Auron looked over his glasses at the gigantic, brown scorpion that was wriggling out of the sand. He closed his eyes and let out a small sigh before spreading his legs and lowering his stance. He then shrugged off the left side of his jacket that his arm had been resting in and gripped his greatsword with both hands.
The arachnid had sensed him, and it was charging.
"[Power Strike]."
He swung his greatsword with perfect timing and the tip cleaved through the creature's head. Auron quickly jumped back and turned around. The eight foot long scorpion's momentum carried it forward and into the sand - which billowed up and around Auron.
It got in his short, spiky hair and covered his back, but it didn't get in his eyes. When the cloud settled, it revealed him standing calmly in-between the outstretched claws. His left arm was back inside of the pouch made by his jacket and belt, while his right arm gripped the hilt of his greatsword which rested on his shoulder.
Auron smirked to himself before noticing some billowing sand on the horizon. Horses. Mounted riders. Armed and armored.
He hefted his greatsword and spun it around before slamming it blade-first into the ground. He then took the jug of water that hung off of his belt and took a deep pull from it.
The riders drew closer faster than they should've been able to. Either they all had movement [Skills], or one of them had one that could be shared.
"Ho there!" The lead rider shouted as he pulled at his horse's reins. He then frowned as he looked at the dead scorpion. "So, you've already killed it." His voice was flat.
"That was our bounty!" The woman on the right exclaimed. "We'd called it at the guild!"
"Easy there, Wiskin." The one on the left smiled. "Our fellow adventurer here killed it by himself, and with one blow to boot. He's clearly gold-rank."
"Oh!" Wiskin's frown turned apologetic. "You're right." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry. We didn't know that there was a gold rank in the area. You, of course, have every right to-"
"Leave it." The foremost rider interrupted her. "I'm sure that our compatriot doesn't need to hear your repeated apologies. Do you? Sir..."
Auron's smile was hidden by the leather cone of his jacket's top, but it was there. "You can call me Auron. I'm not an adventurer, just a wanderer." He jerked his thumb at the corpse. "Feel free to take the body and the credit. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Ha." Wiskin laughed. "You and every other traveler along this road. That thing has killed-"
Their leader held up his hand. "We will accept the corpse, but not the credit. It wouldn't be honorable for us to claim a bounty that isn't our own."
Auron shrugged as he re-tied his jug to his belt. "Do what you will. Claim it in my name and keep it. I don't care."
"Hmmmm..." The man stroked his chin. "Then I shall trade you information and advise for it. Do not go into Merimheim. The Emperor is gathering their troops, and our local [Baron] seeks to swell his by conscription. If a [Warrior] such as yourself were to enter, with such a noticeable outfit and sword..." He shook his head. "Without the Adventurer's Guild to back you up, someone might do something stupid."
"I still say there's good money to be made there Tybion." Wiskin grumbled. "We could level too."
"As [Soldiers], Wiskin, as [Soldiers]." It sounded like an old argument.
Auron nodded. "I thank you for your information and advice. It was well worth the effort in killing this monster." He kicked one of the scorpion's claws, and it snapped shut as some automatic reflex kicked in despite its current state. "I will be on my way then."
He scanned the horizon where the outline of the city was barely visible, and then walked at an angle away from it and off the road.
...
Auron looked around to make sure no one was anywhere close by. The city was still a lump on the horizon, and there were a few dust clouds from people traveling to and from it, but the Empire of Sands lived up to its name. The city might have been built around an oasis, but all of its greenery was encased behind thick stone walls.
Even this close, the desert reigned.
Auron reached up..
*Gamer's Body enabled.
..and I removed my mask.
In hindsight, Auron might not've been the best person to impersonate - he didn't blend in as well as Jubei from Ninja Scroll had. The thing was, I had a soft spot in my heart for Final Fantasy X. It had been the first in the series I'd gotten to play after Leviathan had sunk Kyushu. The Endbringer hadn't killed the entire video game industry, but it had felt that way for a few years.
That was the reason I'd played and re-played so many old games as a kid. That, and they were cheap.
The Playstation 2 should've been released in 2000, the same year Aleph had gotten it. Instead, it had been three years before it had hit shelves in North America. Final Fantasy X had been the first release I'd played on it. Rumors on the net were that the data for it had been sent over from Aleph.
