Northwest Coast

9.5 Hours after the Cataclysm

Donne, Black Guard

I want to sleep

Those were the thoughts of probably everyone present and mine combined. I probably would have fallen asleep face down on the grass under the gentle sun if it hadn't been for a scream that forced me completely awake.

- Secured rope. prepare the horses! - Someone screamed. Opening my eyes, I forced myself to get up with a small grunt, the floor was so comfortable...

Giving my "brother" a little kick, I woke him up completely. We had a job to do

The black guard was always in charge in case someone tried to enter the empire to cause chaos, so we had the duty, permission and obligation to stop the supposed invaders, even if this was by mere accident.

Horses began to pull ropes, meanwhile I and my "brother" unbuttoned the cloak that hid most of our body, revealing our natural armor as well as leather belts with different objects.

On our chests we carried 6 small single-shot pistols, and along our abs, long heavy sabers with straight blades were drawn. To us insectoids, the swords were of normal size, but to a normal race, these weapons would probably be considered spears made entirely of blades.

While we were waiting, I felt a small bump in my abdomen, turning to check it revealed that it was only the Valkyrie that had landed on me.

- They are highly unstable, I advise caution and gentleness - The Valkyrie murmured to one of the tubes on my abdomen, these tubes not only allowed me and my prey to breathe, but also allowed me to hear

The Valkyrie repeated the process with my "brother", so in the end we decided to sheath our weapons. We insectoids were all "brothers" because in reality we were nothing more than parasites, in order to multiply we needed to infect others which made us genetically clones, that is why we looked all the same, to differentiate ourselves, we used colors or scars on our natural armor.

Finally, the first batch of strangers reached the end of the journey, these were a couple of poorly dressed women, with injured rabbit ears, and surprised looks.

- It's okay, okay - The Valkyrie tried to calm the women who seemed to be mentally preparing for combat against us and the cavalry - They are friends, they are not going to do anything to you - The Valkyrie said as she took a step forward with an outstretched hand.

They both looked at each other momentarily before speaking in a strange language.

- Insectoids, they are insectoids - The Valkyrie responded

- Do you know how to speak their language? - I asked, tilting my head to the side.

- They are speaking our language - The Valkyrie declared, but a look with my brother and battle brothers revealed that I was not the only one unable to understand the strangers.

- No? - My brother tilted his head too.

- Anyway, we need to get the rest out - I said firmly - Get out of the cube - I ordered, but none of them did anything - Get out of the cube - I repeated with the same result

- Get out of the cube - The Valkyrie said as she extended her hand even further to take them, this time they obeyed with doubt written in their eyes. Again they spoke in a strange language, and again no one understood - They were asking for the same thing as me - The Valkyrie told them

- Captain, let's assume that you can only understand each other. Can you act as a translator? - One of the cavalry officers asked

- If you really don't understand them... I guess? - She shrugged her shoulders.

- Perfect, in that case please indicate that they are detained by the Black Guard for possible illegal entry into the empire - I said out of protocol more than anything else, I knew that nothing was going to happen to them especially after the cataclysmic event that had occurred

The Valkyrie nodded and repeated my words out loud causing both women to tense before asking the Valkyrie something.

- They really aren't going to do anything to you - She nodded calmly - Are they?Low to help those below, or do I stay up here? - He asked when he saw the cube descend again.

- I prefer that he stay here - The cavalry lieutenant commented

…

It was going to be a very long day.

Imperial Fortress

1 Day and 8.5 Hours after the Cataclysm

Sir Nami, Emperor and warlord

10,276 people had been found dead in the last 32 hours, thousands more were injured to varying degrees or missing, and only the administrators knew how much damage had been caused.

That was almost 30% of the imperial population that had to start as children again due to having died, and the number will probably increase to 40% or 50% of the population in the coming days.

Was it known why the administrators had caused this? No, not even had they explained why, and they were still stuck in SaS without any interface...

