Mattress Firm Shadyside, Pittsburgh - 7:45 PM

I didn’t leave the building after it was liberated. The first thing I did once I got my bearings back was clean myself up, then eat and drink. My body had been malnourished after over a month of sleep in the Trial of the Golden Dream. If it hadn’t been for my high Constitution and healing factor, I probably wouldn’t have been in such relatively good condition.

It also allowed me to get back into a better mental state. I took my time processing my feelings and putting them in their proper boxes.

At first, I was absolutely livid. That bastard had stolen so much time from me. Over a fucking month where I had done nothing but dream, and it hadn't even felt that long.

“Long enough that my friends waited until the last possible minute to leave," I muttered. "We could have been so much farther ahead than now."

If Aaron had only been planning on stalling me, then he had certainly accomplished his mission. Still, a prolonged absence had been planned for. The others would have to rush, but it wasn't too incredibly dire.

But it was fucking annoying.

I took a breath as I felt myself slip. The plan was still in motion even without my input. I knew this. I had to compartmentalize.

To freak out would be to lose, and I didn't have Regression Imbalance to blame anymore.

I wasn't about to admit a loss to an asshole like Aaron.

Especially not when he was kicking himself at the end. Using that image, I took a breath. I needed to see if I could find out why he had done that.

"Sara warned me about this," I told myself as I kept my eyes closed, and she had.

Back in the Vespae Hive, she had added extra clauses and rules to the System Contract that allowed her to be my Patron. To protect me and potentially stop a disaster, she had said. The whole thing had grown nearly twice its size. I pulled the contract and the glasses I need to see the words from my inventory and attempted to read it, but I still couldn't decipher the Enochian she had written it in.

While it certainly hadn't stopped Aaron from messing with the Trial, I wondered if this was all he could do. Even during our fight, if I could even call it that, he had been exceedingly gentle with me. His wings were hard and cold, but both of the times he had knocked me back hadn't caused any damage except for when I fell.

It killed me knowing I couldn't just ask Sara about him later because her rules about other Angels would stop her from answering. All I had were assumptions and questions.

If Sara could only touch Earth once, then would the laws binding them together as equals allowed him to do the same? Was this his only chance, and all he could do was stall my inevitable victory? Did Sara's memory orb affect him as well, or did he have some other way of regaining memories once she did?

Thinking about all she could do, though, made me think his influence was going to heavily diminish soon if they hadn't already. Once he became someone's Patron, he would be bound by much greater laws than the System Contract. That would rightly neuter him, even if it wasn't a perfect solution. He obviously wanted to go after Sara and I, which would never be ideal.

The two things that stuck with me, now that I had time to think and calm down, was that he said he trapped me because of my advantages and that it wouldn't be sporting to keep me there. I couldn't say if it were true, but it sounded more like he wanted to have his eventual avatar compete with me.

Being tied to someone like Sara was something he clearly took umbrage with, but she was obviously the golden child and the silver bastard was second place. It might be a race to the end against someone with an inferiority complex and ego the size of Heaven itself. Fitting for the Lucifer of the system.

And his chosen avatar would probably have the knowledge of how to kill Sara if that were the case.

"Speculation," I told myself, shaking the thought from my head. This wasn't doing me any good; I needed to get moving.

Now that I was calmer, I started going through the long list of system messages I had received. The vast majority of them were warnings that my body was starting to shut down from lack of food and water and the notice that my healing was preventing damage. I deleted those with a single swipe and pulled up some others that gave me a better grasp of the timeline.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Quest Complete!]]

Anthony, I can’t see you and the system is telling me that you can’t receive my messages at this time. I hoped that you would leave once I could no longer see you, but considering this is the quest completion prompt, I don’t think that’s on the table anymore.

Whatever is happening in there, I hope you are well by the time you can read this message. I don’t want to think something terrible has happened. All I can do is keep an eye on Sol Ligatus for you in your absence, and that’s just what I intend.

Be safe, Ant.

Reward: 5,000 points.

<<<>>>

“I’m well, at least,” I muttered.

The next screen I checked was for the liberation of the Mattress Firm. I had gotten the 2,500 points as promised, but it mentioned that the guildhall was too far away to earn the 20 guild points. That meant they had left me behind to go to the next destination.

Looking at the order of the messages, I figured they had to have waited until the last minute to do so. That was why Sara left me when she did, because Sol Ligatus was moving on. In a way, it made me feel alone, but once I realized what had happened I felt grateful. I assumed she attached herself to Kayla, and she would be a big help.

