Luke stretched as he got out of his pod. They had played for roughly 10 hours, so it was dark when he emerged. He made his way into the kitchen where Alex was already sitting.
"I ordered pizza, cool?"
Luke mumbled an affirmative and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He felt wiped out, not nearly as bad as the last time, but still exhausted. Alex was busy on his smartphone, exceptionally chipper today. Luke knew why...
Violence, anger... Alex was able to channel his built up rage today, fighting monsters and... players. Luke was skeptical that this game wouldn't become a catalyst for Alex to relapse in, but he held his tongue. He wasn't about to antagonize his friend, not when he needed to stay close to keep an eye on him. Luke sat on the recliner and sipped his beer, already feeling sleep call him.
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Silima logged into Endless the moment her death timer was up. She actually spent two hours sitting at the wait screen so she wouldn't lose a second. Being brought to life is handled differently in many games, some would just pop you into existence randomly, some would raise you from a graveyard. Silima was thankful that this game had a more rational approach, if you died you would wake up in one of the instanced rooms at the Quest Hall. She took a quick look at her status and equipment and sighed with relief that nothing was missing.
"Alright, Aeleo should already be here waiting for me, time to find Mr. Miracle."
Such a codename was appropriate but still embarassing. She found Aeleo standing near the notice board, a place where players could pin messages for as long as one month if they pay the cost for it. Most of the messages were about player killers, cautions and warnings, a few angry threats of vengance. Other messages advocated guilds and clans, promising companionship and team goals. And of course... the handful of meaningless joke posts, unavoidable really.
"Aeleo! Did you hear? Someone knows how to cast resurrect! We have to find him!"
Aeleo frowned, he didn't dislike Silima in particular, he just didn't like people. He played Endless hoping to find solitude in the vast landscape. Once he was strong enough that is, wolves weren't the only beasts that pooped in the woods. So he resolved himself to working with the guild to gain strength before he could leave it behind and trek the wilderness.
"I was sent here specifically to help you find that person. Why would I not know everything already?"
Silima pouted.
"No need to get snippy! I died at the edge of the graveyard, is there any quests that take players there? Maybe we can find them over there still."
"I've been to the graveyard already, I didn't find any players there. Just an abundance of filthy tombstones and shambling undead."
"So? Maybe you missed him! Let's just get over there and look!"
"Calm down Silima, you died over three days ago in game, the odds of them being there still are abyssmal. Let's visit the church instead, if he was able to cast resurrect, he must have some sort of holy affinity right?"
The two argued over what to do for a bit, eventually Silima relented and they went to the church to look for Mr. Miracle.
----------------------------------------
Tophat had just logged off after getting back to town. He sat up, stretched, and thought. He normally wasn't one to join a group, he wanted to get strong through solo play. However he now realized how much he was lacking after coming across Djin. Despite being level 9, he felt his life at risk from Djin's attacks, hell, he'd already be dead if it was 4 levels ago. Only escaping with a 20% of his health after being hit by one spell... absurd. They must've been lying about their levels, but why? What would they have to gain by enticing low level party members on such a lame duck quest... except.. the spellbook?
Tophat ate breakfast and pondered what he just experienced. There were players who were massively outperforming him and that bothered him. He deserved to be the best in Endless, he would prove he was the best.
----------------------------------------
"Do you feel bad about it?"
Luke looked up at Alex, they were waiting out the last thirty minutes of their bounty before logging in, just to be safe.
"Bad about what?" Luke asked.
"Killing our party for the book, seems kind of shitty to do."
Luke eyed his friend, this kind of talk wasn't common for Alex, he never seemed to have regrets about his violence and this? Luke considered and replied.
"Of course not! It's just a game, so we killed them for a book, they might've been about to do the same thing to us. The only real advantage we had is that we had each other's backs."
Alex grinned then pat Luke on the shoulder.
"You got that right. They never had a chance, bunch of scrubs."
Luke chuckled at Alex's comment. The reservations that he saw in Alex just a moment ago were gone, he figured as much. Alex was testing Luke, he was paranoid since the intervention with his family and Luke was the only real anchor in his life now.
