick your gaze to Liam for a second, poking your cheek curiously. Dialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But these people have no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and you understand all they said...so, in what way do they understand you?
All Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
So, to these villagers, when you speak to them, is it in their language?... Well, of course it is. This whole ordeal would've gone South if they couldn't understand you when you had first greeted them. So in their ears, you sound one way...but in your ears, you sound normal. But what do you sound like to others? Other than your voice being distorted...Herm...wellâ. This voice does fit this avatar but why do you have this voice in particular and not your normal voice? You donât even use a voice box to change your voice IG, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? You think itâs the latterâ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to lay it on the wall closest to you. A window sits right there, feet from your head where you can make out a draft and the faintest blue light of dawn...
Nevermind the voice...if you talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do you sound like to them? Is it the one you're directing your attention to who has your words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
If itâs the prior, youâd have to be careful to be certain who you're speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would you regulate that? What if you say something you're not directing toward them and they hear it. How would you explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if you're speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands you anyway. How would the other react to hearing you speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand? How would you go about e-
At the sound of an annoyed huff, your vision shifts outward and notice Nate staring at you once again with a tired grimace from the wall he is leaning against. Psh, that boy... Frowning seems to be his resting B-face but you can tell he has something to say to you. Not wanting to wait in awkward silence until the chieftain is back you try to prompt up another discussion. âœYou seem to have something on your mind, Mr. Nate.â
âœDonât call me Mr. Nate. It sounds weird.â
âœErmm, Iâm...sorry?" You lift your head from its spot on the wall to face the kid. "From where Iâm from it is respectable to address individuals who youâre in a professional or business relationship with by their first names. Is...that not the same here?â
He shakes his head with a scoff, âœNo. We go by surnames.â
âœAh...no wonder Mr. Barry was making that face every time I said his name.â So, theyâre more Westernized here than Japanese. How bizarre. âœNow I feel like a dumbass.â
Nate actually coughs out a laugh at your statement before hurrying to cover it up as Liam and Vance turn to him. âœJust Nate. None of that Mr. crap. That should go for the rest of us. Not only is it weird, you make me feel old.â He pushes himself off the wall, resuming his frown, to properly face you. âœHowever, youâre strange.â
âœOh uh, mmm...thanks?â
âœI didnât mean that as a compliment.â He quickly retorts back with a squint of his eyes. âœI mean that youâre a sore thumb. Youâre something Iâve never seen before.â He takes two slow steps toward you before continuing. âœWhat are you?â
âœHmm? My race? To be honest, I canât really say I know. Iâm the only one of my kind to my knowledgeââ You reply back as you roleplay as your avatar. You couldnât really tell them the truth because, frankly, no one would believe you. Besides, you donât want to reveal too much information about your real self.
âœNo parents?â He takes two more steps to the table but still hasnât quite reached it yet.
âœNone. I created myself after all so...yeah.â You swallow back the fact that you have...or had human parents up until this situation started.
âœHaaaa? You created yourself? Really? Everything comes from something. I don't believe you for a second.â
You would have reacted the same way if someone told you that they had come into existence out of their own vendetta. It's just impossible...in human terms.
âœI did though. I really created myself...mmm...actually, this may help-What do you think my name means-my full name that is?â
âœUh...donât remember it.â
âœThatâs okay. Itâs SÅsaku-sha. Do you know what that name means?â
âœNo. Why does it matter?â
âœSÅsaku-sha means Creator. I am a creator. I create life, essentially, and I build worlds for that life to exist on.â You lose yourself in character, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœSo, wouldnât it only make sense that Iâd give myself a vessel to occupy so that I may interact with my creations?â
âœAre you saying that you created us?â Vance's voice is soft but cool in tone, surprising you as he addresses you for the first time since youâve entered Barry's abode.
âœNot at all. Iâve created humans in the past but nothing from...here. In fact, thatâs why Iâm so intrigued by this new world. I had nothing to do with the creation of this place. It's all an anomaly to me!â Yes, yes. That is what a creator would do. Theyâd be drawn to the chance to see otherâs work to get inspired for their own. You can use that! âœItâs amazing! This is all so similar to the worlds I have created! Your social hierarchies, technologies-Hell, you even have magic! Haha! To think something like this existed! It makes me wonder...if there is someone else like me out thereââ You mumble off and once again think about the possibility of players being stuck in this new world with you.
If there are...youâd like to find them.
They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way. You can only imagine where they would have popped up. You hope that theyâre nowhere near the trouble youâre in.
The three young men exchange odd looks to one another at the information but before they could ask for any more out of you Mr. Bar-err, Mr. Long comes in with a tray of clay cups and a steaming kettle. âœSorry for the wait but I wanted to make tea for us all. Itâs my form of thanks for staying up with this old man.â
âœAw, thank you, Barry.â Liam hums sleepily as heâs handed a cup. A strange, rather sweet, smell catches your attention as Mr. Long pours the steaming liquid into the cups he has handed out. You canât tell by the smell what type of tea it is but by the way the young men accept their mugs with gratitude it must be something good-
âœYou wanted tea as well, didnât you?â The old manâs voice draws you out of your thoughts and you see that heâs handed you a cup. You stare at his hand maybe a second too long, not remembering ever saying that, but you eventually move your hands to slowly take the cup from his.
âœ...You didnât have to.â
Mr. Long holds the kettle steady as he pours the herbal liquid into your cup, âœYes, but I believe it would have been rude on my part to not serve you as a guest since youâve been cooperating and kind with us.â
âœOh...Thank you.â You bow your head to him before pulling the cup of tea to yourselfâ
Only to realize you might not be able to drink it.
SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a mouth on them so can you drink? Can you eat? Maybe you can still eat and drink but it's just another hidden trait? Youâre finding out new weird ticks about your avatar so maybe this is one of them? Maybe you absorb things like a slime or that a mouth appears on your face just like SÅsaku-shaâs Eye of Providence? Or maybe you really donât eat because SÅsaku-sha doesnât have a need to eat?
Well...only one way to find out.
You bring the cup up to your blank face and let the teaâs vapor run across your skin, enjoying the earthy aroma before trying to blow on it.
Nothing.
All you did was make a noise mimicking the sound of blowing. You sigh, lamenting the fact that you were about to try to gulp down boiling hot liquid, as you bring the rim up to where your lips would be. Unbeknownst to you, the four men in the room were watching you expectantly as you tip the cup back to take a sip-
Hot tea runs down your chin, neck, and chest, causing you to jerk the cup away as Nate busts out laughing.
âœErk-ugh, Iâm sorry! I didnât mean to spill it.â You wipe your face with the back of your hand, surprised that you hadnât been burned before remembering your invincibility to blistering...but also upset that you hadnât been able to drink the tea.
âœN-no problem. Here take this.â Mr. Long takes the towel he had used to hold the hot kettle out to you.
âœThank you. I thought I could drink it.â Taking the towel you start to dry your new body off, huffing in frustration as Nate steps up to the table. âœA shame. It smells nice.â
âœHow did you expect that to work?â He pulls out a chair and sits beside Liam, across the table from you, âœDidnât you tell us that you donât have a mouth?â
âœYeah. I donât have a mouth...â You fold and place the now slightly damp towel on the table in order to pull back the cup of tea to you and pear into it. You had thought that maybe a mouth would form when you tipped the tea back but it didnât. You were slightly thankful since you didnât want to burn your mouth the moment it was summoned if you could summon one. But you haven't been burned by the tea even though itâs super hot. It just felt very warm and tingly when it had dribbled down your face. Burn invincibility, thank you.
So, could you really not eat or is there something youâre not seeing?
*Sigh, oh well...itâll just require more testing on your behalf. For now, you are content with holding the beverage close to yourself despite how sad you are about missing out on its flavor. âœNot all creatures need a mouth to eat... Iâve never tried to eat or drink in this body before so I don't know if that's the case for me.â
âœWhatâs this about?â Mr. Long asks before Liam gives him a quick summary, making the old man give you a strange look. âœAre...are you a God?â
âœPffffff-Ha, who, what?!â You shake your head, trying to clear your head from the whiplash of emotion, âœD-do I look like a God?... You know what, nevermind. Donât answer that. Iâll clear your assumption up by saying blatantly that Iâm not.â You answered your own question after they gave you a look, reminding you that youâre not human. âœEven though I was...kind of worshiped as one where I came fromââ
You think about the NPCs that would hint players to your existence and the cults that searched for your avatar by collecting the items used to form Faceless Key. They were typically the targets of players whoâd try to access your realm but at the same time, the players who held the items or even Faceless Key were under constant threat of those cultists. Either way, SÅsaku-sha was seen as an elevated being of sorts and, sure, you designed SÅsaku-sha as a type of deity-like being, similar to the Lovecraftians, but not a God. Nowhere near a God. An elevated being? Yes. A God? Absolutely not! Especially not a God while youâre possessing your avatarâs body.
âœ...I do not want to be referred to as one. I...Iâm not a God anyway.â
âœGood, I wasnât about to start kissing your ass anyway.â Nate huffs and takes a sip out of his cup before cringing, having burned his tongue.
âœStop being a jerk, Nate.â Liam elbows his friend before turning to you. âœSo youâre not a God...then what do you think you are? You claim to have...created worlds? What would you call something or someone that could do that?â
âœThe only thing Iâll claim to be is a creator. Nothing more than a powerful, magical...creature on that topic.â
âœHow many of these worlds have you created?â Vance once again surprises you by asking you a question but this one...you werenât so sure you wanted to share with them information about Yggdrasil but...youâve already given your character a story...and these men had given you lots of information. If you stop now, the persona youâve built might crumble. What type of creator doesnât jump at the opportunity to show others their work? Only shy ones, you know, but you havenât portrayed yourself as shy. Besides, if you speak about Yggdrasil they may tell others. That way, if another player hears about the game from the mouths of others theyâll try to find the source of the rumor!
âœIâve created around seventeen worlds,â Yggdrasil isnât the only game youâve created, nor the first, so you count the games that have your name as part of the list of developers, âœbut the universe I created this form in is what I dubbed with the name Yggdrasil. That universe consisted of nine worlds within. Their names were-
A knock sounded on the door, interrupting the spiel you were about to go on, and Mr. Long gives you all a look before he gets up to check it. Only a moment later he comes back with a sigh, âœNate, the sun has risen and the boys outside want your help determining the damage.â
âœ*Sigh, fine.â He turns his head to Vance as he scoots out of his chair. âœStay with it and make sure that it behaves until we come back.â Seems heâs still content with calling you an âitâ and âthingâ much to your agitation. âœCommon, Liam-â Nate slaps the kid on the back as he was trying to drink some of the tea, making him cough, âœI need your help.â
Liam groans as he gets up from his chair, "Why am I always the one being dragged along?! Take Vance for once! I actually want to hear what they say!"
Nate almost looks offended by Liams words, "Because I know Vance has enough common sense to tell the difference between fact and fairy tales, unlike you!" Nate roughly grabs the boy's arm to escort him out. All the while he does so he squints in your direction, "Ignore them. Don't let their bullshit get in your head."
"Don't worry, Liam. I'll make sure to tell you what you miss." Vance pats the blond's back as the two hurry out the door to go on their quest to assess the damage you wrought. When the click of the front door of the house echoes through the walls, Mr. Long clears his throat after taking a sip of tea.
"Please, don't mind Nate's rudeness. The boy has been through much."
"...It's water under the bridge, Mr. Long... We all have...the individual right to choose what to believe in..." You swirl the tea in your mug as you watch the old man smile not only because you didn't (visibly) let Nate get under your skin but you also addressed him correctly.
"What were those worlds you were speaking of?" Vance prompts you to continue which makes you quizzically raise a brow.
"You actually want to hear what I have to say?"
"Nate can't speak for me. I'll decide if it's bullshit or not." He sips his tea as he stares at you, seemingly intrigued as to what you have to say.
"Hmmph...delighting in the ripe fruit, curiosity seems to draw man to the tree-" You cut yourself off, catching yourself speaking strange again, and with a shake of your head you continue, "Very well. I will satisfy that hunger for knowledge..."
The two men lean in as you start your rant, describing the worlds of your game, Yggdrasil, as if you were reading your script once again...
"The great world tree is my creation, taken from a horn of mine..."
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'5â†'10â†'59
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DEAL OF GOLD 1:1
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shutdown. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be, leading to a deal of gold.
Chapter Notes
Big chapter incoming! Much is covered throughout but the biggest news of all: It's the end of a ROUTE! If you need to go back at all, now is the time because your timeline will be archived and you won't be able to RELOAD your previous ROUTE after this! For those progressing, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and the new ROUTE you've set out on!
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RELOAD
PREVIOUS
âCHECKPOINT SAVEDâ
- LOST ROUTE COMPLETE -
Cleared branches:
1, 2, 5, 10, 57
XP gained:
1 NW Rep
-30 Bourn Rep, 4 Rep,ãŠCoin Assistã‹3 Rep, Total: -23
10 Touch Starved, data archived: Core Trait
3 NW INT
2 Avatar INT
- Total XP will be displayed at next check point -
Relationship Status:
Nate: HOSTILE
Liam: TENSE
Vance: SKEPTICAL
Barry: TENSE
- Others met been classified as Bourn Rep due to lack of personal interaction -
- Update complete, proceed to new ROUTE -
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The landscape, biomes, and your gameâs inhabitants are what you kept the focus of your talk on.
The frozen tundras of Hel and Jötunheimr in contrast to the fiery pits of Muspelheim. The outfits humans dawned in comparison to other humanoid races and comparing it to what youâve seen in Bourn. The exotic extent of meals through the realms one can partake in. The actual labeled âGods and Goddessesâ of the realms located in Asgard and Vanaheim to combat their assumptions about you, though that brought up more assumptions when they pointed out that you âcreated themâ, albeit indirectly. The cosmic ones slumbering in the abyss, not to be named unless to awaken. Weapons forged by the dwarves in NiÃavellir and so on...
You hadnât mentioned anything about the players, your realm, or any information pertaining to the extent of SÅsaku-shaâs abilities though. You donât want to jeopardize your safety or the safety of other players if they are here.
Barry and Vance had both listened, mostly unbelieving until youâd go into more detail into what theyâd doubt or question. What caught Vance's attention, in particular, was when youâd start talking about certain creatures and the magic system in your game while comparing it to the knowledge they had provided to you about their own.
You can tell that he was about to start asking you questions but knocking at the door once again interrupts your conversation. The three of you watch as men of varying ages shuffle into the room, glaring and eyeing you cautiously, to give you the final estimateâ
The chieftain hums as a stranger to you finishes whispering into his ear and the old man turns to you. âœThe damage you inflicted is going to cost you a gold and eleven silver coins. Do you have that much on you?â
You have way more than that and based on what they taught you about the currency of their world you sum that up to be around 111,000 crypt-yen, a currency youâre all too familiar with with the digital age in Japan. Thoughâit seems to be a little pricey for a hole, especially since it's the middle ages so their prices should be a little lessâ. But you remember that you destroyed some of their produce and poisoned a majority of their pigs with, evidently, very valuable drugs. Plus...this is a different world compared to Earth so you canât necessarily compare this realmâs economy to the medieval age of your world.
You want to question how theyâve come up with the summary so you can evaluate the legitimacy of their bill, the business side of yourself coming into play due to your time with some of your...associates. However, you know they donât have documents you can scan over. In no way were they collecting it digitally. Likewise, you doubt that they had been writing down their searches and calculating with paperâ
Did they use math?... Can they do math?â No, they have to be able to know some basic math for them to be able to estimate the price as they have.
But that still means you wonât be able to look anything over. Youâll have to trust their oral report.
Not good. No. Not good at all. Especially how theyâve shown what they think about youâ. However, youâd just be wasting time getting them to explain how they came up with the bill since youâre not a financial expert on construction, drugs, livestock...and whatever else has to be considered.
Youâll just have to trust that they respect fairness and Barryâs integrity to give you an even price.
Mmmmâ.
Grumbling to yourself, you nod. âœI do...but we may need to do some exchanges of coins. Iâm only carrying gold so youâll have to compensate for what I overpay. Is that okay?â
Many eyes widen and lips pinch together at the information but Mr. Long nods, âœI understand. Weâll pay you back if you indeed give us gold.â
...You flex your fingers.
Okay, moment of truth. Players would need to use the console to bring up items but you donât have that option now. Youâll just...have to try to open your item box just like how you tried to drink the tea and how you used Ascend. You just have to try...or youâll be in deep shit.
Raising your hand, like you would trying to open your menu, you think about accessing your item box-
And your hand disappears into a dark fog that has appeared in the form of a small portal.
You almost gasp the same way the other men in the room do at the display. Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of the small gunny sack that holds your coins. When a coarse fiber meets your hand you slowly retreat your arm from wherever it has gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You pray that it isnât something threatening-
Your hand frees from the dark mist and the portal dissipates, revealing a cantaloupe-sized sack that appears to be withered and fraying. It is made up of many different types of purple fabrics all sewn together with a small tassel hanging off of the bottom of it. You immediately recognize it as your Bottomless Bag.
Despite the name, it does have a limit to the items which it can hold but it extends a player's inventory by fifty slots. It is a...mmm, difficult isnât the right word to use but it is hard to obtain one of these bags as it only allows players level 75 and up to obtain. Those players would also have to collect rare items across Yggdrasilâs worlds to craft the bag. They'd have to farm the items, trade, steal, or just buy the actual items off of the gameâs store website.
After that, theyâd have to either find an NPC who can craft the bag, craft it themselves, or find a player who has the crafting stats to produce it for them. The fastest way a player could obtain it would be buying the entire bag off the gameâs store but because of the large price on it and it wasn't incredibly hard to make, players often chose to go the hard route. Once a player equips the bag it binds with the player, forever fusing the extra fifty slots to the playerâs inventory. One reason why the item cannot be traded.
Aside from the pack filled with goldâyou never had your avatar carry much unless you knew there was a raid headed your way. Youâd be stacked a little more if soâbut you know for a fact that you hardly have anything on youâfor good reason though.
Youâd need the space in your inventory to do farming and grinding on your off time throughout the Citadelâs levels so, every time youâd leave the server to return IRL, youâd routinely empty what you didnât need. Mainly, it's a habit you developed to save time. Why worry about storing them away when youâd inevitably return when the farms are ready to be harvested again? Doing it before you leave allows you to go straight to work when youâd log back in. That, and if thereâs a sudden player raid you have time to join and intercept, you donât want to log in just to be scurrying to rid your inventory of unneeded items. There are other reasons for this habitâhoweverâitâs backfiring on you now.
You know you have nothing but your basics.
No armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical stats while you made your rounds, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you think you have on yourself is data crystals, seven...err...no, eight...yes, eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no use for. However, youâre just happy that you were able to pull out your gold for the time being.
âœHere we are.â You place the sack in front of you on the table. Despite it being filled with coins, it doesnât clank when you place it down; in fact, it doesnât make much noise at all, having you believe that it has something to do with magic. Untying its silver, laid, nylon rope strands, the opening of the sack loosens. A choir of awe sounds out as you proceed to reach in and pull out one glittery gold coinâ
A realization suddenly hits you and makes you stop from pulling out the second. âœBefore we start this transaction, I want to check something with you.â You lean over the table and hold out the coin for the chieftain to take. âœThat is a coin that originated from Yggdrasil. Do any of you recognize the designs?â
Yggdrasilâs coins are engraved delicately, both sides with the words âœYGGDRASILâ wrapped around the top portion of the images each side holds. The head has the left side profile of a woman with long flowing hair. Originally, the gold coins had the face of a man sealed upon them, before Valkyrieâs Downfall Event, and were switched to a profile of the woman afterward. In addition, it has the gameâs release date below the woman, stating âœSINCE 2126.â The tail is the world tree of Yggdrasil with the snake, Jörmungandr, encircling it.
âœN-no, I havenât. How very interesting.â The old man flips the coin through his fingers a couple of times with a pinched brow before handing it over to another man to look at it. It goes through the hands of every single man in the room and they all give similar replies, having never seen the coin before. You suspected as much but you wanted to check and make sure. But when it lands in the hands of a man that appears a decade younger than you IRL he speaks his mind.
"How can we be sure this is gold? The monster may be trying to trick us."
"I can swear on my name that what you hold in your hand is one hundred percent pure authentic gold." Even as you feel a rush of heat flare as you deny the accusation, the man's dark eyes shift over to his companions
"How can we be certain it tells the truth? It could be trying to rob us..."
Just as a few agree with the fellow, you interject, "How can I rob you when I'm the one paying you for an accident? I'd gain nothing from this if the coins I hold are fakes."
"Except the coin that we'd have to pay back for the supposed gold." A man similar in complexion to Seth retorts to which you scoff at.
"Why would I give a sh-ehmâ I'd rather keep the coin I have than what you'll have to return to me..." Though...it could be really helpful to have some coin from this world which you can use later on but for the argument's sake, you don't admit to this. "Though with that being said, I know what I have to pay and all I have in my possession are those coins. No others. If you have to, do what you need in order to figure out what material it's composed of. Then you'll know that no lies come from my tongue...or...lack thereof."
"Are you sure, SÅ?" Barry raises his voice to clarify, "We'd have to scratch its surface to test its durability."
That gives you pause, "...Will it damage the coin?"
"Yes, it will."
Your chest tightens at the confirmation. The collector's side of you screams in agony at the thought of them damaging one of the only things you have left of your game...however, your side of reasoning says...
"Well...it will be yours soon, not mine...so I'd say go for it if you're willing to disfigure your coin. But let me ask something before you go about it..." You hold your palm out to the one still holding the coin. Perhaps intimidated by having a âmonster's attentionâ on him, he hurriedly tosses the coin at you which you're quick enough to maneuver to catch. It flares up a nasty heat in your throat but you keep your composure to move on to your second point. âœSo...none of you have seen a coin like this before?â
âœNo, it doesnât seem like any of us have, SÅ.â
âœHah, okay. I was only double-checking because I wanted to see if I could even use this here and how this coin is compared to your own.â You gesture to the gold piece in your hand, âœIf youâve never seen a gold piece like this before...wouldnât its value be different than your own? I suggest figuring out how much mine is worth before we start damaging and exchanging it. Who knowsâmaybe mine is worth less than yours...â
You notice many menâs faces slip into a frown at your words, informing you that your hunch might be right. It's one of the reasons you think the one guy brought up the integrity of your coins. True, they may be genuinely concerned if they're real or not but that doesn't change the fact that...
Your coins may be of higher value.
âœAh, yes. Mat, could you head into the closet inside my kitchen and get my scale and weights for me? They should be on one of the left shelves.â A blond man nods and makes his way out of the room while Barry turns to another man. âœFrank, could you hand me that?â The younger man does so and a wooden box is given to the chieftain. You can tell by the noise it makes as it is handled that it is filled with coins. Barry thanks Frank and opens the box toward himself, pulling out three coins after some shuffling. âœHere is one copper, silver, and gold coin. Take a look at them if you wish.â He repeats your motion, leaning over the table to hand them over to you.
When they're dropped into your hand, you pull them in close and you start to observe the designs of each. All of the coins are odd in shape, having uneven sides, and different engravings on each.
The copper coin is the smallest of the bunch, being half the size of the other two. The head of the brown coin is that of a...you can only guess the right profile of a human in a Roman helmet with a horseshoe and an olive branch hovering around the figure. The tail has four circles interlaced into one that envelops a cross at the center.
The silver pieceâs head has the right side of a bearded manâs face at the center, a circle surrounding the image. Strange symbols wrap around the top of the circle while a rope does the same at the bottom. On the backside is a strange bird, facing what looks like a lantern and away from a bolt of lightning.
Lastly, thereâs the gold piece. The silver and the gold are the same sizes but you can tell a lot more work has gone into the design of the last coin. The head holds, at the center, the right profile of a manâs face that looks oddly similar to Julius Caesar. The head is wrapped up similarly to the silver coin, having a circle surrounding the manâs face while more of the strange symbols wrap around the top half of the circle. However, instead of a rope at the bottom, thereâs a grain of wheat taking its place. In addition to that, a stippled circle wraps around the entirety of the designs on the front as well as on the back. The tail appears to be a compass and, while the shape points in a position, the strange letters or runes are set up in an x position. Finally, at the center is an eye with pointy extensions sticking out from its empty core. It reminds you of the âfollowers'â rendition of your avatar's symbol, something used sparsely throughout Yggdrasil. The symbolism and lore behind it are vast so you only have a smidge of recollection before you gloss over the comparison.
With the new gold piece in hand, you hold it up to your own to compare the two. The difference is drastically evident and you suddenly become proud of yourself that you thought to check this out before you started trading coins. âœMmm...I see. My coin is twice the size of your own...so...if we are only speaking about gold value here, Iâd say my coin is twice the price of your own. Wouldnât you say?â
âœYes...that seems right. Weâll have to weigh them to see.â
"Would weighing them alone prove they're gold? I'm only asking to see if there's a way to avoid marking the coin."
"Afraid not. Some minerals can equal the weight of a gold piece and your coin is considerably larger..."
Nodding slowly in displeasure, you continue. âœI see...but I canât help but speak whatâs on my mind. My coin is worth more than double the price of yours. Itâs either four to five times the worth of your own.â
âœWhat are you saying?!â
âœHow so?â
âœAre you trying to trick us?!â
âœNonsenseâ
Before the men around the room could yell out any more you hold up a hand to cut them off, âœHear me out. Hear me outâ. Iâm a creator so that means I have the eye of an artist. Because of that, I can tell you straight that my coin would be appraised at a much higher price because of its design. Look-â You hold up the coin from this world in between some of your fingers of your left hand-âœI can tell that these coins were each produced by hand by the way the artwork and engravings are shaped, in addition to the actual shape of the coins themselves. While these are fairly nice in design,-â You hold up the coin from Yggdrasil in between the fingers of your right hand-âœcompared to this, it looks pretty messy. My coin is much cleaner in appearance, something that an engraver would have an extremely difficult time producing in a timely manner with the technology I suspect your world has. In addition to thatââ
You place the coin in your left hand down on the table, with the silver and copper, to take out another coin from your pouch. You hold it up the same way you did with the other, âœeach of my coins looks identical to one another, unlike yours. Not only is it difficult to produce one coin of such clean shape but two without any abnormalities between them only increase their value, as it shows consistency. I can say that my coins werenât produced the same way as your own is which is why it appears the way it does. Because of this, a true craftsman would strive to find ways to replicate the methods these coins were produced with to raise the value of their coin, in turn, increasing the price of these.â
Gathering all of the coins, you lean over the table once more to hand them all to Barry so he can look at them. He seems interested in comparing the two Yggdrasil pieces to each other. âœOn top of that, theyâre a foreign coin. Although that doesnât increase the value of it in itself, they are coins that carry the knowledge of technologies beyond what seems to be available in this nation or kingdom. People will strive to gain that knowledge because if they can get a hold of information, from a civilization that can produce coins like these, it can increase the security, prosperity, and wealth of one's nation. This is possibly the main factor in why I believe my gold coins are worth so much more than your own. With all that said, I want you to take caution with scratching the coin since it will ruin the value it has in art. Do it last amongst everything, that is my advice.â
Just as you finish speaking, Mat comes back in with a money changer scale and a wooden box in hand and places them in front of the chieftain, where he sits.
âœThank you.â Barry spreads everything out in front of him so he can get to work.
As the chieftain starts comparing weights from the box to one of the Yggdrasil coins, Sethâs look-alike clears his throat before stepping forward from the back. âœDo you just expect us to believe that these are worth that much more because of that?! Some of the things youâve mentioned are hard to believe. It just makes me think that youâre just trying to get out of this cheaply!â
âœYouâre right. I am trying to find the cheapest method, but for reason. These coins hold great value to me, beyond what I'm saying theyâre worth because they originate from my homeland. Iâd rather not give them to you at all. Iâm only doing so because Iâm at fault for your losses. I could have used magic instead to fix your issues but Iâm honestly not confident in my abilities at the moment afterââ You scratch your neck remembering your mind becoming foggy in the barn, âœ...after I fell and hurt myself... Besides...Iâm sure the display of power would have frightened you all and I did not want any of you to become hostile with me. I despise needless deathââ
âœW-what does that mea-â âœI see.â Nate interrupts the thin fellow as he crosses his arms, âœI also agree that they may be worth more than what meets the eyeââ You both watch as Mr. Long puts on another small weight to one of the two platforms present on the scale, âœHowever, it's not up to us to dictate the worth of art. Not all merchants will appraise the same so we canât afford to risk the loss of compensation. How about you just pay us what theyâre actually worth? Hm?â The boy sends you a slight smirk, knowing full well what he is saying to get what he wants. Although you can appreciate the way he expertly crafts his words, you know heâs trying to suck out all the gold he can out of you. However, since you were already going to increase the price if they were kind to you, his words donât get under your skin.
Barry coughs as he displays what he has discovered, âœItâs as heavy as about two of our gold coins, just as you suspected SÅ.â
"Woah..." Men all around the room stare at your coins in amazement.
âœ...So this means if itâs real gold, we keep the one coin and pay back what we can to even the score.â Nate grins, wetting his lips as his eyes flick back and forth between the coins near Barry and your pouch.
â.
Your stomach twists uncomfortably at the hunger of the men as if you swallowed a ball of grease.
Clenching your fists once more, your chair lets out an unholy creek as you slowly stand up, your form steadily towering higher over the heads of those around the room. The villagers warily give wide berth to your movement, outright intimidated by your height evident by how their expressions morph into ones of panic. But you have to do this. You may not get another chance if you let things continue as they are becauseâ.
You have a different idea in mind.
As quickly as you can muster, you use your avatarâs large body to cut the gap across the table and swipe your two coins back before returning as you were.
You were so swift you had to take a moment and second guess if you moved in the first place but the feeling of cool coins in your fist reassure you that you did what you set out to do.
Huh, guess your avatarâs speed is still there.
None of the villagers appear to have caught your movement either. Not a single one out of the thirteen crowded in the small space, nor the six outside the doorway. All of them were looking at you too. Nothing. No reaction whatsoever.
Either theyâre all in shockâor you must have moved so fast that they didnât see you move at all. Now that would be some fucking speed right there.
The sound of the scale tipping over has some break eye contact with you, only then do they notice the coins missing. Before anyone could question what happened you speak.
âœ...Iâll tell you whatâ.â With your free hand, you pick up your sack and purposefully make a show of dropping a coin into the pouch. The ones who hadnât figured out they disappeared do a double-take of where they were originally, puzzled by how you were able to obtain them, while others squint your way suspiciously. âœI am aâfan of betsâ. So, I want to propose something I think we all can benefit from. Hold on, hold on- We can continue like we are, yes,â You clarify as you see indignation spur through the small crowd, certainly not pleased by what youâre indicating; you hold up your coin to rear those thoughts back into an attentive one, âœbut please spare your ear just long enough to hear what I have to offer.â
You know that taking the coins back the way you have could put you in a less favorable lightâbut letâs face it, they seem dead set on despising your existenceâand you have good reason for acting out.
The way their eyes glazed over once the value of your coins was taken from weightâitâs a familiar sight. One you despise. Itâs something youâd see everywhere back home. Back on Earth. Seedy business associatesâlong fingernail alley squattersâpoliticians with empty promisesâcard happy gamblersââfamily friendsâ with voids for pocketsâyour parentsâitâs an evil that destroyed your world and everyone's future on it:
G r e e d
Itâs why your stomach coiled at the sight of their silent eyes. Greed makes people crazy and sick. Do irrational things. Do unfair and evil things. And with you, a monster appearing so rich in coin? They could kill two birds with one stone. Get rid of a beast and become rich beyond their wildest dreams. A win-win.
You squeeze your wallet at the threat you sense.
None of them may have said anything outright concerning your fear, nor have whispered it amongst themselvesâyour hearing allowing you to catch the murmurs of those outside the room and beyondâbut their eyes speak louder than wordsâ
Yesâmaybe youâre reading into deepâ. Maybe your past is fogging your rationality with anxieties untrueâ.
â.
Mmmâ.
You trust yourself. Your mind may be different in some ways with this new body, but you havenât changed. You are you. And you donât trust those eyes.
And you heard the scathing remarks of the villagers when you left the barn. You know they already want to kill youâand you know they want your payment. Taking those coins back avoided the scenario of them trying to keep them for themselves, thinking they have power over you by outnumbering you.
All and allâyouâd say your paranoia is justified.
Displaying your ability to take back the coins, even if they didnât catch your movement, shows some unleveled ability that you will defend yourself and your belongings. Itâs an indirect message saying, âDonât fuck with me or all of you are fucked.â
Itâs a delicate balance that youâre trying your best not to overstep.
Not too compliant to be stepped over, robbed, and/or killed, and not too threatening to fail in negotiating and obtaining compromise.
Since no one acts or words their displeasure you assume the message has been sent. Despite this, you have another reason for acting out as you did.
You sit back down so youâre below the men, no longer towering over them. Hopefully, theyâll be more likely to take in what youâre saying at this level rather than cowering away. You deposit your pouch back into your inventory, only once your hand retracts empty do you continue. âœI can give you this and you pay me back. End of transactionâ.but imagine thisââ
Once they take the coin, thatâs going to be the end. Negotiations and your attachment here will be no more. Theyâll send you away. Chase you out of the village if you try to linger to learn more. You only know basics. The information Barry and the three kids let you in on is the bare minimum, enough for you to not appear too foreign if you find a place beyond here.
There is the option of trying to buy what you need from them. More information and a few materials would be nice and the silver you have after would suffice some. However, thatâd be a stupid mistake on your part.
They donât see you as human, they wonât treat you as such. The only reason theyâve been decent thus far is for the shiny piece in your fingers and to placate the monster. The moment you end this, youâll just be a monster again. Try what you might to buy what you need, decent commerce may be clouded by their fear and/or greed. Youâre likely to be ripped off or not be allowed to trade anything.
If you learned anything from business and financing if you want to gain anything more out of this deal with just the single coinâyouâre going to have to barter. Youâre in debt to themâbut that doesnât mean it should be a total loss to you. If this fails, you can fall back on plan B.
Howeverâyou donât think theyâll give up on a chance like this.
âœHow about I remain in your village until you go to get this coin appraised?â You jab the coin Nateâs way in a mock point. âœYou said it yourself that none of you can dictate the worth of art and that not all merchants will appraise the same. So I want to get propper worth if Iâm giving up something of value. Get a professional to look at this.â
Nate has the gall to tsk in your face even though itâs his own words being used against him, the very ones used to try to take more from you.
Good, you donât like him either.
You twirl the coin in your fingers so that the light catches on the edges, sparkling golden light across the room. âœThe price I expect this to be worth is three or more of your gold. If the value is less than what Iâve guessed...Iâll compensate you...plus Iâll double the number of coins Iâll have to give you for the sake of the trouble. Meaning, if I have to give this to make two, Iâll also have to give you one more for the price of four. You wonât need to pay me back where I overpay and, after that,â you twinkle your fingers as you throw your free arm to the side, âœIâll be out of your hair. However, if I am correct in my assumption and it's worth three or more piecesââ You clasp your hands together, propping up your elbows as you lean forward on the table, âœIâll be allowed to stay and live in this village as I please. Does that sound reasonable?â
Uproar commences-
âœWhat the-â
âœHell no!â âœNeverâ
âœMonsters arenât welcome hereâ
You sit quietly and wait for whatâs to come next since you know it will. All you have to do is be patient.
âœThereâs no way any of you can agree to thisâ
âœYeah, we already have the price set. Letâs just take that.â
âœBut four goldââ
âœWhat was that?!â âœJoseph, you got to be kidding meâ
âœNo, no. I agree with him. Thatâs a lot of coin for us.â
âœThatâs if this goes our way!â
âœI donât want to risk itâ
âœIf we lose it stays hereâ
âœBut we need this!â
âœWe need this thing out of here. The one coin is enoughâ
âœNo it isnât. The amount the one covers is barely enough. Do you think the dealers would be satisfied with the money? Thereâs already a shortage of black dust due to the abolition. Their prices have risen.â
Abolition? Is black dust an illegal drug? Why? There should be a good reason if soâ.
Earthâs history is filled with abolition movements, formulated either by the people or the governments running the people. Some were more successful than others. Some had justified or corrupt reasons. But beyond the law, seedy and backwater alley joints still practice all the sin and debauchery those movements tried to preventâ. Never mind, itâs practiced in public too. They may go by different names and cover themselves in documents to hide what they truly are.
Black companies for example are just another name for slavery. Japan, a little under a decade ago, attempted to abolish these corps. It seemed to work for a while from what you got out of your countryâs history but utterly failed in the long run as the world went under. People had to work harder since everything was falling apart, trying to salvage and restore what they could, to the point where death from overwork was glorified, stating they were âœHeros saving the world.â A gimmick to cover up the sweatshops. Because of that glorification, the norm for businesses now are these bloody monopoly houses. Corrupt and uncaring. If youâre not held down by a contract, looking for a new spot for labor only leads you to the same atmosphere if youâre lucky enough to be roped into a new one.