Sighing again, I lay down on my bed. This one was comically large compared to me, with thin fabrics hanging from the ceiling hiding me from normal sight. On the bed there were multiple papers with reports and requests, these belonged only to my guilds or those who answer to me, otherwise this would go to the senate, specifically to the war senator.

Grabbing my head, I left the papers behind and lay down staring at the ceiling.

I stayed like that for a few seconds until the door to my room was opened. Due to the absence of a call, the heavy footsteps, and the small "clicks" of metal-like needles hitting the floor alerted me that the invader of my room was Dan.

- Nami, new reports. This may interest you - Dan said as he moved the thin fabric away with one of his appendages. This was a large insectoid, even more so compared to me because my body was that of an elf, and due to their longevity, I never grew into adulthood even though I had not died in at least two years.

The giant abdomen landed next to me the moment Dan sat on my bed.

Taking the documents from his hands, I read them carefully. If they were being sent to me…

- That's…? - I asked as I sat next to Dan who used his superior height to read the same thing as me - Temperatures are increasing. Now a foreign-designed ship crashes into our islands? - In the documents there were descriptions of foreigners, their rags that they wore as clothing, their boat, and strange banner in their flags all taken by Copying-Crystals

The images corroborate the absurd statements in the reports. In these I could see at least one dozen strange women, only women curiously, huddled together with a handful of cavalrymen in the background. There was also another image of the crashed ship and another of a strange flag with a soldier lying next to it to compare sizes due to the horrendous quality of the images

The race of the women was foreign to me, were those bunny ears? What race is that? I did not know. Their "clothes" were little more than rags that left little to the imagination, there were also remnants of paint used on their bare skins

They looked like a mix of Highlander guilds that our samurai guilds usually fought in the north, and some generic faction of a typical (18) game

Lastly, there was another photo with two dozens of bodies wearing similar armor to ancient roman legioneers

So blood was spilled? Great, more headaches

- I also brought a map - Dan gave me a sketch of a completely strange map, in it there were estimates of where the cities and towns were as well as important points around the map. This had an upside-down U shape divided into 3 sections with extreme geography, in fact dividing the island in two, there was a long canyon that divided the island. Around the island there were apparently some plains, and in the distance scouts report a coastal city of some sorts, but so far we could not confirm who did they belong as the lake we were in was simply too big for valkyries to fly over it, estimates say that around 200-400 km to reach the closest coast

The island was also apparently elevated by high cliffs above a fierce sea, the only exception being the bay in the center of the island which apparently had a beach surrounded by cliffs.

- Have they found our ships yet? - I asked because after the cataclysm all contact with them had been lost, or their remains had been found in places that should not have been, such as the peak of a mountain not far from here.

"Nope," Dan said honestly. causing me another headache. I was tired, I wanted to sleep, everyone really wanted to sleep, I wasn't the only one

- All you do is screw me, right? Who pays you to do it - I demanded with a weak laugh.

- You pay me - He scoffed back - Look on the bright side, you have an excuse to skip the meeting scheduled... today? - This one said while scratching his jaw

- I have to attend, for something I do as a colonial leader... - I was the leader of colony EU672, something I preferred to keep secret. My position gave me access to experience that I used here in the empire, something that not many could say. The empire was not only many united guilds. "Empires" like those fell the moment the leader stopped playing, something common considering that people barely lived over 35 while the games did. That was why I made the empire not dependent on me, and as much as I hate it, politics and bureaucracy are all I know, and seeing that until recently I barely logged on due to health problems and the empire was still as unbeatable as ever, I think I did a good job - Is there any new news? May it be good -

- Nothing that I know - Dan was my army manager, he was the one who made the plans, but no matter how much I told him, he always told me to take the credit.

- I want to go out to get some air - I said as I got up.

- Are you sure going naked? - The tunic that I usually wore was made of silk with angel hair threads for the golden edges. I chose those clothes because I hated the feeling of being trapped in fabrics, now I wasn't even wearing anything and I was just using my stupidly long hair to cover the feminine body I was using.

Not that it was really noticeable, because being the body of just a "child", my body was really androgynous. I should have around 120 human years, barely a child over the normal age.