How it would devastate Alex to know Luke was the one who asked for the intervention for Alex in the first place. He'd bury that secret, do anything to keep close to Alex and be there for him when he got in a bad way. Luke hoped this game would serve as an outlet for Alex's anger, and Luke could be there to help temper his rage. He pushed it out of his mind and aimed to distract Alex.
"Any news about Endless? I mean, there wouldn't be much because of the great filter, but anything?"
"Actually..." Alex said, then he played a youtube video on the TV.
> Hey there everyone, I'm ZRide and welcome to a very special video today! We're here interviewing one of the only players who is able to discuss details surrounding Endless, including systems, areas, and monsters. At his request he will remain anonymous. Now then, you said you had a lot you want to share with us today, where should we start?
>
> Well ZRide, I thought I'd start strong and give all the new players some encouragement. The game is quite difficult when you start out, it's not uncommon to die multiple times before reaching level 10, but to that effect, I have this to say. Don't give up. When you hit level 10, the game will change, think of everything leading up to that point as a warm-up.
>
> That's awesome to hear, what exactly happens at level 10?
>
> Glad you asked ZRide, at level 10 you'll create your signature skill. It's a simple process but there is a lot to it. Let me elaborate, by the time you reach level 10, you'll be set in a class for awhile at least. The skill creation takes into factor a few things, your class, your stat point allocation, and your input.
>
> Input? What do you mean by that?
>
> Simply put, the game will present you with twenty-five symbols, the game will prompt you to pick five symbols from the selection, allowing you to select the same one multiple times even. Some of the symbols are easily recognizable, lightning, rain, flower, sun. Other's are more mysterious, a closed eye, a severed hand, and I'm fairly certain I saw a pokeball.
>
> And these symbols will be used to create your skill?
>
> Signature Skill, I want to stress that point. This skill will define your character and set it apart from the fold. To that extent, nearly every player can expect to have a truly unique skill, since just selecting the same symbols as someone else does not mean you will receive the same skill as them.
>
> Wow! Can you elaborate further on that?
>
> Sure ZRide, to make it easy to understand, let's use two warriors as our example. One warrior uses a shield and mace and plays defensively, while the other one uses a 2 handed greatsword to cleave through his enemies. If both of them took the power symbol five times, they'd receive different abilities because their stat points and fighting styles are different. The shield warrior might receive a skill that boosts his defense or allows him to counter his attackers, while the 2 handed warrior could receive a skill to allow him to cut his foes apart with ease or do exceptional damage with a powerful strike.
>
> That sounds incredible, but is that it? Surely there is more to a signature skill than that.
>
> There most definitly is ZRide, I can only speculate as to the higher levels, but I can confirm that at level 15 you are prompted to choose one more symbol, not only that but additional symbols can appear to choose from depending on your merits.
>
> Merits? Like achievements?
>
> Exactly, other players have told me that they could select new symbols that seemed related to their accomplishments. One warrior who had slain thousands of undead and received an achievement related to that saw a broken bone symbol appear when he leveled up to 15.
>
> Amazing, we're bound to see some truly amazing things to come! Let's move on to our next piece, you were going to tell us about some unique monsters?
>
> Ah, here I have only rumors that I could hear. There are tales of rare creatures that won't respawn when slain, rather they are a unique conquests for the players who kill them. Those brave adventurers looking to gain a trophy should think twice before attempting this though, these monsters defy the concepts of levels and skills. You'll need to play perfectly to have a chance at winning against them.
>
> Have any of these monsters been killed yet?
>
> I can only confirm one successful kill, the guild called Ashen Fury succeeded in hunting down a Harpy Witch, they wouldn't speak as to how they managed to do it. But they had the achievement to prove their success.
>
> Well congratulations to them, Ashen Fury is certainly going to be a name to watch for.
Luke watched as ZRide and his anonymous guest talked about the world's layout and about treasures and players to look for.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"How is he able to bypass the filter?"