You thankfully sided with a portion of a corp that wasnât so work-heavy. It still has extortionate hours due to expectations, budgeting, time restraints, the whole shitshaz but, with the big success of four of your games, you were able to help out the work conditions for those part of your sector butâoverallâyour teams only made a portion of the whole of the company-
Youâre getting off track.
The knowledge of the sprout's legality in Re-Estize could prove as a good source of blackmail if you end up having to resort to it. The effectiveness of doing so, however, depends on how enforced this abolition is and for what reasonâ. Does make you wonder why theyâre being so open about something that could be illegal in front of youâ. Whatever the case, better to tuck this info for later and continue listening.
âœTsk!â
âœHeâs rightâ
âœOne should be enough though, even if we have to scrape by our finances.â
âœWould they be satisfied by that?â
âœWe canât risk thatâ
âœWe canât risk not taking this either!â
âœIf we do take this deal, how can we be certain this monster will keep its word?!â
Bingo.
âœI havenât lied so far. Why would I back down on my word?â Not exactly true but they donât know that.
âœBecause youâre a monster-â
âœAnd youâre human. Are you insinuating man canât also go back on their word?â Silence meets your response so you continue. âœI canât trust any of you eitherâbut I am because Iâm putting faith in manâs integrity. To progress, oneâs first step must be into the unknown. Only then, beyond fear, is where one can discover truth.â You canât tell if itâs you saying that or your avatarâs weird philosophical talk, but you move on. âœLikewise, you should do the sameâ. But I understand the need for certainty, so here-â You flick the coin hard enough that it tumbles across the surface of the table, clinking until toppling over and settling before the chieftain with a satisfying, ringing clatter- âœOne of you hold onto the coin until we get it appraised. That way it tethers me to you all.â
âœThatâs not a certainty! You could still run off.â
âœAnd what would you all lose?â You gesture over to Barry who tucks the piece into his palms. âœI leave, I get nothing and you all get two coins worth of gold. If anything, I have to stay to see this through. We both gain more by sticking to this.â
âœYou could try to take it back from us by force.â
âœThey did, somehow, get the coins back earlierâ
âœThatâs rightâ.â
Scratching your neck, a guttural rumble racks your chest similar to a grunt, âœIf you still donât trust me then donât let me know who of you holds the coin. Problem solved.â
Psh! What a joke. With SÅsaku-shaâs abilities, that wouldnât be able to stop you in any sort of way if you attempted to get it back. Not even slow you down.
âœAlright thenââ
âœWeâshould we do this?â
âœIt soundsânice.â
âœDid you all forget what happens if we lose this bet?!â
âœIf we lose.â
âœThatâs still a big if! Weâd have to let it stay hereâ
âœWe donât have to if we really donât want it here. If they win we can just force them awa-â B A N G
Your fists smash onto the surface of the table with enough force to rattle their supports as your head snaps to the boy who uttered such words. Every soul within the house jumps, a few let out startled shrieks, as your skin turns a blistering red with wisps of black smoke flowing off your shoulders. The fear aura you exude immediately paralyzes all in your vicinity and beyond, unbeknownst to you. Not realizing your avatar is doing this, you lividly assume itâs because of the aggressive display.
Fire spits across your tone as you hiss. âœAnd you all say I canât keep my word when you dare say to my face that youâll stab me in the back! Iâd call you all hypocrites but weâre beyond that at this point! I think rats would be a better fitting title to the scummy lot of you as most of you here have used your prejudice as an excuse to treat me as nothing but a throthing beast when Iâve been nothing but cooperative and generous thus far! Ironic that the âdemonâ youâre all so afraid of is more humane than the humans that surround said âdemon!ââ
Another rumble reverberates from your chest but this time more powerful in tone, enough to shake your form and cause the chair youâre cramped on to rattle pitifully.
âœO-okay, okayââ âœCalm down.â
âœYouâre the monster! Why-â âœShut up, Frank! Trying to get us killed?!â
âœTell it youâre sorry, Kite!â
âœI-Iâm sorry! Iâm sorry! I was speaking without thinking, okay?!â
âœIgnore him! Heâs just a kidâ
âœWeâll keep our word if we agree with this bet.â
Listening to their pleading words does allow time for some of your initial wrath to simmerâbut theyâre still referring to you as an âit.â
â.
What did you expect out of gutter trash? One rant wonât change the minds of idiots because idiots always think theyâre rightâ But you were triggered again. Getting aggressive out of nowhereâwellânot for no reason. It seems itâs your avatarâs response to being provoked or threatenedâalmost likeâactivating aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it.
That...that actually would make a lot of sense. SÅsaku-sha was a final boss in Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered in some way. You only started to fight players once they showed hostility. You never attacked when they approached you, when theyâd start buffing, nor when altering the environment around your standby position.
SÅsaku-sha only ever started to fight once provoked or attacked.
This could be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering these villagers at times and feel the drive to do so.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are time and time again. Thank goodness you have self-controlâbut how good will that serve if they ever tried to attack you?
A shiver, sourced from wrath, causes muscles to flex along your body, straining to not do anything youâll regret. Digging your nails into the flesh of your neck to stabilize yourself some, since you canât do breathing exercises in this body, you growl. âœWhatever. Thatâs not the topic weâre focused on. Besides, I donât intend to stay here if I win and you all donât want me here.â
âœEh?â âœReally?â
âœI donât believe youââ
âœIâm telling the truth. If you really canât stand me being around for my appearance then I donât want to be around prejudiced assholes like you. The only one Iâve grown to appreciate among you lot is Mr. Long but that isnât enough. The toxic atmosphere isnât a healthy environment to be in for either side. I just want to know that if I ever need to be here, for any reason, I can rely on an open door. None of you have to be kind to me either if you hate me that much. Onlyâdonât be dickheads about it, am I clear? Iâll mind my business if you mind yours. Iâm not the type to be tread on. Besides, this can only come to be if Iâm right about the appraisalâso donât worry too much about my presence in your little squat.â
Youâre not going to stay here forever if you get this. Not by a long shot. You need to see what this world has to offer and find answers to your situation.
All the men exchange glances at one another at your news. You can tell that they really like the aspect of gaining more gold and you not being in their lives, so much so that none of them outright start denying your bet anymore.
Barry hums, closing his eyes in thought, "This is not my choice to make. SÅ," He opens his wise eyes to address you, "I'll need to talk to my associates and get their vote on the subject."
"Of course, take all the time you need." You lean back and curl your toes in the grass patch around your feet as you watch most of the congregation leave to discuss whether or not to accept your offer in a separate room from you.
It is a gamble on your part. Not a big one but you can still lose a bit more than what youâd like.
Youâre risking overpaying them greatly...but you understand that they are poor...well, poorish...and that the gold can help their condition. Besides, two gold coins are nothing compared to the hoard you have. Youâre just sentimental about what you have left of your game and youâre not so key to losing them. You made this bet essentially because it helps you find a way to root yourself to an established and safe location. Although they hate you, the fact that theyâre willing to debate on what to do is enough to know theyâre willing to grudgefully tolerate you. Even if you lose this bet youâll still be able to settle down.
To get the coin appraised, theyâll have to go somewhere; which means youâll be following them to make sure the coins are sold properly. You want to avoid the situation where either these villagers or the merchant, who will buy the coins, tries to pull the rug out from under your feet. If youâre right, you can live among people whoâve already adjusted to your presence although youâre...not human presently. However, if itâs truly less than what you think it is then youâll pay them and youâll be in a new location. Preferably, a larger town or city. More information flows through there. If you could get a job or a means to live there, youâll be golden.
Andâaccording to that map they showed you, the capital of Re-Estize, E-Rantel, is nearby. You have a sneaking suspicion that thatâs where theyâll go to settle this bet.
Afterwards?... You donât knowâ
Look for players? It seems like the right thing to do. You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Although youâre focused on possible plans, SÅsaku-shaâs alien mind allows you to focus on multiple things at once. Itâs as if you have a collective of separate brains all retrieving sensory info and numerous thoughts simultaneously, imprinting them to your core memory. A cos-computer, processing and calculating code through fast, high-performance, multidimensional systems. With that mental extension provided by your avatar, you smile inwardly, small sparks of green spotting your murky skin, catching the last of the vote taking place on the other side of the house.
A moment later, the men reenter the room and it is Barry who takes the initiative to inform you of the choice youâre already aware of, "We've all decided to accept your proposition. We'll expect you to hold up your end of the bargain as you expect us to." He holds out a thick hand for you to take; you stand up and quickly grasp his firmly to seal the deal in front of the audience gathered, grounding your place into this new worldâ
But where it shall be...you have yet to know-
Hopeful, anxious, cautious, shy, troubled, worried, fear-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with the old man, knocking over your chair as your back collides with the wall.
Both he and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âThat man is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of his skin and the clamminess of the sweat that had built upon it. You felt how he was shaking and how his grip on you tightened. Not only that, you were assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the man to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs shaking hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
You think you know the reason why but how you didnât think more of it is beyond you. The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœWhat did you DO?!!â Nateâs furious voice brings you back to reality, âœWhat did you do to Barry?!!â
âœWha-I...I donât know what youâre talking about. I didnât do anything!â You weakly cry out as you watch the men around you pull out their weapons with new fever, their knuckles turning white around the handles. Skin sharply slaps to a scarlet hue, that heat from before flaring up once again. âœWatch it! Donât tempt me! I think this is all a big misunderstanding-â
âœAll of you, hold your horses!â Barry raises his voice to halt the younger menâs advances on you. âœSÅ didnât hurt me. They justââ He strangely looks at you before continuing, âœWhat...what was that? It was...I was feeling...more. More emotions, that is...did you put your feelings into my head?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â
âœI believe so.â All in attendance watch as Barry scratches his head. âœI know they werenât my own...it sounds like you donât know what you did and based on how you recoiled from my touch I can guess you realized something happened, though. Have you ever done that before?â
Beats of silence pass between the group as you run his words through your head like a record on loop.
Thereâs nothing you could say. What could you even say? This is all too strange and new to you! Who knows what the heck is happening! But...this isnât too bad. Youâre learning new things about your new body and this isnât any different. Maybe it's just another hidden trait of your avatar? Youâre finding out new weird ticks so maybe this is one of them? You sigh and become resolute.
Assume, if you were truly SÅsaku-sha, what would they do? Would that help? What would they think? Gazing at the anger and confusion among the crowd makes you consider a final question.
What would SÅsaku-sha say?
âœNo.â You switch to roleplay mode, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœIâve never had that happen when I touched another creature until now. It seems that we can share our feelings through physical contact.â
âœShare?!â
âœMmm, yes. I also felt yours, sir. I didnât sense any of your thoughts though. Just emotion. Was that the same for you?â
âœY-yes. I only got feelings.â
Thank God. âœThen itâs mutual, though...that is bizarre.â You drop your hand and contemplate how that even works. So anyone you touch now will experience the same thing as you do? Thatâll get annoying real quick, not to mention burdensome. Does this mean you'll have to act...what is it called again?...*sigh, whatever, fear of being touched? That way things like this wonât happen again. Augh! Is it something you can turn off? Is it something along the lines of magic-
Wait, magic!
Is this a sign you can still use your magic?!
âœH-ha...well thatâs good.â Liam interrupts your train of thought with a nervous laugh, pointing in your direction but low. âœAnd I see how you fly now.â
âœHm?â A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating as youâre pressed against the wall. âœOh! It seems that Ascend still works.â
Yes, yes! This is further proof that your magic may still work and that your stats werenât affected. Were you shielded before? It would explain how you were able to survive a fall like that...though...that means youâre open now. In other words, vulnerable to attack.
Youâll have to continue playing safe.
âœDonât even think about escaping!â Nate hisses with his fist balled at his sides, taking a wide stance as he gets into an offensive position. âœI promise it wonât end well for you!â
A glower would be visible on your face if you had one, âœIâm not going to do that.â
âœAnd what makes me believe a word you say? How do I know that you wonât fly away the moment you find the opportunity to?!â
âœIâve already agreed to our deal and explained why, idiot. Were you not listening?! Why would I run if I have no reason t-â âœYou monsters are all the same! Youâre all selfish, murderous, greedy-â âœIt was a rhetorical question. I didnât want to hear an answer.â You interrupt back with your growing frustration with the young man.
You clench your fists hard enough that your skin makes a sound similar to leather gloves being strained. âœIâm not going to run away. Thatâs it. I said I wouldnât, so I wonât. I donât know how I can be any clearer with my words so that your pathetic little monkey brain can comprehend them. Shall my drumming echo of declaration reach the deaf ears of the daft?! Damn that, it seems! A monster canât keep its word as a man does, can it? But who's to say that a man can keep their word? A hypocrite and a fool. I am no different from you.â You point an accusatory finger at the glaring boy as he is dumbfounded by your speech. âœNay, I am different as Iâm not a blatant prick! Iâm NOT running away so shut the hell up!â
Electricity shoots through your glares as you both try to kill each other with looks alone. A tense silence stretches, all holding their breath as they eye the two of you to see who will act next.
However, a sharp thump interrupts it as Liam wacks Nate over the skull with a stick.
âœOW! Lia-â âœQuiet! Iâve had enough of you!â
Liam wacks Nate again and again, earning curses and pained hollers from the boy as he tries to evade his friend's attacks.
âœYou always do this! You always run your big mouth and get into trouble! *ThWACK!* You never learn! *ThwACK!* So then I have to take care of everything!!!â *THWACK!*
OW!!! FUCK-â âœMove it! Iâm taking you elsewhere so you donât get in the way!â
Everyone watches in stunned silence as Nate is roughly escorted out of the room by Liamâs beatings and out of the house soon after. Nateâs yelps of pain, swears, and demands to let him go back to keep watch of you are audible due to your increased hearingâ. Admittedly, you relish it.
Serves that nit right.
âœWell, that wasââ Seth crones pulling away from the scene that occurred.
âœIndeed.â Barry lets out a tired sigh. âœI apologize upon the boyâs behalf, SÅ. Heâs-â
âœNo need, Mr. Long.â A huff escapes your chest as you rub it over to smolder that odd heat. âœNothing came of it and...youâre not entitled to apologize on his behalf.â
âœAlright then...as long as it does not cause concern for...you.â He words himself very carefully, you notice.
In other words, as long as this monster doesnât do something we donât want, Iâll bow my head for Nateâs dickitry and racism.
The colors on your skin remain murky as he continues. âœNow that the day is here, letâs all get into gear and get to work.â Mr. Long confirms as he looks about the room. âœWe will need to patch up what we can with what we have. Plus, weâll need a cart prepared for the trip out to E-Rantel for the coins to get appraised. Might as well sell and collect items we may need while we have the bodies capable there.â He nods as everyone starts to shuffle out of the small room.
âœWhoâll keep an eye on...it while weâre working?â Mat grunts his concern, giving you a side-eye whilst he does so. âœNate and Liam have left. Should we get them back or have some of the retired stand watch?â
âœIâll handle things while theyâre gone.â Vance hums quietly in answer. âœTheyâll help with the cart prep. SÅ has made it clear that they wonât run so I shouldnât have issues being alone. Iâll need to fetch my gear first but Iâll be able to stay with SÅ after that.â
âœThen a few of us should stay backââ Mat nods as he eyes the fleeing crowd. Upon seeing his searching gaze, the men advert their eyes and shuffle out hastily to avoid the fate of staying behind.
Of course, Barry catches onto whatâs occurring. The stragglers, trying to shove their way out, are the ones Barry sees most fit. âœEthan, Kite, please keep Mat and SÅ company until Vance returns. He should only need a few minutes.â He continues as if heâs deaf to the two menâs sudden protests. âœIâll be needed, especially to clear up what has occurred last night to our folk. Might cause some misunderstandings if others speak for me.â
âœBut why me?!â âœWhy does it have to be three of us? The two of them are fine enough!â
âœBecause Iâve spoken.â Barry retorts, turning away to follow the crowd. âœBehave yourselves. You donât need to watch them for long.â
The grumbling boys join Matâs side as the four of you watch Vance follow behind with a brief, âœIâll only be gone for a moment.â
You say your goodbyes alongside Mat, causing the three to stare at you incredulously. And just like that, youâre alone with the unnerved lonersâ
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Wellllllllllllâ.
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This isâawkwardâ.
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Nothing is happeningâ. Theyâre staring at you and you backâin silenceâ.
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Tenseâ.silenceâ.
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God, it feels awful to be pinned to the wall like an ugly painting by their unblinking leers. The silence of the room only pronounces their actions, forcing you to remain as still as you can in fear of breaking some sort of cord of truce among you four.
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But while the silence of the house may be stressfulâit melts away compared to what you feel around you. With the ample time waiting for Vance, you concentrate on your sensesâand by godâa whole new world opens up to you, amplified extraordinarily by your trained focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the people, animals, filth, and waste of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You nearly gaged a couple of times upon catching some of them and the out-of-the-blue piss, shit, and BO smells, only the grace of whatever force that is torturing you allowed you the strength to keep it together.
Despite this, you do catch random sweet, sparky, and overall interesting scents. Some youâve never experienced in your entire fifty-plus years of life and others remind you of perfume or tea. Itâsâ stimulating and oddâ. Never have you thought of yourself as someone whoâd want to go around sniffing everything, especially since your homeworld was filled with smogâ.
But here you are wanting to investigate like a drug hound of theâyou donât know if pleasant is the right word yetâniceâunfamiliar smelly-smells?
Youâll have to get Vance to walk you around some if you can convince him to.
Another change, one youâre more familiar with, is your hearing. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât penetrate through the thicket and house shutters without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. When you expand it-wow, BOY IT IS AN OVERLOAD!!!
*Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* *Waayllooop!* âœBella, come help me with this dear.â âœWahhh!â *Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap-* *Bulooop!* âœWhat are they doing?â âœYes, Mommy!â *Tistististististististististis-* âœWu-wu-wahhhh!!â *Sigh* âœOVER HERE!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœDid you get any sleep? *Yawn!*â âœHehehehe!â *Buk-bu-gawk!* *Sssooooooooooooooossssshh* âœBarry, why is it still here?!â âœHereâs your breakfast!â *NEIGH!* âœWhat do you think of it?â âœMy shoes donât fit meââ âœ*PLUUUURRRT!* Ugh-s-shit! I really shouldnât have eaten those beansâ. Messed my stomach upââ *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœThank you!â âœWhere is the monster? Is it gone finally?â *Oink! Oink!* âœHowâare you? With what happened last night?â âœWhere did I leaveââ *Sigh* âœEeeek! A roach! Get-Get it, AHH! GET IT, RALEIGH!â *Sniff* âœDamn it all, damn it all. Fuck! I shouldâve killed it. I need to kill itâ. Itâs a monster. Itâs our fucking job!â *Buk-bu-bu-buhgawk!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *fwoom, crackle, crackleâ* âœWahhhhAHH!â âœYou look handsome this morning~â âœHughâlook at that holeâ. Thatâs going to take some serious time for us to fix.â *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* âœNate, stop grumbling. While it is a monsterâthey didnât act like the others.â âœWhereâs Ethan?â *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Sssooooooooooooooooossssshh* *Nom nom nom!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœW-wait! It said its name is SÅ?! Why did you all need its name?!â âœAre these flowers going to be a problem? Iâve never seen them beforeâ. Should we bother digging them up? I donât know if theyâre poisonousââ âœWake up! Itâs time to get up!â âœMmmph!â âœIs it a fairy? H-hey! Stop that! Iâm only guessing that because of the flowers! It didnât look like anything else weâd seen. What do you think if youâre so smart?!â *Grunt* *Cough!* âœIt has gold?! H-how much?!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Dripâdripâdripâdrip* *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Coo, coo!* âœDo you think itâs nice?â âœShut the hell up, Liam.â âœNot yetââ *NIEGH!* *Tistististististististististis-* âœWe made a deal with it.â âœTrade, stop picking your scab.â
You donât know how your mind can keep up with all the sounds, all the conversations, all the life that is occurring outside the room youâre kept away in. Itâs as if youâre in multiple places at once, all separate people listening to all separate things, and despite that, all the listeners are communicating in unison back to you. Like microphones sending back audio feed to a recorder processing the separate clips into one collabed timeline.
Like smell, hearing is odd and you canât feel one discriminating emotion during it all, due to its variety and mass. The fact that youâre able to think at all while also comprehending the sounds of Bourn and beyond boggles the human side of your mind. Itâs like all of this is on tab or separate folders still playing in the background but itâs also in the forefront. Likeâwhat?! Youâre avatarâs body is becoming increasingly more fascinating as you focus on more senses.
Though your touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend, it does tell you your back is to a cool surface and which way the breeze is coming from. The only normal sense thus far, besides the odd share emotions thing. Youâll have to find out more about thatâ. Vision youâre already familiar with in change, limited by the small room though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and, with the smell of feces ferment in the air, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to focus more on your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not going crazy when youâd feel things inside the walls and cracks only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms, mainly humans and other large livestock. Sensing life is, by far, the weirdest feeling amongst the six due to its alien nature. Almost as if static is maneuvering against your avatarâs flesh, buzzing with intensity depending on the distance and size of the beings emitting life energy. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
There are so manyâ. So much life it makes your skin crawl and twitch unexpectedly.
Bizarreâsuper bizarreâanother mark on the WTF bingo for you! You donât know whether to be terrified or eager knowing this is the tip of the iceberg. Just the ice shavings of the whole shit show this situation has in store.
Waahhhâ
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. Itâs keeping you very well focused, along with your other five, as you wait for Vanceâs returnâ.
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Augh...you just want to be back home. You were going to go to bed after the shutdown, uwahâ
What youâd give for some time to be alone so you can curl up and cry to sleep.
The whirlwind of emotions youâve been put through over the past few hours are more than enough to feel obligated to treat yourself. Even before being sucked into this alien world, Yggdrasilâs shutdown was its own concoction of feels...but with the bonus of the terrifying fall, your life being threatened time and time again, the realization that youâre stuck in your avatar in a COMPLETELY SEPARATE REALITYâ.
Are you going insane? It certainly feels like it. Either way, this calls for eating comfort food and taking a nice long nap.
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Could your avatar do either of those things?
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SHIT.
Why couldnât you have been put out of your misery in the barn?!!
Your chest rumbles in displeasure but you cut off the noise with a swallow when you notice the fearful response from the three.
Graah! So freaking annoying. You know why theyâre acting as they are since you were given a rundown of what occurs here. This isnât simply an unjustified, discriminatory bias. No. This comes from a roundabout phobia implanted in the minds of these villagers by the actions of âmonstersâ time and time again. You bet that out of all the âmonstersâ theyâve encountered, not a single one has acted as humane as you. If they had, theyâd have compared you to them. Alas, you may be the first non-humanoid creature that theyâve interacted with in civil likeness.
Despite this guess of yours, your body and mind canât help but get heated. Sure, youâve learned to bite the cheek whenever a racially slurred remark was sent your way back home. Better that than to waste your breath on people who just want to start a fight or get a lawsuit out of your retaliation. Itâs an unfortunate truth that youâd had to deal with from youth up.
People want to hate to the point where they feel it is a need. You donât allow yourself to fall into that habit since itâs a dark pit quick to get swallowed up in and hard to escape. All too often, people hate so much they canât find anything else to loveâ. That always leads to disastrous outcomesâ. Find no reason to live with hate. Live to hate. Take othersâ love to see if you can feel love or make sure youâre not alone in your hate. Hate so much youâll drag others down with you. Hate so much youâll destroy everything and every one no matter the cost.
Itâsâvery depressingâand with the world, as it is, destroyed by greed and hate, itâs ever the more case you try to stay out of that fog and be that helping hand. Youâd rather be the .1% of people who try to be good than to go with the tide.
How much good that didâ
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Better than doing nothing, than being a bystander watching Earth crumble. Helluva lot better than being a distributor of that toxicity.
If everything you have done thus far has been for noutâa futile struggleâyou can live and carry that to your grave pleasantly.
A lump settles on your throat bitterly as your red, irritated skin cools down to a droopy, murky blue.
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You hope youâve done something worthwhile.
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âBut going back to what you were thinking beforeâyouâve always been good with holding back your tongue during your hottest tempers. That being extraordinarily rare as youâre known to be pretty soft by those you associate with. Going along with adding to the hate, you donât like to display open anger to anyone. This includes most other negative emotions. Youâd always excuse yourself to take a breather if you feel that your emotions are getting the best of you. Again, rarely ever.
So, itâs a huge surprise to you how difficult it is to keep yourself in check as your avatar. In just the past few hours, youâve had to struggle on and off not to rip the lungs out of those of this village.
Itâs that heat in your chestâan itchyâirritating heatâ. Itâs alien; as if someone else is possessing your body when it occurs and you have to fight them off every time to prevent them from acting on their wrathâ
Technicallyâitâs you who is processing SÅsaku-shaâ.
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Your avatar canât have a life of its ownâcan it?
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Fuck. You donât want to consider it. Thatâs terrifying.
Is that heat your avatar trying to take control back?! What happens if it overpowers you?!
Ice claws at your back at the notion.
Ah-ahahahhahahaâ. Would you be able to come back or would you die?! Would you be stuck as a prisoner in the mind?! And the things you want to do in those moments of heat-even if itâs not the cause of SÅâs spirit but something else, could you live with yourself if you committed manslaughter?!
Youâd be defending yourself- âœShut up.â
âœH-huh?â âœWhat?â
âœA-ah, sorry.â Youâre quick to reassure at the confused remarks of the three. âœJustâtalking to myself. Ignore me.â
âœA-ahââ âœ...Sure.â
Muscles contract as you give the motion of swallowing the lump in your throat, trying to dispel it to no avail.
You canât do anything about the heat now. Just avoid triggering the feeling and fight it back until you can find the opportunity to figure more out.
Ughâone more thing to figure out and worry about. You doubt the ever-growing list will ever endâ.
Some of your thoughts tumble off, shifting your main focus to your backburner minds and senses as they alert you to an approaching life force getting real close to the house youâre cooped up in. Feeling the overall size compared to what youâve been picking up, you quickly deduce what and then who it is.
âœI think Vance has come back.â You hum as your shoulders drop, knowing that the time is short.
âœWhat?â âœReally?â âœHow can you tell?â
You didnât need to answer as the sound of a door creaking open at a short distance does so. Now it is the threeâs turn to relax as footsteps draw closer.
âœIâve returned. Hope I didnât take too long.â
Your attention snaps to the doorway where, you guessed it, Vance stands.
The young man in question approaches at a relaxed pace which gives you time to check out his...work outfit.
It's a full-sized navy jumpsuit covered in steel buttons and dark grey padding, similar to a gambeson. The suit is slightly baggy at the bottom but it is tucked into some dark boots. A matching gear belt sits on his waist along with similar smaller ones strapped on his thighs, sacks and carriers all lined up among them. A dark cloak rests on his shoulders, obscuring most of his upper torso, the ends tethering behind him like shredded bat wings while the hood sags behind.
You eye the weapons he carries. Most of them look to be small throwing knives carved out of rocks but two actual blades rest on either side of his thighs in the belt. Topping it all off, two bows and a quiver, filled with arrows, sit securely on his back.
Huh...judging by his attire...he must have some classes in Scout and Rogue. However, there is no doubt in your mind that heâs a Ranger.
This reminds you-you need to do stat checks on some people once you figure out how magic works.
âœThank you for keeping SÅ company. I can take it from here.â
The three let out sighs of relief, thanking Vance before retreating quickly without as much as a second glance in your direction.
You let out a huff of your own, relaxing just a tad now that youâre with someone who isnât openly petrified or disgusted by your existence. âœ...I must say that I prefer your company to theirsââ
Vance remains in the doorway as he observes your floating form. âœWere they rude to you?â
âœI wouldnât call it rude...itâs justââ Your voice tumbles off as you scratch your neck. âœThey only stared at me...but...well, I, uh, mmâ. Iâm not used to being stared at...er, treated like Iâm some sort of bomb ready to explode at any second.â
âœ...how are you used to being treated then?â He prompts, leaning against the doorway and gesturing with a hand. âœI know you spoke of your creations but you didnât say anything as to how you were treated besides the...cults that you said worshiped you.â
âœO-oh, well...I guess it depends on who youâre talking about. But...Iâd say overall, I was...well-liked.â You smile slightly as you realize what youâre saying is true.
You are well-liked. Fond memories of close friends of yours blossom forth, nights spent chatting and having what fun you could. Those who enjoy your games take the time out of their lives to personally thank you and explain how you changed their lives. Those who are supported by your donations, smiling as they can get clean air to breathe, food, homes, and more.
âœHuh, I guess I am well-liked where I come from.â
âœNo one minds that youâre not human? Or is it because you came from a place where there are no humans?â
âœ...â
A dilemma here, it seems. Do you give away information about Earth or of your avatarâs realm?
Hmm...what if you worded it in a way that it fits both scenarios?
âœNo, there were humans where I come from but also creatures of all sorts. We learned to co-exist more or less so my appearance wasnât an issue.â
Thatâs right. The Citadel and Earth both have humans within them but the difference is that the monsters of Earth arenât separate beings from mankind.
âœMonsters can co-exist among humans? Iâve...never heard of such a thing.â
âœItâs more common than you think...at least where Iâm from. Thereâs still...problems amongst races at times but those are usually isolated incidents motivated by stereotypes and assholes.â
âœSo...the monsters donât kill humans?â
âœ...No. Monsters do kill humans.â You look away, images of the news and seeing corpses lying in the streetsâ âœBut itâs just as common as humans killing monsters, monsters killing monsters, and humans killing humans. At some point, the line between monsters and humans blur and it only comes down to appearances and motives. I can say for a fact that Iâve seen humans whose evil can challenge that of any monster and monsters whose kindness surpasses any human. In the end, the majority wants to live happily in peace. Itâs only the greedy and selfish who are the evil you need to look out for as they can take any form, man or beast.â
âœI seeââ
You both let the sudden silence sit in the air for a moment to collect your thoughts.
Vance collects his moderately quick, only fifteen seconds had passed when he opens his mouth again. âœHave you ever killed a human?â
âœNo-â You responded immediately, as that is the truth, but you catch yourself as it isnât fully true.
Yes. You, yourself, do not have blood on your hands as you are merely a programmer and game designer.
However, you have designed games that motivated people to get surgery to have intracranial ports implanted to themselves. That has caused paralysis and deaths in some cases. Not to mention those who couldnât afford the surgeries would sell their lives to those with the money to receive support to get the surgery done. Those whoâd do so would either become slaves or be harvested of their organs once they reached a certain age, from what youâve heard.
A death sentence you indirectly have a hand in.
Itâs something that weighs heavily on your being but youâve always reasoned with yourself that they had the freedom to choose to risk their lives for your games. Youâre just the dealer and they chose to be the buyersâ
But besides your true self...your avatar undoubtedly has blood on their hands with the amount of times players came to challenge them. Humanoids, demi-humans, and heterotrophs alike. You did not discriminate as your avatar. Any whoâd face you, even if they werenât directly attacking SÅsaku-sha, would not escape your slaughter.
But, neither of those cases are you directly killing real people. What should you tell Vance then? Your answer will affect the way he sees youâ
What should your answer be?
No, Iâve never killed a human.
Yes, Iâve killed humans.
Chapter End Notes
LOST ROUTE (COMPLETE)
1â†'2â†'5â†'10â†'57
- data archived -
- Opening new ROUTE -
DEAL OF GOLD
Your pathway so far:
60
Whoo! You've achieved your first CHECKPOINT!! When you progress far enough in the story you'll meet stopping points like this. Think of it as completing a story arch or a level in a game. It doesn't affect the story. All this does is assist you with navigating larger sections and helps me keep track of plots (The stats gained/lost are a part of that). Your RELOAD has now changed, taking you to this chapter continuing on through the ROUTE. If you need to go back to the start of your last ROUTE go to the notes section on the top of this page as the link is still active there. If you have any questions let me know!
As for Vance's inquiry, what would you say? I'd think I'd say I've never killed a human before; but what about you? Would Vance believe you even if you say you haven't?
RESET
RELOAD
- Rerouted -
PREVIOUS
DEAL OF GOLD 1:2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be, leading into a deal of gold.
Chapter Notes
Big chapter incoming! Much is covered throughout but the biggest news of all: It's the end of a ROUTE! If you need to go back at all, now is the time because your timeline will be archived and you won't be able to RELOAD your previous ROUTE after this! For those progressing, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and the new ROUTE you've set out on!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
âCHECKPOINT SAVEDâ
- LOST ROUTE COMPLETE -
Cleared branches:
1, 2, 5, 10, 58
XP gained:
1 NW Rep
-30 Bourn Rep, 4 Rep,ãŠCoin Assistã‹3 Rep, Total: -23
3 NW INT
2 Avatar INT
- Total XP will be displayed at next check point -
Relationship Status:
Nate: HOSTILE
Liam: TENSE
Vance: SKEPTICAL
Barry: TENSE
- Others met been classified as Bourn Rep due to lack of personal interaction -
- Update complete, proceed to new ROUTE -
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The landscape, biomes, and your gameâs inhabitants are what you kept the focus of your talk on.
The frozen tundras of Hel and Jötunheimr in contrast to the fiery pits of Muspelheim. The outfits humans dawned in comparison to other humanoid races and comparing it to what youâve seen in Bourn. The exotic extent of meals through the realms one can partake in. The actual labeled âGods and Goddessesâ of the realms located in Asgard and Vanaheim to combat their assumptions about you, though that brought up more assumptions when they pointed out that you âcreated themâ, albeit indirectly. The cosmic ones slumbering in the abyss, not to be named unless to awaken. Weapons forged by the dwarves in NiÃavellir and so on...
You hadnât mentioned anything about the players, your realm, or any information pertaining to the extent of SÅsaku-shaâs abilities though. You donât want to jeopardize your safety or the safety of other players if they are here.
Barry and Vance had both listened, mostly unbelieving until youâd go into more detail into what theyâd doubt or question. What caught Vance's attention, in particular, was when youâd start talking about certain creatures and the magic system in your game while comparing it to the knowledge they had provided to you about their own.
You can tell that he was about to start asking you questions but knocking at the door once again interrupts your conversation. The three of you watch as men of varying ages shuffle into the room, glaring and eyeing you cautiously, to give you the final estimateâ
The chieftain hums as a stranger to you finishes whispering into his ear and the old man turns to you. âœThe damage you inflicted is going to cost you a gold and eleven silver coins. Do you have that much on you?â
You have way more than that and based on what they taught you about the currency of their world you sum that up to be around 111,000 crypt-yen, a currency youâre all too familiar with with the digital age in Japan. Thoughâit seems to be a little pricey for a hole, especially since it's the middle ages so their prices should be a little lessâ. But you remember that you destroyed some of their produce and poisoned a majority of their pigs with, evidently, very valuable drugs. Plus...this is a different world compared to Earth so you canât necessarily compare this realmâs economy to the medieval age of your world.
You want to question how theyâve come up with the summary so you can evaluate the legitimacy of their bill, the business side of yourself coming into play due to your time with some of your...associates. However, you know they donât have documents you can scan over. In no way were they collecting it digitally. Likewise, you doubt that they had been writing down their searches and calculating with paperâ
Did they use math?... Can they do math?â No, they have to be able to know some basic math for them to be able to estimate the price as they have.
But that still means you wonât be able to look anything over. Youâll have to trust their oral report.
Not good. No. Not good at all. Especially how theyâve shown what they think about youâ. However, youâd just be wasting time getting them to explain how they came up with the bill since youâre not a financial expert on construction, drugs, livestock...and whatever else has to be considered.
Youâll just have to trust that they respect fairness and Barryâs integrity to give you an even price.
Mmmmâ.
Grumbling to yourself, you nod. âœI do...but we may need to do some exchanges of coins. Iâm only carrying gold so youâll have to compensate for what I overpay. Is that okay?â
Many eyes widen and lips pinch together at the information but Mr. Long nods, âœI understand. Weâll pay you back if you indeed give us gold.â
...You flex your fingers.
Okay, moment of truth. Players would need to use the console to bring up items but you donât have that option now. Youâll just...have to try to open your item box just like how you tried to drink the tea and how you used Ascend. You just have to try...or youâll be in deep shit.
Raising your hand, like you would trying to open your menu, you think about accessing your item box-
And your hand disappears into a dark fog that has appeared in the form of a small portal.
You almost gasp the same way the other men in the room do at the display. Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of the small gunny sack that holds your coins. When a coarse fiber meets your hand you slowly retreat your arm from wherever it has gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You pray that it isnât something threatening-
Your hand frees from the dark mist and the portal dissipates, revealing a cantaloupe-sized sack that appears to be withered and fraying. It is made up of many different types of purple fabrics all sewn together with a small tassel hanging off of the bottom of it. You immediately recognize it as your Bottomless Bag.