I'd picked up another copy from Earth Iota before I'd been taken.
It was mostly the same. There were just a few minor changes to some enemy names and equipment. Plus, the lack of a side quest that...
Anyways.
The point was that Auron was NOT the most inconspicuous person. It had taken me days to get the Mask's outfit just right. Sure, adventurers in this world also tended to be more flamboyantly dressed than most others, but not to such a degree.
The bright red jacket, with its six-inch collar would definitely have drawn attention. That wasn't even mentioning the greatsword and its lack of a sheath.
*Disappointment negated by Gamer's Mind.
I let out a sigh. Oh well.
The potential advantage of an Earther I wasn't aware of seeing my cosplay and approaching me was slim anyways. Still... it had been fun while it had lasted.
In any event, it was time for my next target. The drones I'd Crafted would make entering this city undetected much easier than what I'd gone through back in Noelictus. I un-Inventoried a few along with a force-field pylon. I then sat down and concentrated on searching the city with them.
...
*Disgust negated by Gamer's Mind.
*Hatred negated by Gamer's Mind.
The city was... fine mostly. Happy faces. Green trees. Water. Well-maintained buildings and roads. Guards with well-polished weapons.
The problem, as always, was hidden from sight. I wasn't referring to the homeless or the less-rich parts of towns. There were lots of street urchins and run-down buildings in the outskirts. They still had walls to protect them, and water to drink - even if numerous people looked dehydrated.
Still... they weren't the worst off. The other problem wasn't even hidden. Instead, it was proudly displayed as if it were a normal part of life. People with collars that were being forced to do the most physically demanding jobs.
Slaves.
I felt like I should do something. Dragon would've done something.
But... what?
Arbitrarily going there and breaking their collars wouldn't accomplish anything but enraging the local populous. I couldn't very well escort the freed people anywhere, nor could I remove whatever [Classes] also shackled them.
Besides... they actually looked better off than the poor. That was probably by design. It might be a way to get more slaves. If your only choices are poverty or slavery...
I let out a sigh. I wanted to be a hero, but I ultimately didn't care much. My instinctual reaction had been muted by Gamer's Mind. So, on a logical level, I knew that this wasn't a good thing, but I could also see that I simply wasn't capable of enforcing any real change.
If my target had been a [Slave]... Well, I'd have to reconsider things in that case. There was a significant difference in freeing a single person vs. the thousands I saw.
I shook my head and put it out of my mind.
Instead, I should focus on what good I could do while I was here - and what video games I could give people. The two game systems I'd left back in Delna were a start, but the best way to keep people from hoarding a resource was to oversaturate the market.
...As if there could be such a thing as too many video games.
It also felt like it was what my Crafting ability was made to do. The screens I could produce looked no different from a 'normal' one. They were already pixels after all.
So... I had two goals: Getting in contact with George Salvatore, and spreading some video games while I was here. They weren't mutually exclusive. In fact, I could use one to cover for the other.
I didn't NEED to, but it would be fun!
I stopped focusing on my drones and considered just what I should do, and what games I'd leave behind.
...Wait. What? Something was missing...
My Golden Gun! I couldn't hear it! There was only silence!
After the [Pickpocket] had swiped it, I'd made my ultimate weapon constantly discharge a sound that only Ears of Babel could hear. It was a fluctuation in stuff that only Shards understood. Regardless of if it was inside of my Inventory or anywhere else in the world, I should be able to hear it!
*Panic negated by Gamer's Mind.
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
Right. Right. I need to calm down and think about this. Ears of Babel wasn't active while I was wearing a mask. Could someone have stolen it while I was Jubei or Auron? I immediately sent a drone over to the 'adventurers' Auron had encountered.
At the same time, I started pouring mana into Threat Sense.
I was alone. Nobody was looking at me. Nobody was anywhere close to me. The forcefield still surrounded me.
The adventurers were busy chopping up the giant scorpion. I'd also remembered hearing the Golden Gun before I sat down to scout the city. Gamer's Mind would've prevented any Stranger effects - even as Auron. They probably weren't the culprits.
I'd confront them later, just to be sure.