Alex asked incredulously. Luke shrugged and replied.
"Might be he tampered with his pod, I can't imagine it's safe though. If Lucky Day finds out who he is he might face legal trouble."
"True, makes sense what he would ask for anonymity. What if he's just making up all of this though?"
"It's possible, guess we'll just have to rush to level 10 and find out."
"Signature skills, fuck! I'm so excited now. 25 symbols? What the hell should I choose?"
Luke shook his head.
"Without knowing the symbols, or how they apply, I'm guessing it'd be best just to pick with your heart."
Alex scoffed and threw a plastic bottle at Luke's head.
"Screw your heart, I'm picking the most deadly symbols I can see."
Luke smiled.
"Good plan, I think I'll do the same. Though I am curious..."
"About what?"
"He mentioned that achievements add symbols... I have a lot of achievements... even three grand achievements."
"Oh shit... you're going to have like what... 30 symbols to choose from?"
Luke nodded.
"If I think about it, I got the Legendary Alchemist achievement too, I hope I'll know which symbol that one is. I might pick it five times."
Alex's jaw dropped.
"Dude... if you got a legendary signature skill... you'd rule the game!"
"That's the plan!"
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Djin logged into the game, he found Kreo standing nearby and to their relief, no one waiting for them. Their names were back to normal too, no more bounty on their heads.
"Well that sucked, let's hope your new magic book is worth it."
"Kreo, Kreo, Kreo... it's OUR magic book. I wouldn't dare keep it all to myself."
"This is just your fancy way of deflecting blame in case it's worthless."
"Yeah, come on, we should get to town and identify it."
Djin marched off towards Freemont, Kreo rolled his eyes and followed suit. It only took them thirty minutes to get to town, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However Kreo noticed there was an excessive amount of lumber present near the marketplace. It only took them a few more minutes to get to the Quest Hall, which is where they could identify the spellbook they... looted.
It didn't take long, a quick chat with the receptionest led them to another NPC who would identify items for a small fee. In less than five minutes the two were looking at their newly identified item.
Skill Enchancement Book
Upon use, this book will allow you to enhance one skill to a higher tier. This does not affect it's growth potential.
It wasn't hard to understand, but the ramifications were huge. For Djin at least...
"Great! We get a book that can enhance any skill and I only have power strike. What about you? You got some special skill you want to use it on?"
Djin ignored Kreo's complaints and he scrolled through his skill list, he had plenty of skills but...
"We should wait. If we can use this on our signature skill at level 10, it might be much more worthwhile."
Kreo's eyes widened at Djin's words. It was true, there was a chance that upgrading a signature skill would be a much larger power boost than upgrading a basic skill.
"We can try to hold onto it, but we have only 48 hours in game before the players we killed can log on again, if we wait too long, they might look to get revenge on us. If that happens, we might lose the book if we get unlucky."
It was a risk, but it might be worth taking. Kreo and Djin discussed their strategy and agreed to try and make it to level 10 within the next 48 hours. If they weren't going to make it, Djin would use the book on one of his skills, to at least safeguard it against being stolen.
They had their plan, it was time to get started.
47 Hours Left: After reviewing available quests, the two agreed that the fastest way to level would be bounty quests. They picked up a few of the quests available and set out. They planned their route so they could do a circle around Freemont and come back. Their first target was a group of bandits that were harassing travelers on the road. Djin acted as bait walking by himself while Kreo followed behind him at a distance. It didn't take long for the bandits to show up, Djin held them off and managed to keep them distracted while Kreo flanked from behind.
45 Hours Left: A bear had invaded a farmhouse cellar nearby and was attacking anyone who came close. Kreo wanted to charge through the front, but Djin had another idea. With extreme care as to not burn down the house itself, they started a fire at the top of the cellar and shoveled burning wood into the cellar, smoke filled the cellar and they waited. After 20 minutes of burning, the fire died down enough for them to investigate, they found the bear unconcious, possibly dead. Kreo brought his blade down on the animals neck to make sure it died.
