Welcome to the Tomb of Eternal Night-Dungeon lvl Primordial Nightmare
"Mortal, I hope you enjoy your stay for however long I allow you to live." were the last words Jacob heard before Darkness claimed him.
Jacob slowly woke up and he knew 2 things. 1-he was completely screwed and 2-he had no idea how he would get out of it. He was bound and hanging from the ceiling and to the floor. Around where he was hanging an intricate circle was engraved into the floor and ceiling. Both circles glowed with magic and several status effects were in effect.
Soul Prison: While bound and contained cannot resurrect anywhere else
Soul Leech: While bound and contained subject is continuously losing Health, Mana, and Stamina
Unbreakable Shackles: Subject cannot leave the designated area
Shrouded in Darkness: Cannot see anything beyond a 1 ft radius
"SHIIIIIT!!" Jacob screamed into the darkness. He was absolutely fucked and with no way out. Jacob strained his muscles trying to get free knowing he was unable too.
"Ah, isn't that sweet. Trying to get free, don't you want to stay dear one?" Jacob twisted and turned trying to get a bead on who was talking,
"Who is there? What do you want??" Jacob called out and the only response was laughter all around, Jacob stopped straining and looking around and took stock of the situation.
1-He was not dead
2-Whoever had captured him had easily disabled him and imprisoned him i.e. extremely powerful
3-He was surrounded by ritualistic magic i.e. Older being
4-He had no way out unless whoever imprisoned him let him out
Jacob breathed in slowly and made a decision, "Well are you done playing the evil mastermind? Can we get down to business on what you want?" He heard laughter again, this time it wasn't one of amusement, it was madness. Then he heard someone walking away and a door slamming shut. "HEY, I AM TALKING TO YOU DUMBASS!!!" Jacob yelled silence was the only response he had. Fuck, what am I going to do now? Jacob wondered. So, no way out and a broken NPC, great. Time to file a trouble ticket and since he had literally nowhere to go, Log Out. Time to eat and shower.
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Real World...
Jacob took the visor off and put it down on its stand. Stood up and stretched his legs, he was frustrated, to say the least. While waiting for his food to finish cooking he started Googling all the status effects and the dungeon he had ended up in. He came up with a big fat nothing as far as the specific dungeon, while the status effects although extremely rare were not unknown. Ritualistic magic took time to cast (sometimes hours or even days), the ingredients could be hard to find if not one of a kind. Also until the ritual was finished, it took an immense amount of mana to create, but once completed was easy to maintain.
So, we got an unknown Primordial Nightmare lvl dungeon. Every single one of the top ten guilds would pay 50,000 gold or Bitcoins minimum for the coordinates. If he could get out of the dungeon, he could put the coordinates up for sale online. That could easily pay all his bills for the next year, but it all depended on if he could free his character. His communicator buzzed, it was one of his few friends that lived a couple building over. "Hey Matt, what's up?" Kevin asked.
"Nothing much bud. Heard that group of bandits you were running with got hit hard and most died at the ambush site. How are you doing?" Matt asked.
Kevin promptly responded, "Not to a bad man. Got away cleanly I thought, but someone I got away with might have betrayed my position. Took a 20-mile swim down a river. Did a belly flop on some rocks and almost had a whole patrol almost land on me from an incoming Portal. So not too bad Matt..."
Matt sighed and responded "... What the FUCK DUDE!!! How do you keep getting in these situations? You got the worst luck. Oh, by the way, the leader of the Bloody Hand is still out there. Just giving you a head up."
Kevin rolled his eyes before responding, "Yeah, somehow that guy always lives no matter what and probably got even stronger too. Quick question, is your guild still buying rare dungeon coordinates??"
Matt thought before he responded, "Yeah, for a friend of the guild I can probably get you 60K Gold or Bitcoins and once we clear it depending on the difficulty we can give you a 5% net worth of the run, and we will give you a copy of the logs to confirm what we get. Why you got something for us?"
"Just wondering, read some lore in an old book at an out-of-the-way village. If anything pans out I will give you guys first dibs. IF I find anything." Kevin responded.
"OK, well give me a heads up if anything comes up dude. Remember once you hit lvl 50 apply, I will sponsor you on the application and get you in." Matt stated. Both said goodbye and hung up.
Kevin hated lying to his friend, but information for an extremely rare find like that was worth a lot of money. He had no idea that he could earn another 5% commission based upon what the guild found on the first run. For a first run, the guild would get a minimum 2 Legendary items and a 50% chance of getting an Artifact. That would net him a minimum of another 100K at least. This is why he heard a rumor that people would get broken bones for lying about dungeon finds. It was a lot of money.