Going back, the next few messages were spaced out fairly evenly. Every couple of days, Sara would send me updates on how everyone was doing. Guild rank up screens became frequent, and I saw Kayla accept them as Guildmaster. The perks were pretty substantial such as specialty room enhancements, an automatic map of the area and any places of interest, and more.

Pulling up the guild menu, I checked the new tab but saw that no one was in range and dismissed it. I already knew that was going to be the case, but I felt compelled to see anyway.

I moved on. The next big announcement was that the Cathedral of Learning was open to the public. Its whereabouts were still unknown, but it could be raided. The lich inside was the scenario boss and the reason why the undead continued to rise. It promised a ton of points, guild points, and rewards for whoever finished it.

I received a guild message from Kayla dated two days later.

<<<>>>

[[Guild Notice]]

Anthony, it’s been a week and a half since you left us. I can see that you’re still part of the guild so I know you’re still alive, but your disappearance has us worried.

Everything is fine here. Taking over the guild led to a bit of a bumpy start, but things are going smoothly now. The lone wolves (and Jeff) are all working well together, which is something I know you were worried about. Don’t worry, psychic boy, I’m keeping them together!

We’re training up the protectors of Pittsburgh. Basically everyone in the top ten aside from the guild of you know who wants to hold joint operations with us, so it’s been a smooth process. They’ll be ready by the time we leave.

Doneralego’s arena opened recently. Greg finally showed his face. At first he was respectful, but slimy. The moment he figured out that you weren’t around he started getting belligerent. Jamie stepped up to protect me and got cussed out for her trouble.

Long story short, when you find Greg to dish out justice he’s going to have one less hand to fight back with. Jamie got approached by a Patron for protecting the guild, too.

Anyway, we’re going to wait another day or two to go after the lich. That’s the longest you said we’re allowed to wait, so that’s what we’re doing.

Hope to see you soon.

- Kayla

<<<>>>

The update gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I was glad that everything seemed to be going well. Unless she was lying, Kayla was doing a good job running the guild in my absence.

On the other hand was the part about Greg’s. The fake Jeff had told me that the man's loss and that he was waiting for my divine judgment back when we were in the Golden Dream. I had thought it was just a tactic to shock me out of my episode, but it seemed like there was more to it than that.

Pushing it aside for now, I scrolled through to the next big message.

<<<>>>

[[Second Scenario Complete!]]

The Learned Lich, Doneralego, has been defeated in a most unorthodox way by the guild Sol Ligatus.

His disappearance from the scenarios has set a different path into motion.

Expect something more dire from here on out.

Scenario MVPs: Sol Ligatus

<<<>>>

“More dire, my ass. Your lich got jacked and you’re scrambling to figure out what to do next,” I muttered as I confirmed my MVP Token had another entry on it. That would be huge for my bank account.

Doneralego’s phylactery, the item that housed his soul and allowed him to come back when destroyed, had been unbreakable and immovable using conventional methods. This was because the administrators wanted to keep him as a recurring boss to continue the undead theme. Thanks to the Relocation Grenade I had purchased from the Dealer, it would now be sitting inert in our guildhall and unable to function due to safe zone rules.

Instead of reusing the lich, the administrator would liberate the US Steel Tower himself and turn it into a factory for metal golems. It wasn’t active yet, but I knew the dungeon down below had already been sealed off.

The undead were less threatening, but they were far more of a mental strain on the population. Pittsburgh would be fine.

I pulled up the message that came directly after it.

<<<>>>

[[Guild Rank Up!]]

Sol Ligatus is now at rank 10!

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Rewards: the guild now has access to a guild-wide chat that costs 10 points per message to use with a maximum range of 50 miles from the Guild Board, the guildhall can now be placed in buildings outside of Pittsburgh and still allow access to benefits.

Sol Ligatus has reached the maximum rank.

<<<>>>

That was a huge win for all of us. We couldn’t leave Pittsburgh without taking all of our buffs with us. Getting this far took some time, but they were too helpful to leave behind. Not reaching the goal had been a slight worry, but I wouldn’t have jumped into the Trial if I didn’t trust them to deliver.

I hesitated on the last message Sara sent me. They had all seemed upbeat, but I knew her well enough to tell there was worry and sadness hiding behind her words. This one was just morose.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Anthony, I miss you.

I have made a decision. Instead of waiting for you like I want, I’m going to offer my Patronage to Kayla. Ares has already claimed Jamie, and the others have gathered some interest due to the defeat of Doneralego. I’m doing it for the sake of your plan, so I hope you don't feel as though I'm abandoning you.

Before I go, though, I think it would be terrible of me not to say something. It’s been weighing on my mind, but I wanted to wait until we were together to say it.