44 Hours Left: Razorshell Turtles began to nest at a lake nearby, Djin enchanted Kreo's blade with lightning to battle. The adults were dangerous to kill, but the real target was the nests. Kreo drew away the more threatening enemies while Djin blew the nests apart. They did manage to kill three adult turtles before running away.
42 Hours Left: Goblins were raiding a nearby ranch and making off with the cattle, Kreo and Djin worked with a nearby Ranger who had tracked the little green monsters to their campsite. They planned an ambush which went sideways quickly when an orc appeared from within a tent. Kreo challenged the savage and they traded blows while the ranger picked off goblins and Djin supported Kreo. The orc was surprised by Djin's first assault, but then worked to keep Kreo between him and Djin. A tactic that would've worked for a new team, but Kreo and Djin had a strong trust between them. When Djin told Kreo to drop, he did immediately, giving Djin the opening he needed to blast the orc in the chest with a full strength Magic Barrage. The orc died from the cast and the three cleaned up the rest of camp.
40 Hours Left: Djin and Kreo returned to town to turn in the quests they had completed so far and get new ones. They had both leveled, Djin twice. More quests were available for them now. Djin selected a few that were centered around the graveyard, he had a thought at that and went to the church to communicate with the priest there. After mentioning the quests he was about to undertake at the graveyard to the holy man, the priest surprised Djin with another quest. This one asking him to tend to the graves while he was there. While not as exciting as slaying undead and collecting flesh beetles, Djin agreed to do it.
39 Hours Left: They got to the cemetary quickly, it was the same one they'd been to before. Djin blessed Kreo's weapon and they got to work. Kreo cut down the undead with ease now, he had acquired a new skill from working with Djin. Hollow Blade, it made enchantments on Kreo's weapons stronger and they held their enchantments for a longer period of time. It gained proficiency rapidly as well, Djin speculated this was due to using their foes weaknesses as the enchant. While Kreo ran around turning the undead into piles of dust, Djin set to work collecting the beetles and cleaning the gravestones. He didn't mind it, in fact it was practically necessary for another quest. He needed to find the grave of a dead hero, only rumored to be buried near Freemont, not necessarily at this cemetery even.
They'd been working for an hour already, Kreo had accomplished the undead bounty 40 minutes ago and now he was just grinding mob experience. It wasn't a bad pace for leveling, but it was tedious, slower than turning in quests. Kreo showed his impatience as Djin continue tidying up the graveyard. Ample use of the Ember spell burned away overgrowing vegetation while leaving the tombstones unharmed. Overall the pace was quite good for the amount of work to be done, if only the cemetery wasn't so large.
The work wasn't without rewards though, Djin's use of Ember was considered appropriate enough to reward him lots of profieciency, enough to reach level 5.
Skill Empowered
Ember Lv. 5
Create a small fire using mana.
The size of the flame is proportional to mana used.
The caster is able to manipulate the flame's shape and intensity.
The addition to the spell was welcome, it let Djin focus the ember into a gout of flame, making it much easier to burn the ivy and moss from the tombstones. The increased functionality of Ember let Djin finish up in just another thirty minutes. They made their way back to town to turn in and get new quests. Djin noticed there were two players waiting outside the church, they'd been there earlier too, they didn't speak to him and he ignored their presence. The girl looked familiar though...
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"We've been camped here for nearly two days Silima! We haven't seen a single cleric in all this time! Let's face facts, he isn't here."
Aeleo was impatient but Silima persisted.
"We don't have much choice if we want to find him. If he was killed, he wouldn't be able to log on for four days anyway. We have to wait at least that long to be certain."
"That's if he died Silima, what if he just logged off? What if he isn't planning to play again for a week? Then what? Will you wait a month for him?"
Silima bit her lip, Aeleo had a point, but she had an order.
"Leon told me to find the player, the one who knows Resurrection and I intend to do just that! If you want to go, then go! I'll wait here for him."