Despite the name, it does have a limit to the items which it can hold but it extends a player's inventory by fifty slots. It is a...mmm, difficult isnât the right word to use but it is hard to obtain one of these bags as it only allows players level 75 and up to obtain. Those players would also have to collect rare items across Yggdrasilâs worlds to craft the bag. They'd have to farm the items, trade, steal, or just buy the actual items off of the gameâs store website.
After that, theyâd have to either find an NPC who can craft the bag, craft it themselves, or find a player who has the crafting stats to produce it for them. The fastest way a player could obtain it would be buying the entire bag off the gameâs store but because of the large price on it and it wasn't incredibly hard to make, players often chose to go the hard route. Once a player equips the bag it binds with the player, forever fusing the extra fifty slots to the playerâs inventory. One reason why the item cannot be traded.
Aside from the pack filled with goldâyou never had your avatar carry much unless you knew there was a raid headed your way. Youâd be stacked a little more if soâbut you know for a fact that you hardly have anything on youâfor good reason though.
Youâd need the space in your inventory to do farming and grinding on your off time throughout the Citadelâs levels so, every time youâd leave the server to return IRL, youâd routinely empty what you didnât need. Mainly, it's a habit you developed to save time. Why worry about storing them away when youâd inevitably return when the farms are ready to be harvested again? Doing it before you leave allows you to go straight to work when youâd log back in. That, and if thereâs a sudden player raid you have time to join and intercept, you donât want to log in just to be scurrying to rid your inventory of unneeded items. There are other reasons for this habitâhoweverâitâs backfiring on you now.
You know you have nothing but your basics.
No armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical stats while you made your rounds, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you think you have on yourself is data crystals, seven...err...no, eight...yes, eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no use for. However, youâre just happy that you were able to pull out your gold for the time being.
âœHere we are.â You place the sack in front of you on the table. Despite it being filled with coins, it doesnât clank when you place it down; in fact, it doesnât make much noise at all, having you believe that it has something to do with magic. Untying its silver, laid, nylon rope strands, the opening of the sack loosens. A choir of awe sounds out as you proceed to reach in and pull out one glittery gold coinâ
A realization suddenly hits you and makes you stop from pulling out the second. âœBefore we start this transaction, I want to check something with you.â You lean over the table and hold out the coin for the chieftain to take. âœThat is a coin that originated from Yggdrasil. Do any of you recognize the designs?â
Yggdrasilâs coins are engraved delicately, both sides with the words âœYGGDRASILâ wrapped around the top portion of the images each side holds. The head has the left side profile of a woman with long flowing hair. Originally, the gold coins had the face of a man sealed upon them, before Valkyrieâs Downfall Event, and were switched to a profile of the woman afterward. In addition, it has the gameâs release date below the woman, stating âœSINCE 2126.â The tail is the world tree of Yggdrasil with the snake, Jörmungandr, encircling it.
âœN-no, I havenât. How very interesting.â The old man flips the coin through his fingers a couple of times with a pinched brow before handing it over to another man to look at it. It goes through the hands of every single man in the room and they all give similar replies, having never seen the coin before. You suspected as much but you wanted to check and make sure. But when it lands in the hands of a man that appears a decade younger than you IRL he speaks his mind.
"How can we be sure this is gold? The monster may be trying to trick us."
"I can swear on my name that what you hold in your hand is one hundred percent pure authentic gold." Even as you feel a rush of heat flare as you deny the accusation, the man's dark eyes shift over to his companions
"How can we be certain it tells the truth? It could be trying to rob us..."
Just as a few agree with the fellow, you interject, "How can I rob you when I'm the one paying you for an accident? I'd gain nothing from this if the coins I hold are fakes."
"Except the coin that we'd have to pay back for the supposed gold." A man similar in complexion to Seth retorts to which you scoff at.
"Why would I give a sh-ehmâ I'd rather keep the coin I have than what you'll have to return to me..." Though...it could be really helpful to have some coin from this world which you can use later on but for the argument's sake, you don't admit to this. "Though with that being said, I know what I have to pay and all I have in my possession are those coins. No others. If you have to, do what you need in order to figure out what material it's composed of. Then you'll know that no lies come from my tongue...or...lack thereof."
"Are you sure, SÅ?" Barry raises his voice to clarify, "We'd have to scratch its surface to test its durability."
That gives you pause, "...Will it damage the coin?"
"Yes, it will."
Your chest tightens at the confirmation. The collector's side of you screams in agony at the thought of them damaging one of the only things you have left of your game...however, your side of reasoning says...
"Well...it will be yours soon, not mine...so I'd say go for it if you're willing to disfigure your coin. But let me ask something before you go about it..." You hold your palm out to the one still holding the coin. Perhaps intimidated by having a âmonster's attentionâ on him, he hurriedly tosses the coin at you which you're quick enough to maneuver to catch. It flares up a nasty heat in your throat but you keep your composure to move on to your second point. âœSo...none of you have seen a coin like this before?â
âœNo, it doesnât seem like any of us have, SÅ.â
âœHah, okay. I was only double-checking because I wanted to see if I could even use this here and how this coin is compared to your own.â You gesture to the gold piece in your hand, âœIf youâve never seen a gold piece like this before...wouldnât its value be different than your own? I suggest figuring out how much mine is worth before we start damaging and exchanging it. Who knowsâmaybe mine is worth less than yours...â
You notice many menâs faces slip into a frown at your words, informing you that your hunch might be right. It's one of the reasons you think the one guy brought up the integrity of your coins. True, they may be genuinely concerned if they're real or not but that doesn't change the fact that...
Your coins may be of higher value.
âœAh, yes. Mat, could you head into the closet inside my kitchen and get my scale and weights for me? They should be on one of the left shelves.â A blond man nods and makes his way out of the room while Barry turns to another man. âœFrank, could you hand me that?â The younger man does so and a wooden box is given to the chieftain. You can tell by the noise it makes as it is handled that it is filled with coins. Barry thanks Frank and opens the box toward himself, pulling out three coins after some shuffling. âœHere is one copper, silver, and gold coin. Take a look at them if you wish.â He repeats your motion, leaning over the table to hand them over to you.
When they're dropped into your hand, you pull them in close and you start to observe the designs of each. All of the coins are odd in shape, having uneven sides, and different engravings on each.
The copper coin is the smallest of the bunch, being half the size of the other two. The head of the brown coin is that of a...you can only guess the right profile of a human in a Roman helmet with a horseshoe and an olive branch hovering around the figure. The tail has four circles interlaced into one that envelops a cross at the center.
The silver pieceâs head has the right side of a bearded manâs face at the center, a circle surrounding the image. Strange symbols wrap around the top of the circle while a rope does the same at the bottom. On the backside is a strange bird, facing what looks like a lantern and away from a bolt of lightning.
Lastly, thereâs the gold piece. The silver and the gold are the same sizes but you can tell a lot more work has gone into the design of the last coin. The head holds, at the center, the right profile of a manâs face that looks oddly similar to Julius Caesar. The head is wrapped up similarly to the silver coin, having a circle surrounding the manâs face while more of the strange symbols wrap around the top half of the circle. However, instead of a rope at the bottom, thereâs a grain of wheat taking its place. In addition to that, a stippled circle wraps around the entirety of the designs on the front as well as on the back. The tail appears to be a compass and, while the shape points in a position, the strange letters or runes are set up in an x position. Finally, at the center is an eye with pointy extensions sticking out from its empty core. It reminds you of the âfollowers'â rendition of your avatar's symbol, something used sparsely throughout Yggdrasil. The symbolism and lore behind it are vast so you only have a smidge of recollection before you gloss over the comparison.
With the new gold piece in hand, you hold it up to your own to compare the two. The difference is drastically evident and you suddenly become proud of yourself that you thought to check this out before you started trading coins. âœMmm...I see. My coin is twice the size of your own...so...if we are only speaking about gold value here, Iâd say my coin is twice the price of your own. Wouldnât you say?â
âœYes...that seems right. Weâll have to weigh them to see.â
"Would weighing them alone prove they're gold? I'm only asking to see if there's a way to avoid marking the coin."
"Afraid not. Some minerals can equal the weight of a gold piece and your coin is considerably larger..."
Nodding slowly in displeasure, you continue. âœI see...but I canât help but speak whatâs on my mind. My coin is worth more than double the price of yours. Itâs either four to five times the worth of your own.â
âœWhat are you saying?!â
âœHow so?â
âœAre you trying to trick us?!â
âœNonsenseâ
Before the men around the room could yell out any more you hold up a hand to cut them off, âœHear me out. Hear me outâ. Iâm a creator so that means I have the eye of an artist. Because of that, I can tell you straight that my coin would be appraised at a much higher price because of its design. Look-â You hold up the coin from this world in between some of your fingers of your left hand-âœI can tell that these coins were each produced by hand by the way the artwork and engravings are shaped, in addition to the actual shape of the coins themselves. While these are fairly nice in design,-â You hold up the coin from Yggdrasil in between the fingers of your right hand-âœcompared to this, it looks pretty messy. My coin is much cleaner in appearance, something that an engraver would have an extremely difficult time producing in a timely manner with the technology I suspect your world has. In addition to thatââ
You place the coin in your left hand down on the table, with the silver and copper, to take out another coin from your pouch. You hold it up the same way you did with the other, âœeach of my coins looks identical to one another, unlike yours. Not only is it difficult to produce one coin of such clean shape but two without any abnormalities between them only increase their value, as it shows consistency. I can say that my coins werenât produced the same way as your own is which is why it appears the way it does. Because of this, a true craftsman would strive to find ways to replicate the methods these coins were produced with to raise the value of their coin, in turn, increasing the price of these.â
Gathering all of the coins, you lean over the table once more to hand them all to Barry so he can look at them. He seems interested in comparing the two Yggdrasil pieces to each other. âœOn top of that, theyâre a foreign coin. Although that doesnât increase the value of it in itself, they are coins that carry the knowledge of technologies beyond what seems to be available in this nation or kingdom. People will strive to gain that knowledge because if they can get a hold of information, from a civilization that can produce coins like these, it can increase the security, prosperity, and wealth of one's nation. This is possibly the main factor in why I believe my gold coins are worth so much more than your own. With all that said, I want you to take caution with scratching the coin since it will ruin the value it has in art. Do it last amongst everything, that is my advice.â
Just as you finish speaking, Mat comes back in with a money changer scale and a wooden box in hand and places them in front of the chieftain, where he sits.
âœThank you.â Barry spreads everything out in front of him so he can get to work.
As the chieftain starts comparing weights from the box to one of the Yggdrasil coins, Sethâs look-alike clears his throat before stepping forward from the back. âœDo you just expect us to believe that these are worth that much more because of that?! Some of the things youâve mentioned are hard to believe. It just makes me think that youâre just trying to get out of this cheaply!â
âœYouâre right. I am trying to find the cheapest method, but for reason. These coins hold great value to me, beyond what I'm saying theyâre worth because they originate from my homeland. Iâd rather not give them to you at all. Iâm only doing so because Iâm at fault for your losses. I could have used magic instead to fix your issues but Iâm honestly not confident in my abilities at the moment afterââ You scratch your neck remembering your mind becoming foggy in the barn, âœ...after I fell and hurt myself... Besides...Iâm sure the display of power would have frightened you all and I did not want any of you to become hostile with me. I despise needless deathââ
âœW-what does that mea-â âœI see.â Nate interrupts the thin fellow as he crosses his arms, âœI also agree that they may be worth more than what meets the eyeââ You both watch as Mr. Long puts on another small weight to one of the two platforms present on the scale, âœHowever, it's not up to us to dictate the worth of art. Not all merchants will appraise the same so we canât afford to risk the loss of compensation. How about you just pay us what theyâre actually worth? Hm?â The boy sends you a slight smirk, knowing full well what he is saying to get what he wants. Although you can appreciate the way he expertly crafts his words, you know heâs trying to suck out all the gold he can out of you. However, since you were already going to increase the price if they were kind to you, his words donât get under your skin.
Barry coughs as he displays what he has discovered, âœItâs as heavy as about two of our gold coins, just as you suspected SÅ.â
"Woah..." Men all around the room stare at your coins in amazement.
âœ...So this means if itâs real gold, we keep the one coin and pay back what we can to even the score.â Nate grins, wetting his lips as his eyes flick back and forth between the coins near Barry and your pouch.
â.
Your stomach twists uncomfortably at the hunger of the men as if you swallowed a ball of grease.
Clenching your fists once more, your chair lets out an unholy creek as you slowly stand up, your form steadily towering higher over the heads of those around the room. The villagers warily give wide berth to your movement, outright intimidated by your height evident by how their expressions morph into ones of panic. But you have to do this. You may not get another chance if you let things continue as they are becauseâ.
You have a different idea in mind.
As quickly as you can muster, you use your avatarâs large body to cut the gap across the table and swipe your two coins back before returning as you were.
You were so swift you had to take a moment and second guess if you moved in the first place but the feeling of cool coins in your fist reassure you that you did what you set out to do.
Huh, guess your avatarâs speed is still there.
None of the villagers appear to have caught your movement either. Not a single one out of the thirteen crowded in the small space, nor the six outside the doorway. All of them were looking at you too. Nothing. No reaction whatsoever.
Either theyâre all in shockâor you must have moved so fast that they didnât see you move at all. Now that would be some fucking speed right there.
The sound of the scale tipping over has some break eye contact with you, only then do they notice the coins missing. Before anyone could question what happened you speak.
âœ...Iâll tell you whatâ.â With your free hand, you pick up your sack and purposefully make a show of dropping a coin into the pouch. The ones who hadnât figured out they disappeared do a double-take of where they were originally, puzzled by how you were able to obtain them, while others squint your way suspiciously. âœI am aâfan of betsâ. So, I want to propose something I think we all can benefit from. Hold on, hold on- We can continue like we are, yes,â You clarify as you see indignation spur through the small crowd, certainly not pleased by what youâre indicating; you hold up your coin to rear those thoughts back into an attentive one, âœbut please spare your ear just long enough to hear what I have to offer.â
You know that taking the coins back the way you have could put you in a less favorable lightâbut letâs face it, they seem dead set on despising your existenceâand you have good reason for acting out.
The way their eyes glazed over once the value of your coins was taken from weightâitâs a familiar sight. One you despise. Itâs something youâd see everywhere back home. Back on Earth. Seedy business associatesâlong fingernail alley squattersâpoliticians with empty promisesâcard happy gamblersââfamily friendsâ with voids for pocketsâyour parentsâitâs an evil that destroyed your world and everyone's future on it:
G r e e d
Itâs why your stomach coiled at the sight of their silent eyes. Greed makes people crazy and sick. Do irrational things. Do unfair and evil things. And with you, a monster appearing so rich in coin? They could kill two birds with one stone. Get rid of a beast and become rich beyond their wildest dreams. A win-win.
You squeeze your wallet at the threat you sense.
None of them may have said anything outright concerning your fear, nor have whispered it amongst themselvesâyour hearing allowing you to catch the murmurs of those outside the room and beyondâbut their eyes speak louder than wordsâ
Yesâmaybe youâre reading into deepâ. Maybe your past is fogging your rationality with anxieties untrueâ.
â.
Mmmâ.
You trust yourself. Your mind may be different in some ways with this new body, but you havenât changed. You are you. And you donât trust those eyes.
And you heard the scathing remarks of the villagers when you left the barn. You know they already want to kill youâand you know they want your payment. Taking those coins back avoided the scenario of them trying to keep them for themselves, thinking they have power over you by outnumbering you.
All and allâyouâd say your paranoia is justified.
Displaying your ability to take back the coins, even if they didnât catch your movement, shows some unleveled ability that you will defend yourself and your belongings. Itâs an indirect message saying, âDonât fuck with me or all of you are fucked.â
Itâs a delicate balance that youâre trying your best not to overstep.
Not too compliant to be stepped over, robbed, and/or killed, and not too threatening to fail in negotiating and obtaining compromise.
Since no one acts or words their displeasure you assume the message has been sent. Despite this, you have another reason for acting out as you did.
You sit back down so youâre below the men, no longer towering over them. Hopefully, theyâll be more likely to take in what youâre saying at this level rather than cowering away. You deposit your pouch back into your inventory, only once your hand retracts empty do you continue. âœI can give you this and you pay me back. End of transactionâ.but imagine thisââ
Once they take the coin, thatâs going to be the end. Negotiations and your attachment here will be no more. Theyâll send you away. Chase you out of the village if you try to linger to learn more. You only know basics. The information Barry and the three kids let you in on is the bare minimum, enough for you to not appear too foreign if you find a place beyond here.
There is the option of trying to buy what you need from them. More information and a few materials would be nice and the silver you have after would suffice some. However, thatâd be a stupid mistake on your part.
They donât see you as human, they wonât treat you as such. The only reason theyâve been decent thus far is for the shiny piece in your fingers and to placate the monster. The moment you end this, youâll just be a monster again. Try what you might to buy what you need, decent commerce may be clouded by their fear and/or greed. Youâre likely to be ripped off or not be allowed to trade anything.
If you learned anything from business and financing if you want to gain anything more out of this deal with just the single coinâyouâre going to have to barter. Youâre in debt to themâbut that doesnât mean it should be a total loss to you. If this fails, you can fall back on plan B.
Howeverâyou donât think theyâll give up on a chance like this.
âœHow about I remain in your village until you go to get this coin appraised?â You jab the coin Nateâs way in a mock point. âœYou said it yourself that none of you can dictate the worth of art and that not all merchants will appraise the same. So I want to get propper worth if Iâm giving up something of value. Get a professional to look at this.â
Nate has the gall to tsk in your face even though itâs his own words being used against him, the very ones used to try to take more from you.
Good, you donât like him either.
You twirl the coin in your fingers so that the light catches on the edges, sparkling golden light across the room. âœThe price I expect this to be worth is three or more of your gold. If the value is less than what Iâve guessed...Iâll compensate you...plus Iâll double the number of coins Iâll have to give you for the sake of the trouble. Meaning, if I have to give this to make two, Iâll also have to give you one more for the price of four. You wonât need to pay me back where I overpay and, after that,â you twinkle your fingers as you throw your free arm to the side, âœIâll be out of your hair. However, if I am correct in my assumption and it's worth three or more piecesââ You clasp your hands together, propping up your elbows as you lean forward on the table, âœIâll be allowed to stay and live in this village as I please. Does that sound reasonable?â
Uproar commences-
âœWhat the-â
âœHell no!â âœNeverâ
âœMonsters arenât welcome hereâ
You sit quietly and wait for whatâs to come next since you know it will. All you have to do is be patient.
âœThereâs no way any of you can agree to thisâ
âœYeah, we already have the price set. Letâs just take that.â
âœBut four goldââ
âœWhat was that?!â âœJoseph, you got to be kidding meâ
âœNo, no. I agree with him. Thatâs a lot of coin for us.â
âœThatâs if this goes our way!â
âœI donât want to risk itâ
âœIf we lose it stays hereâ
âœBut we need this!â
âœWe need this thing out of here. The one coin is enoughâ
âœNo it isnât. The amount the one covers is barely enough. Do you think the dealers would be satisfied with the money? Thereâs already a shortage of black dust due to the abolition. Their prices have risen.â
Abolition? Is black dust an illegal drug? Why? There should be a good reason if soâ.
Earthâs history is filled with abolition movements, formulated either by the people or the governments running the people. Some were more successful than others. Some had justified or corrupt reasons. But beyond the law, seedy and backwater alley joints still practice all the sin and debauchery those movements tried to preventâ. Never mind, itâs practiced in public too. They may go by different names and cover themselves in documents to hide what they truly are.
Black companies for example are just another name for slavery. Japan, a little under a decade ago, attempted to abolish these corps. It seemed to work for a while from what you got out of your countryâs history but utterly failed in the long run as the world went under. People had to work harder since everything was falling apart, trying to salvage and restore what they could, to the point where death from overwork was glorified, stating they were âœHeros saving the world.â A gimmick to cover up the sweatshops. Because of that glorification, the norm for businesses now are these bloody monopoly houses. Corrupt and uncaring. If youâre not held down by a contract, looking for a new spot for labor only leads you to the same atmosphere if youâre lucky enough to be roped into a new one.
You thankfully sided with a portion of a corp that wasnât so work-heavy. It still has extortionate hours due to expectations, budgeting, time restraints, the whole shitshaz but, with the big success of four of your games, you were able to help out the work conditions for those part of your sector butâoverallâyour teams only made a portion of the whole of the company-
Youâre getting off track.
The knowledge of the sprout's legality in Re-Estize could prove as a good source of blackmail if you end up having to resort to it. The effectiveness of doing so, however, depends on how enforced this abolition is and for what reasonâ. Does make you wonder why theyâre being so open about something that could be illegal in front of youâ. Whatever the case, better to tuck this info for later and continue listening.
âœTsk!â
âœHeâs rightâ
âœOne should be enough though, even if we have to scrape by our finances.â
âœWould they be satisfied by that?â
âœWe canât risk thatâ
âœWe canât risk not taking this either!â
âœIf we do take this deal, how can we be certain this monster will keep its word?!â
Bingo.
âœI havenât lied so far. Why would I back down on my word?â Not exactly true but they donât know that.
âœBecause youâre a monster-â
âœAnd youâre human. Are you insinuating man canât also go back on their word?â Silence meets your response so you continue. âœI canât trust any of you eitherâbut I am because Iâm putting faith in manâs integrity. To progress, oneâs first step must be into the unknown. Only then, beyond fear, is where one can discover truth.â You canât tell if itâs you saying that or your avatarâs weird philosophical talk, but you move on. âœLikewise, you should do the sameâ. But I understand the need for certainty, so here-â You flick the coin hard enough that it tumbles across the surface of the table, clinking until toppling over and settling before the chieftain with a satisfying, ringing clatter- âœOne of you hold onto the coin until we get it appraised. That way it tethers me to you all.â
âœThatâs not a certainty! You could still run off.â
âœAnd what would you all lose?â You gesture over to Barry who tucks the piece into his palms. âœI leave, I get nothing and you all get two coins worth of gold. If anything, I have to stay to see this through. We both gain more by sticking to this.â
âœYou could try to take it back from us by force.â
âœThey did, somehow, get the coins back earlierâ
âœThatâs rightâ.â
Scratching your neck, a guttural rumble racks your chest similar to a grunt, âœIf you still donât trust me then donât let me know who of you holds the coin. Problem solved.â
Psh! What a joke. With SÅsaku-shaâs abilities, that wouldnât be able to stop you in any sort of way if you attempted to get it back. Not even slow you down.
âœAlright thenââ
âœWeâshould we do this?â
âœIt soundsânice.â
âœDid you all forget what happens if we lose this bet?!â
âœIf we lose.â
âœThatâs still a big if! Weâd have to let it stay hereâ
âœWe donât have to if we really donât want it here. If they win we can just force them awa-â B A N G
Your fists smash onto the surface of the table with enough force to rattle their supports as your head snaps to the boy who uttered such words. Every soul within the house jumps, a few let out startled shrieks, as your skin turns a blistering red with wisps of black smoke flowing off your shoulders. The fear aura you exude immediately paralyzes all in your vicinity and beyond, unbeknownst to you. Not realizing your avatar is doing this, you lividly assume itâs because of the aggressive display.
Fire spits across your tone as you hiss. âœAnd you all say I canât keep my word when you dare say to my face that youâll stab me in the back! Iâd call you all hypocrites but weâre beyond that at this point! I think rats would be a better fitting title to the scummy lot of you as most of you here have used your prejudice as an excuse to treat me as nothing but a throthing beast when Iâve been nothing but cooperative and generous thus far! Ironic that the âdemonâ youâre all so afraid of is more humane than the humans that surround said âdemon!ââ
Another rumble reverberates from your chest but this time more powerful in tone, enough to shake your form and cause the chair youâre cramped on to rattle pitifully.
âœO-okay, okayââ âœCalm down.â
âœYouâre the monster! Why-â âœShut up, Frank! Trying to get us killed?!â
âœTell it youâre sorry, Kite!â
âœI-Iâm sorry! Iâm sorry! I was speaking without thinking, okay?!â
âœIgnore him! Heâs just a kidâ
âœWeâll keep our word if we agree with this bet.â
Listening to their pleading words does allow time for some of your initial wrath to simmerâbut theyâre still referring to you as an âit.â
â.
What did you expect out of gutter trash? One rant wonât change the minds of idiots because idiots always think theyâre rightâ But you were triggered again. Getting aggressive out of nowhereâwellânot for no reason. It seems itâs your avatarâs response to being provoked or threatenedâalmost likeâactivating aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it.
That...that actually would make a lot of sense. SÅsaku-sha was a final boss in Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered in some way. You only started to fight players once they showed hostility. You never attacked when they approached you, when theyâd start buffing, nor when altering the environment around your standby position.
SÅsaku-sha only ever started to fight once provoked or attacked.
This could be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering these villagers at times and feel the drive to do so.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are time and time again. Thank goodness you have self-controlâbut how good will that serve if they ever tried to attack you?
A shiver, sourced from wrath, causes muscles to flex along your body, straining to not do anything youâll regret. Digging your nails into the flesh of your neck to stabilize yourself some, since you canât do breathing exercises in this body, you growl. âœWhatever. Thatâs not the topic weâre focused on. Besides, I donât intend to stay here if I win and you all donât want me here.â
âœEh?â âœReally?â
âœI donât believe youââ
âœIâm telling the truth. If you really canât stand me being around for my appearance then I donât want to be around prejudiced assholes like you. The only one Iâve grown to appreciate among you lot is Mr. Long but that isnât enough. The toxic atmosphere isnât a healthy environment to be in for either side. I just want to know that if I ever need to be here, for any reason, I can rely on an open door. None of you have to be kind to me either if you hate me that much. Onlyâdonât be dickheads about it, am I clear? Iâll mind my business if you mind yours. Iâm not the type to be tread on. Besides, this can only come to be if Iâm right about the appraisalâso donât worry too much about my presence in your little squat.â
Youâre not going to stay here forever if you get this. Not by a long shot. You need to see what this world has to offer and find answers to your situation.
All the men exchange glances at one another at your news. You can tell that they really like the aspect of gaining more gold and you not being in their lives, so much so that none of them outright start denying your bet anymore.
Barry hums, closing his eyes in thought, "This is not my choice to make. SÅ," He opens his wise eyes to address you, "I'll need to talk to my associates and get their vote on the subject."
"Of course, take all the time you need." You lean back and curl your toes in the grass patch around your feet as you watch most of the congregation leave to discuss whether or not to accept your offer in a separate room from you.
It is a gamble on your part. Not a big one but you can still lose a bit more than what youâd like.
Youâre risking overpaying them greatly...but you understand that they are poor...well, poorish...and that the gold can help their condition. Besides, two gold coins are nothing compared to the hoard you have. Youâre just sentimental about what you have left of your game and youâre not so key to losing them. You made this bet essentially because it helps you find a way to root yourself to an established and safe location. Although they hate you, the fact that theyâre willing to debate on what to do is enough to know theyâre willing to grudgefully tolerate you. Even if you lose this bet youâll still be able to settle down.
To get the coin appraised, theyâll have to go somewhere; which means youâll be following them to make sure the coins are sold properly. You want to avoid the situation where either these villagers or the merchant, who will buy the coins, tries to pull the rug out from under your feet. If youâre right, you can live among people whoâve already adjusted to your presence although youâre...not human presently. However, if itâs truly less than what you think it is then youâll pay them and youâll be in a new location. Preferably, a larger town or city. More information flows through there. If you could get a job or a means to live there, youâll be golden.
Andâaccording to that map they showed you, the capital of Re-Estize, E-Rantel, is nearby. You have a sneaking suspicion that thatâs where theyâll go to settle this bet.
Afterwards?... You donât knowâ
Look for players? It seems like the right thing to do. You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Although youâre focused on possible plans, SÅsaku-shaâs alien mind allows you to focus on multiple things at once. Itâs as if you have a collective of separate brains all retrieving sensory info and numerous thoughts simultaneously, imprinting them to your core memory. A cos-computer, processing and calculating code through fast, high-performance, multidimensional systems. With that mental extension provided by your avatar, you smile inwardly, small sparks of green spotting your murky skin, catching the last of the vote taking place on the other side of the house.
A moment later, the men reenter the room and it is Barry who takes the initiative to inform you of the choice youâre already aware of, "We've all decided to accept your proposition. We'll expect you to hold up your end of the bargain as you expect us to." He holds out a thick hand for you to take; you stand up and grasp his firmly to seal the deal in front of the audience gathered, grounding your place into this new worldâ
But where it shall be...you have yet to know-
Hopeful, anxious, cautious, shy, troubled, worried, fear-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with the old man, knocking over your chair as your back collides with the wall.
Both he and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âThat man is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of his skin and the clamminess of the sweat that had built upon it. You felt how he was shaking and how his grip on you tightened. Not only that, you were assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the man to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs shaking hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
You think you know the reason why but how you didnât think more of it is beyond you. The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœWhat did you DO?!!â Nateâs furious voice brings you back to reality, âœWhat did you do to Barry?!!â
âœWha-I...I donât know what youâre talking about. I didnât do anything!â You weakly cry out as you watch the men around you pull out their weapons with new fever, their knuckles turning white around the handles. Skin sharply slaps to a scarlet hue, that heat from before flaring up once again. âœWatch it! Donât tempt me! I think this is all a big misunderstanding-â
âœAll of you, hold your horses!â Barry raises his voice to halt the younger menâs advances on you. âœSÅ didnât hurt me. They justââ He strangely looks at you before continuing, âœWhat...what was that? It was...I was feeling...more. More emotions, that is...did you put your feelings into my head?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â
âœI believe so.â All in attendance watch as Barry scratches his head. âœI know they werenât my own...it sounds like you donât know what you did and based on how you recoiled from my touch I can guess you realized something happened, though. Have you ever done that before?â
Beats of silence pass between the group as you run his words through your head like a record on loop.
Thereâs nothing you could say. What could you even say? This is all too strange and new to you! Who knows what the heck is happening! But...this isnât too bad. Youâre learning new things about your new body and this isnât any different. Maybe it's just another hidden trait of your avatar? Youâre finding out new weird ticks so maybe this is one of them? You sigh and become resolute.
Assume, if you were truly SÅsaku-sha, what would they do? Would that help? What would they think? Gazing at the anger and confusion among the crowd makes you consider a final question.
What would SÅsaku-sha say?
âœNo.â You switch to roleplay mode, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœIâve never had that happen when I touched another creature until now. It seems that we can share our feelings through physical contact.â
âœShare?!â
âœMmm, yes. I also felt yours, sir. I didnât sense any of your thoughts though. Just emotion. Was that the same for you?â
âœY-yes. I only got feelings.â
Thank God. âœThen itâs mutual, though...that is bizarre.â You drop your hand and contemplate how that even works. So anyone you touch now will experience the same thing as you do? Thatâll get annoying real quick, not to mention burdensome. Does this mean you'll have to act...what is it called again?...*sigh, whatever, fear of being touched? That way things like this wonât happen again. Augh! Is it something you can turn off? Is it something along the lines of magic-
Wait, magic!
Is this a sign you can still use your magic?!
âœH-ha...well thatâs good.â Liam interrupts your train of thought with a nervous laugh, pointing in your direction but low. âœAnd I see how you fly now.â
âœHm?â A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating as youâre pressed against the wall. âœOh! It seems that Ascend still works.â
Yes, yes! This is further proof that your magic may still work and that your stats werenât affected. Were you shielded before? It would explain how you were able to survive a fall like that...though...that means youâre open now. In other words, vulnerable to attack.
Youâll have to continue playing safe.
âœDonât even think about escaping!â Nate hisses with his fist balled at his sides, taking a wide stance as he gets into an offensive position. âœI promise it wonât end well for you!â
A glower would be visible on your face if you had one, âœIâm not going to do that.â
âœAnd what makes me believe a word you say? How do I know that you wonât fly away the moment you find the opportunity to?!â
âœIâve already agreed to our deal and explained why, idiot. Were you not listening?! Why would I run if I have no reason t-â âœYou monsters are all the same! Youâre all selfish, murderous, greedy-â âœIt was a rhetorical question. I didnât want to hear an answer.â You interrupt back with your growing frustration with the young man.
You clench your fists hard enough that your skin makes a sound similar to leather gloves being strained. âœIâm not going to run away. Thatâs it. I said I wouldnât, so I wonât. I donât know how I can be any clearer with my words so that your pathetic little monkey brain can comprehend them. Shall my drumming echo of declaration reach the deaf ears of the daft?! Damn that, it seems! A monster canât keep its word as a man does, can it? But who's to say that a man can keep their word? A hypocrite and a fool. I am no different from you.â You point an accusatory finger at the glaring boy as he is dumbfounded by your speech. âœNay, I am different as Iâm not a blatant prick! Iâm NOT running away so shut the hell up!â
Electricity shoots through your glares as you both try to kill each other with looks alone. A tense silence stretches, all holding their breath as they eye the two of you to see who will act next.
However, a sharp thump interrupts it as Liam wacks Nate over the skull with a stick.
âœOW! Lia-â âœQuiet! Iâve had enough of you!â
Liam wacks Nate again and again, earning curses and pained hollers from the boy as he tries to evade his friend's attacks.
âœYou always do this! You always run your big mouth and get into trouble! *ThWACK!* You never learn! *ThwACK!* So then I have to take care of everything!!!â *THWACK!*
OW!!! FUCK-â âœMove it! Iâm taking you elsewhere so you donât get in the way!â
Everyone watches in stunned silence as Nate is roughly escorted out of the room by Liamâs beatings and out of the house soon after. Nateâs yelps of pain, swears, and demands to let him go back to keep watch of you are audible due to your increased hearingâ. Admittedly, you relish it.
Serves that nit right.
âœWell, that wasââ Seth crones pulling away from the scene that occurred.
âœIndeed.â Barry lets out a tired sigh. âœI apologize upon the boyâs behalf, SÅ. Heâs-â
âœNo need, Mr. Long.â A huff escapes your chest as you rub it over to smolder that odd heat. âœNothing came of it and...youâre not entitled to apologize on his behalf.â
âœAlright then...as long as it does not cause concern for...you.â He words himself very carefully, you notice.
In other words, as long as this monster doesnât do something we donât want, Iâll bow my head for Nateâs dickitry and racism.
The colors on your skin remain murky as he continues. âœNow that the day is here, letâs all get into gear and get to work.â Mr. Long confirms as he looks about the room. âœWe will need to patch up what we can with what we have. Plus, weâll need a cart prepared for the trip out to E-Rantel for the coins to get appraised. Might as well sell and collect items we may need while we have the bodies capable there.â He nods as everyone starts to shuffle out of the small room.
âœWhoâll keep an eye on...it while weâre working?â Mat grunts his concern, giving you a side-eye whilst he does so. âœNate and Liam have left. Should we get them back or have some of the retired stand watch?â
âœIâll handle things while theyâre gone.â Vance hums quietly in answer. âœTheyâll help with the cart prep. SÅ has made it clear that they wonât run so I shouldnât have issues being alone. Iâll need to fetch my gear first but Iâll be able to stay with SÅ after that.â
âœThen a few of us should stay backââ Mat nods as he eyes the fleeing crowd. Upon seeing his searching gaze, the men advert their eyes and shuffle out hastily to avoid the fate of staying behind.
Of course, Barry catches onto whatâs occurring. The stragglers, trying to shove their way out, are the ones Barry sees most fit. âœEthan, Kite, please keep Mat and SÅ company until Vance returns. He should only need a few minutes.â He continues as if heâs deaf to the two menâs sudden protests. âœIâll be needed, especially to clear up what has occurred last night to our folk. Might cause some misunderstandings if others speak for me.â
âœBut why me?!â âœWhy does it have to be three of us? The two of them are fine enough!â
âœBecause Iâve spoken.â Barry retorts, turning away to follow the crowd. âœBehave yourselves. You donât need to watch them for long.â
The grumbling boys join Matâs side as the four of you watch Vance follow behind with a brief, âœIâll only be gone for a moment.â
You say your goodbyes alongside Mat, causing the three to stare at you incredulously. And just like that, youâre alone with the unnerved lonersâ
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Wellllllllllllâ.
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This isâawkwardâ.
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Nothing is happeningâ. Theyâre staring at you and you backâin silenceâ.
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Tenseâ.silenceâ.
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God, it feels awful to be pinned to the wall like an ugly painting by their unblinking leers. The silence of the room only pronounces their actions, forcing you to remain as still as you can in fear of breaking some sort of cord of truce among you four.
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But while the silence of the house may be stressfulâit melts away compared to what you feel around you. With the ample time waiting for Vance, you concentrate on your sensesâand by godâa whole new world opens up to you, amplified extraordinarily by your trained focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the people, animals, filth, and waste of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You nearly gaged a couple of times upon catching some of them and the out-of-the-blue piss, shit, and BO smells, only the grace of whatever force that is torturing you allowed you the strength to keep it together.
Despite this, you do catch random sweet, sparky, and overall interesting scents. Some youâve never experienced in your entire fifty-plus years of life and others remind you of perfume or tea. Itâsâ stimulating and oddâ. Never have you thought of yourself as someone whoâd want to go around sniffing everything, especially since your homeworld was filled with smogâ.