Matt also wanted to Kevin to join his guild, Swords of the Light. It was number 7 in the top 10 but had a minimum of lvl 50 to be considered for recruitment. Since Matt was a low lvl officer and consistent dungeon diver, if he sponsored Kevin's application he had a 90% chance at getting in. The Swords also had developed Raid and PVP branches. Although the Swords wasn't the largest or strongest, its alliance with the Reavers the # 2 in the top 10, made the Swords nearly untouchable. Joining a guild would have to wait until he got free and clear of his current predicament he wouldn't be able to do anything.
Time to head back in. Kevin lay down and hoped he had gotten a response for his trouble ticket he had dropped. If not, it was going to be a very slow night trying to break out of an impossible situation. Maybe he could talk his way out if the crazy NPC would respond as bright light consumed him.
Do you Wish to initialize your Stream?? Yes/No
What application do you want to initialize? Fate Online
Welcome Weaver, do you wish to continue down the path of Jacob Longstrider? Yes/No
Acknowledged. Remember the only Fate is the one you make, but every choice has a consequence.
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Fate Online...
Jacob Longstrider opened his eyes to complete darkness...again...figures Jacob thought. Then he saw a glowing envelope icon in his HUD. Woohoo, thank you devs for responding. Yet he was still locked up so, WTF.
Dear Jacob,
Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry that you think you are stuck in a position you cannot get out of. Although we can not tell you everything, we can confirm you do have the ability to get out. You just can't see it. Use your head, Jacob, we know you are smart enough to figure it out. If you don't, we would have overestimated you. Patience is key
On the other hand, we are including a one-time use item that will get you out. The catch is though is if you do use the Item, the dungeon will be moved and even if you do find it again you will never be able to enter. The choice is yours.
Enjoy your Fate,
Adam and Eve
"WHAT...THE...FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jacob screamed. He was confused and angry. Who were Adam and Eve? The message was more personal than anything else, why would the devs respond like that??
"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, watch your language in front of a lady. I was wondering when you would return, are you ready to talk or would you like to continue to curse the world??" Shrouded in Darkness debuff dissipated and revealed someone standing in the darkness looking at him. A being stood in front of him, a cloak with a definite feminine curve but obscuring any facial features.
"I don't talk to faceless beings nor do I talk to someone when I am chained up," Jacob responded. The woman's laughter echoed through the chamber, but the laughter was quickly drowned out by a growling. Jacob looked to his right and saw a 7 ft tall towering snarling mass of angry something. He looked human, but his eyes glowed red. He snapped off a quick Analyze of him and he nearly pissed himself.
Name: Unknown
Race: Unknown
Class: Heart Guard Captain
Level: 350
Suddenly the 7 ft monster was right in front of him, he grabbed Jacob by his throat and started to squeeze. "The Lady asks the questions, you answer. Answer promptly and truthfully otherwise you will be using your tongue to scream, understand boy?!?!" he growled out.
"Isiah, enough release him now." The "lady" whispered. Isiah squeezed Jacobs throat one last time before releasing him and moving back to his original position.
Jacob caughed and got his breath back, "Again are we done playing games or not?" He quickly analyzed the woman in front of him and pissed himself just a little this time.
Name: Unknown
Race: Unknown
Class: Unknown
Level: 400-UNIQUE
FML, when Jacob got out of here he would get another 10K on top of his price just because the Dungeon had a Unique boss. This would increase the number of Unique items dropped during the dungeon. Right now he had to survive then he could think about the money he could make.
"Well, I guess we can afford to give you some leniency. As long as you promise not to attack little old me." She stated.
Jacob rolled his eyes and responded, "Fine I promise not to attack you. Now can you let me down so we can have a serious talk??" She waved her hand and all the debuffs disappeared and the shackles from his arms and legs released. He slowly stood so as not to aggravate Isiah. "After you Lady," Jacob said. She smirked and started walking away from Jacob and toward the open doorway. He eyed Isiah, Isiah eyed him and Jacob started to follow the "Lady" whoever she was. The doorway led into a barren hallway with a dozen lvl 300 Heart Guards and a couple of basic sculptures. It was almost anti-climatic after what he has seen of the locals and the containment area.