Aeleo threw his hands up in irritation and walked off, he knew how valuable the player could be but they were probably just wasting time here. He resolved to go back to the Quest Hall and kill some time on a mission.
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"Thank you for taking care of the graveyard young man, I know it is a task that many adventurers would find monotonous, but you spent the effort to do it anyway. God walks with you."
Achievement - Groundskeeper
Your efforts at maintaining a public space are noticed.
Receive more favor from NPCs from gardening quests.
Gardener Class unlocked!
Djin rolled his eyes at the achievement and class unlock, it would've been a great accomplishment for someone if they didn't just scorch the plants. However the quest experience was good and...
"Tell me, while you were tending the graves, did you find the tomb of Marland the Fierce? It shames me to not know where he is buried."
Djin shook his head at the NPC.
"I read the gravestones but none of them were for Marland. Tell me, where else could he have been buried? I'll take it upon myself to find his resting place, so we might pay respects to him once more."
The priest thought for awhile before beckoning Djin to follow him to the rear of the church. Here there was a small living area, the rectory for the priest. He pulled a book from a shelf and passed it to Djin.
"Our town's history is written in this journal, I have tried to read it, but my sight is poor now. Perhaps you could discover a clue about Marland in here?"
Djin groaned internally but kept a smile on for the priest.
"I'll read it thoroughly and look for any mention of him, thank you father."
He turned to leave but the priest stopped him.
"Oh I beg your pardon, but I can't let you take the book with you, it is too precious to risk loss. Please sit and you may read it here, I'll bring you some refreshments while you work."
Djin screamed internally but the smile sticked.
"Apologies father, but if I'm afraid I can't stay just now, I have an obligation to a friend that I must meet."
Story Quest - Caution
You are about to abandon a story quest, please reconsider your last action.
Once abandoned, the story quest cannot continue from this path.
Djin froze as he read the prompt. A story quest? He hadn't even heard of one of these before. What triggered it? Perhaps the two quests of looking for the tomb and tending the graveyard? He looked at the priest again, who was reaching for the book in Djin's hands.
"Actually father, I believe my friend will wait. Let me start reading, perhaps it won't take very long to find a clue about Marland afterall."
The priest smiled, he thanks Djin for his work and readied some bread and water for him. Djin opened to book and began reading.
Within the first few pages he was ready to give up, the dates were sporadic and he wasn't sure how long ago Marland had lived, let alone when he had died. Many pages were details about the births and deaths of the villagers, some had large events.
The journal was thick too, it felt like at least 500 pages. Kreo was going to be pissed.
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"Damnit Djin, where the hell are you?"
Kreo was at the quest hall, waiting for Djin. It wasn't a long wait, but Kreo wasn't a patient person. After twenty minutes he decided enough was enough and opened his messenger.
> Kreo: Djin, where r u?
>
> Djin: I'm stuck at the church, got a story quest. Could be big!
>
> Kreo: Story quest? Can't it wait?
>
> Djin: No, game warned me I had to do it now or I lose it. Need to read book.
>
> Kreo: A BOOK? WTF, LET'S GO! WE NEED TO GET TO TEN!
>
> Djin: You go, I'll do quest here, maybe it'll give big xp? Might not be a problem.
>
> Kreo: Fine, msg me when ur done. K?
>
> Djin: K
Kreo closed the menu and groaned, Djin ditched him again. A story quest? Big fucking deal! Kreo looked at the quests he'd picked out, it was a good route, but he wouldn't be able to solo it. He banged his head in frustration, it'd take a while to find new quests that he could solo.
Aeleo walked into the quest hall and saw a frustrated Kreo banging his head against the wall. Curiosity got the better of him so he asked.
"What's wrong dude?"
Kreo turned around, ready to punch whoever bothered him. He stopped when he saw Aeleo's gear though. This man was decked out! Most of his gear looked good, and he was wielding a staff. Kreo realized that he might not have to look for new quests after all.
"Ah nothing, my buddy just stood me up. You wouldn't happen to be looking to do some questing would you?"
[https://i.imgur.com/4MXHqD6.png]