- We can at least go see the new arrivals - I said as I approached my closet - Uldeer is a gunshot away from here now isn't it? -

- Shall I put the chair on? - Dan asked as he approached the same closet

- Nah, I love the ambient - Walking on the grass in warm weather was the best feeling anyone could experience in virtual games. Or at least that was my opinion

While I put on my usual dress, Dan put on his red "uniform" and armed himself before covering himself with a white cloak

Once with the cloak and uniform, Dan equipped his normal weapons, 10 single-shot pistols holstered on different parts of his body, a long straight-bladed saber and a staff with a mechanism to join the handle of the saber to create a spear of some sorts that someone like an insectoid could use taking advantage of his reach.

Like centaurs, insectoids had the strength and anatomy necessary to serve as cargo or cavalry beings. The centaurs were better at carrying heavy loads and general resistance, though weaker than a normal horse, but the insectoids were much better for combat since their size allowed them to attack from further distance and all their weak points except for the brain were behind their backs in their armored abdomens or behind thick skulls, meaning that even if you had a weapon capable of piercing their shells, most of the damage would be absorbed in parts where there was nothing to damage but muscles

Yes, you could "disable them", but that would require either untold precision, or an equal

This was why these were fearsome shock forces, unfortunately their size made them an easy shot for artillery or explosive ammunition, so they were not immediate victory buttons, but they did help, especially by sweeping the battlefield of players who had returned with new characters to continue fighting since their long legs allowed them to monitor a battlefield in addition to reaching high speeds, and they were completely capable of swallowing such players whole due to their diet of "intelligent" meat, a role they share with the wendigos

The sight of a wendigo or insectoid eating a whole person is something not many forget, especially if the player is still kicking

A shame that like the centaurs, these are even less popular due to how complex it is to control them in addition to their multiple needs that require several players

I hit Dan's abdomen hard, not to hurt, but so he would even feel me. He got the message and we both left my room.

The walk was calm and uneventful, so after about 15 minutes at walking pace, we both arrived at the new city.

Seeing a leader walk with hardly any guard would be strange to many, but for me the truth was that I didn't care much, if they killed me I would simply become another character, and if they captured me, I have a ring with poison plus the suicide command. No one wants to get raped after all

- It's hotter here - I noticed as soon as we entered the city. Imperial banners and flags hung at multiple points, repeating the same spell that was surely causing this temperature difference.I quickened my pace. According to reports, most of the refugees, so to speak, were in the church that functioned as a hospital, this was because the resonances of the building, plus its symbolism, produced more effective healing magic.

Passing by the corpse of a player, I touched his pale, cold neck for a pulse before pointing it out to Dan so he could eat, knowing that Dan had not stopped even to eat since the cataclysm. It was a young human of maybe 17, so the insectoid should have no problems.

- With permission - He said as he grabbed the corpse by the feet before raising it above his head. Opening his jaws from "ear to ear", Dan did not even have to chew to swallow the small body that passed into his rear abdomen without leaving a trace due to its size. In any case, despite the small amount of meat it was, it should satisfy for a day or two if he did not do much physical exercise, although sleep could not be fixed so easily.

All those present were on the verge of falling unconscious if they had not already done so, streets were full of homeless people covering themselves with what they could to rest, buildings that had survived welcomed people... The church was still standing because these were always the target of artillery and destruction, so its walls were stronger and more reinforced than normal, it could almost be considered a fortress within a fortress.

The people mostly ignored me, so we were able to reach the church which was guarded by a surprising number of members of the Black Guard. Fortunately, they did not ignore me, and upon seeing me, the heavy and colossal doors opened with relative ease thanks to their design.

The colossal interior was filled with banners and crosses engraved or hanging from different structures, the appearance could be mistaken for religious and national fanaticism, but the truth was simply efficiency, the more flags and symbols of the same religion there were in an area, the blessing effects would be improved. Most likely, of all the "monks" present in the church, only a small number of them actually believed in Christianity or Catholicism… or Orthodoxism… I never really understood the differences.