Walking down the hallway one of the doors burst open and another red-eyed being glided out and bowed to the "lady". "Great One, I thought I was going to be allowed to play with your newest acquisition? Have I disappointed you in some way?" the newest guy asked. Jacob analyzed him,
Name: Unknown
Race: Unknown
Class: Royal Torturer
Level: 325-UNIQUE
'Shit that guy is creepy as hell, glad he wasn't going to be under his care' Jacob thought. Jacob also had a theory now about the "Lady" only time would tell if it was right or wrong."We have come to a limited accord, if negotiations fall through I will give him into your tender care." She said. Jacob did not shiver in fear, he was too big of a hardass. He just needed to pee real bad. That's it. Bonus though, this dungeon had a second Unique Boss. That's another 10K for his price tag.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She continued to lead Jacob further down the corridor to a dead end. She touched a few bricks and the wall moved out of the way. Beyond that was a hallway filled with what he expected of a palace or estate. Jacob wondered why this dungeon was called Tomb. Intricate paintings and sculptures dotted the walls, guards and servants darted about running errands and keeping everything going. She led Jacob to a door that had two Heart Guards standing on either side. Isiah darted ahead of them opened the door and cleared the room before holding the door open for them, so they could enter.
It was a sitting room, made for a limited amount of people. No guards were standing inside but Jacob was sure that Isiah would follow them in. "Please have a seat, Jacob. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, I am Talia." She said. "Isiah please send for some food and drink, I am sure our guest will need some sustance, and I am a little hungry too." Isiah bowed and left.
Jacob stared at Talia, she just arched one eyebrow. Jacob decided to sit down and shut up before he got himself into any more trouble. "So what shall we talk about dear one??" Talia asked.
Jacob breathed slowly in and out before responding, "Why have you not killed me? What do you want? What is this place and who are you really? Just for starters."
Talia tilted her head slightly and her eyes twinkled in amusement, "Answering those questions, will involve a very long story and explanation. Let's wait for Isiah to return with the food and drink. Once he gets here with that, you will eat and I will talk. Do we have an Accord?" Talia asked. Jacob pondered her response before agreeing.
Jacob let his eyes wonder of the room, evaluating everything in it. Talia just continued to stare at him evaluating him. Less then 30 seconds later, Isiah was back holding open the door for two servants to carry in 4 trays of food and drink. Jacobs eyes nearly fell out of his skull at the sheer amount of food and drinks. Talia let out a full-out belly laugh at the look on his face, Isiah smirked at him. "Forgive us, Jacob, our people don't need to eat every day but when we do we eat a large amount of food." Jacob pondered this than simple shrugged his shoulders and smiled. In this world, we had magic and dragons, why not some people that only ate every couple of days. The both piled food on plates, Jacob started eating immediately.
Talia pondered the story she was about to tell to an outsider and a mortal. It didn't matter, too much was riding on how the mortal would respond."So nearly 3000 years ago our people lived on the surface, we had a small kingdom. We just wanted to be left alone. We were isolationists, but some people wanted what we had, and they tried to force their way in. So we killed them, but we did not pursue them onto their lands. Our neighbors saw this as a weakness and kept coming. Our King finally decided he was done just defending and convinced our the ruling council of our people, the best defense was to attack. So the king gathered the best warriors and mages and set out for the nearest enemy kingdom. In a single night, they wiped out 3 cities and our king discovered something during that night. He could...convert people to our cause. After that, the strongest and most powerful of our enemies were targeted for capture, so we could forcibly convert them to our cause."
Talia looked uncomfortable after saying this. Jacob arched his eyebrow at Talia, she smiled ruefully and continued her story. "Our King continued to conquer our enemies either converting them or destroying them. Soon we had a kingdom five times as large as we were used too. Our neighbors did not like our rapid expansion, they feared our power and our innate abilities. So even more attacks happened, and we continued to defend ourselves. Before we knew it, we ruled over almost every major city on the Arakon continent. All our enemies were either dead, submitted, converted or fleeing from our new empire. After 500 years we had peace."
"We ruled firmly but fairly. Our King thought our peoples' rule would last forever, but he did not take into account one thing. The survivors of our expansion found another continent, Jingoon. The survivors established cities and kingdoms and built up their strength. They also made compacts with Gods, those compacts would change everything. The Gods created Champions from their followers and created living weapons out of the most devout servants. Our people refused to bow to anyone or any God. The Gods did not enjoy that slight and the fact we slaughtered their worshipers did not endear us in their eyes. After 400 years, the Gods decreed to their people to liberate their homes of old. Our people fought back for 100 years, but the Champions that the Gods had created were too powerful, only the oldest and most powerful of our kind could fight them. After 100 years our people have driven back to one last city and our greatest stronghold, the City of Eternal Night. Although our attackers could not break our walls, we could not break our enemies lines and free ourselves. In the end, the very Gods we spurned showed up. They laid down a Curse that forbids any of our people from leaving the city, Light would forever be our Bane, and our beautiful city would forever be buried."vTalia took a breath and a drink.