I didn't know if Tongue of Babel would broadcast outside of dimensional pockets besides my own. A high-level thief might have been following me...
And somehow avoiding Threat Sense, even in its non-magic sensing mode...
And avoided me noticing them, or Gamer's Mind triggering...
And gotten past my forcefield...
And vanished in an instant...
Or maybe...
Was there something wrong with the Golden Gun that I hadn't noticed? Had the constant use of Tongue of Babel drained it completely? It had... been active constantly for a long time. I still tried to put MP into it every night, but I'd couldn't while I'd been wearing a mask. Also, the cost could've, I dunno, compounded over time and with constant use?
OPTIMIZE, is that possible?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Right. That meant the answer wasn't a simple 'yes' or 'no'.
*Worry negated by Gamer's Mind.
I double and then triple checked my Inventory. Nope. No completely drained Golden Gun.
Okay. Let's think this through. As I saw it, there were two general options. Either the Golden Gun was elsewhere, or it had been destroyed.
Could that... thing I'd used it on at Wistram be the cause? It had been a while, but perhaps it had finally taken its revenge or something?
I couldn't deny that it was possible since I didn't know what the creature had been in the first place or what it was capable of. It was certainly more plausible than a thief with a Stranger power and the patience of a saint stalking me unnoticed for an extended amount of time.
I stood up and Inventoried my pylon. Time to confront the last people I'd encountered.
...
Nothing.
They were completely innocent as far as I could tell.
They hadn't been as polite as they had with Auron, but they also hadn't been antagonistic. Nothing in any of the notifications I'd gotten from their emotions had given any hint of duplicity.
The sensor suites I'd Crafted hadn't returned anything either.
I frowned. Okay. Fine. It was worth sacrificing a [Skill] to find my gun.
I went through my menu and selected [Basic Identification]. I'd gotten it a while ago from [Artificer]. As far as something that might help me identify [Thieves] or pierce whatever was hiding my gun - it seemed like the best match.
I sacrificed it to Crafting, and then... focused that on the blueprint I had for a city-wide Observe-based scanning array. It slotted into place the same way that [Alchemy: Corrosive Substances] had joined with the blueprint for my Mega-Buster.
I dropped the seed to the ground, and then fed the mass from my Inventoried sensor tower into it. The pixelized nanites took in the electronics before building the same exact tower - just with a [Skill] to back it up.
It was tall and thin. The invisibility field my drones were making to hide it wasn't perfect. I could only hope no one noticed a faint distortion on the horizon. It took time, but the enhanced sensor suite finally came on-line.
I connected to it with my Babel Perks and began sifting through the data.
It worked!
*Happiness negated by Gamer's Mind.
At least, it was returning a lot more data: details on classes and levels. [Soldiers], [Merchants], [Rogues] and countless other details came back.
Hmmm...
It felt... basic. Like it was able to get the general category a person's [Classes] were, but nothing specific. There were also people it could sense who had their levels blocked completely.
I sat and looked. It might take a while, but I could watch the suspicious people and see if I could ferret out any more information.
...
*Boredom negated by Gamer's Mind.
Even with Gamer's Mind helping me concentrate... I'd been doing this for too long. Enough was enough. Either the [Thief] who'd taken my Golden Gun was long gone, or they were able to hide from me, or the Gun was destroyed - not stolen.
I couldn't spend any more time on this. I still needed to get to Sibby, and there were Earthers along the way that might be in danger. Although, sitting still this long had confirmed what I'd suspected. The Siberian was moving.
It was hard to tell at first. She was either very close and moving slowly to the East, or she was far away and moving quite fast. Either way... I missed her.
I wanted to see Sibby again.
I let out a sigh. It was time to resume my trek - and take the appropriate precautions.
My gun COULD hurt me... except I had Threat Sense and it wasn't magical. If someone tried to attack me with it, they'd never hit. In fact, if the Gun was still working, I'd notice the instant they took it out of wherever it was hidden first.
True, I would be vulnerable while wearing a mask, but I could Craft something to alert me even then.
No. The possibility of it being used against me was... remote.
Sure, it could pop Sibby, but it couldn't kill her. As for Riley? As much as I loved her, it was clearly overkill. If someone did indeed steal it from me, then they could also ambush my little sister without it.