But here you are wanting to investigate like a drug hound of theâyou donât know if pleasant is the right word yetâniceâunfamiliar smelly-smells?
Youâll have to get Vance to walk you around some if you can convince him to.
Another change, one youâre more familiar with, is your hearing. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât penetrate through the thicket and house shutters without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. When you expand it-wow, BOY IT IS AN OVERLOAD!!!
*Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* *Waayllooop!* âœBella, come help me with this dear.â âœWahhh!â *Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap-* *Bulooop!* âœWhat are they doing?â âœYes, Mommy!â *Tistististististististististis-* âœWu-wu-wahhhh!!â *Sigh* âœOVER HERE!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœDid you get any sleep? *Yawn!*â âœHehehehe!â *Buk-bu-gawk!* *Sssooooooooooooooossssshh* âœBarry, why is it still here?!â âœHereâs your breakfast!â *NEIGH!* âœWhat do you think of it?â âœMy shoes donât fit meââ âœ*PLUUUURRRT!* Ugh-s-shit! I really shouldnât have eaten those beansâ. Messed my stomach upââ *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœThank you!â âœWhere is the monster? Is it gone finally?â *Oink! Oink!* âœHowâare you? With what happened last night?â âœWhere did I leaveââ *Sigh* âœEeeek! A roach! Get-Get it, AHH! GET IT, RALEIGH!â *Sniff* âœDamn it all, damn it all. Fuck! I shouldâve killed it. I need to kill itâ. Itâs a monster. Itâs our fucking job!â *Buk-bu-bu-buhgawk!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *fwoom, crackle, crackleâ* âœWahhhhAHH!â âœYou look handsome this morning~â âœHughâlook at that holeâ. Thatâs going to take some serious time for us to fix.â *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* âœNate, stop grumbling. While it is a monsterâthey didnât act like the others.â âœWhereâs Ethan?â *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Sssooooooooooooooooossssshh* *Nom nom nom!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœW-wait! It said its name is SÅ?! Why did you all need its name?!â âœAre these flowers going to be a problem? Iâve never seen them beforeâ. Should we bother digging them up? I donât know if theyâre poisonousââ âœWake up! Itâs time to get up!â âœMmmph!â âœIs it a fairy? H-hey! Stop that! Iâm only guessing that because of the flowers! It didnât look like anything else weâd seen. What do you think if youâre so smart?!â *Grunt* *Cough!* âœIt has gold?! H-how much?!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Dripâdripâdripâdrip* *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Coo, coo!* âœDo you think itâs nice?â âœShut the hell up, Liam.â âœNot yetââ *NIEGH!* *Tistististististististististis-* âœWe made a deal with it.â âœTrade, stop picking your scab.â
You donât know how your mind can keep up with all the sounds, all the conversations, all the life that is occurring outside the room youâre kept away in. Itâs as if youâre in multiple places at once, all separate people listening to all separate things, and despite that, all the listeners are communicating in unison back to you. Like microphones sending back audio feed to a recorder processing the separate clips into one collabed timeline.
Like smell, hearing is odd and you canât feel one discriminating emotion during it all, due to its variety and mass. The fact that youâre able to think at all while also comprehending the sounds of Bourn and beyond boggles the human side of your mind. Itâs like all of this is on tab or separate folders still playing in the background but itâs also in the forefront. Likeâwhat?! Youâre avatarâs body is becoming increasingly more fascinating as you focus on more senses.
Though your touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend, it does tell you your back is to a cool surface and which way the breeze is coming from. The only normal sense thus far, besides the odd share emotions thing. Youâll have to find out more about thatâ. Vision youâre already familiar with in change, limited by the small room though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and, with the smell of feces ferment in the air, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to focus more on your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not going crazy when youâd feel things inside the walls and cracks only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms, mainly humans and other large livestock. Sensing life is, by far, the weirdest feeling amongst the six due to its alien nature. Almost as if static is maneuvering against your avatarâs flesh, buzzing with intensity depending on the distance and size of the beings emitting life energy. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
There are so manyâ. So much life it makes your skin crawl and twitch unexpectedly.
Bizarreâsuper bizarreâanother mark on the WTF bingo for you! You donât know whether to be terrified or eager knowing this is the tip of the iceberg. Just the ice shavings of the whole shit show this situation has in store.
Waahhhâ
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. Itâs keeping you very well focused, along with your other five, as you wait for Vanceâs returnâ.
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Augh...you just want to be back home. You were going to go to bed after the shutdown, uwahâ
What youâd give for some time to be alone so you can curl up and cry to sleep.
The whirlwind of emotions youâve been put through over the past few hours are more than enough to feel obligated to treat yourself. Even before being sucked into this alien world, Yggdrasilâs shutdown was its own concoction of feels...but with the bonus of the terrifying fall, your life being threatened time and time again, the realization that youâre stuck in your avatar in a COMPLETELY SEPARATE REALITYâ.
Are you going insane? It certainly feels like it. Either way, this calls for eating comfort food and taking a nice long nap.
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Could your avatar do either of those things?
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SHIT.
Why couldnât you have been put out of your misery in the barn?!!
Your chest rumbles in displeasure but you cut off the noise with a swallow when you notice the fearful response from the three.
Graah! So freaking annoying. You know why theyâre acting as they are since you were given a rundown of what occurs here. This isnât simply an unjustified, discriminatory bias. No. This comes from a roundabout phobia implanted in the minds of these villagers by the actions of âmonstersâ time and time again. You bet that out of all the âmonstersâ theyâve encountered, not a single one has acted as humane as you. If they had, theyâd have compared you to them. Alas, you may be the first non-humanoid creature that theyâve interacted with in civil likeness.
Despite this guess of yours, your body and mind canât help but get heated. Sure, youâve learned to bite the cheek whenever a racially slurred remark was sent your way back home. Better that than to waste your breath on people who just want to start a fight or get a lawsuit out of your retaliation. Itâs an unfortunate truth that youâd had to deal with from youth up.
People want to hate to the point where they feel it is a need. You donât allow yourself to fall into that habit since itâs a dark pit quick to get swallowed up in and hard to escape. All too often, people hate so much they canât find anything else to loveâ. That always leads to disastrous outcomesâ. Find no reason to live with hate. Live to hate. Take othersâ love to see if you can feel love or make sure youâre not alone in your hate. Hate so much youâll drag others down with you. Hate so much youâll destroy everything and every one no matter the cost.
Itâsâvery depressingâand with the world, as it is, destroyed by greed and hate, itâs ever the more case you try to stay out of that fog and be that helping hand. Youâd rather be the .1% of people who try to be good than to go with the tide.
How much good that didâ
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Better than doing nothing, than being a bystander watching Earth crumble. Helluva lot better than being a distributor of that toxicity.
If everything you have done thus far has been for noutâa futile struggleâyou can live and carry that to your grave pleasantly.
A lump settles on your throat bitterly as your red, irritated skin cools down to a droopy, murky blue.
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You hope youâve done something worthwhile.
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âBut going back to what you were thinking beforeâyouâve always been good with holding back your tongue during your hottest tempers. That being extraordinarily rare as youâre known to be pretty soft by those you associate with. Going along with adding to the hate, you donât like to display open anger to anyone. This includes most other negative emotions. Youâd always excuse yourself to take a breather if you feel that your emotions are getting the best of you. Again, rarely ever.
So, itâs a huge surprise to you how difficult it is to keep yourself in check as your avatar. In just the past few hours, youâve had to struggle on and off not to rip the lungs out of those of this village.
Itâs that heat in your chestâan itchyâirritating heatâ. Itâs alien; as if someone else is possessing your body when it occurs and you have to fight them off every time to prevent them from acting on their wrathâ
Technicallyâitâs you who is processing SÅsaku-shaâ.
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Your avatar canât have a life of its ownâcan it?
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Fuck. You donât want to consider it. Thatâs terrifying.
Is that heat your avatar trying to take control back?! What happens if it overpowers you?!
Ice claws at your back at the notion.
Ah-ahahahhahahaâ. Would you be able to come back or would you die?! Would you be stuck as a prisoner in the mind?! And the things you want to do in those moments of heat-even if itâs not the cause of SÅâs spirit but something else, could you live with yourself if you committed manslaughter?!
Youâd be defending yourself- âœShut up.â
âœH-huh?â âœWhat?â
âœA-ah, sorry.â Youâre quick to reassure at the confused remarks of the three. âœJustâtalking to myself. Ignore me.â
âœA-ahââ âœ...Sure.â
Muscles contract as you give the motion of swallowing the lump in your throat, trying to dispel it to no avail.
You canât do anything about the heat now. Just avoid triggering the feeling and fight it back until you can find the opportunity to figure more out.
Ughâone more thing to figure out and worry about. You doubt the ever-growing list will ever endâ.
Some of your thoughts tumble off, shifting your main focus to your backburner minds and senses as they alert you to an approaching life force getting real close to the house youâre cooped up in. Feeling the overall size compared to what youâve been picking up, you quickly deduce what and then who it is.
âœI think Vance has come back.â You hum as your shoulders drop, knowing that the time is short.
âœWhat?â âœReally?â âœHow can you tell?â
You didnât need to answer as the sound of a door creaking open at a short distance does so. Now it is the threeâs turn to relax as footsteps draw closer.
âœIâve returned. Hope I didnât take too long.â
Your attention snaps to the doorway where, you guessed it, Vance stands.
The young man in question approaches at a relaxed pace which gives you time to check out his...work outfit.
It's a full-sized navy jumpsuit covered in steel buttons and dark grey padding, similar to a gambeson. The suit is slightly baggy at the bottom but it is tucked into some dark boots. A matching gear belt sits on his waist along with similar smaller ones strapped on his thighs, sacks and carriers all lined up among them. A dark cloak rests on his shoulders, obscuring most of his upper torso, the ends tethering behind him like shredded bat wings while the hood sags behind.
You eye the weapons he carries. Most of them look to be small throwing knives carved out of rocks but two actual blades rest on either side of his thighs in the belt. Topping it all off, two bows and a quiver, filled with arrows, sit securely on his back.
Huh...judging by his attire...he must have some classes in Scout and Rogue. However, there is no doubt in your mind that heâs a Ranger.
This reminds you-you need to do stat checks on some people once you figure out how magic works.
âœThank you for keeping SÅ company. I can take it from here.â
The three let out sighs of relief, thanking Vance before retreating quickly without as much as a second glance in your direction.
You let out a huff of your own, relaxing just a tad now that youâre with someone who isnât openly petrified or disgusted by your existence. âœ...I must say that I prefer your company to theirsââ
Vance remains in the doorway as he observes your floating form. âœWere they rude to you?â
âœI wouldnât call it rude...itâs justââ Your voice tumbles off as you scratch your neck. âœThey only stared at me...but...well, I, uh, mmâ. Iâm not used to being stared at...er, treated like Iâm some sort of bomb ready to explode at any second.â
âœ...how are you used to being treated then?â He prompts, leaning against the doorway and gesturing with a hand. âœI know you spoke of your creations but you didnât say anything as to how you were treated besides the...cults that you said worshiped you.â
âœO-oh, well...I guess it depends on who youâre talking about. But...Iâd say overall, I was...well-liked.â You smile slightly as you realize what youâre saying is true.
You are well-liked. Fond memories of close friends of yours blossom forth, nights spent chatting and having what fun you could. Those who enjoy your games take the time out of their lives to personally thank you and explain how you changed their lives. Those who are supported by your donations, smiling as they can get clean air to breathe, food, homes, and more.
âœHuh, I guess I am well-liked where I come from.â
âœNo one minds that youâre not human? Or is it because you came from a place where there are no humans?â
âœ...â
A dilemma here, it seems. Do you give away information about Earth or of your avatarâs realm?
Hmm...what if you worded it in a way that it fits both scenarios?
âœNo, there were humans where I come from but also creatures of all sorts. We learned to co-exist more or less so my appearance wasnât an issue.â
Thatâs right. The Citadel and Earth both have humans within them but the difference is that the monsters of Earth arenât separate beings from mankind.
âœMonsters can co-exist among humans? Iâve...never heard of such a thing.â
âœItâs more common than you think...at least where Iâm from. Thereâs still...problems amongst races at times but those are usually isolated incidents motivated by stereotypes and assholes.â
âœSo...the monsters donât kill humans?â
âœ...No. Monsters do kill humans.â You look away, images of the news and seeing corpses lying in the streetsâ âœBut itâs just as common as humans killing monsters, monsters killing monsters, and humans killing humans. At some point, the line between monsters and humans blur and it only comes down to appearances and motives. I can say for a fact that Iâve seen humans whose evil can challenge that of any monster and monsters whose kindness surpasses any human. In the end, the majority wants to live happily in peace. Itâs only the greedy and selfish who are the evil you need to look out for as they can take any form, man or beast.â
âœI seeââ
You both let the sudden silence sit in the air for a moment to collect your thoughts.
Vance collects his moderately quick, only fifteen seconds had passed when he opens his mouth again. âœHave you ever killed a human?â
âœNo-â You responded immediately, as that is the truth, but you catch yourself as it isnât fully true.
Yes. You, yourself, do not have blood on your hands as you are merely a programmer and game designer.
However, you have designed games that motivated people to get surgery to have intracranial ports implanted to themselves. That has caused paralysis and deaths in some cases. Not to mention those who couldnât afford the surgeries would sell their lives to those with the money to receive support to get the surgery done. Those whoâd do so would either become slaves or be harvested of their organs once they reached a certain age, from what youâve heard.
A death sentence you indirectly have a hand in.
Itâs something that weighs heavily on your being but youâve always reasoned with yourself that they had the freedom to choose to risk their lives for your games. Youâre just the dealer and they chose to be the buyersâ
But besides your true self...your avatar undoubtedly has blood on their hands with the amount of times players came to challenge them. Humanoids, demi-humans, and heterotrophs alike. You did not discriminate as your avatar. Any whoâd face you, even if they werenât directly attacking SÅsaku-sha, would not escape your slaughter.
But, neither of those cases are you directly killing real people. What should you tell Vance then? Your answer will affect the way he sees youâ
What should your answer be?
No, Iâve never killed a human.
Yes, Iâve killed humans.
Chapter End Notes
LOST ROUTE (COMPLETE)
1â†'2â†'5â†'10â†'58
- data archived -
- Opening new ROUTE -
DEAL OF GOLD
Your pathway so far:
61
Whoo! You've achieved your first CHECKPOINT!! When you progress far enough in the story you'll meet stopping points like this. Think of it as completing a story arch or a level in a game. It doesn't affect the story. All this does is assist you with navigating larger sections and helps me keep track of plots (The stats gained/lost are a part of that). Your RELOAD has now changed, taking you to this chapter continuing on through the ROUTE. If you need to go back to the start of your last ROUTE go to the notes section on the top of this page as the link is still active there. If you have any questions let me know!
As for Vance's inquiry, what would you say? I'd think I'd say I've never killed a human before; but what about you? Would Vance believe you even if you say you haven't?
RESET
RELOAD
- Rerouted -
PREVIOUS
DEAL OF GOLD 1:3
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shutdown. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to face whoever they may be, leading to a deal of gold.
Chapter Notes
Big chapter incoming! Much is covered throughout but the biggest news of all: It's the end of a ROUTE! If you need to go back at all, now is the time because your timeline will be archived and you won't be able to RELOAD your previous ROUTE after this! For those progressing, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and the new ROUTE you've set out on!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
âCHECKPOINT SAVEDâ
- LOST ROUTE COMPLETE -
Cleared branches:
1, 2, 5, 10, 59
XP gained:
1 NW Rep
-30 Bourn Rep, 4 Rep,ãŠCoin Assistã‹3 Rep, Total: -23
10 Touch Appalled, data archived: Core Trait
3 NW INT
2 Avatar INT
- Total XP will be displayed at next check point -
Relationship Status:
Nate: HOSTILE
Liam: TENSE
Vance: SKEPTICAL
Barry: TENSE
- Others met been classified as Bourn Rep due to lack of personal interaction -
- Update complete, proceed to new ROUTE -
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The landscape, biomes, and your gameâs inhabitants are what you kept the focus of your talk on.
The frozen tundras of Hel and Jötunheimr in contrast to the fiery pits of Muspelheim. The outfits humans dawned in comparison to other humanoid races and comparing it to what youâve seen in Bourn. The exotic extent of meals through the realms one can partake in. The actual labeled âGods and Goddessesâ of the realms located in Asgard and Vanaheim to combat their assumptions about you, though that brought up more assumptions when they pointed out that you âcreated themâ, albeit indirectly. The cosmic ones slumbering in the abyss, not to be named unless to awaken. Weapons forged by the dwarves in NiÃavellir and so on...
You hadnât mentioned anything about the players, your realm, or any information pertaining to the extent of SÅsaku-shaâs abilities though. You donât want to jeopardize your safety or the safety of other players if they are here.
Barry and Vance had both listened, mostly unbelieving until youâd go into more detail into what theyâd doubt or question. What caught Vance's attention, in particular, was when youâd start talking about certain creatures and the magic system in your game while comparing it to the knowledge they had provided to you about their own.
You can tell that he was about to start asking you questions but knocking at the door once again interrupts your conversation. The three of you watch as men of varying ages shuffle into the room, glaring and eyeing you cautiously, to give you the final estimateâ
The chieftain hums as a stranger to you finishes whispering into his ear and the old man turns to you. âœThe damage you inflicted is going to cost you a gold and eleven silver coins. Do you have that much on you?â
You have way more than that and based on what they taught you about the currency of their world you sum that up to be around 111,000 crypt-yen, a currency youâre all too familiar with with the digital age in Japan. Thoughâit seems to be a little pricey for a hole, especially since it's the middle ages so their prices should be a little lessâ. But you remember that you destroyed some of their produce and poisoned a majority of their pigs with, evidently, very valuable drugs. Plus...this is a different world compared to Earth so you canât necessarily compare this realmâs economy to the medieval age of your world.
You want to question how theyâve come up with the summary so you can evaluate the legitimacy of their bill, the business side of yourself coming into play due to your time with some of your...associates. However, you know they donât have documents you can scan over. In no way were they collecting it digitally. Likewise, you doubt that they had been writing down their searches and calculating with paperâ
Did they use math?... Can they do math?â No, they have to be able to know some basic math for them to be able to estimate the price as they have.
But that still means you wonât be able to look anything over. Youâll have to trust their oral report.
Not good. No. Not good at all. Especially how theyâve shown what they think about youâ. However, youâd just be wasting time getting them to explain how they came up with the bill since youâre not a financial expert on construction, drugs, livestock...and whatever else has to be considered.
Youâll just have to trust that they respect fairness and Barryâs integrity to give you an even price.
Mmmmâ.
Grumbling to yourself, you nod. âœI do...but we may need to do some exchanges of coins. Iâm only carrying gold so youâll have to compensate for what I overpay. Is that okay?â
Many eyes widen and lips pinch together at the information but Mr. Long nods, âœI understand. Weâll pay you back if you indeed give us gold.â
...You flex your fingers.
Okay, moment of truth. Players would need to use the console to bring up items but you donât have that option now. Youâll just...have to try to open your item box just like how you tried to drink the tea and how you used Ascend. You just have to try...or youâll be in deep shit.
Raising your hand, like you would trying to open your menu, you think about accessing your item box-
And your hand disappears into a dark fog that has appeared in the form of a small portal.
You almost gasp the same way the other men in the room do at the display. Cautiously, you try to grab a hold of the small gunny sack that holds your coins. When a coarse fiber meets your hand you slowly retreat your arm from wherever it has gone to take out whatever item is in your hand. You pray that it isnât something threatening-
Your hand frees from the dark mist and the portal dissipates, revealing a cantaloupe-sized sack that appears to be withered and fraying. It is made up of many different types of purple fabrics all sewn together with a small tassel hanging off of the bottom of it. You immediately recognize it as your Bottomless Bag.
Despite the name, it does have a limit to the items which it can hold but it extends a player's inventory by fifty slots. It is a...mmm, difficult isnât the right word to use but it is hard to obtain one of these bags as it only allows players level 75 and up to obtain. Those players would also have to collect rare items across Yggdrasilâs worlds to craft the bag. They'd have to farm the items, trade, steal, or just buy the actual items off of the gameâs store website.
After that, theyâd have to either find an NPC who can craft the bag, craft it themselves, or find a player who has the crafting stats to produce it for them. The fastest way a player could obtain it would be buying the entire bag off the gameâs store but because of the large price on it and it wasn't incredibly hard to make, players often chose to go the hard route. Once a player equips the bag it binds with the player, forever fusing the extra fifty slots to the playerâs inventory. One reason why the item cannot be traded.
Aside from the pack filled with goldâyou never had your avatar carry much unless you knew there was a raid headed your way. Youâd be stacked a little more if soâbut you know for a fact that you hardly have anything on youâfor good reason though.
Youâd need the space in your inventory to do farming and grinding on your off time throughout the Citadelâs levels so, every time youâd leave the server to return IRL, youâd routinely empty what you didnât need. Mainly, it's a habit you developed to save time. Why worry about storing them away when youâd inevitably return when the farms are ready to be harvested again? Doing it before you leave allows you to go straight to work when youâd log back in. That, and if thereâs a sudden player raid you have time to join and intercept, you donât want to log in just to be scurrying to rid your inventory of unneeded items. There are other reasons for this habitâhoweverâitâs backfiring on you now.
You know you have nothing but your basics.
No armor, weapons, tools, potions, or anything else normal players would carry on them at all times. Youâd mostly rely on magic and physical stats while you made your rounds, as well as a few summoned beasts and Druid materials. Oh, how you regret not having anything now. All you think you have on yourself is data crystals, seven...err...no, eight...yes, eight spell scrolls, and a few other items that you have no use for. However, youâre just happy that you were able to pull out your gold for the time being.
âœHere we are.â You place the sack in front of you on the table. Despite it being filled with coins, it doesnât clank when you place it down; in fact, it doesnât make much noise at all, having you believe that it has something to do with magic. Untying its silver, laid, nylon rope strands, the opening of the sack loosens. A choir of awe sounds out as you proceed to reach in and pull out one glittery gold coinâ
A realization suddenly hits you and makes you stop from pulling out the second. âœBefore we start this transaction, I want to check something with you.â You lean over the table and hold out the coin for the chieftain to take. âœThat is a coin that originated from Yggdrasil. Do any of you recognize the designs?â
Yggdrasilâs coins are engraved delicately, both sides with the words âœYGGDRASILâ wrapped around the top portion of the images each side holds. The head has the left side profile of a woman with long flowing hair. Originally, the gold coins had the face of a man sealed upon them, before Valkyrieâs Downfall Event, and were switched to a profile of the woman afterward. In addition, it has the gameâs release date below the woman, stating âœSINCE 2126.â The tail is the world tree of Yggdrasil with the snake, Jörmungandr, encircling it.
âœN-no, I havenât. How very interesting.â The old man flips the coin through his fingers a couple of times with a pinched brow before handing it over to another man to look at it. It goes through the hands of every single man in the room and they all give similar replies, having never seen the coin before. You suspected as much but you wanted to check and make sure. But when it lands in the hands of a man that appears a decade younger than you IRL he speaks his mind.
"How can we be sure this is gold? The monster may be trying to trick us."
"I can swear on my name that what you hold in your hand is one hundred percent pure authentic gold." Even as you feel a rush of heat flare as you deny the accusation, the man's dark eyes shift over to his companions
"How can we be certain it tells the truth? It could be trying to rob us..."
Just as a few agree with the fellow, you interject, "How can I rob you when I'm the one paying you for an accident? I'd gain nothing from this if the coins I hold are fakes."
"Except the coin that we'd have to pay back for the supposed gold." A man similar in complexion to Seth retorts to which you scoff at.
"Why would I give a sh-ehmâ I'd rather keep the coin I have than what you'll have to return to me..." Though...it could be really helpful to have some coin from this world which you can use later on but for the argument's sake, you don't admit to this. "Though with that being said, I know what I have to pay and all I have in my possession are those coins. No others. If you have to, do what you need in order to figure out what material it's composed of. Then you'll know that no lies come from my tongue...or...lack thereof."
"Are you sure, SÅ?" Barry raises his voice to clarify, "We'd have to scratch its surface to test its durability."
That gives you pause, "...Will it damage the coin?"
"Yes, it will."
Your chest tightens at the confirmation. The collector's side of you screams in agony at the thought of them damaging one of the only things you have left of your game...however, your side of reasoning says...
"Well...it will be yours soon, not mine...so I'd say go for it if you're willing to disfigure your coin. But let me ask something before you go about it..." You hold your palm out to the one still holding the coin. Perhaps intimidated by having a âmonster's attentionâ on him, he hurriedly tosses the coin at you which you're quick enough to maneuver to catch. It flares up a nasty heat in your throat but you keep your composure to move on to your second point. âœSo...none of you have seen a coin like this before?â
âœNo, it doesnât seem like any of us have, SÅ.â
âœHah, okay. I was only double-checking because I wanted to see if I could even use this here and how this coin is compared to your own.â You gesture to the gold piece in your hand, âœIf youâve never seen a gold piece like this before...wouldnât its value be different than your own? I suggest figuring out how much mine is worth before we start damaging and exchanging it. Who knowsâmaybe mine is worth less than yours...â
You notice many menâs faces slip into a frown at your words, informing you that your hunch might be right. It's one of the reasons you think the one guy brought up the integrity of your coins. True, they may be genuinely concerned if they're real or not but that doesn't change the fact that...
Your coins may be of higher value.
âœAh, yes. Mat, could you head into the closet inside my kitchen and get my scale and weights for me? They should be on one of the left shelves.â A blond man nods and makes his way out of the room while Barry turns to another man. âœFrank, could you hand me that?â The younger man does so and a wooden box is given to the chieftain. You can tell by the noise it makes as it is handled that it is filled with coins. Barry thanks Frank and opens the box toward himself, pulling out three coins after some shuffling. âœHere is one copper, silver, and gold coin. Take a look at them if you wish.â He repeats your motion, leaning over the table to hand them over to you.
When they're dropped into your hand, you pull them in close and you start to observe the designs of each. All of the coins are odd in shape, having uneven sides, and different engravings on each.
The copper coin is the smallest of the bunch, being half the size of the other two. The head of the brown coin is that of a...you can only guess the right profile of a human in a Roman helmet with a horseshoe and an olive branch hovering around the figure. The tail has four circles interlaced into one that envelops a cross at the center.
The silver pieceâs head has the right side of a bearded manâs face at the center, a circle surrounding the image. Strange symbols wrap around the top of the circle while a rope does the same at the bottom. On the backside is a strange bird, facing what looks like a lantern and away from a bolt of lightning.
Lastly, thereâs the gold piece. The silver and the gold are the same sizes but you can tell a lot more work has gone into the design of the last coin. The head holds, at the center, the right profile of a manâs face that looks oddly similar to Julius Caesar. The head is wrapped up similarly to the silver coin, having a circle surrounding the manâs face while more of the strange symbols wrap around the top half of the circle. However, instead of a rope at the bottom, thereâs a grain of wheat taking its place. In addition to that, a stippled circle wraps around the entirety of the designs on the front as well as on the back. The tail appears to be a compass and, while the shape points in a position, the strange letters or runes are set up in an x position. Finally, at the center is an eye with pointy extensions sticking out from its empty core. It reminds you of the âfollowers'â rendition of your avatar's symbol, something used sparsely throughout Yggdrasil. The symbolism and lore behind it are vast so you only have a smidge of recollection before you gloss over the comparison.
With the new gold piece in hand, you hold it up to your own to compare the two. The difference is drastically evident and you suddenly become proud of yourself that you thought to check this out before you started trading coins. âœMmm...I see. My coin is twice the size of your own...so...if we are only speaking about gold value here, Iâd say my coin is twice the price of your own. Wouldnât you say?â
âœYes...that seems right. Weâll have to weigh them to see.â
"Would weighing them alone prove they're gold? I'm only asking to see if there's a way to avoid marking the coin."
"Afraid not. Some minerals can equal the weight of a gold piece and your coin is considerably larger..."
Nodding slowly in displeasure, you continue. âœI see...but I canât help but speak whatâs on my mind. My coin is worth more than double the price of yours. Itâs either four to five times the worth of your own.â
âœWhat are you saying?!â
âœHow so?â
âœAre you trying to trick us?!â
âœNonsenseâ
Before the men around the room could yell out any more you hold up a hand to cut them off, âœHear me out. Hear me outâ. Iâm a creator so that means I have the eye of an artist. Because of that, I can tell you straight that my coin would be appraised at a much higher price because of its design. Look-â You hold up the coin from this world in between some of your fingers of your left hand-âœI can tell that these coins were each produced by hand by the way the artwork and engravings are shaped, in addition to the actual shape of the coins themselves. While these are fairly nice in design,-â You hold up the coin from Yggdrasil in between the fingers of your right hand-âœcompared to this, it looks pretty messy. My coin is much cleaner in appearance, something that an engraver would have an extremely difficult time producing in a timely manner with the technology I suspect your world has. In addition to thatââ
You place the coin in your left hand down on the table, with the silver and copper, to take out another coin from your pouch. You hold it up the same way you did with the other, âœeach of my coins looks identical to one another, unlike yours. Not only is it difficult to produce one coin of such clean shape but two without any abnormalities between them only increase their value, as it shows consistency. I can say that my coins werenât produced the same way as your own is which is why it appears the way it does. Because of this, a true craftsman would strive to find ways to replicate the methods these coins were produced with to raise the value of their coin, in turn, increasing the price of these.â
Gathering all of the coins, you lean over the table once more to hand them all to Barry so he can look at them. He seems interested in comparing the two Yggdrasil pieces to each other. âœOn top of that, theyâre a foreign coin. Although that doesnât increase the value of it in itself, they are coins that carry the knowledge of technologies beyond what seems to be available in this nation or kingdom. People will strive to gain that knowledge because if they can get a hold of information, from a civilization that can produce coins like these, it can increase the security, prosperity, and wealth of one's nation. This is possibly the main factor in why I believe my gold coins are worth so much more than your own. With all that said, I want you to take caution with scratching the coin since it will ruin the value it has in art. Do it last amongst everything, that is my advice.â
Just as you finish speaking, Mat comes back in with a money changer scale and a wooden box in hand and places them in front of the chieftain, where he sits.
âœThank you.â Barry spreads everything out in front of him so he can get to work.
As the chieftain starts comparing weights from the box to one of the Yggdrasil coins, Sethâs look-alike clears his throat before stepping forward from the back. âœDo you just expect us to believe that these are worth that much more because of that?! Some of the things youâve mentioned are hard to believe. It just makes me think that youâre just trying to get out of this cheaply!â
âœYouâre right. I am trying to find the cheapest method, but for reason. These coins hold great value to me, beyond what I'm saying theyâre worth because they originate from my homeland. Iâd rather not give them to you at all. Iâm only doing so because Iâm at fault for your losses. I could have used magic instead to fix your issues but Iâm honestly not confident in my abilities at the moment afterââ You scratch your neck remembering your mind becoming foggy in the barn, âœ...after I fell and hurt myself... Besides...Iâm sure the display of power would have frightened you all and I did not want any of you to become hostile with me. I despise needless deathââ
âœW-what does that mea-â âœI see.â Nate interrupts the thin fellow as he crosses his arms, âœI also agree that they may be worth more than what meets the eyeââ You both watch as Mr. Long puts on another small weight to one of the two platforms present on the scale, âœHowever, it's not up to us to dictate the worth of art. Not all merchants will appraise the same so we canât afford to risk the loss of compensation. How about you just pay us what theyâre actually worth? Hm?â The boy sends you a slight smirk, knowing full well what he is saying to get what he wants. Although you can appreciate the way he expertly crafts his words, you know heâs trying to suck out all the gold he can out of you. However, since you were already going to increase the price if they were kind to you, his words donât get under your skin.
Barry coughs as he displays what he has discovered, âœItâs as heavy as about two of our gold coins, just as you suspected SÅ.â
"Woah..." Men all around the room stare at your coins in amazement.
âœ...So this means if itâs real gold, we keep the one coin and pay back what we can to even the score.â Nate grins, wetting his lips as his eyes flick back and forth between the coins near Barry and your pouch.
â.
Your stomach twists uncomfortably at the hunger of the men as if you swallowed a ball of grease.
Clenching your fists once more, your chair lets out an unholy creek as you slowly stand up, your form steadily towering higher over the heads of those around the room. The villagers warily give wide berth to your movement, outright intimidated by your height evident by how their expressions morph into ones of panic. But you have to do this. You may not get another chance if you let things continue as they are becauseâ.
You have a different idea in mind.
As quickly as you can muster, you use your avatarâs large body to cut the gap across the table and swipe your two coins back before returning as you were.
You were so swift you had to take a moment and second guess if you moved in the first place but the feeling of cool coins in your fist reassure you that you did what you set out to do.
Huh, guess your avatarâs speed is still there.
None of the villagers appear to have caught your movement either. Not a single one out of the thirteen crowded in the small space, nor the six outside the doorway. All of them were looking at you too. Nothing. No reaction whatsoever.
Either theyâre all in shockâor you must have moved so fast that they didnât see you move at all. Now that would be some fucking speed right there.
The sound of the scale tipping over has some break eye contact with you, only then do they notice the coins missing. Before anyone could question what happened you speak.
âœ...Iâll tell you whatâ.â With your free hand, you pick up your sack and purposefully make a show of dropping a coin into the pouch. The ones who hadnât figured out they disappeared do a double-take of where they were originally, puzzled by how you were able to obtain them, while others squint your way suspiciously. âœI am aâfan of betsâ. So, I want to propose something I think we all can benefit from. Hold on, hold on- We can continue like we are, yes,â You clarify as you see indignation spur through the small crowd, certainly not pleased by what youâre indicating; you hold up your coin to rear those thoughts back into an attentive one, âœbut please spare your ear just long enough to hear what I have to offer.â
You know that taking the coins back the way you have could put you in a less favorable lightâbut letâs face it, they seem dead set on despising your existenceâand you have good reason for acting out.
The way their eyes glazed over once the value of your coins was taken from weightâitâs a familiar sight. One you despise. Itâs something youâd see everywhere back home. Back on Earth. Seedy business associatesâlong fingernail alley squattersâpoliticians with empty promisesâcard happy gamblersââfamily friendsâ with voids for pocketsâyour parentsâitâs an evil that destroyed your world and everyone's future on it:
G r e e d
Itâs why your stomach coiled at the sight of their silent eyes. Greed makes people crazy and sick. Do irrational things. Do unfair and evil things. And with you, a monster appearing so rich in coin? They could kill two birds with one stone. Get rid of a beast and become rich beyond their wildest dreams. A win-win.
You squeeze your wallet at the threat you sense.
None of them may have said anything outright concerning your fear, nor have whispered it amongst themselvesâyour hearing allowing you to catch the murmurs of those outside the room and beyondâbut their eyes speak louder than wordsâ
Yesâmaybe youâre reading into deepâ. Maybe your past is fogging your rationality with anxieties untrueâ.
â.
Mmmâ.
You trust yourself. Your mind may be different in some ways with this new body, but you havenât changed. You are you. And you donât trust those eyes.
And you heard the scathing remarks of the villagers when you left the barn. You know they already want to kill youâand you know they want your payment. Taking those coins back avoided the scenario of them trying to keep them for themselves, thinking they have power over you by outnumbering you.
All and allâyouâd say your paranoia is justified.
Displaying your ability to take back the coins, even if they didnât catch your movement, shows some unleveled ability that you will defend yourself and your belongings. Itâs an indirect message saying, âDonât fuck with me or all of you are fucked.â
Itâs a delicate balance that youâre trying your best not to overstep.
Not too compliant to be stepped over, robbed, and/or killed, and not too threatening to fail in negotiating and obtaining compromise.
Since no one acts or words their displeasure you assume the message has been sent. Despite this, you have another reason for acting out as you did.
You sit back down so youâre below the men, no longer towering over them. Hopefully, theyâll be more likely to take in what youâre saying at this level rather than cowering away. You deposit your pouch back into your inventory, only once your hand retracts empty do you continue. âœI can give you this and you pay me back. End of transactionâ.but imagine thisââ
Once they take the coin, thatâs going to be the end. Negotiations and your attachment here will be no more. Theyâll send you away. Chase you out of the village if you try to linger to learn more. You only know basics. The information Barry and the three kids let you in on is the bare minimum, enough for you to not appear too foreign if you find a place beyond here.
There is the option of trying to buy what you need from them. More information and a few materials would be nice and the silver you have after would suffice some. However, thatâd be a stupid mistake on your part.
They donât see you as human, they wonât treat you as such. The only reason theyâve been decent thus far is for the shiny piece in your fingers and to placate the monster. The moment you end this, youâll just be a monster again. Try what you might to buy what you need, decent commerce may be clouded by their fear and/or greed. Youâre likely to be ripped off or not be allowed to trade anything.