Anthony, I love you, too.

You said it to me after you received the ring, and you said it to me back in Atlanta, but I didn’t want to say it back to you without being face to face. Now that you’re missing in action, I regret it.

I’ll help hold down the fort for as long as I need to. Please return to us safely. Check guild chat if you want to see what the others had to say.

And, again, I love you, Anthony.

Only yours,

Sara

<<<>>>

I had to take a breath after that one. My heart ached, but I muttered at it to stop. They weren’t gone, just somewhere else. At best, Aaron had only managed to mildly inconvenience me and my plans. Though, given that he was biding time, it was proving effective.

Following Sara’s advice, I did check out the guild chat. Most of the beginning was Jeff and Mercury playing with it while Ashley complained about the chat noise, but near the end I found the section that Sara was alluding to.

<<<>>>

[[Guild Chat]]

Kayla: Anthony, the menu says you’re still a part of the guild so I'm sending this message for you. We’re all thinking of you, and we know you’ll make it out of whatever nightmare you’re going through. Come find us ASAP after you get out. Also, we are at guild-approved war with the Greg Davis Crew, so don’t worry about any penalties when you finally show back up to deal with him.

Jeff: Yeah, boss. We’re all rooting for you. Isn’t that right, Ash?

Ashley: Why are you singling me out?

Jamie: I heard her say she wanted you to come back soon.

Ashley: Don’t you go lying, f******!

Mercury: Come back safe, Warmonger! I’m going to keep training with Atlanta’s Goddess of War and the Golden Retriever Knight and really surprise you next we meet.

Jeff: Really man, you have to stop calling me that.

Jamie: Keep it up, Mercury. It fits.

Kayla: Alright, enough spending points. We’re getting this train moving in five. We’re rooting for you, psychic boy.

Ashley: You better not die to some stupid trial.

Jamie: Get back safe, Franklin.

<<<>>>

A smile overtook me despite my mood, and I read through that small section again. Bethany hadn’t used it, but I expected that. She was shy and had only met me once; I wasn’t going to hold it against her.

Snapping away from the guild menu, I checked out the last screen waiting for me.

<<<>>>

[[Quest Complete!]]

You have survived the Trial of the Golden Dream! Despite being inside for over a month, you managed to clear the conditions for your release. Your rewards will be decided based on the contents of the trial.

Major Action: You have managed to reconnect with the system when it was running in the background.

Major Action: An administrator gave her life without a fight so that you could clear the Trial of the Golden Dream.

Reward: Fruit from the Tree of Life, Entwined With The System skill, Under Her Watchful Eyes passive.

First Clear Reward: MVP.

<<<>>>

My eyes stopped on the second major action, and I frowned. “Wait, she didn’t fight back?”

An indescribable feeling passed through me when I realized that even a fake Sara was 100% on my side. "But, that's exactly what the Golden Dream is about," I said, rubbing my face.

Not being able to handle that right now, I crossed my arms as I checked the rewards. This fruit was just as obscenely rare as the one I had attempted the trial for in the first place. While the Angelic Patrons wouldn’t scramble to remove it from Earth like the Forbidden Fruit, it was still considered a holy relic in its own right.

If the Golden Dream was the “good” version of the “evil” Silver Nightmare, then the opposite of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil from Eden would have been the Tree of Life. Snapping open my inventory, I was surprised to see an apple appear out of thin air, touching my fingers before gravity took it.

As it fell, I Lifted the fruit before it could hit the ground. It felt damn good to have my powers back, and I took the apple in my hand to pull up the description.

<<<>>>

[[Item]]

Fruit from the Tree of Life

This apple, when consumed, will permanently increase your Constitution stat by 50 points. This is a holy effect.

<<<>>>

The urge to eat it now was substantial, but I didn’t. It wasn’t like I needed the extra boost; I had planned out everything I needed to do and the stats needed to do them.

I thought about it for a few seconds before getting ready to toss it back into my inventory, but it disappeared the moment I did. Staring at the spot where the apple just was, I thought about retrieving it, and it reappeared.

Mentally sending it away one more time, I opened the system-based skill.

<<<>>>

[[Skill]]

Entwined With The System

Your connection with the system is so hardwired into your very being that you can even make it work in situations where you no longer have access. You have become a part of the system, just as the system is a part of you. You gain the following benefits.

Instant Inventory: You can now place unattended and unclaimed items into your inventory without physically opening it first with a mental command. You may retrieve items the same way.

Further benefits may become unlocked depending on player activity.

<<<>>>

“That’s fucking nuts…” I said out loud, unable to help myself.