I frowned and crossed my arms.
*Concern negated by Gamer's Mind.
Well, whatever. I'd take precautions, but it was far more likely it had been destroyed rather than stolen. I wouldn't know until I spent another million MP to try Crafting it again. In the meantime, I couldn't sit around going in circles. I still had things to do: like planting a whole bunch of video game seeds.
George Salvatore took the thin rod of metal out of the forge. It was glowing the right amount he'd thought, and it was time to try and shape it. It was still a little too thick, according to his teacher, so the first several minutes were spent trying to thin it the right amount without breaking it.
"Excuse me." A man had walked up to the front of the shop. "I'd like to buy some scrap."
It was that comment that made George look up. Who wanted to buy scrap of all things? The man had medium black hair with some gray streaks and a beard of stubble. He was wearing some plain, brown clothes. There also weren't any stitches on his skin. It was easy to tell the strange cloth people apart from regular humans - they all had the same sort of stitches on their joints. A good chunk had unnaturally colored hair, and most of those that didn't had really rough-looking skin.
George didn't have anything against the cloth 'people', but it had freaked him out the first time he'd seen one casually remove their arm.
That wasn't natural. Not that anything was natural in this world. At least he'd found a good place to live. His levels in [Apprentice] were coming along nicely as well.
"Scrap?" Chike smiled. "We have some of that to be sure, but are you certain that's all you need?"
The man scanned the shop. "I could use some horseshoes and nails, but I really only want the metal to sell in the next city I come across."
Ah, a merchant. Or rather, a [Merchant].
George turned back to his rod and let out a sigh. It had cooled too much. He put it back in the forge and pulled the next one out. Hammer. Turn. Hammer. Turn. Hammer. Turn. Hammer. Turn.
He rotated it ninety degrees each time to thin it out and make square edges. Next, he started tapering the end...
And it was too cool. Speed would come with time - or a [Skill], but he just wasn't naturally talented.
He looked up to where the man was speaking with Chike. The smith was a friendly fellow. If he wasn't, then George would probably still be on the street begging for scraps. That didn't mean that Chike was a pushover. He was also a [Merchant], and he loved to [Haggle].
That was a skill, right?
George put the third rod on the anvil. This one he'd already shaped and thinned, he just needed to taper its end. It was hard. He needed to angle his hammer and hit hard, but not TOO hard.
Some people ran past the shop. Then some more.
"What's going on?" The man asked?
Chike craned his neck. "Looks like a commotion. I'll go check it out." He turned to George and the rest of the apprentices. "You lot keep the work up."
The large man left, and the other two workers followed him.
"Yeah, George, you keep it up!" Maiye said while grinning.
"Make sure everything's here when we get back!" J'te shook his head as he walked out.
"Fine! I see how it is!" George shouted after them with a smile. It was true that he was the low man on the totem pole, but he'd gotten used enough to that at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Rushing a fraternity hadn't been the easiest thing, but it had prepared him for far worst hazing than 'missing out on a commotion'.
The customer watched them go, and then walked over to George. He stood close to the furnace, but didn't seem to feel any discomfort. George smirked. Being this close to fire was why there weren't many cloth people that came by.
"Hello, George."
George blinked and looked up. "Excuse me? How do you know my name? Who are you?"
The man smiled. "My name is Pixel, and I'm also from Earth."
"Really?!" George's eyes went wide and his arms dropped to his sides. "You're from Earth too! This isn't a dream! I can really go home?"
"Well..." Pixel winced. "Not home. Not yet. Me and some mages in this world are looking for a way to take everyone back, but we haven't had any luck so far."
"Everyone? There are more of us than just you and me?"
"A lot more." Pixel nodded. "I'm gathering those that want to go to Wistram - it's a school for mages in the ocean."
"Oh?" George was kinda interested. More in 'Pixel' than in 'magic'. Sure, it was cool that this world had magic, but he'd learned a long time ago that work on the farm took your own two hands. Waving a little stick and taking a shortcut? That wasn't for him.
As if sensing George's lack of interest, Pixel resumed speaking. "You don't have to go, of course. I'm just here to give you the option."