If you learned anything from business and financing if you want to gain anything more out of this deal with just the single coinâyouâre going to have to barter. Youâre in debt to themâbut that doesnât mean it should be a total loss to you. If this fails, you can fall back on plan B.
Howeverâyou donât think theyâll give up on a chance like this.
âœHow about I remain in your village until you go to get this coin appraised?â You jab the coin Nateâs way in a mock point. âœYou said it yourself that none of you can dictate the worth of art and that not all merchants will appraise the same. So I want to get propper worth if Iâm giving up something of value. Get a professional to look at this.â
Nate has the gall to tsk in your face even though itâs his own words being used against him, the very ones used to try to take more from you.
Good, you donât like him either.
You twirl the coin in your fingers so that the light catches on the edges, sparkling golden light across the room. âœThe price I expect this to be worth is three or more of your gold. If the value is less than what Iâve guessed...Iâll compensate you...plus Iâll double the number of coins Iâll have to give you for the sake of the trouble. Meaning, if I have to give this to make two, Iâll also have to give you one more for the price of four. You wonât need to pay me back where I overpay and, after that,â you twinkle your fingers as you throw your free arm to the side, âœIâll be out of your hair. However, if I am correct in my assumption and it's worth three or more piecesââ You clasp your hands together, propping up your elbows as you lean forward on the table, âœIâll be allowed to stay and live in this village as I please. Does that sound reasonable?â
Uproar commences-
âœWhat the-â
âœHell no!â âœNeverâ
âœMonsters arenât welcome hereâ
You sit quietly and wait for whatâs to come next since you know it will. All you have to do is be patient.
âœThereâs no way any of you can agree to thisâ
âœYeah, we already have the price set. Letâs just take that.â
âœBut four goldââ
âœWhat was that?!â âœJoseph, you got to be kidding meâ
âœNo, no. I agree with him. Thatâs a lot of coin for us.â
âœThatâs if this goes our way!â
âœI donât want to risk itâ
âœIf we lose it stays hereâ
âœBut we need this!â
âœWe need this thing out of here. The one coin is enoughâ
âœNo it isnât. The amount the one covers is barely enough. Do you think the dealers would be satisfied with the money? Thereâs already a shortage of black dust due to the abolition. Their prices have risen.â
Abolition? Is black dust an illegal drug? Why? There should be a good reason if soâ.
Earthâs history is filled with abolition movements, formulated either by the people or the governments running the people. Some were more successful than others. Some had justified or corrupt reasons. But beyond the law, seedy and backwater alley joints still practice all the sin and debauchery those movements tried to preventâ. Never mind, itâs practiced in public too. They may go by different names and cover themselves in documents to hide what they truly are.
Black companies for example are just another name for slavery. Japan, a little under a decade ago, attempted to abolish these corps. It seemed to work for a while from what you got out of your countryâs history but utterly failed in the long run as the world went under. People had to work harder since everything was falling apart, trying to salvage and restore what they could, to the point where death from overwork was glorified, stating they were âœHeros saving the world.â A gimmick to cover up the sweatshops. Because of that glorification, the norm for businesses now are these bloody monopoly houses. Corrupt and uncaring. If youâre not held down by a contract, looking for a new spot for labor only leads you to the same atmosphere if youâre lucky enough to be roped into a new one.
You thankfully sided with a portion of a corp that wasnât so work-heavy. It still has extortionate hours due to expectations, budgeting, time restraints, the whole shitshaz but, with the big success of four of your games, you were able to help out the work conditions for those part of your sector butâoverallâyour teams only made a portion of the whole of the company-
Youâre getting off track.
The knowledge of the sprout's legality in Re-Estize could prove as a good source of blackmail if you end up having to resort to it. The effectiveness of doing so, however, depends on how enforced this abolition is and for what reasonâ. Does make you wonder why theyâre being so open about something that could be illegal in front of youâ. Whatever the case, better to tuck this info for later and continue listening.
âœTsk!â
âœHeâs rightâ
âœOne should be enough though, even if we have to scrape by our finances.â
âœWould they be satisfied by that?â
âœWe canât risk thatâ
âœWe canât risk not taking this either!â
âœIf we do take this deal, how can we be certain this monster will keep its word?!â
Bingo.
âœI havenât lied so far. Why would I back down on my word?â Not exactly true but they donât know that.
âœBecause youâre a monster-â
âœAnd youâre human. Are you insinuating man canât also go back on their word?â Silence meets your response so you continue. âœI canât trust any of you eitherâbut I am because Iâm putting faith in manâs integrity. To progress, oneâs first step must be into the unknown. Only then, beyond fear, is where one can discover truth.â You canât tell if itâs you saying that or your avatarâs weird philosophical talk, but you move on. âœLikewise, you should do the sameâ. But I understand the need for certainty, so here-â You flick the coin hard enough that it tumbles across the surface of the table, clinking until toppling over and settling before the chieftain with a satisfying, ringing clatter- âœOne of you hold onto the coin until we get it appraised. That way it tethers me to you all.â
âœThatâs not a certainty! You could still run off.â
âœAnd what would you all lose?â You gesture over to Barry who tucks the piece into his palms. âœI leave, I get nothing and you all get two coins worth of gold. If anything, I have to stay to see this through. We both gain more by sticking to this.â
âœYou could try to take it back from us by force.â
âœThey did, somehow, get the coins back earlierâ
âœThatâs rightâ.â
Scratching your neck, a guttural rumble racks your chest similar to a grunt, âœIf you still donât trust me then donât let me know who of you holds the coin. Problem solved.â
Psh! What a joke. With SÅsaku-shaâs abilities, that wouldnât be able to stop you in any sort of way if you attempted to get it back. Not even slow you down.
âœAlright thenââ
âœWeâshould we do this?â
âœIt soundsânice.â
âœDid you all forget what happens if we lose this bet?!â
âœIf we lose.â
âœThatâs still a big if! Weâd have to let it stay hereâ
âœWe donât have to if we really donât want it here. If they win we can just force them awa-â B A N G
Your fists smash onto the surface of the table with enough force to rattle their supports as your head snaps to the boy who uttered such words. Every soul within the house jumps, a few let out startled shrieks, as your skin turns a blistering red with wisps of black smoke flowing off your shoulders. The fear aura you exude immediately paralyzes all in your vicinity and beyond, unbeknownst to you. Not realizing your avatar is doing this, you lividly assume itâs because of the aggressive display.
Fire spits across your tone as you hiss. âœAnd you all say I canât keep my word when you dare say to my face that youâll stab me in the back! Iâd call you all hypocrites but weâre beyond that at this point! I think rats would be a better fitting title to the scummy lot of you as most of you here have used your prejudice as an excuse to treat me as nothing but a throthing beast when Iâve been nothing but cooperative and generous thus far! Ironic that the âdemonâ youâre all so afraid of is more humane than the humans that surround said âdemon!ââ
Another rumble reverberates from your chest but this time more powerful in tone, enough to shake your form and cause the chair youâre cramped on to rattle pitifully.
âœO-okay, okayââ âœCalm down.â
âœYouâre the monster! Why-â âœShut up, Frank! Trying to get us killed?!â
âœTell it youâre sorry, Kite!â
âœI-Iâm sorry! Iâm sorry! I was speaking without thinking, okay?!â
âœIgnore him! Heâs just a kidâ
âœWeâll keep our word if we agree with this bet.â
Listening to their pleading words does allow time for some of your initial wrath to simmerâbut theyâre still referring to you as an âit.â
â.
What did you expect out of gutter trash? One rant wonât change the minds of idiots because idiots always think theyâre rightâ But you were triggered again. Getting aggressive out of nowhereâwellânot for no reason. It seems itâs your avatarâs response to being provoked or threatenedâalmost likeâactivating aggro mode to a BBEG, you being it.
That...that actually would make a lot of sense. SÅsaku-sha was a final boss in Yggdrasil and practically every standby boss and NPC wonât retaliate unless triggered in some way. You only started to fight players once they showed hostility. You never attacked when they approached you, when theyâd start buffing, nor when altering the environment around your standby position.
SÅsaku-sha only ever started to fight once provoked or attacked.
This could be the reason why you suddenly have no qualms murdering these villagers at times and feel the drive to do so.
Never in your life did you ever suspect to feel bloodlust...but here you are time and time again. Thank goodness you have self-controlâbut how good will that serve if they ever tried to attack you?
A shiver, sourced from wrath, causes muscles to flex along your body, straining to not do anything youâll regret. Digging your nails into the flesh of your neck to stabilize yourself some, since you canât do breathing exercises in this body, you growl. âœWhatever. Thatâs not the topic weâre focused on. Besides, I donât intend to stay here if I win and you all donât want me here.â
âœEh?â âœReally?â
âœI donât believe youââ
âœIâm telling the truth. If you really canât stand me being around for my appearance then I donât want to be around prejudiced assholes like you. The only one Iâve grown to appreciate among you lot is Mr. Long but that isnât enough. The toxic atmosphere isnât a healthy environment to be in for either side. I just want to know that if I ever need to be here, for any reason, I can rely on an open door. None of you have to be kind to me either if you hate me that much. Onlyâdonât be dickheads about it, am I clear? Iâll mind my business if you mind yours. Iâm not the type to be tread on. Besides, this can only come to be if Iâm right about the appraisalâso donât worry too much about my presence in your little squat.â
Youâre not going to stay here forever if you get this. Not by a long shot. You need to see what this world has to offer and find answers to your situation.
All the men exchange glances at one another at your news. You can tell that they really like the aspect of gaining more gold and you not being in their lives, so much so that none of them outright start denying your bet anymore.
Barry hums, closing his eyes in thought, "This is not my choice to make. SÅ," He opens his wise eyes to address you, "I'll need to talk to my associates and get their vote on the subject."
"Of course, take all the time you need." You lean back and curl your toes in the grass patch around your feet as you watch most of the congregation leave to discuss whether or not to accept your offer in a separate room from you.
It is a gamble on your part. Not a big one but you can still lose a bit more than what youâd like.
Youâre risking overpaying them greatly...but you understand that they are poor...well, poorish...and that the gold can help their condition. Besides, two gold coins are nothing compared to the hoard you have. Youâre just sentimental about what you have left of your game and youâre not so key to losing them. You made this bet essentially because it helps you find a way to root yourself to an established and safe location. Although they hate you, the fact that theyâre willing to debate on what to do is enough to know theyâre willing to grudgefully tolerate you. Even if you lose this bet youâll still be able to settle down.
To get the coin appraised, theyâll have to go somewhere; which means youâll be following them to make sure the coins are sold properly. You want to avoid the situation where either these villagers or the merchant, who will buy the coins, tries to pull the rug out from under your feet. If youâre right, you can live among people whoâve already adjusted to your presence although youâre...not human presently. However, if itâs truly less than what you think it is then youâll pay them and youâll be in a new location. Preferably, a larger town or city. More information flows through there. If you could get a job or a means to live there, youâll be golden.
Andâaccording to that map they showed you, the capital of Re-Estize, E-Rantel, is nearby. You have a sneaking suspicion that thatâs where theyâll go to settle this bet.
Afterwards?... You donât knowâ
Look for players? It seems like the right thing to do. You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? Mmmm...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Although youâre focused on possible plans, SÅsaku-shaâs alien mind allows you to focus on multiple things at once. Itâs as if you have a collective of separate brains all retrieving sensory info and numerous thoughts simultaneously, imprinting them to your core memory. A cos-computer, processing and calculating code through fast, high-performance, multidimensional systems. With that mental extension provided by your avatar, you smile inwardly, small sparks of green spotting your murky skin, catching the last of the vote taking place on the other side of the house.
A moment later, the men reenter the room and it is Barry who takes the initiative to inform you of the choice youâre already aware of, "We've all decided to accept your proposition. We'll expect you to hold up your end of the bargain as you expect us to." He holds out a thick hand for you to take; you stand up and grasp his firmly to seal the deal in front of the audience gathered, grounding your place into this new worldâ
But where it shall be...you have yet to know-
Hopeful, anxious, cautious, shy, troubled, worried, fear-
You jump away at the sudden intrusion of feelings that resulted from your contact with the old man, knocking over your chair as your back collides with the wall.
Both he and you stare at each other bewildered by just what transpired but you more so.
âThis is real.â keeps repeating in your head like violent waves upon a shore. Unrelenting the echo of your epiphany as dread laps at your soul, your core, as is sand by the salty tongues of the sea.
âThis is real.â
âThis is real!â
âThat man is alive!â
You had felt the warmth of his skin and the clamminess of the sweat that had built upon it. You felt how he was shaking and how his grip on you tightened. Not only that, you were assaulted by emotions you know werenât your own. You donât have it in your mentality at the moment to puzzle together as to what just occurred and frankly, you donât want to.
You force your focus away from the man to look at your-SÅsaku-shaâs shaking hand. Colors ripple rapidly across the surface, too many and too fast to contemplate their meanings. You rub your thumb over your middle and index finger as if to feel the phantom texture. You repeat the gesture twice more before bringing your other hand to feel your palm.
Smooth...soft...wrong.
You think you know the reason why but how you didnât think more of it is beyond you. The senses of taste and smell were altogether banned from fantasy worlds by cyber-tech laws. Yggdrasil had a system for eating and drinking, but anything consumed only affected in-game stats. Even touch was regulated to some extent. This was all so the game couldnât be mistaken for the real world.
And here you are...able to touch and smell.
âœWhat did you DO?!!â Nateâs furious voice brings you back to reality, âœWhat did you do to Barry?!!â
âœWha-I...I donât know what youâre talking about. I didnât do anything!â You weakly cry out as you watch the men around you pull out their weapons with new fever, their knuckles turning white around the handles. Skin sharply slaps to a scarlet hue, that heat from before flaring up once again. âœWatch it! Donât tempt me! I think this is all a big misunderstanding-â
âœAll of you, hold your horses!â Barry raises his voice to halt the younger menâs advances on you. âœSÅ didnât hurt me. They justââ He strangely looks at you before continuing, âœWhat...what was that? It was...I was feeling...more. More emotions, that is...did you put your feelings into my head?â
â.
Eeehhh?!
âœYou had felt my emotions?!â
âœI believe so.â All in attendance watch as Barry scratches his head. âœI know they werenât my own...it sounds like you donât know what you did and based on how you recoiled from my touch I can guess you realized something happened, though. Have you ever done that before?â
Beats of silence pass between the group as you run his words through your head like a record on loop.
Thereâs nothing you could say. What could you even say? This is all too strange and new to you! Who knows what the heck is happening! But...this isnât too bad. Youâre learning new things about your new body and this isnât any different. Maybe it's just another hidden trait of your avatar? Youâre finding out new weird ticks so maybe this is one of them? You sigh and become resolute.
Assume, if you were truly SÅsaku-sha, what would they do? Would that help? What would they think? Gazing at the anger and confusion among the crowd makes you consider a final question.
What would SÅsaku-sha say?
âœNo.â You switch to roleplay mode, having done it so many times back in Yggdrasil for players. âœIâve never had that happen when I touched another creature until now. It seems that we can share our feelings through physical contact.â
âœShare?!â
âœMmm, yes. I also felt yours, sir. I didnât sense any of your thoughts though. Just emotion. Was that the same for you?â
âœY-yes. I only got feelings.â
Thank God. âœThen itâs mutual, though...that is bizarre.â You drop your hand and contemplate how that even works. So anyone you touch now will experience the same thing as you do? Thatâll get annoying real quick, not to mention burdensome. Just another reason why you'll avoid touching others. Though...is it something you can turn off? Is it something along the lines of magic-
Wait, magic!
Is this a sign you can still use your magic?!
âœH-ha...well thatâs good.â Liam interrupts your train of thought with a nervous laugh, pointing in your direction but low. âœAnd I see how you fly now.â
âœHm?â A change of focus reveals to you that youâre now floating as youâre pressed against the wall. âœOh! It seems that Ascend still works.â
Yes, yes! This is further proof that your magic may still work and that your stats werenât affected. Were you shielded before? It would explain how you were able to survive a fall like that...though...that means youâre open now. In other words, vulnerable to attack.
Youâll have to continue playing safe.
âœDonât even think about escaping!â Nate hisses with his fist balled at his sides, taking a wide stance as he gets into an offensive position. âœI promise it wonât end well for you!â
A glower would be visible on your face if you had one, âœIâm not going to do that.â
âœAnd what makes me believe a word you say? How do I know that you wonât fly away the moment you find the opportunity to?!â
âœIâve already agreed to our deal and explained why, idiot. Were you not listening?! Why would I run if I have no reason t-â âœYou monsters are all the same! Youâre all selfish, murderous, greedy-â âœIt was a rhetorical question. I didnât want to hear an answer.â You interrupt back with your growing frustration with the young man.
You clench your fists hard enough that your skin makes a sound similar to leather gloves being strained. âœIâm not going to run away. Thatâs it. I said I wouldnât, so I wonât. I donât know how I can be any clearer with my words so that your pathetic little monkey brain can comprehend them. Shall my drumming echo of declaration reach the deaf ears of the daft?! Damn that, it seems! A monster canât keep its word as a man does, can it? But who's to say that a man can keep their word? A hypocrite and a fool. I am no different from you.â You point an accusatory finger at the glaring boy as he is dumbfounded by your speech. âœNay, I am different as Iâm not a blatant prick! Iâm NOT running away so shut the hell up!â
Electricity shoots through your glares as you both try to kill each other with looks alone. A tense silence stretches, all holding their breath as they eye the two of you to see who will act next.
However, a sharp thump interrupts it as Liam wacks Nate over the skull with a stick.
âœOW! Lia-â âœQuiet! Iâve had enough of you!â
Liam wacks Nate again and again, earning curses and pained hollers from the boy as he tries to evade his friend's attacks.
âœYou always do this! You always run your big mouth and get into trouble! *ThWACK!* You never learn! *ThwACK!* So then I have to take care of everything!!!â *THWACK!*
OW!!! FUCK-â âœMove it! Iâm taking you elsewhere so you donât get in the way!â
Everyone watches in stunned silence as Nate is roughly escorted out of the room by Liamâs beatings and out of the house soon after. Nateâs yelps of pain, swears, and demands to let him go back to keep watch of you are audible due to your increased hearingâ. Admittedly, you relish it.
Serves that nit right.
âœWell, that wasââ Seth crones pulling away from the scene that occurred.
âœIndeed.â Barry lets out a tired sigh. âœI apologize upon the boyâs behalf, SÅ. Heâs-â
âœNo need, Mr. Long.â A huff escapes your chest as you rub it over to smolder that odd heat. âœNothing came of it and...youâre not entitled to apologize on his behalf.â
âœAlright then...as long as it does not cause concern for...you.â He words himself very carefully, you notice.
In other words, as long as this monster doesnât do something we donât want, Iâll bow my head for Nateâs dickitry and racism.
The colors on your skin remain murky as he continues. âœNow that the day is here, letâs all get into gear and get to work.â Mr. Long confirms as he looks about the room. âœWe will need to patch up what we can with what we have. Plus, weâll need a cart prepared for the trip out to E-Rantel for the coins to get appraised. Might as well sell and collect items we may need while we have the bodies capable there.â He nods as everyone starts to shuffle out of the small room.
âœWhoâll keep an eye on...it while weâre working?â Mat grunts his concern, giving you a side-eye whilst he does so. âœNate and Liam have left. Should we get them back or have some of the retired stand watch?â
âœIâll handle things while theyâre gone.â Vance hums quietly in answer. âœTheyâll help with the cart prep. SÅ has made it clear that they wonât run so I shouldnât have issues being alone. Iâll need to fetch my gear first but Iâll be able to stay with SÅ after that.â
âœThen a few of us should stay backââ Mat nods as he eyes the fleeing crowd. Upon seeing his searching gaze, the men advert their eyes and shuffle out hastily to avoid the fate of staying behind.
Of course, Barry catches onto whatâs occurring. The stragglers, trying to shove their way out, are the ones Barry sees most fit. âœEthan, Kite, please keep Mat and SÅ company until Vance returns. He should only need a few minutes.â He continues as if heâs deaf to the two menâs sudden protests. âœIâll be needed, especially to clear up what has occurred last night to our folk. Might cause some misunderstandings if others speak for me.â
âœBut why me?!â âœWhy does it have to be three of us? The two of them are fine enough!â
âœBecause Iâve spoken.â Barry retorts, turning away to follow the crowd. âœBehave yourselves. You donât need to watch them for long.â
The grumbling boys join Matâs side as the four of you watch Vance follow behind with a brief, âœIâll only be gone for a moment.â
You say your goodbyes alongside Mat, causing the three to stare at you incredulously. And just like that, youâre alone with the unnerved lonersâ
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Wellllllllllllâ.
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This isâawkwardâ.
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Nothing is happeningâ. Theyâre staring at you and you backâin silenceâ.
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Tenseâ.silenceâ.
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God, it feels awful to be pinned to the wall like an ugly painting by their unblinking leers. The silence of the room only pronounces their actions, forcing you to remain as still as you can in fear of breaking some sort of cord of truce among you four.
â.
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But while the silence of the house may be stressfulâit melts away compared to what you feel around you. With the ample time waiting for Vance, you concentrate on your sensesâand by godâa whole new world opens up to you, amplified extraordinarily by your trained focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest ones came from the people, animals, filth, and waste of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You nearly gaged a couple of times upon catching some of them and the out-of-the-blue piss, shit, and BO smells, only the grace of whatever force that is torturing you allowed you the strength to keep it together.
Despite this, you do catch random sweet, sparky, and overall interesting scents. Some youâve never experienced in your entire fifty-plus years of life and others remind you of perfume or tea. Itâsâ stimulating and oddâ. Never have you thought of yourself as someone whoâd want to go around sniffing everything, especially since your homeworld was filled with smogâ.
But here you are wanting to investigate like a drug hound of theâyou donât know if pleasant is the right word yetâniceâunfamiliar smelly-smells?
Youâll have to get Vance to walk you around some if you can convince him to.
Another change, one youâre more familiar with, is your hearing. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you're picking up. The wind canât penetrate through the thicket and house shutters without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from a mile away. When you expand it-wow, BOY IT IS AN OVERLOAD!!!
*Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* *Waayllooop!* âœBella, come help me with this dear.â âœWahhh!â *Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap-* *Bulooop!* âœWhat are they doing?â âœYes, Mommy!â *Tistististististististististis-* âœWu-wu-wahhhh!!â *Sigh* âœOVER HERE!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœDid you get any sleep? *Yawn!*â âœHehehehe!â *Buk-bu-gawk!* *Sssooooooooooooooossssshh* âœBarry, why is it still here?!â âœHereâs your breakfast!â *NEIGH!* âœWhat do you think of it?â âœMy shoes donât fit meââ âœ*PLUUUURRRT!* Ugh-s-shit! I really shouldnât have eaten those beansâ. Messed my stomach upââ *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœThank you!â âœWhere is the monster? Is it gone finally?â *Oink! Oink!* âœHowâare you? With what happened last night?â âœWhere did I leaveââ *Sigh* âœEeeek! A roach! Get-Get it, AHH! GET IT, RALEIGH!â *Sniff* âœDamn it all, damn it all. Fuck! I shouldâve killed it. I need to kill itâ. Itâs a monster. Itâs our fucking job!â *Buk-bu-bu-buhgawk!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *fwoom, crackle, crackleâ* âœWahhhhAHH!â âœYou look handsome this morning~â âœHughâlook at that holeâ. Thatâs going to take some serious time for us to fix.â *Bizzz, bizz, bizz, biiiiiiiizzzz* âœNate, stop grumbling. While it is a monsterâthey didnât act like the others.â âœWhereâs Ethan?â *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Sssooooooooooooooooossssshh* *Nom nom nom!* *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* âœW-wait! It said its name is SÅ?! Why did you all need its name?!â âœAre these flowers going to be a problem? Iâve never seen them beforeâ. Should we bother digging them up? I donât know if theyâre poisonousââ âœWake up! Itâs time to get up!â âœMmmph!â âœIs it a fairy? H-hey! Stop that! Iâm only guessing that because of the flowers! It didnât look like anything else weâd seen. What do you think if youâre so smart?!â *Grunt* *Cough!* âœIt has gold?! H-how much?!â *Shhhuurrrk! Ffluump!* *Dripâdripâdripâdrip* *Tweet, tweet, twee, twee~* *Coo, coo!* âœDo you think itâs nice?â âœShut the hell up, Liam.â âœNot yetââ *NIEGH!* *Tistististististististististis-* âœWe made a deal with it.â âœTrade, stop picking your scab.â
You donât know how your mind can keep up with all the sounds, all the conversations, all the life that is occurring outside the room youâre kept away in. Itâs as if youâre in multiple places at once, all separate people listening to all separate things, and despite that, all the listeners are communicating in unison back to you. Like microphones sending back audio feed to a recorder processing the separate clips into one collabed timeline.
Like smell, hearing is odd and you canât feel one discriminating emotion during it all, due to its variety and mass. The fact that youâre able to think at all while also comprehending the sounds of Bourn and beyond boggles the human side of your mind. Itâs like all of this is on tab or separate folders still playing in the background but itâs also in the forefront. Likeâwhat?! Youâre avatarâs body is becoming increasingly more fascinating as you focus on more senses.
Though your touch doesnât do much while youâre using Ascend, it does tell you your back is to a cool surface and which way the breeze is coming from. The only normal sense thus far, besides the odd share emotions thing. Youâll have to find out more about thatâ. Vision youâre already familiar with in change, limited by the small room though it keeps you well covered from all angles. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret and, with the smell of feces ferment in the air, itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similar to how your other senses work.
There is something odd that you had noticed when you started to focus more on your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not going crazy when youâd feel things inside the walls and cracks only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin and itâd feel the most intense when youâd focus on particular organisms, mainly humans and other large livestock. Sensing life is, by far, the weirdest feeling amongst the six due to its alien nature. Almost as if static is maneuvering against your avatarâs flesh, buzzing with intensity depending on the distance and size of the beings emitting life energy. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
There are so manyâ. So much life it makes your skin crawl and twitch unexpectedly.
Bizarreâsuper bizarreâanother mark on the WTF bingo for you! You donât know whether to be terrified or eager knowing this is the tip of the iceberg. Just the ice shavings of the whole shit show this situation has in store.
Waahhhâ
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. Itâs keeping you very well focused, along with your other five, as you wait for Vanceâs returnâ.
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Augh...you just want to be back home. You were going to go to bed after the shutdown, uwahâ
What youâd give for some time to be alone so you can curl up and cry to sleep.
The whirlwind of emotions youâve been put through over the past few hours are more than enough to feel obligated to treat yourself. Even before being sucked into this alien world, Yggdrasilâs shutdown was its own concoction of feels...but with the bonus of the terrifying fall, your life being threatened time and time again, the realization that youâre stuck in your avatar in a COMPLETELY SEPARATE REALITYâ.
Are you going insane? It certainly feels like it. Either way, this calls for eating comfort food and taking a nice long nap.
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Could your avatar do either of those things?
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SHIT.
Why couldnât you have been put out of your misery in the barn?!!
Your chest rumbles in displeasure but you cut off the noise with a swallow when you notice the fearful response from the three.
Graah! So freaking annoying. You know why theyâre acting as they are since you were given a rundown of what occurs here. This isnât simply an unjustified, discriminatory bias. No. This comes from a roundabout phobia implanted in the minds of these villagers by the actions of âmonstersâ time and time again. You bet that out of all the âmonstersâ theyâve encountered, not a single one has acted as humane as you. If they had, theyâd have compared you to them. Alas, you may be the first non-humanoid creature that theyâve interacted with in civil likeness.
Despite this guess of yours, your body and mind canât help but get heated. Sure, youâve learned to bite the cheek whenever a racially slurred remark was sent your way back home. Better that than to waste your breath on people who just want to start a fight or get a lawsuit out of your retaliation. Itâs an unfortunate truth that youâd had to deal with from youth up.
People want to hate to the point where they feel it is a need. You donât allow yourself to fall into that habit since itâs a dark pit quick to get swallowed up in and hard to escape. All too often, people hate so much they canât find anything else to loveâ. That always leads to disastrous outcomesâ. Find no reason to live with hate. Live to hate. Take othersâ love to see if you can feel love or make sure youâre not alone in your hate. Hate so much youâll drag others down with you. Hate so much youâll destroy everything and every one no matter the cost.
Itâsâvery depressingâand with the world, as it is, destroyed by greed and hate, itâs ever the more case you try to stay out of that fog and be that helping hand. Youâd rather be the .1% of people who try to be good than to go with the tide.
How much good that didâ
â.
Better than doing nothing, than being a bystander watching Earth crumble. Helluva lot better than being a distributor of that toxicity.
If everything you have done thus far has been for noutâa futile struggleâyou can live and carry that to your grave pleasantly.
A lump settles on your throat bitterly as your red, irritated skin cools down to a droopy, murky blue.
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You hope youâve done something worthwhile.
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âBut going back to what you were thinking beforeâyouâve always been good with holding back your tongue during your hottest tempers. That being extraordinarily rare as youâre known to be pretty soft by those you associate with. Going along with adding to the hate, you donât like to display open anger to anyone. This includes most other negative emotions. Youâd always excuse yourself to take a breather if you feel that your emotions are getting the best of you. Again, rarely ever.
So, itâs a huge surprise to you how difficult it is to keep yourself in check as your avatar. In just the past few hours, youâve had to struggle on and off not to rip the lungs out of those of this village.
Itâs that heat in your chestâan itchyâirritating heatâ. Itâs alien; as if someone else is possessing your body when it occurs and you have to fight them off every time to prevent them from acting on their wrathâ
Technicallyâitâs you who is processing SÅsaku-shaâ.
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Your avatar canât have a life of its ownâcan it?
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Fuck. You donât want to consider it. Thatâs terrifying.
Is that heat your avatar trying to take control back?! What happens if it overpowers you?!
Ice claws at your back at the notion.
Ah-ahahahhahahaâ. Would you be able to come back or would you die?! Would you be stuck as a prisoner in the mind?! And the things you want to do in those moments of heat-even if itâs not the cause of SÅâs spirit but something else, could you live with yourself if you committed manslaughter?!
Youâd be defending yourself- âœShut up.â
âœH-huh?â âœWhat?â
âœA-ah, sorry.â Youâre quick to reassure at the confused remarks of the three. âœJustâtalking to myself. Ignore me.â
âœA-ahââ âœ...Sure.â
Muscles contract as you give the motion of swallowing the lump in your throat, trying to dispel it to no avail.
You canât do anything about the heat now. Just avoid triggering the feeling and fight it back until you can find the opportunity to figure more out.
Ughâone more thing to figure out and worry about. You doubt the ever-growing list will ever endâ.
Some of your thoughts tumble off, shifting your main focus to your backburner minds and senses as they alert you to an approaching life force getting real close to the house youâre cooped up in. Feeling the overall size compared to what youâve been picking up, you quickly deduce what and then who it is.
âœI think Vance has come back.â You hum as your shoulders drop, knowing that the time is short.
âœWhat?â âœReally?â âœHow can you tell?â
You didnât need to answer as the sound of a door creaking open at a short distance does so. Now it is the threeâs turn to relax as footsteps draw closer.
âœIâve returned. Hope I didnât take too long.â
Your attention snaps to the doorway where, you guessed it, Vance stands.
The young man in question approaches at a relaxed pace which gives you time to check out his...work outfit.
It's a full-sized navy jumpsuit covered in steel buttons and dark grey padding, similar to a gambeson. The suit is slightly baggy at the bottom but it is tucked into some dark boots. A matching gear belt sits on his waist along with similar smaller ones strapped on his thighs, sacks and carriers all lined up among them. A dark cloak rests on his shoulders, obscuring most of his upper torso, the ends tethering behind him like shredded bat wings while the hood sags behind.
You eye the weapons he carries. Most of them look to be small throwing knives carved out of rocks but two actual blades rest on either side of his thighs in the belt. Topping it all off, two bows and a quiver, filled with arrows, sit securely on his back.
Huh...judging by his attire...he must have some classes in Scout and Rogue. However, there is no doubt in your mind that heâs a Ranger.
This reminds you-you need to do stat checks on some people once you figure out how magic works.
âœThank you for keeping SÅ company. I can take it from here.â
The three let out sighs of relief, thanking Vance before retreating quickly without as much as a second glance in your direction.
You let out a huff of your own, relaxing just a tad now that youâre with someone who isnât openly petrified or disgusted by your existence. âœ...I must say that I prefer your company to theirsââ
Vance remains in the doorway as he observes your floating form. âœWere they rude to you?â
âœI wouldnât call it rude...itâs justââ Your voice tumbles off as you scratch your neck. âœThey only stared at me...but...well, I, uh, mmâ. Iâm not used to being stared at...er, treated like Iâm some sort of bomb ready to explode at any second.â
âœ...how are you used to being treated then?â He prompts, leaning against the doorway and gesturing with a hand. âœI know you spoke of your creations but you didnât say anything as to how you were treated besides the...cults that you said worshiped you.â
âœO-oh, well...I guess it depends on who youâre talking about. But...Iâd say overall, I was...well-liked.â You smile slightly as you realize what youâre saying is true.
You are well-liked. Fond memories of close friends of yours blossom forth, nights spent chatting and having what fun you could. Those who enjoy your games take the time out of their lives to personally thank you and explain how you changed their lives. Those who are supported by your donations, smiling as they can get clean air to breathe, food, homes, and more.
âœHuh, I guess I am well-liked where I come from.â
âœNo one minds that youâre not human? Or is it because you came from a place where there are no humans?â
âœ...â
A dilemma here, it seems. Do you give away information about Earth or of your avatarâs realm?
Hmm...what if you worded it in a way that it fits both scenarios?
âœNo, there were humans where I come from but also creatures of all sorts. We learned to co-exist more or less so my appearance wasnât an issue.â
Thatâs right. The Citadel and Earth both have humans within them but the difference is that the monsters of Earth arenât separate beings from mankind.
âœMonsters can co-exist among humans? Iâve...never heard of such a thing.â
âœItâs more common than you think...at least where Iâm from. Thereâs still...problems amongst races at times but those are usually isolated incidents motivated by stereotypes and assholes.â
âœSo...the monsters donât kill humans?â
âœ...No. Monsters do kill humans.â You look away, images of the news and seeing corpses lying in the streetsâ âœBut itâs just as common as humans killing monsters, monsters killing monsters, and humans killing humans. At some point, the line between monsters and humans blur and it only comes down to appearances and motives. I can say for a fact that Iâve seen humans whose evil can challenge that of any monster and monsters whose kindness surpasses any human. In the end, the majority wants to live happily in peace. Itâs only the greedy and selfish who are the evil you need to look out for as they can take any form, man or beast.â
âœI seeââ
You both let the sudden silence sit in the air for a moment to collect your thoughts.
Vance collects his moderately quick, only fifteen seconds had passed when he opens his mouth again. âœHave you ever killed a human?â
âœNo-â You responded immediately, as that is the truth, but you catch yourself as it isnât fully true.
Yes. You, yourself, do not have blood on your hands as you are merely a programmer and game designer.
However, you have designed games that motivated people to get surgery to have intracranial ports implanted to themselves. That has caused paralysis and deaths in some cases. Not to mention those who couldnât afford the surgeries would sell their lives to those with the money to receive support to get the surgery done. Those whoâd do so would either become slaves or be harvested of their organs once they reached a certain age, from what youâve heard.
A death sentence you indirectly have a hand in.
Itâs something that weighs heavily on your being but youâve always reasoned with yourself that they had the freedom to choose to risk their lives for your games. Youâre just the dealer and they chose to be the buyersâ
But besides your true self...your avatar undoubtedly has blood on their hands with the amount of times players came to challenge them. Humanoids, demi-humans, and heterotrophs alike. You did not discriminate as your avatar. Any whoâd face you, even if they werenât directly attacking SÅsaku-sha, would not escape your slaughter.
But, neither of those cases are you directly killing real people. What should you tell Vance then? Your answer will affect the way he sees youâ
What should your answer be?
No, Iâve never killed a human.
Yes, Iâve killed humans.
Chapter End Notes
LOST ROUTE (COMPLETE)
1â†'2â†'5â†'10â†'59
- data archived -
- Opening new ROUTE -
DEAL OF GOLD
Your pathway so far:
62
Whoo! You've achieved your first CHECKPOINT!! When you progress far enough in the story you'll meet stopping points like this. Think of it as completing a story arch or a level in a game. It doesn't affect the story. All this does is assist you with navigating larger sections and helps me keep track of plots (The stats gained/lost are a part of that). Your RELOAD has now changed, taking you to this chapter continuing on through the ROUTE. If you need to go back to the start of your last ROUTE go to the notes section on the top of this page as the link is still active there. If you have any questions let me know!
As for Vance's inquiry, what would you say? I'd think I'd say I've never killed a human before; but what about you? Would Vance believe you even if you say you haven't?
RESET
RELOAD
- Rerouted -
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
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RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
â.Fuck it.