Fortunately, one did not have to believe in the religion they used, since they were nothing more than "generic religions" that the devs used for the game. The religion of the cross, for example, was painfully clear to be a copy of Christianity, or whatever its other versions are called, the same thing happened with the religion of the crescent, the star, the raven... etc. Sure, the players could act like they were the actual religions as the AI that controlled the spells didn't care, but you could just ignore it as well with no problems

The wide space of the church was covered by many hundreds of stretchers raised from the ground by simple wooden constructions, for each wounded man, or for every two wounded men, there was a person dressed in relatively old-fashioned uniforms from when muskets and arquebuses did not dominate the battlefields.

Black armor from head to toe with golden paintings etched with religious symbols and prayers on the armor that seemed to glow under the sunlight. These paintings were nothing more than seals for blessings, these seals were weaker blessings but they could last even without prayers from the user until they were consumed.

Over their black armor however, white silk tunics or cloaks with equally golden embroidery with the symbol of the cross on their backs, crosses with 4 arms of equal length and tips extended slightly like drops of water. These embroideries being made of fabric prevented them from being marked as stamps, so they were only decorative. The white robes covered all their bodies, but from time to time their arms grabbed the nearest wounded person to apply blessings, exposing their armor.

These were members of HoldenC, a group of "combat medics" and priests inspired by the Knights Hospitaller with their black armor and roles, but because the color white and gold was symbolically related to healing and the sacred, they used it to further enhance their blessings.

One of the knights approached with his hood still over his head, a hood that was removed to reveal his closed almete helmet. The ironic reason for this was because most of HoldenC's members were demons, these had the most powerful healing bonuses of all playable species, angels meanwhile were most powerful in combat blessings

"Fear" was the main reason why they hid from head to toe, "fear" is one of the few stats that exist in SaS, for example if you see players die, your fear increases, if you hear loud sounds your fear increases, if you see monstrous creatures like wendigos, demons... etc, your fear increases. As the fear increases, your character begins to stop hearing, seeing colors, and their hands or feet tremble.

Like everything, however, you can increase your resistance to fear by exposing yourself to it. Demons are strange races, so not many people have that resistance unlike the more common insectoid that worked in the Black Guard, so to avoid having to wait until the character's fear subsides naturally. Covering completely prevents the fear stat from increasing, as SaS's healing times are really high and you wouldn't want to be waiting for a few hours while your "fear" increases. There were also ways to combat fear, like music or staying in formations

In fact the music was incredibly versatile, as it could also be used as the simplest version of blessings without symbols or banners as long as the music had some meaning, the lyrics did not even have to fit as an AI noted the uses to which the music was sung. For example in armies, soldiers sang simple or sometimes meaningless songs, but the AI recognized them as "marching songs", so those bonuses were applied.

Nowadays, angelic music can be heard around us, undoubtedly sung to help healers.

- Emperor - The man in front of me bowed slightly in an act of respect.

- Let's leave the roleplaying behind, where the…guests are - I asked, immediately the gentleman's posture changed to a more casual one.

- In the first basement, do you know how to get there? - The man asked, but I shook my head - That wing, behind the angel placed on the cross. He can take you - The gentleman indicated pointing to one of the arms of the church because it had the shape of a cross

Following the knight's instructions I soon found my objective, something not very difficult considering that in the center of the wing, balancing perfectly on a stone cross, an angel had posed, hiding his body under his X-shaped wings. Seen from the outside, it was something that would surprise you leaving you breathless, but I knew that from within his "cocoon" the angel was reading something, or preparing his equipment.

- Angel - I called, he moved his wings slightly so that his head appeared, as we exchanged glances, his became alarmed and his wings retreated to their resting place on his back. The angels had many similarities with the Valkyries, something to be expected considering that both species were from the same branch, but there were three great details that differentiated them, first that there were male angels, the second is that their wings were larger and there were 4 instead of 2 in the shape of a "butterfly", the third was that unlike the valkyries silver hair and eyes, angles had holden hair and golden eyes - I need to see the newcomers -