A tension he hadn't noticed flowed out of George. Sure, this place was new and scary. Sure, those cloth people freaked him out. But... he still liked it. He liked Chike and the gang. Blacksmithing was hard, but it was rewarding to make things with his hands - even if they were just nails. The food was good. And then there was Maiye...
"Well... On one hand, I would like to speak with some people, but... I don't want to leave Chike hangin' after he helped me out."
"I see." The corners of Pixel's mouth rose a little. Shoot! Had he been blushing or something? Maiye teased him about that at times - and about his light skin in general.
George tried to school his face. "Yes, well, I'd still like to chat with you! I mean, about football or something?"
"Here." Pixel tossed him an object. George reflexively caught it from out of the air and then looked down at the item in his palm. It was a softly glowing white cube. "You can use that to speak with the other Earthers at Wistram." Pixel nodded. "Or to call me if it's an emergency. It might take time for me to respond, but..." He shrugged. "I'll do what I can."
"Oh." George stared at the first honest-to-goodness magical item he'd ever possessed. "That's..." He looked up and met Pixel's eyes. "Thanks, man. Really."
"It's no problem, but you should probably keep it secret." Pixel looked away and frowned. "I really do need to buy some more metal. I hope my distraction isn't too effective."
"Your distraction?" Was he the one that had caused the commotion that had pulled everyone away? No, wait. That made sense. "It's not dangerous or anything, right? You didn't release a monster did you?"
"What?" Pixel gave him an incredulous look. "Why would I do something like that? And how would that be a good distraction for pulling people away?! Besides." He frowned. "Someone could get hurt if I pulled a stunt like that!"
"Oh." Well, that was a relief. George had gotten worried about Maiye for a second. "Then... what is it?"
Pixel jerked his head to the side, and suddenly George could hear the sound of thousands of voices talking excitedly. They weren't close by, but there were a lot of them. Had Pixel cast a spell that had silenced things or something while they'd talked?
"Go take a look when you have time." He smirked. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. They'll be there until someone confiscates them. But, I'd hurry - you never know how long it will take for that to happen."
Eventually, the [Smith] came back. I'd spent the time answering George's questions and keeping watch on all the [Thieves] in town. I didn't expect to see anything regarding my potentially stolen gun, but they might react to something of similar construction.
Chike seemed to have a permanent smile, and he'd told George to go and look at the strange new artifacts. The [Guards] had tried to keep people away, but there were just too many for them. It didn't take long for some adventurous people to experiment... and, well... it had snowballed from there.
I kept watch as I negotiated for scrap iron, nails, and horseshoes.
I wound up paying too much, but I needed metal that I could Craft into more video games. Using sand just took too long.
...
"RISE!" Gandalf spread his arms wide before bringing them together and striking his staff to the ground.
There were gasps from the crowd in the village's square. The people that were peering into the depths of the of the solitary well shouted: "The water's rising!" "We're saved!" "Thank you, Gandalf!"
The old [Wizard] chuckled, and seemed to deflate in size. The unworldly power around him faded, and all that was left behind was a tired looking old man who leaned on his staff. "It's nothing." He pulled out a pipe and used a [Flame Finger] spell to light it. "I've not solved your predicament, I've only delayed it for a week. Perhaps two."
A young man shook his head. "You don't understand! The Emperor will provide us with water, as he's done for other villages, but his [Skill] needs time to recharge. We've been rationing for weeks. If you hadn't... hadn't."
He broke down crying.
A hemp woman with rough looking skin patted him on the back. "What my dear husband is saying is that the animals would soon die. We could slaughter them for food, yes, but we were fast approaching the tipping point." Her eyes grew distant - as if she was looking at a different town in a different time. "It's happened before. Even if water came, if too many animals had died, it would be too late."
An old man bent down and picked up a tuff of brown grass. "It will still be lean times, but like Bulger said, the Emperor's skill can save us now."
Gandalf took a drag of his pipe and exhaled a ring of smoke. "I'm glad I stopped by. Would that I could stay, or that the water I've called up were more plentiful." He shook his head. "However, I have places to be and people to find. I must be on my way."
"No." Bulger wiped his eyes. "You can at least stay the night! Like Marthi said, we've had to slaughter the animals that have died. We have plenty of meat, so you can at least stay for dinner!"