Thereâs nothing you can lose for trying to get something out of this interaction, however, youâll try your best to maintain self-control to make this a peaceful interaction.
If all else fails, you can try spells again while you know youâre open. Charm and other mind-altering spells can persuade the creature. You can also try putting the fear of God in it if youâre able to hold yourself back enough not to kill it.
Even if you do end up killing this creature, it wonât matter since youâve already got blood on your hands. Plus, youâll gain its land, if you end up claiming it, and youâll have material for...clothes out of its hide if you figure out how to do that with your Craftsman perks. Possible food too if this creature is edible...though youâre still not hungry despite half the day has gone by.
âœIâm sorry. I donât mean to intrude on your home.â You hear it say âœAbove?â in a hushed tone before you continue to speak. âœMy name is SÅsaku-sha. I was led here by forest folk after I asked for assistance. Iâm lost, you see.â
âœNot my concern, you being lost is! And why speak as if one?! This one can tell there are two of you speaking!â
Not open for agreement but open for conversation. If you play this carefully you can manipulate it into agreeing. âœU-uh...itâs just me and you here. My voice just sounds like this.â
âœBelieve you, I donât!â
âœ...I guess you have a right to be skepticalââ Youâre careful with your words as it continues to hide from your sight, âœI wouldnât trust a stranger in my own home either. You must be...a very shrewd individual?â
Crap. You donât know how to address it, making you slip into a question at the end.
However, it doesnât seem to notice your slip, focused more on another point as it growls in tone. âœWhat do you mean shrewd?! What does that word mean, trespasser?!!â
Oh-oops. It thinks you were insulting it. âœTo be shrewd means to be knowledgeable or intelligentâI was complimenting you on acting smartly.â
âœO-oh HO?! R-really?â It sounds caught off by your flattery but the creature hurriedly hides their stumble of the lip with a haughty laugh. âœHmHMmm! That's right! Aware of this oneâs reputation, you must be!
âœN-no. I do not know who you areââ Or what you are.
It gasps in response, appalled by your words. âœWhat?!! How dare! Of this one, many fear and give reverence! I am the Wise King of the Forest!â
âœHuu?!â
Green rushes across your form like a river at its proclamation.
Yes! YES! You hit the jackpot!!! This is exactly what you need!
You smirk inwardly, swiftly mulling over the news.
This creature must hold many secrets to this world like some kind of mythical forest, guardian spirit, err, thing! Knowledge that you canât get anywhere else in the entire world! Never mind killing it! Itâs too valuable to opt for that route willingly.
This doesnât mean that youâll be able to succeed in holding yourself back if it makes you snap. Youâll have to try evermore to maneuver this interaction calmly. Almost like tiptoeing across a minefield, one wrong move and this will blow up into an all-out blood bathâ
Clenching your fists, youâre determined to milk this as best you can!
Youâll have to butter it up. If youâve learned one thing from being associated with those monopoly empires calling themselves âœcompaniesâ, there's no better way of marinating than kissing ass.
Thanking the deers for their extraordinary help, you honey your voice with a sickenly sweet tone, âœWow! Really?! You must be very wise then to have such a title!â
âœHUHU! Indeed, indeed! Stand up to this oneâs brilliance, no one can!â
âœI bet not! But how did one, like yourself, earn such a name, besides living up to it?â
âœHuu? Well, a human warrior who trespassed in the territory of this one addressed this one in such a way. Speaking of which, this one spared that warrior and that warrior alone because this one thought the name sounded quite impressive. Ah, how nostalgicâ•â
The color on your skin dulls a bit as it continues to rant.
What does that mean?... Hmm. Was this warrior they speak of strong or weak? With the way they worded it, it sounded like there may have been more people...or warriors that came alongside the one but got killed by the creature. How many were there?... Hmmm... Nevertheless, weak or strong, this creature was and is still stronger than those men. Was the warrior perceptive enough to give such a name to this type of creature? Did the Wise King show his knowledge to this warrior which gave them the idea of such a name...or was it an idea in the spark of the moment to survive its encounter by flattering it? Isnât that similar to what youâre doing? Flattering it to get your wayâ
A grimace marks your faceless features with dark splotches.
Is it even deserving of its title? Does it have the knowledge you seek? You hope it does.
âœHave you retreated? Quiet, youâve gone.â
âœA-ah no, Iâm still here.â You shake your head to rid the pessimistic thoughts. Any knowledge is good, so even if it isnât what you thought of it initially, youâll go about this the same way you were at the beginning. Besides, you havenât received much information to refute the legitimacy of its glorified title. âœIâm simply amazed that I have the chance to meet such a grand and wise being-â An idea strikes you like lightning and you continue- âœIf only I could gaze upon your form so I may truly grasp your majesty~â
Yes, you need to be able to see it to gauge its strength and more! Partaking in countless PvPs and encounters has trained you to be able to observe an opponent's skills just by looks alone, not to mention the spells used to divulge into a deeper overlook.
If you can get it to show itself to you, that alone could teach you many facts about this world!
What creature is it? Why is it stronger than those warriors? What makes it stronger? MAG? PHY? If MAG, would its magic be the same as Yggdrasilâs. Plus, how much MP does it have? What kind of cast build does it have? Sorcerer? Wizard? Druid? Something entirely new? Same for PHY. Is it Kingâs skills or body that make up its power? Itâs called the Wise King, not the Strong King. So does it have an INT build or an STG build? Does it have neither or both?
Would it be something you could match? Your avatar is strong but this is a new world. All you know is that youâre both stronger than humansâ
But you were wounded by a mere farm boy.
Rubbing your neck you continue, âœThen I can know who the Wise King of the Forest truly is.â
âœHermmmm...â It sounds like itâs struggling to decide, not wanting to give up its hiding spot.
Interesting. It seems smart enough to know that, while doing so could put you in its attack range, leaving its cover would do the same to it with you. Not to mention that King would give up its element of surprise, remaining hidden if a battle ensued. Not that itâd matter since your sixth sense shows you exactly where itâs located.
But complying with your wish could build up its esteem if youâre truly not a threat, plus it could give it a chance to observe you right back as you intend to do to it.
âœ... Bless you, intruder, with this one's form, I shall. However!-â The beast bellows, their voice echoing amongst the trees, âœDown from your perch, you must come. Unwise, this one would be, if I allowed a stranger to have the high ground!â
Color flushes back to your appearance.
Yes! Although a bit haughty, itâs still not acting in a way to refute its title.
But does this mean its attack range is short? A non-magical being then? It doesnât matter who has the high ground when youâre a magic caster...well, for the most part. For your current type, it doesn't matter.
Druids have par with Earth, not to mention youâre a Beast Tamer. Itâd be best for you to be near the ground for your higher-tier spells to work, unless you change your classes. You can command from afar like you are now, but still...greater defensive plays...skill perk conditions...command mantra...mm...overall, better to be near the Earth if you can. One with Nature is helpful. Plus, if you summoned some of your beasts, many arenât flying creatures so theyâd work best if they have a ground to stand upon.
This Wise King has no idea theyâll be putting themselves at a disadvantage, especially in a forest like this. Not to mention your Beast Tamer perks may be having sway on the compatibility with-HEY, HOLD ON NOW!!!
Could you tame this creature?!
You are maxed in that class...but do you want to deal with taking care of a creature you havenât identified yet? Youâre not even sure how you can help yourself yet. Why would you want another burdenâ. Would it be a burden?
Rahhh! Mull over this after you get a read on this creature!! Then see if itâs worth it!
âœIâm okay with coming down. Just know that I may be a creature youâve never seen before. Please do not be fright-*ahem, uh, put off by my appearance.â You correct yourself so that King doesnât assume youâre calling them a coward.
âœVery well. Come forth! But make any sudden movements, do not! Attack you if you try something fishy, this one will!â The threatening hiss it sends your way flares up the familiar hostility you felt the night prior...but you stomp it down to get what you want.
âœI wonât, I promise. Iâll inform you that Iâm currently flying up in the air right now. Iâll slowly float straight down from where I am and wonât deviate from that path. Is that acceptable, oh Wise King?â
âœFufu~â They cheer at the title, âœThis one does.â
âœAlright. Iâll come down nowââ
Ascend bends to your will and your form slowly lowers to the grassy forest floor.
Your vision remains wide but your focus is on three points.
One, the treetops.
Itâs the direction you plan to flee if things go wrong...but youâre feeling a little better now that youâre not so high in the air now.
Yes, the second is the grassy forest floor below. Itâs where you plan to land and it brings comfort at not being so high up anymore. But it does bring you closer to itâ
The third is where King remains hidden. You feel it shift slightly the lower you get, with your sixth sense, to gaze upon you through the shrubbery shielding it from your sight-
âœKAIIIEEEEE!!!â
You jump at the creature's sudden screech, freezing in mid-air around five feet from the Earth bellow.
âœW-what?! Why did you scream?!â You feel it thrashing around behind the greenery as if it was in pain and it wails, shrill and guttural in pitch. âœWhat happened?! Hello?!â
âœW-w-w-w-wh-what kind of HORRID M-MONSTER are YOU?!! S-such menacing aura!! Surrender, I do!! Please, PLEASE, h-have mercy! MERCY!â
...What? What the hell is this?! Why is it so afraid of you?! You havenât even done anything!! And not just calling you a monster...but a horrid monster above it all?!
â.
Why is it treating you like those humans... One look at you and youâre considered a beast!
You clench your fists, your skin darkening as you begin to shake.
Why are you being treated this way?! Because of your appearence?!!
âœI havenât done anything! Why are you acting this way?!â
âœEEP! L-leave me alone! Please! PLEASE!â
You feel it backing away as if getting ready to flee.
NO! You need the info!!
What should you do?!
Raise your arms in surrender.
Use magic to keep from fleeing.
Lay down on the ground.
Back away.
Stay still.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'63
Quick! How would you calm down the Wise King?! I'd try to make myself look as non-threatening as possible but would that help?
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:9
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
â.Fuck it.
Thereâs nothing you can lose for trying to get something out of this interaction, however, youâll try your best to maintain self-control to make this a peaceful interaction.
If all else fails, you can try spells again while you know youâre open. Charm and other mind-altering spells can persuade the creature. You can also try putting the fear of God in it if youâre able to hold yourself back enough not to kill it.
Even if you do end up killing this creature, it wonât matter since youâve already got blood on your hands. Plus, youâll gain its land, if you end up claiming it, and youâll have material for...clothes out of its hide if you figure out how to do that with your Craftsman perks. Possible food too if this creature is edible...though youâre still not hungry despite half the day has gone by.
âœIâm sorry. I donât mean to intrude on your home.â You hear it say âœAbove?â in a hushed tone before you continue to speak. âœMy name is SÅsaku-sha. I was led here by forest folk after I asked for assistance. Iâm lost, you see.â
âœNot my concern, you being lost is! And why speak as if one?! This one can tell there are two of you speaking!â
Not open for agreement but open for conversation. If you play this carefully you can manipulate it into agreeing. âœU-uh...itâs just me and you here. My voice just sounds like this.â
âœBelieve you, I donât!â
âœ...I guess you have a right to be skepticalââ Youâre careful with your words as it continues to hide from your sight, âœI wouldnât trust a stranger in my own home either. You must be...a very shrewd individual?â
Crap. You donât know how to address it, making you slip into a question at the end.
However, it doesnât seem to notice your slip, focused more on another point as it growls in tone. âœWhat do you mean shrewd?! What does that word mean, trespasser?!!â
Oh-oops. It thinks you were insulting it. âœTo be shrewd means to be knowledgeable or intelligentâI was complimenting you on acting smartly.â
âœO-oh HO?! R-really?â It sounds caught off by your flattery but the creature hurriedly hides their stumble of the lip with a haughty laugh. âœHmHMmm! That's right! Aware of this oneâs reputation, you must be!
âœN-no. I do not know who you areââ Or what you are.
It gasps in response, appalled by your words. âœWhat?!! How dare! Of this one, many fear and give reverence! I am the Wise King of the Forest!â
âœHuu?!â
Green rushes across your form like a river at its proclamation.
Yes! YES! You hit the jackpot!!! This is exactly what you need!
You smirk inwardly, swiftly mulling over the news.
This creature must hold many secrets to this world like some kind of mythical forest, guardian spirit, err, thing! Knowledge that you canât get anywhere else in the entire world! Never mind killing it! Itâs too valuable to opt for that route willingly.
This doesnât mean that youâll be able to succeed in holding yourself back if it makes you snap. Youâll have to try evermore to maneuver this interaction calmly. Almost like tiptoeing across a minefield, one wrong move and this will blow up into an all-out blood bathâ
Clenching your fists, youâre determined to milk this as best you can!
Youâll have to butter it up. If youâve learned one thing from being associated with those monopoly empires calling themselves âœcompaniesâ, there's no better way of marinating than kissing ass.
Thanking the deers for their extraordinary help, you honey your voice with a sickenly sweet tone, âœWow! Really?! You must be very wise then to have such a title!â
âœHUHU! Indeed, indeed! Stand up to this oneâs brilliance, no one can!â
âœI bet not! But how did one, like yourself, earn such a name, besides living up to it?â
âœHuu? Well, a human warrior who trespassed in the territory of this one addressed this one in such a way. Speaking of which, this one spared that warrior and that warrior alone because this one thought the name sounded quite impressive. Ah, how nostalgicâ•â
The color on your skin dulls a bit as it continues to rant.
What does that mean?... Hmm. Was this warrior they speak of strong or weak? With the way they worded it, it sounded like there may have been more people...or warriors that came alongside the one but got killed by the creature. How many were there?... Hmmm... Nevertheless, weak or strong, this creature was and is still stronger than those men. Was the warrior perceptive enough to give such a name to this type of creature? Did the Wise King show his knowledge to this warrior which gave them the idea of such a name...or was it an idea in the spark of the moment to survive its encounter by flattering it? Isnât that similar to what youâre doing? Flattering it to get your wayâ
A grimace marks your faceless features with dark splotches.
Is it even deserving of its title? Does it have the knowledge you seek? You hope it does.
âœHave you retreated? Quiet, youâve gone.â
âœA-ah no, Iâm still here.â You shake your head to rid the pessimistic thoughts. Any knowledge is good, so even if it isnât what you thought of it initially, youâll go about this the same way you were at the beginning. Besides, you havenât received much information to refute the legitimacy of its glorified title. âœIâm simply amazed that I have the chance to meet such a grand and wise being-â An idea strikes you like lightning and you continue- âœIf only I could gaze upon your form so I may truly grasp your majesty~â
Yes, you need to be able to see it to gauge its strength and more! Partaking in countless PvPs and encounters has trained you to be able to observe an opponent's skills just by looks alone, not to mention the spells used to divulge into a deeper overlook.
If you can get it to show itself to you, that alone could teach you many facts about this world!
What creature is it? Why is it stronger than those warriors? What makes it stronger? MAG? PHY? If MAG, would its magic be the same as Yggdrasilâs. Plus, how much MP does it have? What kind of cast build does it have? Sorcerer? Wizard? Druid? Something entirely new? Same for PHY. Is it Kingâs skills or body that make up its power? Itâs called the Wise King, not the Strong King. So does it have an INT build or an STG build? Does it have neither or both?
Would it be something you could match? Your avatar is strong but this is a new world. All you know is that youâre both stronger than humansâ
But you were wounded by a mere farm boy.
Rubbing your neck you continue, âœThen I can know who the Wise King of the Forest truly is.â
âœHermmmm...â It sounds like itâs struggling to decide, not wanting to give up its hiding spot.
Interesting. It seems smart enough to know that, while doing so could put you in its attack range, leaving its cover would do the same to it with you. Not to mention that King would give up its element of surprise, remaining hidden if a battle ensued. Not that itâd matter since your sixth sense shows you exactly where itâs located.
But complying with your wish could build up its esteem if youâre truly not a threat, plus it could give it a chance to observe you right back as you intend to do to it.
âœ... Bless you, intruder, with this one's form, I shall. However!-â The beast bellows, their voice echoing amongst the trees, âœDown from your perch, you must come. Unwise, this one would be, if I allowed a stranger to have the high ground!â
Color flushes back to your appearance.
Yes! Although a bit haughty, itâs still not acting in a way to refute its title.
But does this mean its attack range is short? A non-magical being then? It doesnât matter who has the high ground when youâre a magic caster...well, for the most part. For your current type, it doesn't matter.
Druids have par with Earth, not to mention youâre a Beast Tamer. Itâd be best for you to be near the ground for your higher-tier spells to work, unless you change your classes. You can command from afar like you are now, but still...greater defensive plays...skill perk conditions...command mantra...mm...overall, better to be near the Earth if you can. One with Nature is helpful. Plus, if you summoned some of your beasts, many arenât flying creatures so theyâd work best if they have a ground to stand upon.
This Wise King has no idea theyâll be putting themselves at a disadvantage, especially in a forest like this. Not to mention your Beast Tamer perks may be having sway on the compatibility with-HEY, HOLD ON NOW!!!
Could you tame this creature?!
You are maxed in that class...but do you want to deal with taking care of a creature you havenât identified yet? Youâre not even sure how you can help yourself yet. Why would you want another burdenâ. Would it be a burden?
Rahhh! Mull over this after you get a read on this creature!! Then see if itâs worth it!
âœIâm okay with coming down. Just know that I may be a creature youâve never seen before. Please do not be fright-*ahem, uh, put off by my appearance.â You correct yourself so that King doesnât assume youâre calling them a coward.
âœVery well. Come forth! But make any sudden movements, do not! Attack you if you try something fishy, this one will!â The threatening hiss it sends your way flares up the familiar hostility you felt the night prior...but you stomp it down to get what you want.
âœI wonât, I promise. Iâll inform you that Iâm currently flying up in the air right now. Iâll slowly float straight down from where I am and wonât deviate from that path. Is that acceptable, oh Wise King?â
âœFufu~â They cheer at the title, âœThis one does.â
âœAlright. Iâll come down nowââ
Ascend bends to your will and your form slowly lowers to the grassy forest floor.
Your vision remains wide but your focus is on three points.
One, the treetops.
Itâs the direction you plan to flee if things go wrong...but youâre feeling a little better now that youâre not so high in the air now.
Yes, the second is the grassy forest floor below. Itâs where you plan to land and it brings comfort at not being so high up anymore. But it does bring you closer to itâ
The third is where King remains hidden. You feel it shift slightly the lower you get, with your sixth sense, to gaze upon you through the shrubbery shielding it from your sight-
âœKAIIIEEEEE!!!â
You jump at the creature's sudden screech, freezing in mid-air around five feet from the Earth bellow.
âœW-what?! Why did you scream?!â You feel it thrashing around behind the greenery as if it was in pain and it wails, shrill and guttural in pitch. âœWhat happened?! Hello?!â
âœW-w-w-w-wh-what kind of HORRID M-MONSTER are YOU?!! S-such menacing aura!! Surrender, I do!! Please, PLEASE, h-have mercy! MERCY!â
...What? What the hell is this?! Why is it so afraid of you?! You havenât even done anything!! And not just calling you a monster...but a horrid monster above it all?!
â.
Why is it treating you like those humans... One look at you and youâre considered a beast!
You clench your fists, your skin darkening as you begin to shake.
Why are you being treated this way?! Because of your appearence?!!
âœI havenât done anything! Why are you acting this way?!â
âœEEP! L-leave me alone! Please! PLEASE!â
You feel it backing away as if getting ready to flee.
NO! You need the info!!
What should you do?!
Raise your arms in surrender.
Use magic to keep from fleeing.
Lay down on the ground.
Back away.
Stay still.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'64
Quick! How would you calm down the Wise King?! I'd try to make myself look as non-threatening as possible but would that help?
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 6:16
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
â.Fuck it.
Thereâs nothing you can lose for trying to get something out of this interaction, however, youâll try your best to maintain self-control to make this a peaceful interaction.
If all else fails, you can try spells again while you know youâre open. Charm and other mind-altering spells can persuade the creature. You can also try putting the fear of God in it if youâre able to hold yourself back enough not to kill it.
Even if you do end up killing this creature, it wonât matter since youâve already got blood on your hands. Plus, youâll gain its land, if you end up claiming it, and youâll have material for...clothes out of its hide if you figure out how to do that with your Craftsman perks. Possible food too if this creature is edible...though youâre still not hungry despite half the day has gone by.
âœIâm sorry. I donât mean to intrude on your home.â You hear it say âœAbove?â in a hushed tone before you continue to speak. âœMy name is SÅsaku-sha. I was led here by forest folk after I asked for assistance. Iâm lost, you see.â
âœNot my concern, you being lost is! And why speak as if one?! This one can tell there are two of you speaking!â
Not open for agreement but open for conversation. If you play this carefully you can manipulate it into agreeing. âœU-uh...itâs just me and you here. My voice just sounds like this.â
âœBelieve you, I donât!â
âœ...I guess you have a right to be skepticalââ Youâre careful with your words as it continues to hide from your sight, âœI wouldnât trust a stranger in my own home either. You must be...a very shrewd individual?â
Crap. You donât know how to address it, making you slip into a question at the end.
However, it doesnât seem to notice your slip, focused more on another point as it growls in tone. âœWhat do you mean shrewd?! What does that word mean, trespasser?!!â
Oh-oops. It thinks you were insulting it. âœTo be shrewd means to be knowledgeable or intelligentâI was complimenting you on acting smartly.â
âœO-oh HO?! R-really?â It sounds caught off by your flattery but the creature hurriedly hides their stumble of the lip with a haughty laugh. âœHmHMmm! That's right! Aware of this oneâs reputation, you must be!
âœN-no. I do not know who you areââ Or what you are.
It gasps in response, appalled by your words. âœWhat?!! How dare! Of this one, many fear and give reverence! I am the Wise King of the Forest!â
âœHuu?!â
Green rushes across your form like a river at its proclamation.
Yes! YES! You hit the jackpot!!! This is exactly what you need!
You smirk inwardly, swiftly mulling over the news.
This creature must hold many secrets to this world like some kind of mythical forest, guardian spirit, err, thing! Knowledge that you canât get anywhere else in the entire world! Never mind killing it! Itâs too valuable to opt for that route willingly.
This doesnât mean that youâll be able to succeed in holding yourself back if it makes you snap. Youâll have to try evermore to maneuver this interaction calmly. Almost like tiptoeing across a minefield, one wrong move and this will blow up into an all-out blood bathâ
Clenching your fists, youâre determined to milk this as best you can!
Youâll have to butter it up. If youâve learned one thing from being associated with those monopoly empires calling themselves âœcompaniesâ, there's no better way of marinating than kissing ass.
Thanking the deers for their extraordinary help, you honey your voice with a sickenly sweet tone, âœWow! Really?! You must be very wise then to have such a title!â
âœHUHU! Indeed, indeed! Stand up to this oneâs brilliance, no one can!â
âœI bet not! But how did one, like yourself, earn such a name, besides living up to it?â
âœHuu? Well, a human warrior who trespassed in the territory of this one addressed this one in such a way. Speaking of which, this one spared that warrior and that warrior alone because this one thought the name sounded quite impressive. Ah, how nostalgicâ•â
The color on your skin dulls a bit as it continues to rant.
What does that mean?... Hmm. Was this warrior they speak of strong or weak? With the way they worded it, it sounded like there may have been more people...or warriors that came alongside the one but got killed by the creature. How many were there?... Hmmm... Nevertheless, weak or strong, this creature was and is still stronger than those men. Was the warrior perceptive enough to give such a name to this type of creature? Did the Wise King show his knowledge to this warrior which gave them the idea of such a name...or was it an idea in the spark of the moment to survive its encounter by flattering it? Isnât that similar to what youâre doing? Flattering it to get your wayâ
A grimace marks your faceless features with dark splotches.
Is it even deserving of its title? Does it have the knowledge you seek? You hope it does.
âœHave you retreated? Quiet, youâve gone.â
âœA-ah no, Iâm still here.â You shake your head to rid the pessimistic thoughts. Any knowledge is good, so even if it isnât what you thought of it initially, youâll go about this the same way you were at the beginning. Besides, you havenât received much information to refute the legitimacy of its glorified title. âœIâm simply amazed that I have the chance to meet such a grand and wise being-â An idea strikes you like lightning and you continue- âœIf only I could gaze upon your form so I may truly grasp your majesty~â
Yes, you need to be able to see it to gauge its strength and more! Partaking in countless PvPs and encounters has trained you to be able to observe an opponent's skills just by looks alone, not to mention the spells used to divulge into a deeper overlook.
If you can get it to show itself to you, that alone could teach you many facts about this world!
What creature is it? Why is it stronger than those warriors? What makes it stronger? MAG? PHY? If MAG, would its magic be the same as Yggdrasilâs. Plus, how much MP does it have? What kind of cast build does it have? Sorcerer? Wizard? Druid? Something entirely new? Same for PHY. Is it Kingâs skills or body that make up its power? Itâs called the Wise King, not the Strong King. So does it have an INT build or an STG build? Does it have neither or both?
Would it be something you could match? Your avatar is strong but this is a new world. All you know is that youâre both stronger than humansâ
But you were wounded by a mere farm boy.
Rubbing your neck you continue, âœThen I can know who the Wise King of the Forest truly is.â
âœHermmmm...â It sounds like itâs struggling to decide, not wanting to give up its hiding spot.
Interesting. It seems smart enough to know that, while doing so could put you in its attack range, leaving its cover would do the same to it with you. Not to mention that King would give up its element of surprise, remaining hidden if a battle ensued. Not that itâd matter since your sixth sense shows you exactly where itâs located.
But complying with your wish could build up its esteem if youâre truly not a threat, plus it could give it a chance to observe you right back as you intend to do to it.
âœ... Bless you, intruder, with this one's form, I shall. However!-â The beast bellows, their voice echoing amongst the trees, âœDown from your perch, you must come. Unwise, this one would be, if I allowed a stranger to have the high ground!â
Color flushes back to your appearance.
Yes! Although a bit haughty, itâs still not acting in a way to refute its title.
But does this mean its attack range is short? A non-magical being then? It doesnât matter who has the high ground when youâre a magic caster...well, for the most part. For your current type, it doesn't matter.
Druids have par with Earth, not to mention youâre a Beast Tamer. Itâd be best for you to be near the ground for your higher-tier spells to work, unless you change your classes. You can command from afar like you are now, but still...greater defensive plays...skill perk conditions...command mantra...mm...overall, better to be near the Earth if you can. One with Nature is helpful. Plus, if you summoned some of your beasts, many arenât flying creatures so theyâd work best if they have a ground to stand upon.
This Wise King has no idea theyâll be putting themselves at a disadvantage, especially in a forest like this. Not to mention your Beast Tamer perks may be having sway on the compatibility with-HEY, HOLD ON NOW!!!
Could you tame this creature?!
You are maxed in that class...but do you want to deal with taking care of a creature you havenât identified yet? Youâre not even sure how you can help yourself yet. Why would you want another burdenâ. Would it be a burden?
Rahhh! Mull over this after you get a read on this creature!! Then see if itâs worth it!
âœIâm okay with coming down. Just know that I may be a creature youâve never seen before. Please do not be fright-*ahem, uh, put off by my appearance.â You correct yourself so that King doesnât assume youâre calling them a coward.
âœVery well. Come forth! But make any sudden movements, do not! Attack you if you try something fishy, this one will!â The threatening hiss it sends your way flares up the familiar hostility you felt the night prior...but you stomp it down to get what you want.
âœI wonât, I promise. Iâll inform you that Iâm currently flying up in the air right now. Iâll slowly float straight down from where I am and wonât deviate from that path. Is that acceptable, oh Wise King?â
âœFufu~â They cheer at the title, âœThis one does.â
âœAlright. Iâll come down nowââ
Ascend bends to your will and your form slowly lowers to the grassy forest floor.
Your vision remains wide but your focus is on three points.
One, the treetops.
Itâs the direction you plan to flee if things go wrong...but youâre feeling a little better now that youâre not so high in the air now.
Yes, the second is the grassy forest floor below. Itâs where you plan to land and it brings comfort at not being so high up anymore. But it does bring you closer to itâ
The third is where King remains hidden. You feel it shift slightly the lower you get, with your sixth sense, to gaze upon you through the shrubbery shielding it from your sight-
âœKAIIIEEEEE!!!â
You jump at the creature's sudden screech, freezing in mid-air around five feet from the Earth bellow.
âœW-what?! Why did you scream?!â You feel it thrashing around behind the greenery as if it was in pain and it wails, shrill and guttural in pitch. âœWhat happened?! Hello?!â
âœW-w-w-w-wh-what kind of HORRID M-MONSTER are YOU?!! S-such menacing aura!! Surrender, I do!! Please, PLEASE, h-have mercy! MERCY!â
...What? What the hell is this?! Why is it so afraid of you?! You havenât even done anything!! And not just calling you a monster...but a horrid monster above it all?!
â.
Why is it treating you like those humans... One look at you and youâre considered a beast!
You clench your fists, your skin darkening as you begin to shake.
Why are you being treated this way?! Because of your appearence?!!
âœI havenât done anything! Why are you acting this way?!â
âœEEP! L-leave me alone! Please! PLEASE!â
You feel it backing away as if getting ready to flee.
NO! You need the info!!
What should you do?!
Raise your arms in surrender.
Use magic to keep from fleeing.
Lay down on the ground.
Back away.
Stay still.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'65
Quick! How would you calm down the Wise King?! I'd try to make myself look as non-threatening as possible but would that help?
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:1
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage-nay! Your very vocals? Vile...vermin...they all are! You fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54â†'66
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:3
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18â†'67
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:4
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, still warming up into the afternoon. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre somewhat faced in the direction of it, your extended vision assisting as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that donut shaped opening at the center of its top, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18â†'68
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:5
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the nest of rodents hidden under a branch that looked like a hand, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past sixteen hours, two minutes, and five seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18â†'69
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:6
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes except for the forest becoming more so a swamp. The obscurities were mainly animal nests and some bare twigs at the start but now its vines, large masses of dirty water, and the odd shapes the trees take now. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals and now that of the mud of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the dead tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the swamp and the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fifteen hours, thirty-nine minutes, and thirteen seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18â†'70
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:7
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that bush covered by some kind of viney plant, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'18â†'71
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:10
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52â†'72
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:11
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, still warming up into the afternoon. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre somewhat faced in the direction of it, your extended vision assisting as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that donut shaped opening at the center of its top, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52â†'73
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:12
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the nest of rodents hidden under a branch that looked like a hand, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past sixteen hours, two minutes, and five seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52â†'74
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:13
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes except for the forest becoming more so a swamp. The obscurities were mainly animal nests and some bare twigs at the start but now its vines, large masses of dirty water, and the odd shapes the trees take now. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals and now that of the mud of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the dead tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the swamp and the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fifteen hours, thirty-nine minutes, and thirteen seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
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âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52â†'75
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:14
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, reasoning that you might have served him back his medicine with the undead.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
Youâve already seen the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
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âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that bush covered by some kind of viney plant, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
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âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
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âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'52â†'76
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:17
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, merely relieved that you escaped...though it settles wrong in your gut.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had almost become of you after the attack...and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
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âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53â†'77
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:18
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, merely relieved that you escaped...though it settles wrong in your gut.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, still warming up into the afternoon. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre somewhat faced in the direction of it, your extended vision assisting as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that donut shaped opening at the center of its top, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53â†'78
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:19
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, merely relieved that you escaped...though it settles wrong in your gut.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the animal nests and some bare twigs. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the nest of rodents hidden under a branch that looked like a hand, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past sixteen hours, two minutes, and five seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53â†'79
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:20
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search for answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, merely relieved that you escaped...though it settles wrong in your gut.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is slightly lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not close to evening yet. Suspecting the light of day to remain available for many hours, youâre captivated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world and had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed, only now starting to cool off. The temperature fluctuation has been noticeable but, despite you being naked, youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that illuminates the alien world around you. It has made much progress in itâs journey to the west and it dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the top of the trees. Itâs all leaves...though there are the occasional openings past the foliage that makes your heart drop every time you skim past one. It reminds you that you are floating ninety meters above the earth below and that, at any moment, you could fall. However not much else changes except for the forest becoming more so a swamp. The obscurities were mainly animal nests and some bare twigs at the start but now its vines, large masses of dirty water, and the odd shapes the trees take now. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe when youâre not puckering your cheeks at the sight of open air below.
You imagine that this is what a redwood forest would look like or even a jungle but you've never had the opportunity to visit one, back in the real world. To do such things now in the 2130s is something near impossible with the approved documents needed, waitlists, and the extortionate prices. Plus, they're...not in good shape, even when they're protected by the world powers. They're literally natural treasures of the world now. The closest thing you got to the wondrous forest were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocks the way behind but nothing stands out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals and now that of the mud of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the forest smells relatively good. The leaves and moss reminds you of an earthy dew, not potent but spring feeling. You had enjoyed the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, oaken, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape.
Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug or bird decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or the trees only for them to pop out. It was mainly insects that proved that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeped you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the birds that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the dead tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs and birds would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of species they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled above the labyrinth of the swamp and the forest in a daze. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past fifteen hours, thirty-nine minutes, and thirteen seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the sky in a bright blueâ.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53â†'80
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 6:21
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
What was that attack called again? ⟪Magic Arrow?⟫ That is a first-tier spell from Yggdrasil that allows the caster to shoot out arrows made out of their own mana. Since he only cast one, it shows how weak of a magic caster he was. Casting it at a higher tier would increase the number of projectiles generated as well as the individual damage output of each projectile.
Even so, youâre surprised that that attack hurt you as bad as it did. Surprised that it even hurt at all! You can't be harmed by creatures under level eighty, and that rat definitely wasn't near that level, with a measly one arrow. A single projectile's damage output is still minuscule. It is pretty much impossible for anyone to one-shot their enemies with a single cast. The damage output of the spell did not depend on where the enemy was struck back in the game. However, he aimed at your throat with purpose and it struck hard. If not for Life, you believe you'd be dead.
âœTsk.â Your mood suddenly grows sour and you decide to take your mind off the subject, merely relieved that you escaped...though it settles wrong in your gut.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Even humanoids besides humans, do they exist here? Or is this world like Earth and only contains humans?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâ. So were they just calling you a monster or are there actual monstrous creatures here?
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic is a thing in this world. The way those men addressed you as a magic caster not to mention that one man named Nate who struck you with that attack, GRrrrrrâ
That only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things occurring, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were merely brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Even if youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood what they were saying. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends from everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place above the trees, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is present in this world.
However, even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemn them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills, you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire-oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered being extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! You...you were thinking this way with the villagers too, you realize...but it's wrong to be thinking this way! Do you think you're of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in mid-air, trying to figure out what you were just thinking about. You were thinking about jobs you can take up but what was...
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, the resounding clap of skin on skin causes the birds to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as you watch them leave.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
âœHow about a linguist? All Tongue could help you become a scholar or the likeââ
Stand out again. Grrr...
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Maybe your mind has changed more than from karma.
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you after the...incident and in the stream, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still somewhat effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
You almost saw the extent of your blood lust so what else might have shifted? You seem to be drawn to danger which is not okay. Not to mention that your...pride, is it? That your pride holds you back from making certain choices.
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue forward.
Has this pep talk accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump.
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job thatâs perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt for food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, hidden deep within this forest. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you expecting to find?
Itâs a mystery what has occurred to you...all you can hope is that you can do what you can now to live and maybe find players like you whoâve been sucked here with you. Working together to survive is optimal for all parties.
âœMmm...I really shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head and watch the birds continue to fly up above at a distance. âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you continue your search into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as you continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You watch the falling sky, thankful of your extended vision assisting, as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
It was hours ago that youâd passed the line of trees out to grassy plainsâ A terrifying moment looking down and seeing ninety meters of open air below your feet. Flashbacks of the night prior racked your mind as you chanted âœFloat down. Donât Fall. Float down. Donât fall.â in a mantra. You cheered when youâd finally gotten down to the level you wished, thankful not having to experience a heart-dropping fall again. After that, you continued.
Everything started to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed even after flying for miles. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaunt their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like the butterflies that have trailed you. Sensing them is the weirdest feeling, almost as if theyâre sending electric pulses from where they sit on your skin or hover around. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful in pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that bush covered by some kind of viney plant, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging butterflies off your person in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past nineteen hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and lowers to the ground for the first time since the morning. Flowers of their sort cushion the descent as you take a seat, pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a gorgeous yellow, taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœI hate this. I hate this.â You donât direct your words to the glorious sight, not at all.
â.
âœI...hate this. I donât want to do this. I donât like this. I hate this. Itâs not even that bad, I know. Iâve almost been murdered once. Sure! Thatâs fine. Itâs fine. Totally fine! It could be worse...but I hate this.â
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'53â†'81
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 7:2
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54â†'82
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:3
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54â†'83
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:4
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54â†'84
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:5
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'48âšïâ†'17â†'54â†'85
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:31
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage-nay! Your very vocals? Vile...vermin...they all are! You fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55â†'86
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 7:32
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55â†'87
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:33
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55â†'88
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:34
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55â†'89
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:35
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
A good person doesnât commit manslaughter to the degree you had.