She looked tired and exhausted, but she continued on, "After that, the children of the Gods tried to forget us, they tried to bury their memories like they buried our City. Some memories can not be forgotten, some are part of our blood and bones and can never be forgiven or forgotten. Jacob our people are known as Vampires and as far as the outside world is concerned, we are extinct."
Jacob stayed silent as he assimilated everything Talia said. He had figured out what their species was midway through the story, but from the Lore he had read Vampires were reviled and hated by every species and both Pantheons. They popped up every once in a while, but it was completely random, and they were always feral. They had no organization and were mindless creatures that just needed to be put down. So the Lore was a complete lie, but why were the modern Vampires mindless creatures that were just driven by the need to feed? Some questions answered some were not. He also had new questions now too.
Jacob took a deep breath and responded, "That is a lot of information, but you still have failed to answer the two most important questions. Why am I alive? What do you want? I cannot break the Curse the Gods put on you! I am just one man, You are far stronger than I am, even if I somehow became as strong as you are, I could not take on both Pantheons and their Champions alone." After finishing his rant he stared at the Queens' eyes.
She nodded in understanding and responded. "As you know our people had a King before the curse, he was the Crux of the curse. They took him and placed him far away from us, we have no idea where he is, but he will be heavily guarded. We have not killed you because you are the first mortal that has found their way here in over 2000 years, and you might be the only hope that we have at ever freeing our race from the Curse the Gods placed on us. After the end of the war I rescinded the order of Forced conversion, what I want you to do is accept the Conversion to the Vampire species. I will make you into a Full-Blood Vampire so you will be able to make others if they want to become one and if you are willing to Convert them. What I want you to do is become stronger, break the curse, and help us remind this world why they feared then night and that we are not mindless animals and that we did not deserve to be buried alive just because we refused to worship the Gods. Yes, you will need an Army, find Allies, and make friends succeed in undoing what the Gods did. Because you will be a new Bloodline, you will be able to move to and from the Tomb of Eternal Night any time you want. You will never have to worry about being bound to this place like we are. Will you help us?" Talia had tears coming out of her eyes at this point.
ALERT!ALERT!...
YOU ARE BEING OFFERED A UNIQUE WORLD QUEST, THE CHOICE TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE IS UP TOO YOU. YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES TO CHOOSE
Quest Name: To Rise or Fall
Quest Description: Two thousand years ago, the Empire of the Night was shattered. The Vampiric race was hunted nearly to extinction. At the end of the War, the Gods themselves got involved and Cursed the Vampire Race to be bound to one city and underground for the rest of their existence. The Curse was bound to the Vampire King, as long as he lived the Curse would continue. Queen Talia has given you an impossible quest. Will you help the Vampire race stand on their feet or will you dam them to continue to live on their knees.
Note: The quest will be taken in stages.
Quest Difficulty: Legendary, Nightmare, You are Fucked!!!
Immediate Rewards: Race Change, Class Change, 1 Legendary Scalable Item, Unknown
Long-Term Rewards: Unknown
ACCEPT/DECLINE
Well shit, both Talia and Isiah were looking at him in desperation. In one hand he could deny the quest and earn a crapload of money by selling the site of the dungeon to a Guild. On the other hand, he could accept the quest, have every major faction on his ass and both Pantheons too, but he could literary resurrect a Race in Fate Online. Once again he felt like he had eyes on him, not just the two pairs that he knew were in the room with him. Well if Fate wants to laugh at him, he will spit in her eye at least once before he dies!!. Jacob took a deep breath and stood and looked the woman in the eye, "Queen Talia, I accept." She smiled and then all he felt was a pain.
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Emergency ALERT, Emergency Ejection in Process. Please stand by...
Kevin rolled over and puked. He felt like shit, his brain felt like someone had spilled acid on it. How the hell had that happened?
Cortana came over the speakers, "Sir, do you need medical attention?"
Kevin quickly responded, "No just some water and sleep, what the fuck just happened?"
Cortana immediately responded, "I detected a data and power surge from your Visor unit right before you were ejected from Fate online. I recommend at least 8 hours of rest before engaging your Visor unit again."
Jacob pondered what she had said and agreed, "Lockdown Visor for 8 hours, emergency protocols engage."
"Confirmed" She responded. He chugged a glass of water and activated the cleaning bot and immediately went to bed to sleep. The last thing he heard before he passed out was his communicator ringing.