This was a crazy meta skill that I had never seen or heard of before. I wasn’t sure if being more connected to the system was something I actually wanted, but that was a question that could only be answered with time. It would depend on what other powers it picked up.

“Probably what Aaron meant when he said he shouldn’t have pushed me,” I muttered as I thought of the possibilities.

“Fucker shouldn’t have tried me, then,” I responded to myself.

Then, I blinked. Sara had only been gone for a little bit and I was already talking to myself like I used to. “Well, at least the reward is a great one. Silver linings.”

I pulled up the last trial reward. Based on the title alone, it clearly had something to do with Sara.

<<<>>>

[[Passive]]

Under Her Watchful Eyes

The bond you share with Esaraphelscion, Angel of the End, goes beyond that of a normal avatar. So long as she is your Patron, communication between you two is easier. You may now send private messages to her as she could to you.

In addition, Esaraphelscion no longer has to spend points to send messages to you and she may now offer up to three quests per day instead of the standard two.

Esaraphelscion is currently not your Patron. This passive will remain dormant until you become her avatar again.

<<<>>>

“Two good skills,” I said with a forced whistle.

Unlike Entwined, Watchful Eyes was something I knew about. I had never received it because I refrained from becoming that attached to my Patrons before, but I had seen it come about under a number of circumstances. Usually when an avatar worshiped or fell in love with their Patron. It wasn’t entirely uncommon, depending on the nature of either party.

Thinking about the events that just transpired, I stood up. Now that I had eaten, drank, and spent some time recovering, my legs didn’t threaten to fall out from underneath me. Mentally retrieving the Staff of Raphael from my inventory, I snapped open my menu to pull up my status.

<<<>>>

[[Status]]

Player Anthony Franklin

Class: Warmind

Race: Half-Angel (Dormant)

Patron: None

Guild: Sol Ligatus

Player Kills: 7

Points: 26,536

Stats:

Hit Points: 1,108/1,108

Mental Points: 1,925/1,925 (300/300)

Strength: 54; Dexterity: 58; Constitution: 84; Wisdom: 112; Willpower: 125

<<<>>>

I frowned at the new Player Kill counter before moving on. The loss of my Heelies of Hermes was a big hit, but nothing I was too worried about. Aside from the huge stat boosts, it just meant I was slower. That didn't matter all too much. I just had to make it to the train station after I finished my work here in Pittsburgh.

As I turned towards the door, I saw a familiar figure waiting just outside. Putting on what I knew would be a convincing smile, I walked to the entrance and emerged into the dimming light.

“About time you showed back up,” the Dealer said, leaning against the building. “Your crew was worried sick about you. Had me promise I’d keep an eye out for this place’s arrival.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t worried, too,” I responded, standing next to him. There weren’t many players on the street, but I figured they wouldn’t see the alligator if he didn’t want them to.

“Of course I was worried,” he scoffed. “Golden goose, golden eggs, all that. You’ve heard it before.”

I snorted. “I sure have. Still, it’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, you, too,” he conceded. “I’m assuming you want to finish your business with Greg and catch up to your crew?”

“I imagine he hasn’t gotten more repentant since his hand got cut off?” I asked.

The Dealer scoffed and shook his head. “No, he’s back to trying to run the town. Getting more violent about it now that there’s more resistance, too, since your crew trained up his replacements.”

“Then you’ve got it right; I’ll be taking care of him as soon as possible. Have a few things to run by you as well. A lot of weird things happened while I was asleep.”

“Silver Nightmare’s dirty like that, so I believe it,” he said as he pulled a severed hand plugged into some kind of strange device. “This here’ll tell us where Greg is going to pop out. He’s in the Pitt trying to liberate something according to my informants. This’ll lead us to where. Then, you wait.”

“When did you come up with that?” I asked. Based on what he said I assumed the hand was Greg’s, which meant Jamie had to have saved it.

Jerking his head to tell me to follow, he started down the street. “Kayla said you probably wouldn’t want to leave without taking care of him, so I’m helping expedite the situation for a small fee.”

“That tracks,” I said, nodding.

“So does this,” the alligator snorted, lifting the contraption.

I had to chuckle. “Though, you are wrong about one thing. I think I got my hands on some information that you’ve never had before.”

The Dealer looked down at me. “Oh? Color me intrigued.”

Looking up at him, I let the Staff of Raphael disappear back into my inventory without pulling up the menu. “I wasn’t in the Trial of the Silver Nightmare,” I said, causing him to look confused. “Arontalscion messed it up and sent me to the Golden Dream. I know how to beat it now.”

The look of surprise on the Dealer’s face was almost enough to put the whole thing behind me. Almost.