But it was self defiance.
Was it? Did you have to go so far?
Those roaches deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'47âšïâ†'50â†'55â†'90
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:61
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to follow the sun across its march against the sky to the unknown west.
Are you some kind of cowboy? All youâre missing are some tight clothes, leather boots, a belt, a revolver, that big wide hat, and a trusty steed.
A poor excuse of a giggle slips out of your chest, trying to forcefully lighten your mood with the joke, while you maneuver your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage-nay! Your very vocals? Vile...vermin...they all are! You fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the tree with that heart-shaped wasp nest on the second thickest branch, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember your wonder as you traveled across the plains...across the top of the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees as you float frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56â†'91
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:62
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North West.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56â†'92
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:63
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the mountains to the North.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
Although there is unlikely anyone or anything living atop to get information from, it is a great vantage point and place to set up a base of operation if needed. That way you can spread your information gathering tactics from there with the cover of the biome. Since it is centered amongst the rest of the terrain it will only aid you in scouting. In addition, thereâs a lot of minerals that can be collected as well as various other resources from the geo-giants.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56â†'93
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:64
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the North East.
The further North you go the farther you can get from the village.
You hum contentedly at your deduction, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56â†'94
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
LOST ROUTE 7:65
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation; however, things don't go as planned and you move on in search of answers. After a run in with a mysterious beast...
Chapter Notes
30 chapters in one update? I must be insane, even though they're all generally the same. I've been making a revised version of the timeline map and OH BOY do I have the work cut out for me. I've already counted at least 86 different outcomes for chapter 7 in this part of the route aloneâ•( à_à)â•. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoy dis chapter!!!
RESET
RELOAD
PREVIOUS
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Youâre drawn to make your way to the forests to the East.
You're drawn to this direction because...well...your home is an Eastern island country. It's as if you're clinging onto any hope that you can make it home, that if you fly far enough you can make it to Japan.
A far fetched fantasy but you cling onto it.
You grimace, maneuvering your body to face the direction youâve chosen.
Itâs not like youâll lose anything by looking around. You canât gain anything by staying here nor going back... Maybe there will be better opportunities further beyond?
â.
Maybe you can...make an adventure out of this? This seems like a whole new world. Something to remember for a lifetime if youâre not currently in a coma hallucinating all of thisâ
Mmmâ
You want to wake up soon and return from this nightmare. Itâs...itâs insane to think that youâre actually here.
But all the facts point to that being the case.
â.
âœRah! I wonât gain anything from pondering! Letâs go!â
Your pep talk invigorates you enough to start itching forth on the path youâve taken, slowly floating nine meters over the treetops in your search.
Wind tickles skin as it passes by in a whisper all the while you keep your vision open for any signs of something for you to use. However, itâs nothing but what you had seen before.
Green flowing leaves of treetops and those mountains on the horizon. A few birds do catch your attention as they flutter by on their merry way.
Birds...huh.
When was the last time you saw a bird flying across the sky so spirited?... When was the last time youâve seen birds at all? Years ago, it seems. Nothing lives long in the smogâ
These seem like little brown birds, flapping and flowing forth further and free against the bright of the sky as if basking in its brilliance.
â.
Maybe this isnât so much a nightmare anymore...
You watch from below as the little feathery creatures elevate and spiral in the space above...If only you could be that free feeling. You, instead, feel like a...skittish beast. Why is it that birds bring such awe with their very visage while Oh HO! Vicious threats and violence at the mere view of your visage? Vile...vermin...they all were! You even fled and they...that boy shot you from behindâ
You scratch at your neck, envious of the flock above.
Your appearance will be the cause of many problems in the future if you donât do something about it. You donât know how similar this world is to your game but humans, both there and here, donât seem open to inhuman beings. There are some locations and NPCs that welcome more walks of life but, since youâve only had one encounter with humans so far and one creature, youâre going to assume everywhere in this new world isnât going to be accepting of you.
How similar is this world to other races? Are there demi-humans? Heteromorphs like you? Youâre not sure what that creature was but it might have been classed as a hereromorph...or just a magical creature...but youâre more interested in humanoids. Do they exist here?
Hermmâthose villagers didnât give you any hints if there are. They called you a monster, yesâbut not an exact species or class. Well...it may be hard for you to be classed as anything since youâre not a part of a racial class.
Whatever the case, this doesnât mean this place is entirely like Earthâs medieval age. Magic only adds to the fact that youâre in a new world and did not time travel to the past. Although there are historical novels that pointed to mythical or supernatural things that had occurred, those were all fairy tales with no solid proof of magic existing in the past. Plus, if you were only brought back in time, youâd still be in Japan. You can tell simply by the geography and the appearance of the village and villagers that this isnât Japanâ
But...that does raise a questionâ
Though youâre not in Japan or Earth...how could they speak the same language as you?
It could be the work of your perk All Tongue.
âœAh, actually, thatâd make sense.â You nod to your mindâs response.
All Tongue is a skill your avatar carries that allows you to understand any language in all forms. Itâs a perk thatâs more or less easy to obtain if youâre of the right factions or have enough dedication to put the time into gaining it. Completing mini-games and quests, studying Vernaculums of their type, combining perks of multiple tongues, racial or class perks, etcetera.
As for you, no work was needed on your part as it was designed into SÅsaku-shaâs racial perks as a Creator.
All Tongue must be working to translate this worldâs lexicon for your ears to hearâ You wonder what reading is going to be like for you now? In Yggdrasil, the text for runes, elven, gibberish, and what not would change depending on the settings youâve selected for the perk. You had it so that subtitles would appear because the engine for altering the text straight to your preferred language was sometimes janky, despite the animation being cool to watch.
This makes you want to read something all of a sudden...ah, if only you could only find a place not out to gut you the moment you set foot amongst the people. You want to see how your perk will work in this place.
âœHaha, but what do I sound like to others?â You hum, poking your cheek curiously as you speak your mind to fill the sound of nature with your thoughts, âœDialogue within the game was a combination of text bubbles and command phrases. NPCs had more or less no auditory capabilities, except the few non-word quips and maybe an audio extension a player adds to their creations. So, when speaking to them, it was merely selecting a conversation choice if it was an NPC that could converse. But the people and creature I met earlier had no restraints on dialogue whatsoever and I understood all they said. But did they understand me?
âœAll Tongue would automatically translate the dialogue bubbles for uncommon tongues so that not only could players understand what the NPC was saying but then the response choices would expand for the NPC to understand the player. Essentially, the player and the NPC would be conversing in the NPCâs language.
âœSo, to those humans, was I speaking their language to them? In my earsââ You flick the side of your head where they would be if you had ears still. âœ...I sounded normal. But what did I sound like to them? To that creature? Other than my voice being distorted...Herm...I mean...This voice does fit this avatar but why do I have this voice in particular and not my normal voice? I donât even use a voice box to change my voice, so whatâs up with this one? Is it because of the perk or is it because this body has taken a literal form? I think itâs the latterââ
You blow a raspberry with a pivot of your head to look around, not that it does much to help since your vision extends everywhere.
âœNevermind the voice...if I talk to two different people at the same time who speak different languages, what do I sound like to them? Is it the one Iâm directing my attention to who has my words translated or does it translate for both of them at the same time?
âœIf itâs the prior, Iâd have to be careful to be certain who Iâm speaking to...but thatâd be weird. How would I regulate that? What if I say something Iâm not directing toward them and they hear it. How would I explain that? But the latter would be even weirder. Would they both hear different things? What if Iâm speaking to one fellow who shouldnât be able to understand the language the other fellow speaks but understands me anyway. How would the other react to hearing me speak their dialect to someone who shouldnât be able to understand?
âœItâd prove that Iâm not a normal person...but I amââ Color pales on your palette but you soon shake your head to continue forth, âœYes, Iâm a normal person. A good person! Sometimes wacky but Iâm not a monster. I was...just mistakenââ
Why did you run then? Wouldn't an innocent person stay?
They made it clear that they were going to kill you even before you had a chance at possibly negotiating.
Were they? And even if they were, you'd almost acted out as a monster.
Those roaches would've deserved all that and more-
No, no. Letâs not go down that path of thinking again. Youâve been running in circles around the massacre which was last night and your shift of morals all day, arguing and fussing about whatâs right and wrongâ. Youâre getting sick of it. Not to mention those relapses in memory undoubtedly caused by the stress of thinking about it.
Letâs focus on something elseâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœThereâs nothing thoughââ The grumble vibrates your chest in a growl. âœItâs so frustratingâ. Iâve been searching for a whole day and havenât found anything. I canât think about what Iâve found because anything I have found Iâd already evaluated time and time again...for hours now. Thereâs nothing new to add to the pile either since I havenât found anything else of interestâ I might as well be making a map of this world at this point. If only I had some type of utensil to write with then I could put those empty spell scrolls to some good useââ
But you donât have a surface to etch your journey on...plus you shouldnât waste your remaining spell scrolls for a janky map...not to mention strangely remembering everything your vision has collected for your brain to store thus far.
Itâs...odd. Youâre having relapses in your memory when you get too stressed but your memory of everything that has occurred to you since the fall has stayed crisp in your mind as if youâre...currently reliving every moment youâve had since being here.
If someone asked you to direct them back to the patch of glowing mushrooms growing out of that rat corpse, youâd be able to TP them straight to it. The number of times bugs would land on you from the very first one on your trip. One, three, one, three, two, five, three, eight, seven, and so on. You can even recall what type of bugs they each were...what they looked like, where exactly they landed on you...as if they are still there with you.
You remember every word of that talking beast. Your wonder as you traveled within the forest. The buckâs movements try to get you to follow it. Those two bunnies curled in your lap, the feeling of their fur between your fingers. You can feel the water too, cool as it flowed and removed the blood-
The blood caused by that attack.
You scratch at your neck again.
Why do you keep feeling it? Why do you keep remembering?
You know trauma... Youâve lived it and know...how it works for you. This doesnât feel the same. Sure, you've seen and experienced things that have haunted you day and night. But this isnât it.
Itâs like a part of you is there still. Why? Why are you there? Why are you here?
This doesnât make any sense to you.
âœAugh...Iâm tired of thinking. Iâm going in circles again.â
But all you have is your thoughts. Thereâs nothing else you can do right now except keep looking.
âœUgh.â
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœIs that my only option? Keep looking?â
Well what else can you do?
âœI donât know! Something!â
What is this âsomethingâ then?
âœPsh! I just said I donât know!â
Well, make something up.
âœEasier said than done. I have nothing.â
Not true.
You stop in the air just as your mind responds to your outer monologue. âœAH-Nuh durr, why didnât I consider my options better?!!â You throw your arms up in exasperation, flinging your hands in a dramatic flurry. âœI could have been testing out what powers and items I have instead of wasting the entire day reliving the past eighteen hours, forty-four minutes, and twenty-three seconds!!! HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG ITâS BEEN SINCE IâVE BEEN DAMNED HERE?!!!â
The screech bellows out from your core, causing every living creature near you to suddenly flee as fast as they can from the source.
Youâre suddenly alone.
âœ...oops...sorry.â You lament, regretful of your outburst, as your form slowly turns and curls in on itself. Pulling your legs up to your chest in a hug while you rest your chin on your knees, floating frozen in space. Your gaze remains focused on the sun while it basks the horizon in a blue...no, itâs starting to turn to an off-color...is that a hint of orange?
You knew much time had passed while following the deer...and you knew it was getting late...but you didnât prepare yourself for this. It slipped your mind.
The sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest ahead of you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world, you remain somewhat in a numb trance as you watch the burning giant.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, as you stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...no pain or spots appear. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift.
It...dawns on you that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that youâre faced in the direction of it as you keep taking comfort in the glory of the starâ
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
âœWhat do I do?...â Hardly audible, your chest doesnât even vibrate as the words leave you in a murmur. âœWhat...do...I...do?â
You could try testing out your skills, magic, or items further as you considered earlier. You had briefly checked what you maintained from Yggdrasil last night but not in-depth, you were too caught up in your thoughts to evaluate in proper detail. Just summarize whatâs available to youâ
Hermâ
What about the other things? Your physical, for one? Your strength and agility? You realize now you canât always rely on magic, especially how shielded blocked off your arsenal of spells when you needed it. Should you instead focus on those factors?
â.
âœ*Sigh, but I should do what I can until my situation is resolved. Thatâs all I can do. So letâs see what we can study or use now before I continue. Maybe this is what I need for a breakthrough on...something.â
Something is better than nothing.
âœDamn straight.â Alright thenâ
What should you focus on?
My skills
My magic
My items
My physicality
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'8â†'49â†'51â†'56â†'95
What will you try out? Depending on what you choose now will give SÅ greater advantage using it again in the future, so choose carefully... Remember what you've learned thus far from SÅ in making a proper choice. You'll have chances in the future to try out more things but this is an immediate benefit/buff of a certain path.
I'd personally choose physicality. I'd be too skittish to rely on something with no guarantee in reliability. I'd be in the mindset of a human and not trust my avatar's abilities since it's no longer a game, that their abilities are too alien for me to put in a real world scenario, and the fact that they have failed me before at the village. What would you do though? Comment your thoughts below if youâd like!
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LOST ROUTE 5:10
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
âœMmm...I shouldnât leave any trace.â Jewels stops, as if compelled by your will, while you keep your arm firm in the direction youâve come from. Puzzling through which spell to make do you ultimately call out ⟪Blight⟫ to wither away the growthsâ
â.
Only they donât wither away. They resist the cast.
âœEh-What the? ⟪Blight!⟫â
Again, the patch remains resilient.
âœPsh! How?!â You focus on the colorful wildflowers, stupefied.
It resisted two ⟪Blight⟫ spells?! From your avatar?! SÅsaku-sha is maxed out! Their level cap exceeds 100! Additionally, plants canât resist blight unless theyâre magical! But even if these are magical, theyâre at a disadvantage!
So why didnât they wither?! Are you out of range? Thereâs no way! Youâre only six meters away!
Jewels turns around and carries you back over until two meters separates you from the flowers, your intrigue now focused on them.
âœThis has to be close enough. ⟪Blight!⟫â
When they remain as healthy as ever your hand lowers in defeat.
âœWhy?â Itâs not the distance thenâ You know youâre casting it right since you feel the dip MP everytime you cast on the plant. So whatâs the issue? âœSo weirdâ⟪Mana Essence⟫.â
Your vision darkens with the new cast, as if a shadow has captured your sight. However, with the spell, a gateway is opened for you to see the mana leaking from the plants. Itâs like the ground is on fire wherever you have touched, with blue and purple wisps of energy flowing fourth from the Earth. You can distinctly see each patch of mana flowing from the ground where youâve walked and lain.
It confirms that the plants are magical in nature...but not why they resisted your casts.
Is it because of the level of mana they exude? If theyâre releasing this much mana...they may be high level growths? A five star-Ha! What are you saying? No way! Thereâs no way plants that grow from your touch could be Legendary growths. Thatâs absurd.
It is absurd...but they are producing a lot of manaâMmmâ. Youâre just going to assume theyâre a rare spawn and leave it at that.
Though, this isnât the issue you should be focusing on. How do you get rid of them?!
If theyâre able to resist three of your ⟪Blight⟫ spells, then they must have some sort of resistance to the Wither statusâ so youâll have to use something that doesnât drain energy. You didnât want to do something like this initially because it's destructive but youâre left with little options.
Ascend wills your body up and forward so Jewels is out of the way and, with newfound determination, you call forth âœâŸªMinimize Magic Scorching Ray!⟫â
Your moss cape flaps in the air while both your hands spark and blaze with heat as the attack is activated. With astounding accuracy, thin fiery beams launch at the many spaces which contain the magical growths. The fire roars as it consumes everything in its wake but youâre disheartened when Jewels shrieks, startled by the flames, and the empty feeling that washes over you as butterflies are caught in the crossfire.
Once the spell is over, you make sure to float over to Jewels where she eyes the flames wearily with a fearful whine. âœHey, hey. Itâs okay, Jewels.â Gently, you grab hold of her snout and pet gently to soothe her fear. To your surprise, it seems to do wonders as she melts into your menstrations, her breathing slowing to a calm rhythm as she relaxes. Encouraged by her reaction, you keep it up and continue to speak in a soft tone. âœYouâre fine. Everythingâs fine. It's just a little fire. Iâd never hurt you. You see? Youâre okay.â
You hug her head closer to yourself as you observe your work.
Yeeeahp, itâs all gone.
Itâs one of the reasons you didnât want to use any destructive spells in the first place. Even with Minimizing, your avatar is still above level cap, causing destructive spells they have to be overkill in most cases. So, despite ⟪Scorching Ray⟫ being a second tier spell, itâs amplified by the higher level slots, perks, and OP stats.
The reason you settled on this spell though is not only because it's one of the lowest tier spells you have with a low slash radius if used right, fire is a natural weakness to most plants. Youâre glad itâs the same here as you no longer see any trace of the patches. Plus, fire is a natural element in nature according to the documentaries youâve seen. Youâve even heard that fire makes the Earth more nutritious for the plants thatâll grow back over. You donât know what the long term effects of acid classed spells would have done to the ground so you tried the next best thing. Choosing the lesser of two evils seemed like the best course.
Thankfully, the damage is not as bad as it could be. The Earth surrounding the place you took camp has been reduced to nothing but scorched black Earth like it had been whipped by the sun. Orange spurts of fire still flicker here and there within the smoke but theyâre nothing compared to the attack you unleashed. Even so, you didnât destroy everything. The only unintentional casualties are the insects and the grass surrounding the patches. The tree, and bushes are a little singed but nothing too fatal.
Overall, you think youâve successfully gotten rid of the flowers. Now itâs time to fix the damage sought.
If you left this place as it is then itâd be no better than leaving those patches as they were. Besides, they may be able to puzzle together which direction you cast the spell in and follow you off of that.
A last rub is sent down the length of Jewelsâ snout before you maneuver back to where you were and start to cast various Druid healing spells to patch up the burns, regrowing the greenery that was once there before you came across this place.
Thereâs no way youâd feel right leaving damage behind like this to the Earth when you have the power to heal it. Youâd be no better than those garbage excuses for human beings who selfishly do what they like to the Earth and donât do anything to rectify it. One problem after another piling up due to their neglect until it's too late. Best do your part and fix while you can, for you know every little action takes its toll on the grand scheme of things.
The grass is now healthy looking again, no longer there being black lashes against the green. The tree and bushes are also fixed from what you see.
Yes, it looks like youâve completely covered your tracks.
You canât bring back the butterflies you roasted but you can do your best to make sure that the ones remaining donât suffer the same fate. Watching the butterflies flutter around and trail your retreat back to Jewelsâ back, she turns and continues off where she left to carry you in the direction youâd chosen in the first place. With a sigh at the small accomplishment to your safety and finally being able to set out, you hum to yourself, âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon behind you.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search-A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the one...it seems like one? Hmm, what is- wait, noâ. Itâs...itâs not just one creature...it feels like...six? Eight?... Yes, eight beings.
Looking off ahead by sitting up on Jewelsâ back, stretching your body as far as you believe you can to catch a glimpse of what you think youâre feeling.
No. No. Hmmm...this doesnât feel like rabbits or anything of that size...though, aside from four, theyâre not larger than Jewels...or you...but hmmm...theyâre close to your size...wait.
âœWait! Could it be people?!â You say out loud as you try to look higher to see if that is the case by raising your hand, copying the trick you learned in the barn.
It does slightly increase the distance which you can see and to that, you take notice of specks on the horizon.
The sixth sense is informing you that the feeling of the figures is getting stronger, so that means that theyâre headed your way.
Itâd be wise, before you get closer, to decide on a form to uphold. You donât want to repeat the scenario of âOh no! A monster!â
You hum almost in an agitated manner but it sounds sadder than anything. You donât like the idea of you being seen as a monster...despite that technically being the case. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix with magic. You have a couple of spells that can do just the trick!
But, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen in that one village as reference. Youâve only seen men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
What will you choose to look like?
Iâll look like a male.
Iâll look like a female.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'19â†'96
OOoo, I wonder what's up ahead~ Also, the choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll appear as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and other small differences. This is all so you can relate to your character more or immerse yourself in roleplay!
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
âœMmm...I shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head with a drop of your hand, watching the butterflies flutter around and trail you as Jewels continues to walk. Theyâd be able to follow the footprints Jewels left the night prior to this location so thereâs no point ridding the evidence of your stay. As long as you donât allow any more prints to be made, the flowers are fine. Besides...you hate the idea of killing the flora when thereâs so little of them left on Earth...âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon behind you.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search-A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the one...it seems like one? Hmm, what is- wait, noâ. Itâs...itâs not just one creature...it feels like...six? Eight?... Yes, eight beings.
Looking off ahead by sitting up on Jewelsâ back, stretching your body as far as you believe you can to catch a glimpse of what you think youâre feeling.
No. No. Hmmm...this doesnât feel like rabbits or anything of that size...though, aside from four, theyâre not larger than Jewels...or you...but hmmm...theyâre close to your size...wait.
âœWait! Could it be people?!â You say out loud as you try to look higher to see if that is the case by raising your hand, copying the trick you learned in the barn.
It does slightly increase the distance which you can see and to that, you take notice of specks on the horizon.
The sixth sense is informing you that the feeling of the figures is getting stronger, so that means that theyâre headed your way.
Itâd be wise, before you get closer, to decide on a form to uphold. You donât want to repeat the scenario of âOh no! A monster!â
You hum almost in an agitated manner but it sounds sadder than anything. You donât like the idea of you being seen as a monster...despite that technically being the case. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix with magic. You have a couple of spells that can do just the trick!
But, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen in that one village as reference. Youâve only seen men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
What will you choose to look like?
Iâll look like a male.
Iâll look like a female.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'19â†'97
OOoo, I wonder what's up ahead~ Also, the choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll appear as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and other small differences. This is all so you can relate to your character more or immerse yourself in roleplay!
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LOST ROUTE 5:12
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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âœMmm...I shouldnât leave any trace.â Jewels stops, as if compelled by your will, while you keep your arm firm in the direction youâve come from. Puzzling through which spell to make do you ultimately call out ⟪Blight⟫ to wither away the growthsâ
â.
Only they donât wither away. They resist the cast.
âœEh-What the? ⟪Blight!⟫â
Again, the patch remains resilient.
âœPsh! How?!â You focus on the colorful wildflowers, stupefied.
It resisted two ⟪Blight⟫ spells?! From your avatar?! SÅsaku-sha is maxed out! Their level cap exceeds 100! Additionally, plants canât resist blight unless theyâre magical! But even if these are magical, theyâre at a disadvantage!
So why didnât they wither?! Are you out of range? Thereâs no way! Youâre only six meters away!
Jewels turns around and carries you back over until two meters separates you from the flowers, your intrigue now focused on them.
âœThis has to be close enough. ⟪Blight!⟫â
When they remain as healthy as ever your hand lowers in defeat.
âœWhy?â Itâs not the distance thenâ You know youâre casting it right since you feel the dip MP everytime you cast on the plant. So whatâs the issue? âœSo weirdâ⟪Mana Essence⟫.â
Your vision darkens with the new cast, as if a shadow has captured your sight. However, with the spell, a gateway is opened for you to see the mana leaking from the plants. Itâs like the ground is on fire wherever you have touched, with blue and purple wisps of energy flowing fourth from the Earth. You can distinctly see each patch of mana flowing from the ground where youâve walked and lain.
It confirms that the plants are magical in nature...but not why they resisted your casts.
Is it because of the level of mana they exude? If theyâre releasing this much mana...they may be high level growths? A five star-Ha! What are you saying? No way! Thereâs no way plants that grow from your touch could be Legendary growths. Thatâs absurd.
It is absurd...but they are producing a lot of manaâMmmâ. Youâre just going to assume theyâre a rare spawn and leave it at that.
Though, this isnât the issue you should be focusing on. How do you get rid of them?!
If theyâre able to resist three of your ⟪Blight⟫ spells, then they must have some sort of resistance to the Wither statusâ so youâll have to use something that doesnât drain energy. You didnât want to do something like this initially because it's destructive but youâre left with little options.
Ascend wills your body up and forward so Jewels is out of the way and, with newfound determination, you call forth âœâŸªMinimize Magic Scorching Ray!⟫â
Your moss cape flaps in the air while both your hands spark and blaze with heat as the attack is activated. With astounding accuracy, thin fiery beams launch at the many spaces which contain the magical growths. The fire roars as it consumes everything in its wake but youâre disheartened when Jewels shrieks, startled by the flames, and the empty feeling that washes over you as butterflies are caught in the crossfire.
Once the spell is over, you make sure to float over to Jewels where she eyes the flames wearily with a fearful whine. âœHey, hey. Itâs okay, Jewels.â Gently, you grab hold of her snout and pet gently to soothe her fear. To your surprise, it seems to do wonders as she melts into your menstrations, her breathing slowing to a calm rhythm as she relaxes. Encouraged by her reaction, you keep it up and continue to speak in a soft tone. âœYouâre fine. Everythingâs fine. It's just a little fire. Iâd never hurt you. You see? Youâre okay.â
You hug her head closer to yourself as you observe your work.
Yeeeahp, itâs all gone.
Itâs one of the reasons you didnât want to use any destructive spells in the first place. Even with Minimizing, your avatar is still above level cap, causing destructive spells they have to be overkill in most cases. So, despite ⟪Scorching Ray⟫ being a second tier spell, itâs amplified by the higher level slots, perks, and OP stats.
The reason you settled on this spell though is not only because it's one of the lowest tier spells you have with a low slash radius if used right, fire is a natural weakness to most plants. Youâre glad itâs the same here as you no longer see any trace of the patches. Plus, fire is a natural element in nature according to the documentaries youâve seen. Youâve even heard that fire makes the Earth more nutritious for the plants thatâll grow back over. You donât know what the long term effects of acid classed spells would have done to the ground so you tried the next best thing. Choosing the lesser of two evils seemed like the best course.
Thankfully, the damage is not as bad as it could be. The Earth surrounding the place you took camp has been reduced to nothing but scorched black Earth like it had been whipped by the sun. Orange spurts of fire still flicker here and there within the smoke but theyâre nothing compared to the attack you unleashed. Even so, you didnât destroy everything. The only unintentional casualties are the insects and the grass surrounding the patches. The tree, and bushes are a little singed but nothing too fatal.
Overall, you think youâve successfully gotten rid of the flowers. Now itâs time to fix the damage sought.
If you left this place as it is then itâd be no better than leaving those patches as they were. Besides, they may be able to puzzle together which direction you cast the spell in and follow you off of that.
A last rub is sent down the length of Jewelsâ snout before you maneuver back to where you were and start to cast various Druid healing spells to patch up the burns, regrowing the greenery that was once there before you came across this place.
Thereâs no way youâd feel right leaving damage behind like this to the Earth when you have the power to heal it. Youâd be no better than those garbage excuses for human beings who selfishly do what they like to the Earth and donât do anything to rectify it. One problem after another piling up due to their neglect until it's too late. Best do your part and fix while you can, for you know every little action takes its toll on the grand scheme of things.
The grass is now healthy looking again, no longer there being black lashes against the green. The tree and bushes are also fixed from what you see.
Yes, it looks like youâve completely covered your tracks.
You canât bring back the butterflies you roasted but you can do your best to make sure that the ones remaining donât suffer the same fate. Watching the butterflies flutter around and trail your retreat back to Jewelsâ back, she turns and continues off where she left to carry you in the direction youâd chosen in the first place. With a sigh at the small accomplishment to your safety and finally being able to set out, you hum to yourself, âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon over your right shoulder.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search-A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the one...it seems like one? Hmm, what is- wait, noâ. Itâs...itâs not just one creature...it feels like...four?... Yes, four beings.
Looking off ahead by sitting up on Jewelsâ back, stretching your body as far as you believe you can to catch a glimpse of what you think youâre feeling.
No. No. Hmmm...this doesnât feel like rabbits or anything of that size...though, asside from one, theyâre not larger than Jewels...or you...but hmmm...theyâre close to your size...wait.
âœWait! Could it be people?!â You say out loud as you try to look higher to see if that is the case by raising your hand, copying the trick you learned in the barn.
It does slightly increase the distance which you can see and to that, you take notice of specks on the horizon.
The sixth sense is informing you that the feeling of the figures remains stagnant, so that means that theyâre remaining in place.
Itâd be wise, before you get closer, to decide on a form to uphold. You donât want to repeat the scenario of âOh no! A monster!â
You hum almost in an agitated manner but it sounds sadder than anything. You donât like the idea of you being seen as a monster...despite that technically being the case. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix with magic. You have a couple of spells that can do just the trick!
But, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen in that one village as reference. Youâve only seen men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
What will you choose to look like?
Iâll look like a male.
Iâll look like a female.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'106â†'98
OOoo, I wonder what's up ahead~ Also, the choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll appear as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and other small differences. This is all so you can relate to your character more or immerse yourself in roleplay!
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LOST ROUTE 5:13
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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âœMmm...I shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head with a drop of your hand, watching the butterflies flutter around and trail you as Jewels continues to walk. Theyâd be able to follow the footprints Jewels left the night prior to this location so thereâs no point ridding the evidence of your stay. As long as you donât allow any more prints to be made, the flowers are fine. Besides...you hate the idea of killing the flora when thereâs so little of them left on Earth...âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon over your right shoulder.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search-A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the one...it seems like one? Hmm, what is- wait, noâ. Itâs...itâs not just one creature...it feels like...four?... Yes, four beings.
Looking off ahead by sitting up on Jewelsâ back, stretching your body as far as you believe you can to catch a glimpse of what you think youâre feeling.
No. No. Hmmm...this doesnât feel like rabbits or anything of that size...though, asside from one, theyâre not larger than Jewels...or you...but hmmm...theyâre close to your size...wait.
âœWait! Could it be people?!â You say out loud as you try to look higher to see if that is the case by raising your hand, copying the trick you learned in the barn.
It does slightly increase the distance which you can see and to that, you take notice of specks on the horizon.
The sixth sense is informing you that the feeling of the figures remains stagnant, so that means that theyâre remaining in place.
Itâd be wise, before you get closer, to decide on a form to uphold. You donât want to repeat the scenario of âOh no! A monster!â
You hum almost in an agitated manner but it sounds sadder than anything. You donât like the idea of you being seen as a monster...despite that technically being the case. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix with magic. You have a couple of spells that can do just the trick!
But, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen in that one village as reference. Youâve only seen men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
What will you choose to look like?
Iâll look like a male.
Iâll look like a female.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'106â†'99
OOoo, I wonder what's up ahead~ Also, the choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll appear as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and other small differences. This is all so you can relate to your character more or immerse yourself in roleplay!
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LOST ROUTE 5:14
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
âœMmm...I shouldnât leave any trace.â Jewels stops, as if compelled by your will, while you keep your arm firm in the direction youâve come from. Puzzling through which spell to make do you ultimately call out ⟪Blight⟫ to wither away the growthsâ
â.
Only they donât wither away. They resist the cast.
âœEh-What the? ⟪Blight!⟫â
Again, the patch remains resilient.
âœPsh! How?!â You focus on the colorful wildflowers, stupefied.
It resisted two ⟪Blight⟫ spells?! From your avatar?! SÅsaku-sha is maxed out! Their level cap exceeds 100! Additionally, plants canât resist blight unless theyâre magical! But even if these are magical, theyâre at a disadvantage!
So why didnât they wither?! Are you out of range? Thereâs no way! Youâre only six meters away!
Jewels turns around and carries you back over until two meters separates you from the flowers, your intrigue now focused on them.
âœThis has to be close enough. ⟪Blight!⟫â
When they remain as healthy as ever your hand lowers in defeat.
âœWhy?â Itâs not the distance thenâ You know youâre casting it right since you feel the dip MP everytime you cast on the plant. So whatâs the issue? âœSo weirdâ⟪Mana Essence⟫.â
Your vision darkens with the new cast, as if a shadow has captured your sight. However, with the spell, a gateway is opened for you to see the mana leaking from the plants. Itâs like the ground is on fire wherever you have touched, with blue and purple wisps of energy flowing fourth from the Earth. You can distinctly see each patch of mana flowing from the ground where youâve walked and lain.
It confirms that the plants are magical in nature...but not why they resisted your casts.
Is it because of the level of mana they exude? If theyâre releasing this much mana...they may be high level growths? A five star-Ha! What are you saying? No way! Thereâs no way plants that grow from your touch could be Legendary growths. Thatâs absurd.
It is absurd...but they are producing a lot of manaâMmmâ. Youâre just going to assume theyâre a rare spawn and leave it at that.
Though, this isnât the issue you should be focusing on. How do you get rid of them?!
If theyâre able to resist three of your ⟪Blight⟫ spells, then they must have some sort of resistance to the Wither statusâ so youâll have to use something that doesnât drain energy. You didnât want to do something like this initially because it's destructive but youâre left with little options.
Ascend wills your body up and forward so Jewels is out of the way and, with newfound determination, you call forth âœâŸªMinimize Magic Scorching Ray!⟫â
Your moss cape flaps in the air while both your hands spark and blaze with heat as the attack is activated. With astounding accuracy, thin fiery beams launch at the many spaces which contain the magical growths. The fire roars as it consumes everything in its wake but youâre disheartened when Jewels shrieks, startled by the flames, and the empty feeling that washes over you as butterflies are caught in the crossfire.
Once the spell is over, you make sure to float over to Jewels where she eyes the flames wearily with a fearful whine. âœHey, hey. Itâs okay, Jewels.â Gently, you grab hold of her snout and pet gently to soothe her fear. To your surprise, it seems to do wonders as she melts into your menstrations, her breathing slowing to a calm rhythm as she relaxes. Encouraged by her reaction, you keep it up and continue to speak in a soft tone. âœYouâre fine. Everythingâs fine. It's just a little fire. Iâd never hurt you. You see? Youâre okay.â
You hug her head closer to yourself as you observe your work.
Yeeeahp, itâs all gone.
Itâs one of the reasons you didnât want to use any destructive spells in the first place. Even with Minimizing, your avatar is still above level cap, causing destructive spells they have to be overkill in most cases. So, despite ⟪Scorching Ray⟫ being a second tier spell, itâs amplified by the higher level slots, perks, and OP stats.
The reason you settled on this spell though is not only because it's one of the lowest tier spells you have with a low slash radius if used right, fire is a natural weakness to most plants. Youâre glad itâs the same here as you no longer see any trace of the patches. Plus, fire is a natural element in nature according to the documentaries youâve seen. Youâve even heard that fire makes the Earth more nutritious for the plants thatâll grow back over. You donât know what the long term effects of acid classed spells would have done to the ground so you tried the next best thing. Choosing the lesser of two evils seemed like the best course.
Thankfully, the damage is not as bad as it could be. The Earth surrounding the place you took camp has been reduced to nothing but scorched black Earth like it had been whipped by the sun. Orange spurts of fire still flicker here and there within the smoke but theyâre nothing compared to the attack you unleashed. Even so, you didnât destroy everything. The only unintentional casualties are the insects and the grass surrounding the patches. The tree, and bushes are a little singed but nothing too fatal.
Overall, you think youâve successfully gotten rid of the flowers. Now itâs time to fix the damage sought.
If you left this place as it is then itâd be no better than leaving those patches as they were. Besides, they may be able to puzzle together which direction you cast the spell in and follow you off of that.
A last rub is sent down the length of Jewelsâ snout before you maneuver back to where you were and start to cast various Druid healing spells to patch up the burns, regrowing the greenery that was once there before you came across this place.
Thereâs no way youâd feel right leaving damage behind like this to the Earth when you have the power to heal it. Youâd be no better than those garbage excuses for human beings who selfishly do what they like to the Earth and donât do anything to rectify it. One problem after another piling up due to their neglect until it's too late. Best do your part and fix while you can, for you know every little action takes its toll on the grand scheme of things.
The grass is now healthy looking again, no longer there being black lashes against the green. The tree and bushes are also fixed from what you see.
Yes, it looks like youâve completely covered your tracks.
You canât bring back the butterflies you roasted but you can do your best to make sure that the ones remaining donât suffer the same fate. Watching the butterflies flutter around and trail your retreat back to Jewelsâ back, she turns and continues off where she left to carry you in the direction youâd chosen in the first place. With a sigh at the small accomplishment to your safety and finally being able to set out, you hum to yourself, âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon to your right.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
"I promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search but it's merely thirty minutes later when Jewels lets you know she needs to rest. Fine by you. It didn't seem like anything was changing or appearing for you to find. Additionally, you don't want to run Jewels to death. You've made sure to give her breaks every few hours throughout the day; repeating the task of utilizing your abilities to make a watering hole for her since you're no longer near that stream from this morning.