"Well..." Gandalf smiled. "I suppose I could. The sun is getting low."
...
"That was a fine meal." Gandalf leaned back in his chair and blew out a plume of smoke. "My compliments to your chef."
"I'm still just a [Cook] actually." Marthi chuckled. "But I'm glad you liked it. I'll make the bed up for you. It doesn't have much padding, but it's fine enough."
"Nonsense!" Gandalf shook his head. "I'm used to sleeping on the ground. Anything softer than a rock, and my back will act up on me come the morning!"
"Very well." She smiled at him. "We wouldn't want to upset your back."
The [Wizard] took another drag on his pipe while looking around. "Where did the little ones run off to?"
"The neighbors took them for the night so they wouldn't be constantly pestering you." Marthi tilted her head. "Why?"
"It just occurred to me that I have some artifacts that are nothing more than games." Gandalf smiled. "They're the strangest things. I've been selling them, but I fear I've oversaturated the market - so to speak. I wanted to give your children some."
"Oh!" The old woman vigorously shook her head. "We couldn't possibly accept any more of your generosity good wizard Gandalf!"
"I insist."
"I'll not have it!" She crossed her arms. "You've helped us enough for one person. I can't have you tossing gold at our feet too!"
"Hmmm..." Gandalf hummed to himself. "They are truly numerous, how about..." His eyes twinkled. "Yes. That is it!"
"What are you up to, you old fool?" Marthi's eyes narrowed.
"Nothing. Nothing." Gandalf waved her off.
He departed the next morning.
Three days later, the strangest object burst from the ground like a bizarre tree. The villages were afraid, until they read the instructions that had been engraved upon its sleek sides.
Raemon coughed.
The flem that he expelled was bright red.
He wiped it away and fumbled for a healing potion. His hands brushed the glass vials and they clinked in response. He picked one up. No. He dropped it and groped for another. Nope. He felt around and finally found one that was heavy.
So heavy that he strained to lift it.
He rolled back onto his back, and lay there panting. He was getting worse. Anyone could see that. The health potions had been a last resort. You couldn't take them when you were sick, but Raemon had been desperate. The alchemical drink hadn't killed him, so it might've been poison instead of a disease. But, if that was the case, why did he keep on getting worse?
He grunted with effort, but managed to pull the cork out of the bottle. His hands shook as he held it with both of them. He lifted his neck up - struggling to get to the liquid...
It trickled down his throat, and the pain receded. He panted with heavy breaths from his exertion. The potions helped, but they did nothing for his weakness. He eyed the remaining liquid in the vial before putting the stopper back on.
One more dose.
One more time that he could beat back the pain.
And then...
If it was only him that had fallen sick, it might've been one thing. Health potions were plentiful, even in a small village like Delna. Every family had at least one squirreled away for an emergency. The town had come together to help those affected by the strange disease...
Could someone be holding out?
Raemon's eyes went wide! He jolted to his feet!
...And toppled over.
He hadn't the strength to stand. He could only hope for salvation from someone else. He crawled back to his bed, and gingerly lowered himself down.
The man ran his hand through his hair, and felt even more strands fall out. As he lay there panting, he thought about telling the rest of the village everything.
He wasn't the only one who was sick. While the disease didn't seem to spread, several men throughout the town had fallen ill only days apart. There was no rhyme or reason. Some were [Miners]. Some were craftsmen. Three were even what remained of the [Mayor]'s [Thugs].
The sickness was random, with the only common factor being that they were all male.
...But that wasn't the truth.
Raemon couldn't bring himself to let his family know that he'd doubtlessly caught whatever this was from that filthy goblin they'd captured! He'd get better! Then? Then he'd get his revenge!
Raemon started coughing again...
Bios:
Auron - OC. A [Swordsman], [Wanderer], and a former warrior monk of Yevon.
George Salvatore - OC. A college student from Nebraska. Grew up on a farm. Likes being a blacksmith. Has a crush on one of his fellow [Apprentices].
Gandalf the Grey - OC. A [Wizard], [Wanderer], and [Avatar]. He was dispatched to combat the threat of a great evil - that isn't Sauron.