The air is filled with the sound of Jewels drinking the pool and munching on grass and the new patch that surrounds where you sit. Itâs much in contrast to the soft breeze that has never left you since you've come to. It carries a vernal feel, coming from the North West. You can assume, at least from what you've observed thus far, that the season for the part of the...globe...hemisphereâerr, part of the world you're in at the moment is either spring or fall. You haven't witnessed the iconic fall leaves you've seen in documentaries, just flowers and green...must be spring then... Though, you have a hunch that it's late in the season. You sum up the gut feeling to being a Druid, not lingering on the whys and why nots. You're starting to learn that all it does is bring about a spiral of doubts and you're getting sick and tired of it.
You don't know how late into the season it is but if you've learned anything from historical and scientific programs, this is the best time to be stranded in the medieval era. You know winter is a bitch in this time period, not even covering the fantastical worlds of fiction where seasons can be put to the extremes. With this world being a combination of both, you can only imagine what type of outcome that means for the season of frost. Thank goodness you were blessed with the season perfect for you and your avatar's abilities.
...Yet...mmm... Although this weather is perfect for your Druid class, relying on magic to solve all your problems may be inefficient in the long run.
What if you run out of mana?
Yes, you have, at most, three hundred MP which, to be fair, is an ungodly amount. There are a few ways players that have exceeded the level cap but there is no way any one player can equal that. Maybe half. Itâs possible to achieve half but just maybe. As in the one thousandths percentage of players have. But two-thirds? No way. Legitimately impossible even if all of the XP collected is put into MP. The only, and you mean it, the only reason you have that stupidly high level of MP is because youâre a character meant to face possibly hundreds of level one hundred players at once, which you have.
Just being the âœCreator of the world treeâ wouldnât have cut it, nor the fact that the avatar is a magic oriented being. It only got a stamp of approval when the alpha simulations were tested and the damage output SÅsaku-sha could place wasnât equivalent enough to survive the onslaught of bots once they ran out of the MP they had initially.
So your avatar has three hundred MPâor at least in the game. That might not be the case any longer. Additionally, that's when you haven't been casting at all and you've been using magic all throughout the day. Youâve been counting, as it is a habit from pvp, how much mana youâve been burning through and what you have left. There should be two hundred sixty three MP left if there were no restoration periods.
You don't have a menu to view to confirm your stats and there's no spells for self evaluations because that's what the menu functioned for... How much do you have left? Do spells require different levels of mana to cast than what youâre accustomed to? Your counting would be meaningless then. How long does it take for your bar to replenish? If the bar was empty, it'd take players six hours for mana to be restored in full, if Yggdrasil's rules still apply. Your perk, Life, cuts that time in half though, so every three hours your MP should be refilled. Not to mention you hadnât burned through your entire bar of MP, only a few spurts every other hour, so it shouldnât take that long to be full again. Maybe...twenty minutes if it hadnât been restored throughout the day. Has that changed though? Does MP replenish anymore?
You feel like it's okay...your MP that is. It feels like it's there. A presence or a knowing. Like an extra sense...but the dread of losing something that could be vital to your survivalâ. Well...that would just mean you'd be no diffrent than a human... Your normal self...
Letâs wait and see how youâre feeling laterâ. If you recall the first time you used magic today, then the next time your MP will fill up is in two hours and forty-two minutes. But thatâs if youâd run empty. Only counting the spells you used now...five minutes max...
â.
How the heck do you know all that?
â.
Nevermind, thereâs something more important.
You flex your fingers in unease, gaze remaining transfixed on the fiery sky.
The sun's sandy yellow color has mellowed out, a vigorous tangerine ember burns in place; the kindling fire loses its heat as the night settles in. But that ember burns strong, casting its retreating glow across the land. The grass has turned to a dark gold, the shadow in matrimony to the vibrant sky above. It's more colors than ever thought imaginable. Pinks, yellows, oranges, reds, greens, violets, blues... Your very vision is filled with nature's kaleidoscope, the rainbow lights dancing beautifully... Grace and power... How beautiful, framed perfectly by clouds withholding what light is given until they too are overcome by twilight. The butterflies' wings shimmer, catching the glittery light as they flit about in the evening air, sparkling... shining like stars of their own...
Magical.
A noise escapes you... One that you can't place the source for but it may have to do with the way your body begins to tremble.
Wrapping quivering arms around yourself does little to settle your muscles, only emphasizing how impacted you are by the sight. It's not the crisp of the glade, your avatar is immune to freezing. Besides, the warmth of the star grips you in the most homely feeling, as if you're a babe coddled in the welcoming hold of a guardian... The fetal position you find yourself in doesn't help refute the imagery...and you're okay with that.
Another shuttering noise rumbles out, wet in pitch as pressure coils over your face and chest, warm and feels of jelly...
You've only felt this way a handful of times. Being nominated as the most innovative game designer of the decade? Those few times you've been in real battles with players? Recieving your first game as a kid? The genuine smiles you've brought to others...
Yes...you're feeling bliss. A pure joy.
"Ha...ha ha... And here I thought the rendition in Midgard was the best sunset. How presumptuous..." The mutter can hardly be called such, warped in tone by your overwhelming emotions. No one would have been able to understand you if they were listening. "My...first sunset... I wish I could share it with you all..."
Jewels, having her fill, settles behind you in the grass. Seeing the opportunity, you lean back so you rest against her side. It's hard but warm, a buzz of life energy; her breathing lulls you as it steadily rocks you up and down. Jewels even sees to it to lay her head nearest to you so that your dominant arm can cradle and fiddle playfully with her straw-felt hair.
All is nice...
All is good...
You want to cry...and...for the first time since this ordeal...not for a bad reason...
Continue
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'21â†'100
A calm evening's end...
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LOST ROUTE 5:15
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
âœMmm...I shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head with a drop of your hand, watching the butterflies flutter around and trail you as Jewels continues to walk. Theyâd be able to follow the footprints Jewels left the night prior to this location so thereâs no point ridding the evidence of your stay. As long as you donât allow any more prints to be made, the flowers are fine. Besides...you hate the idea of killing the flora when thereâs so little of them left on Earth...âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon to your right.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
"I promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search but it's merely thirty minutes later when Jewels lets you know she needs to rest. Fine by you. It didn't seem like anything was changing or appearing for you to find. Additionally, you don't want to run Jewels to death. You've made sure to give her breaks every few hours throughout the day; repeating the task of utilizing your abilities to make a watering hole for her since you're no longer near that stream from this morning.
The air is filled with the sound of Jewels drinking the pool and munching on grass and the new patch that surrounds where you sit. Itâs much in contrast to the soft breeze that has never left you since you've come to. It carries a vernal feel, coming from the North West. You can assume, at least from what you've observed thus far, that the season for the part of the...globe...hemisphereâerr, part of the world you're in at the moment is either spring or fall. You haven't witnessed the iconic fall leaves you've seen in documentaries, just flowers and green...must be spring then... Though, you have a hunch that it's late in the season. You sum up the gut feeling to being a Druid, not lingering on the whys and why nots. You're starting to learn that all it does is bring about a spiral of doubts and you're getting sick and tired of it.
You don't know how late into the season it is but if you've learned anything from historical and scientific programs, this is the best time to be stranded in the medieval era. You know winter is a bitch in this time period, not even covering the fantastical worlds of fiction where seasons can be put to the extremes. With this world being a combination of both, you can only imagine what type of outcome that means for the season of frost. Thank goodness you were blessed with the season perfect for you and your avatar's abilities.
...Yet...mmm... Although this weather is perfect for your Druid class, relying on magic to solve all your problems may be inefficient in the long run.
What if you run out of mana?
Yes, you have, at most, three hundred MP which, to be fair, is an ungodly amount. There are a few ways players that have exceeded the level cap but there is no way any one player can equal that. Maybe half. Itâs possible to achieve half but just maybe. As in the one thousandths percentage of players have. But two-thirds? No way. Legitimately impossible even if all of the XP collected is put into MP. The only, and you mean it, the only reason you have that stupidly high level of MP is because youâre a character meant to face possibly hundreds of level one hundred players at once, which you have.
Just being the âœCreator of the world treeâ wouldnât have cut it, nor the fact that the avatar is a magic oriented being. It only got a stamp of approval when the alpha simulations were tested and the damage output SÅsaku-sha could place wasnât equivalent enough to survive the onslaught of bots once they ran out of the MP they had initially.
So your avatar has three hundred MPâor at least in the game. That might not be the case any longer. Additionally, that's when you haven't been casting at all and you've been using magic all throughout the day. Youâve been counting, as it is a habit from pvp, how much mana youâve been burning through and what you have left. There should be two hundred sixty three MP left if there were no restoration periods.
You don't have a menu to view to confirm your stats and there's no spells for self evaluations because that's what the menu functioned for... How much do you have left? Do spells require different levels of mana to cast than what youâre accustomed to? Your counting would be meaningless then. How long does it take for your bar to replenish? If the bar was empty, it'd take players six hours for mana to be restored in full, if Yggdrasil's rules still apply. Your perk, Life, cuts that time in half though, so every three hours your MP should be refilled. Not to mention you hadnât burned through your entire bar of MP, only a few spurts every other hour, so it shouldnât take that long to be full again. Maybe...twenty minutes if it hadnât been restored throughout the day. Has that changed though? Does MP replenish anymore?
You feel like it's okay...your MP that is. It feels like it's there. A presence or a knowing. Like an extra sense...but the dread of losing something that could be vital to your survivalâ. Well...that would just mean you'd be no diffrent than a human... Your normal self...
Letâs wait and see how youâre feeling laterâ. If you recall the first time you used magic today, then the next time your MP will fill up is in two hours and forty-two minutes. But thatâs if youâd run empty. Only counting the spells you used now...five minutes max...
â.
How the heck do you know all that?
â.
Nevermind, thereâs something more important.
You flex your fingers in unease, gaze remaining transfixed on the fiery sky.
The sun's sandy yellow color has mellowed out, a vigorous tangerine ember burns in place; the kindling fire loses its heat as the night settles in. But that ember burns strong, casting its retreating glow across the land. The grass has turned to a dark gold, the shadow in matrimony to the vibrant sky above. It's more colors than ever thought imaginable. Pinks, yellows, oranges, reds, greens, violets, blues... Your very vision is filled with nature's kaleidoscope, the rainbow lights dancing beautifully... Grace and power... How beautiful, framed perfectly by clouds withholding what light is given until they too are overcome by twilight. The butterflies' wings shimmer, catching the glittery light as they flit about in the evening air, sparkling... shining like stars of their own...
Magical.
A noise escapes you... One that you can't place the source for but it may have to do with the way your body begins to tremble.
Wrapping quivering arms around yourself does little to settle your muscles, only emphasizing how impacted you are by the sight. It's not the crisp of the glade, your avatar is immune to freezing. Besides, the warmth of the star grips you in the most homely feeling, as if you're a babe coddled in the welcoming hold of a guardian... The fetal position you find yourself in doesn't help refute the imagery...and you're okay with that.
Another shuttering noise rumbles out, wet in pitch as pressure coils over your face and chest, warm and feels of jelly...
You've only felt this way a handful of times. Being nominated as the most innovative game designer of the decade? Those few times you've been in real battles with players? Recieving your first game as a kid? The genuine smiles you've brought to others...
Yes...you're feeling bliss. A pure joy.
"Ha...ha ha... And here I thought the rendition in Midgard was the best sunset. How presumptuous..." The mutter can hardly be called such, warped in tone by your overwhelming emotions. No one would have been able to understand you if they were listening. "My...first sunset... I wish I could share it with you all..."
Jewels, having her fill, settles behind you in the grass. Seeing the opportunity, you lean back so you rest against her side. It's hard but warm, a buzz of life energy; her breathing lulls you as it steadily rocks you up and down. Jewels even sees to it to lay her head nearest to you so that your dominant arm can cradle and fiddle playfully with her straw-felt hair.
All is nice...
All is good...
You want to cry...and...for the first time since this ordeal...not for a bad reason...
Continue
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'21â†'101
A calm evening's end...
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LOST ROUTE 5:16
Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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âœMmm...I shouldnât leave any trace.â Jewels stops, as if compelled by your will, while you keep your arm firm in the direction youâve come from. Puzzling through which spell to make do you ultimately call out ⟪Blight⟫ to wither away the growthsâ
â.
Only they donât wither away. They resist the cast.
âœEh-What the? ⟪Blight!⟫â
Again, the patch remains resilient.
âœPsh! How?!â You focus on the colorful wildflowers, stupefied.
It resisted two ⟪Blight⟫ spells?! From your avatar?! SÅsaku-sha is maxed out! Their level cap exceeds 100! Additionally, plants canât resist blight unless theyâre magical! But even if these are magical, theyâre at a disadvantage!
So why didnât they wither?! Are you out of range? Thereâs no way! Youâre only six meters away!
Jewels turns around and carries you back over until two meters separates you from the flowers, your intrigue now focused on them.
âœThis has to be close enough. ⟪Blight!⟫â
When they remain as healthy as ever your hand lowers in defeat.
âœWhy?â Itâs not the distance thenâ You know youâre casting it right since you feel the dip MP everytime you cast on the plant. So whatâs the issue? âœSo weirdâ⟪Mana Essence⟫.â
Your vision darkens with the new cast, as if a shadow has captured your sight. However, with the spell, a gateway is opened for you to see the mana leaking from the plants. Itâs like the ground is on fire wherever you have touched, with blue and purple wisps of energy flowing fourth from the Earth. You can distinctly see each patch of mana flowing from the ground where youâve walked and lain.
It confirms that the plants are magical in nature...but not why they resisted your casts.
Is it because of the level of mana they exude? If theyâre releasing this much mana...they may be high level growths? A five star-Ha! What are you saying? No way! Thereâs no way plants that grow from your touch could be Legendary growths. Thatâs absurd.
It is absurd...but they are producing a lot of manaâMmmâ. Youâre just going to assume theyâre a rare spawn and leave it at that.
Though, this isnât the issue you should be focusing on. How do you get rid of them?!
If theyâre able to resist three of your ⟪Blight⟫ spells, then they must have some sort of resistance to the Wither statusâ so youâll have to use something that doesnât drain energy. You didnât want to do something like this initially because it's destructive but youâre left with little options.
Ascend wills your body up and forward so Jewels is out of the way and, with newfound determination, you call forth âœâŸªMinimize Magic Scorching Ray!⟫â
Your moss cape flaps in the air while both your hands spark and blaze with heat as the attack is activated. With astounding accuracy, thin fiery beams launch at the many spaces which contain the magical growths. The fire roars as it consumes everything in its wake but youâre disheartened when Jewels shrieks, startled by the flames, and the empty feeling that washes over you as butterflies are caught in the crossfire.
Once the spell is over, you make sure to float over to Jewels where she eyes the flames wearily with a fearful whine. âœHey, hey. Itâs okay, Jewels.â Gently, you grab hold of her snout and pet gently to soothe her fear. To your surprise, it seems to do wonders as she melts into your menstrations, her breathing slowing to a calm rhythm as she relaxes. Encouraged by her reaction, you keep it up and continue to speak in a soft tone. âœYouâre fine. Everythingâs fine. It's just a little fire. Iâd never hurt you. You see? Youâre okay.â
You hug her head closer to yourself as you observe your work.
Yeeeahp, itâs all gone.
Itâs one of the reasons you didnât want to use any destructive spells in the first place. Even with Minimizing, your avatar is still above level cap, causing destructive spells they have to be overkill in most cases. So, despite ⟪Scorching Ray⟫ being a second tier spell, itâs amplified by the higher level slots, perks, and OP stats.
The reason you settled on this spell though is not only because it's one of the lowest tier spells you have with a low slash radius if used right, fire is a natural weakness to most plants. Youâre glad itâs the same here as you no longer see any trace of the patches. Plus, fire is a natural element in nature according to the documentaries youâve seen. Youâve even heard that fire makes the Earth more nutritious for the plants thatâll grow back over. You donât know what the long term effects of acid classed spells would have done to the ground so you tried the next best thing. Choosing the lesser of two evils seemed like the best course.
Thankfully, the damage is not as bad as it could be. The Earth surrounding the place you took camp has been reduced to nothing but scorched black Earth like it had been whipped by the sun. Orange spurts of fire still flicker here and there within the smoke but theyâre nothing compared to the attack you unleashed. Even so, you didnât destroy everything. The only unintentional casualties are the insects and the grass surrounding the patches. The tree, and bushes are a little singed but nothing too fatal.
Overall, you think youâve successfully gotten rid of the flowers. Now itâs time to fix the damage sought.
If you left this place as it is then itâd be no better than leaving those patches as they were. Besides, they may be able to puzzle together which direction you cast the spell in and follow you off of that.
A last rub is sent down the length of Jewelsâ snout before you maneuver back to where you were and start to cast various Druid healing spells to patch up the burns, regrowing the greenery that was once there before you came across this place.
Thereâs no way youâd feel right leaving damage behind like this to the Earth when you have the power to heal it. Youâd be no better than those garbage excuses for human beings who selfishly do what they like to the Earth and donât do anything to rectify it. One problem after another piling up due to their neglect until it's too late. Best do your part and fix while you can, for you know every little action takes its toll on the grand scheme of things.
The grass is now healthy looking again, no longer there being black lashes against the green. The tree and bushes are also fixed from what you see.
Yes, it looks like youâve completely covered your tracks.
You canât bring back the butterflies you roasted but you can do your best to make sure that the ones remaining donât suffer the same fate. Watching the butterflies flutter around and trail your retreat back to Jewelsâ back, she turns and continues off where she left to carry you in the direction youâd chosen in the first place. With a sigh at the small accomplishment to your safety and finally being able to set out, you hum to yourself, âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.
You know what you must do now.
You will use your resources and efforts together to search for other players.
You have an obligation to do so since you canât help but feel that this situation may be your fault. Your game...Yggdrasil did something. Youâre stuck in your avatar so it's only reasonable to assume such. You canât be the only one. If you do find themâwhat then? Apologize? They may be scared, pissed, or all the above...they might blame you for this predicament...but youâre sure no one would want to be alone at a time like this. You feel that way...Yeah, that seems to be the right thing to do. You wouldnât hold it against them if they lashed out at you either. They may have lives that they need to get back to. You too have a life of your own as well but first, you want to find others before you start searching for a way to go back to the real world.
Yes, you know your mission now. This web of information gathering will start once youâve found grounding and you will spread across the globe to find the answers you desire.
Clenching your fists you look up with a burning in your chest, âœI will find you, donât worry. Youâre not alone...I will find you all! This I promise!!!â
What meets your outcry is an echo of your strange, lone voice as you stare out at the horizon slightly to your right.
A beautiful sky. A sky that is no longer present on your world, covered with smog, but here?
You smile.
The sight gives you hope...the hope that you will succeed.
âœI promiseââ You shift your gaze outward again to continue your search-A tinkling of a knowing...an awareness of something ahead makes its way across your skin and your body jolts to a stop to face the said direction.
This...this feels different. Much larger than what other creatures there had been. Fixing your focus to hone in on the one...it seems like one? Hmm... Yes, one being.
Looking off ahead by sitting up on Jewelsâ back, stretching your body as far as you believe you can to catch a glimpse of what you think youâre feeling.
No. No. Hmmm...this doesnât feel like rabbits or anything of that size...though theyâre not larger than Jewels...or you...but hmmm...theyâre close to your size...wait.
âœWait! Could it a person?!â You say out loud as you try to look higher to see if that is the case by raising your hand, copying the trick you learned in the barn.
It does slightly increase the distance which you can see and to that, you take notice a speck on the horizon.
The sixth sense is informing you that the feeling of the figure is stagnant, so that means that theyâre remaining where they are.
Itâd be wise, before you get closer, to decide on a form to uphold. You donât want to repeat the scenario of âOh no! A monster!â
You hum almost in an agitated manner but it sounds sadder than anything. You donât like the idea of you being seen as a monster...despite that technically being the case. So, to avoid future complications between...hmm, race(?)...the people of this world, you'll need to appear as somewhat familiar and trustworthy.
Itâs an easy fix with magic. You have a couple of spells that can do just the trick!
But, for this all to work, you obviously need to change your appearance to appear like a human again. Not just any human, however. You need to fit in so you have to choose a form that has similarities to the natives of this world. If you appear too foreign, youâll draw eyes which means that youâll need to replicate what youâve seen in that one village as reference. Youâve only seen men so far but thatâs more than enough. You would have loved to appear as yourself but you also donât want to use your actual identity in this world as it could endanger you. You have to make a new look. This way, your interactions with the natives of this...new...world? Yggdrasil? Whatever! NEW SITUATION will run a bit more smoothlyâ
What will you choose to look like?
Iâll look like a male.
Iâll look like a female.
Chapter End Notes
Your pathway so far:
1â†'2â†'4â†'9â†'20â†'102
OOoo, I wonder what's up ahead~ Also, the choice left at the end of this chapter doesn't necessarily mean much. All it will affect is what gender you'll appear as when you're not SÅsaku-sha, how others will treat you, and other small differences. This is all so you can relate to your character more or immerse yourself in roleplay!
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Chapter Summary
You find yourself in an odd situation after you left your realm to enjoy what was left of your game, Yggdrasil, before the shut down. When you're surrounded by an unknown mob you decide that it's best to avoid confrontation and flee the scene. With a horse at your side you venture off into the unknown...
Chapter Notes
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See the end of the chapter for more notes
âœMmm...I shouldnât be worried about the possibilities.â You shake your head with a drop of your hand, watching the butterflies flutter around and trail you as Jewels continues to walk. Theyâd be able to follow the footprints Jewels left the night prior to this location so thereâs no point ridding the evidence of your stay. As long as you donât allow any more prints to be made, the flowers are fine. Besides...you hate the idea of killing the flora when thereâs so little of them left on Earth...âœI should live in the moment for a bit. Maybe enjoying what I have now is the refresher I need to focus on finding answers.â
With that last outward comment you let your mind wander off into a mindless buzz as you are escorted farther and farther by Jewels into the unknownâ
â—
The sun is much lower now than it was when you first started out on your excursion but itâs not quite evening yet. Despite the light of day still being available for what you suspect to be a few more hours, the sky has noticeably shifted in palette as it had marched across the sky to rest behind you. Fascinated by the fundamentals of the sunâs effect on the climate of this world you had remained somewhat in a numb trance as Jewels and you had continued on your way.
The sun had made it considerably warmer as the hours had passed but, what you can only guess after three oâclock, it started to cool off. The temperature fluctuations had been noticeable but despite you being naked youâre not sensitive to the change, a surprise to you. You assume that it has to do with SÅsaku-shaâs tolerance to such things.
Back on Earth, there were only clouds of smog. There was no sun. Global warming was constant so it was always hot. That irritating heat...however...there were a few things that produced pleasant heat. The sun is one of them. You donât think that you had ever felt the sun before going on a plane to your first gaming convention and that was...a mind-blowing experience. You remember how warm it felt on your skin as you stared out the window at it. It felt just like how all those romance poems and movies depicted it as. Itâs a warmth that feels like hot chocolate and kisses. So bright it had been but all you had wanted to do was stare at it despite it causing you to see weird spots afterward.
However, all you have done today is stare at the sun and bask in its embrace...and none of the pain nor the spots appeared. You can only guess that itâs a natural thing that is supposed to occur and Earthâs pollution made it so you canât see the sun without burning your eyes...or itâs because of this alien body.
Another blissful noise rumbles in your chest as you continue to be hypnotized by the star that is starting to dye the sky a calming orange color. You thought that the sky would look brown before the sunset since the orange and blue colors would meld to make such a color...but no...the orange is so subtle. Only because you had been watching the descent had you become aware of the shift. It had dawned on you a while back that youâll be able to experience your first ever genuine sunset after so many years of being alive.
How youâre not going to let anything get in the way of this.
You continue to watch the falling sky, thankful that your extended vision allows you to focus on it as you keep half the mind to continue looking out for anything different.
Everything starts to look the same with no signs of landmarks across the plains. Itâs all grass. Grass here, grass there...though there are the occasional bush and tree. However not much else changes. The only obscurities that you catch are the weeds that take the place of grass. It truly feels that you are a passenger on a vessel that is drifting across a green ocean by how flat and alive it is...and it fills you with awe.
The closest thing you got to these wondrous plains were the ones in Yggdrasil that were developed with the help of your crew of graphic artists.
You must say, man-made things cannot measure up to what mother nature can produce.
Strange concept though, that this may still be Yggdrasil and these are elements that you had implemented in the game but you hardly think that is so now. Nothing, except the fact that youâre stuck in your avatar and the magic system being generally the same, is like your game.
Youâve been going on for what you know has been hours yet nothing sticks out to you. You seem to have gone to a very remote location.
You shift your vision to your rear, once again, still paranoid about being followed. Nothing blocked the way behind but nothing stood out either, making it very challenging to tell which direction one came from unless they keep in mind where the sun is. Although thereâs nowhere you could hide, you feel that you have some advantage if you were in danger.
For one, you can just fly away if youâre ambushed, although youâre still hesitant on the idea of heights in fear of falling again. Plus, you donât want to abandon Jewels so you might just use magic to get away if anything bad happens.
Also, your senses seem to be amplified by an extraordinary amount when you focus on them.
Your sense of smell, which is one of your strangest, allows you to smell what you suspect dogs or even bears to be able to smell. The strongest scents come from the animals of course but you try not to focus on them because they arenât releasing pleasant odors. You gag a couple of times upon smelling some of them, such as Jewels, but overall the plains smell relatively good. The grass reminds you of tea by the tangy richness it releases. You also enjoy the occasional smell of herbs, flowers, and foreign sweet odors that litter the landscape. Itâs like...itâs what you think flower shops would have smelled like if there were any more around back on Earthâ. Flowers are such a rarity. It's so nice to see and experience them in their natural environment. You've seen documentaries of them but the closest you've gotten to them in the real world were the vases of flowers at those parties your parents would take you to...though you never got to tell if they were real or not since you weren't allowed anywhere near them as a child...
You hope they were fake.
There's already so little flora left on Earth that you think it's a tragic waste for them to be mutilated for design in some rich snob's mansion. Just one way they flaught their power in front of others...
You pray that they were fake...
...enough. You're not there. You're here. Focus on the now...
You enjoy the scents that come your way, holding onto this moment while keeping your vision wide and your ears open. You technically donât have ears but you feel as though you have ones larger than an elephant because of how much sound you pick up. The wind canât even penetrate through the thicket without it catching your attention, even when it seems to approach from miles away. The fact that you feel that you can hear that far and you hear nothing out of the ordinary is both comforting and disappointing.
Your sense of touch doesnât do much but tell you when a bug decides to hitchhike on you, how Jewels feels, and which way the breeze is coming from. You donât know if you have a sense of taste but you will yourself to keep it off if you do. You donât want to accidentally taste something youâd regret. Itâd be a bad choice to activate it if taste now works similarly to how your other senses work. Youâll see how to make it work later.
In addition to that...thereâs something...odd that you had noticed when you started to search your surroundings. You know that you have at least four out of five of your natural senses but...
You seem to have a sixth sense now.
You canât describe it in any other way than you somehow being acutely aware of living creatures around you. You thought you were being paranoid at first when you started to expand your available senses to stay alert and you...just felt like something was...there...even when you couldnât see, hear, or smell it. You slowly realized that wasnât the case, though. You were proven that youâre not, in fact, going crazy when youâd feel things inside the ground or in the passing trees only for them to pop out. It is mainly insects that prove that they were the ones hiddenâ.but it still creeps you out. The feeling of knowing somethingâs there is like worms wriggling and buzzing under your skin. It especially feels the most intense when you focus on particular organisms like Jewels. Sensing her is the weirdest feeling, almost as if youâre sitting on a battery or that your bottom half is enveloped in static. You canât describe it in any other way than that.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling, you reluctantly keep it up because it was and still is very helpful pinpointing the things that escape your other senses. It reassures you that nothing is watching you out from behind a bush. The only living things that are currently watching you are the ones you donât mind. As long as that doesnât change, youâll be happy...or if something does start following you...you know that you could handle it now that your magic is working and youâd be able to start interrogating whatever it could be. If it comes to it, you could all kill it-
What-woah...hold on now. I-is that you talking?! Is that really you?!â
Woah, holy shit... is your mind affected?
Are you actually prepared to kill whatever may threaten you. Even if itâs a human?!
The fact that you feel that the answer would be a solid yes hardly comes as a shock to you, but the fact that you feel nonplussed at the idea is what startles you.
Wow. You might need to make a rule book or a list of how you should act. Murder isnâtâit isnât right in certain circumstances-No! NO! It shouldnât be right under any circumstance! It is wrong! Itâs-
á›'ášášá›á›ášâᛋá›ášášá›ášášá›
Glittery golden light fills your vision and your mind blanks.
You freeze in place on Jewels back, trying to figure out what you were just thinking aboutâ
â.
*sigh*...No matter how hard you try to remember what it was you canât seem to recall the seconds prior.
Scratching your neck you hum. âœHuh. I must have had a brain fart or something..." Welp, thatâs something future you can have a problem with. Right now, however...you need to focus on finding information.
So far youâve found absolutely nothing.
âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
So, until you arrive at your destination, if there is any, you believe thinking up a game plan would be wise.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
â.
Soooooâ.
â.
What do you want to do?
âœI want to get out of this messâ, *sigh* but you know thatâs off the table.
So what else do you want to do?
âœMaybe get a roof over my head? Someplace safe and comfortable that I can hold out in until I can get back home.â You nod at the fair idea.
How do you expect to do that?
âœWell...Depends on what happens. If I can find a way to integrate myself back into human society then Iâd try to get a job to support myself...though...heh, I donât think that they have a demand for programmers just yet.â You shake your head lamentably, âœSeems like Iâm stuck in some kind of fantasy medieval world. No technology yet...augh. Theyâre so dated. If I were a technician Iâd get the ball rolling in that department but...I only know a little bit about that kind of stuff. Metal conducts electricity, I know that. And there are more ways to conduct electricity than flying a kite to be struck by lightning.â
Yeah, water, solar, wind, geothermal, so much knowledge just at your fingertips...wait.
You look down at your colorful hands as an idea strikes you. âœCan I start a new form of producing electricity by magic?â
You have thousands upon thousands of spells at your disposal. Maybe with enough practice, you can start a whole new revolution of technological advancements in this new world. Magic is obviously a thing in this world.
You rub your neck and ponder over the words of the villagers.
That means that there are others that have magical abilities, typical for a fantasy world. But...even if you could produce electricity in this world, how would you power it? Would you have mages and wizards constantly power a light bulb for you? And how would you explain it to the masses? If your memory serves you right, history shows how people react to new things. The churches, for example, would lynch people they thought to be associated with the devil and condemned them as witches. How about having your throat slit in the middle of the night when someone wants to steal your ideas?
Maybe sticking out in the crowd would be a bad thing. Youâre already trying to hide from that one village, why should you risk your safety again?
âœ*Sigh, itâd make many peopleâs lives much easier.â
There is so much you could do to improve this world actually. Medicine and simple hygiene would be a profound step forward. It could save countless lives. You could start your own clinic. Start off easy and work your way up from there by gaining apprentices who also practice magic. You could start a whole line of doctors. Cure Disease and Light Healing are only a small portion of what you can doâ
Then again, youâd stick outâ
Mmmâ
You also know of many recipes from Earth. You may not be the best cook but you have more knowledge than Basics. Are salads a thing yet? That would be easy. With your Beast Taming skills you could gather all sorts of creatures to harvest off of easily. Not to mention your Druid skills. You got a couple of other spells that could help you like Create Water for some freshwater. A couple of fire oriented spells can help you cook. Temperature Change could also help you with heating water, maybe for tea? Ice-type spells to preserve your food, maybe even to serve desserts such as ice cream? You would have the freshest produce to cook and experiment with. You...you've never have had most of the things that start to rain across your mind as you brainstorm. Meats and fruits! All considered to be extravagant. Only the sickenly rich could afford them since the ingredients are so rare...but here, you have no limit! You could do anything in this new world. You could finally have the chance to eat such foods!
But that would make you stick outâ.
â.
Mmmm...
Maybe you should do simple jobs. A servant? People donât pay attention to servants...
You make a face at the sick feeling that makes itself known by a gag.
Wow. You really donât want to do that. Itâs almost as if you had asked yourself to become dirt! You know that those things were completely unrelated yet your entire being feels like it spits at the idea. Whatâs so wrong with servant work?
The thought of being a mere servant slaving under some lower life form makes your stomach turn-
What-what...what's this? W-why are you thinking that way?!âyou didnât realize your pride came before your life! And lower life form?! Humans?! Not even a day ago you were a human! It is wrong to be thinking this way! Do I really think I am of higher status or even a higher being than people?!
Yep.
No! NO! You are not above other people! What is wrong with you?! What have you become?! What has happened to your mind?! This-
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Glittery golden light fills your vision once again and your mind blanks.
â.
âœUh...what...was I just thinking of again?...â You spend another few moments trying to puzzle together what you might have been mulling about but nothing comes up. âœMan...I must be too stressed out if Iâm forgetting stuff that easily..." Scratching your temple you continue to focus on making a game plan.
Hmmmâ.
How about a hmm...a mercenary of sorts? Someone hired to help around with odd jobs that normal people wouldnât be able to do? Mmmâ
Seems hard and dangerous...huh...actually, that doesnât sound that ba-Now wait! Hold on, were you okay with danger?! No! Thatâs the reason youâre wandering off into the middle of nowhere to get away from dangerâ
â.
âYou went...into the middle of nowhere...in a fantasy world that holds the possibility of monsters...far away from any human civilization... where thereâs no one to help you if something bad happened...and youâre worried about working as a hired mercenary?
You slap yourself hard in the face, causing the butterflies on your shoulders to flutter off.
âœOw.â The sting resides pretty quickly as the fluttery insects return to take perch on you.
Youâre so stupid. *Sigh, but at least you have ways to protect yourself now if you do end up in trouble.
Maybe thereâs no avoiding getting noticed.
âœI mean,â You laugh aridly, âœIâm not exactly from this world...or from a time close to this period.â
Youâre going to stick out no matter what you do to change your appearance and how you act. Youâll still sound off, not to mention the conflicting feelings you have with your bodyâ*sigh*
â.
â.
Kaah...you have no idea what is happeningâ
You know that you should be freaking out at a time like this...but you feel that you have an obligation to remain collected, especially now that youâre in the thick of the unknownâ
Huhâ
You havenât thought of that yet.
Is there a possibility...that your mind has been changed, along with your body?
You should have been afraid after seeing what had become of you in the pond, but...you didnât feel out of place...nor unnatural. Just confused and worried that you wonât be able to be yourself again. Another thing that youâve noticed is that youâre no longer tired. You had stayed up very late to watch the servers shut off and even after you had appeared in this weird place, you had wondered for hours. You had only slept because you felt like that would help you wake up from this nightmare. You hadnât felt tired at all before you slept. To be ready for player raids, you had made SÅsaku-sha with racial traits to prevent the need for rest, not to mention that SÅsaku-sha has immunity to most mind-affecting effects...so is this a result of that? The spell Sleep and other similar status attacks are still effective on your avatar but why hadnât you felt tired? You still donât.
What else is different then? Will these changes affect who you are?... Who you are as a person? Your mentality?
If these mental changes have a large effect or are erasing how you, yourself, see the world youâll need to quickly make a...some sort of list of how to properly act so you donât stray morally. Your will may be your own but that doesn't mean that it canât be affected. You want to cling on to your humanity.
You nod to yourself as you continue to watch the sunset merrily.
Has this pep talk really accomplished anything?
âœNothing. Iâm still fucking lost.â Your shoulders slump, âœ... I suspect that nothing will be a common factor in my life for the time beingââ
Well, even if youâre all not able to get anything from this at least youâve taken steps. Baby steps but thatâs still progress. That progress means that youâll be able to start making moves of sorts, ones thought upon and well planned out.
You can think about getting a job after youâve settled into a society and learned some of the basics of their culture. Who knows? You might find a possible job that is perfect for you.
But that does raise a question. Why do you want to integrate back into human society so badly? Well, frankly, you donât know anything about completely living on your own.
âœI did live in an apartment on my own back home.â
That doesnât count. You donât know how to hunt your own food...if you even need to eat...and magic can solve thatâ
You donât know how to build a shelter...well, you do have a couple of spells that could assist you like Create Fortress or Natureâs Shelter.
...hmmm...you donât know how youâd be able to clean it on your own?...summoning spells...Beast Tamer skillsâ
â.
Well...it might not be so bad of an idea then...
Hell, maybe you even start colonizing this area. Start building a...a...a functioning society of sorts on your own, near the stream as you thought of doing earlier. Yeah, and the more that you spread the more ways you can get information that will be gatheredâ
Butâ
What are you even expecting to find?
You donât think that there is an answer in the world that could describe what has happened to you. Not unless thereâs anyone else here like youâ
Wait. Is there a possibility of other players here? In this world?! You had thought the mob might have been but you were quickly proved wrong...but...
What if there are other players from Yggdrasil here?! T-that is a possibility. Youâre here...so itâs only reasonable to assume such.
You got it.