All eyes in the room watched the armored knight stride over to the prison cell that held the zombie. Upon reaching the bars, Poppy kneeled down and placed her sword on the floor, before reaching through to try to stroke Archie.
Although her plated hand just went through the intangible cat, he still smiled and made the motions as if he could feel the pets. He nuzzled into her, as she slightly deflated in disappointment.
“We used to have cats here,” Virgil offered. “Few… niceties remain in this world.”
Sally pouted. She half expected the woman to step up and run her through for being a witch, but instead she was just an animal lover who missed the domestic creatures of this dying world. Poppy was her new favorite person.
“He can also talk,” she explained. “It’s a longer story than I care to tell, but he is more than just a normal cat. Introduce yourself, Archie.”
“My upmost greetings to all these weary and downtrodden souls.” Archie attempted to bow as the knight moved herself out of the way.
Sally rolled her eyes. “Alright, dial it in.”
Virgil stepped over, keys in hand. With little fanfare, he turned the lock with a heavy click and the door set ajar. “You are an interesting character, Sally. I would hate to think your affable nature was a front to betray us. We could use a little hope in these parts.”
She smiled at the scarred man and took her first step out of the cell. “My methods are sometimes questionable, but I only act to ensure that Players can live safe and happy lives.”
“Sometimes questionable,” Claude murmured to himself, perhaps still sore about being threatened, despite vouching for her being trustworthy.
“Follow behind Poppy, then. As protocol, I will inform you that as you have not been granted your Class, our attacks are guaranteed critical against you. Not that I expect to need to attack you.”
“Gross.” She pulled a face. “When do I get my Class?”
“All in good time,” he replied, with a soft smile.
----------------------------------------
Humphrey sat opposite the demon on a chair that protested his presence. “Ah. I see. That is concerning.”
“Right?” Edward crossed his arms, still deflated into his couch. “I’m not sure why anyone would need to see the sigil circle.”
“And they chose the day when we were all off due to Chuck’s meeting.” The Death Knight rubbed his chin. “Have you checked the visitor logs for the day?”
A shaken head was the given response. “I was going to ask the orange one, but they required higher authorization for such a report.”
“Hmm. I do not see why you need to keep this such a secret, but I will not break the oath we now share.” Sitting up straight, he placed a finger up at his temple. “Requesting C4D-E presence.”
Two short seconds, and then the air shimmered as the orange-flamed Observer unit appeared, hovering in mid-air.
“What is your command?” It asked.
“Edward had previously requested visitor logs from you. Could you kindly process this request now?”
The Observer gave a brief bow. “As you wish. I will need to dock at the Tower to process the data.”
“As you require. Report to me as soon as you are done.” Humphrey gestured with his hand to let the floating skull know he was dismissed. With a faint shimmer, C4D-E vanished into nothing once more.
The demon pulled a face and scowled at the sunlight still pouring in through the window. “Just twiddling our thumbs until they return?”
“No.” The chair beneath the Death Knight gave a squeal of relief as he stood. “Let us go to the Administrative District. I wish to sniff out the scene of the crime myself.”
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Even beyond the smell of damp and dust, there was something else that Sally could sense down these narrow brickwork hallways.
Desperation.
This was a place of sadness and clinging on to what life remained for those still present in this world. The occasional dim lantern painted the hallways in a dirty amber, adding to the gloomy effect. When Chuck had said ‘low fantasy’ she hadn’t imagined a low mood as well.
The trio accompanying her didn’t seem ready to give her an additional exposition as they walked for what felt like a lot longer than it probably was. She wondered why they felt the need to treat new Players this way, and who the bad guy truly was. There were no windows, which was frustrating. Maybe they were underground, but she wanted to see the wider world already.
Not only that, but her stomach was feeling rather empty.
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Eventually, they reached a wide set of wooden doors. Poppy paused, with her hand against the metal struts, as Virgil stepped up beside Sally.
“The Baron is a fair man, but we have lost a lot as of late. Do not let your ego turn his caution into a sword of distrust.”
She nodded, but said nothing. Any clever comments would have to wait until she had her Class and knew who she needed to run away from after annoying them enough. People here didn’t seem to have the same amount of humor as back at Sanctuary… then again, it was a dying world.
The knight pushed through, bathing the group in brighter light as they emerged into a much larger chamber. A hall - something that reminded the zombie of a church or temple. Bright lanterns flickered along the arched grooves running down the side walls. People sat in chairs amongst crates and other cluttered items stacked up. All eyes turned to the group, apprehension at seeing a new Player.
Around a handful each side, mostly in drab colors. Linens and leathers. Grubby and miserable. Some bore lasting wounds or had an arm or leg bound. Down the middle of the space ran a muddied red carpet, leading all the way to a raised area where a throne sat. Or at least, a wooden chair that was higher than the others in the room. Upon it sat a wide man with a large red beard. His deep burgundy robes matched an odd hat on his head. Not really a crown, but clearly denoted his importance.
His eyes narrowed and burned something fierce as the zombie was led up to him.
“I am Baron Hercule. Shepherd of those that reside in Bastion Keep, the last stronghold of those who oppose Him.”
Sally gave him a curtsy as Poppy and Virgil stood on either side of her. “Sally Danger, your baronship. Undead Player who opposes all that seek to bring ruin to Systems.”
There was a murmur amongst the gathered people at the sides, before the Baron held up his hand. “I do not believe you are one of His pawns, yet I am concerned that you are a zombie, and purport to come from a different world.”
“It’s a tough sell, I agree. Mostly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, however. I’m just here to help you fight back.”
He grunted and cast his gaze around the room. “What good can a living corpse bring that the people before you have not tried already?”
She gave him a glum smile and shrugged. “In truth, I haven’t seen beyond these walls. I do not know of your plight or struggles. Nor the fate that has befallen these good people.” Rats. She had started talking like them too - the Outsiders wouldn’t let her live it down if she came home with an accent.
“Yet you are determined and eager to help, nonetheless?”
Sally ran her tongue across her sharp teeth. “Such is the life of a Player, m’lord. Perchance you could give me an exposition dump?” Beside her, Archie sighed.
“Very well,” the Baron cleared his throat. “The land of Thrimble was once a joyous place. Not without hardship or conflict, I’ll add - but it had room for both heroes and those less suited to the adventuring life. Almost one year ago, a Player sought out and acquired power that no mortal should be allowed to wield.”
She nodded slowly. They had become the equivalent of Sanctuary’s Architect; it sounded like.
“Immediately He used that power to wreak vengeance on those who had wronged him. A natural thing... and many rose up to fight the villainy, as that is how the world generally worked.” Hercule shuffled on his throne. “The Players that He killed… He used the souls of the fallen to create Dungeons. At first, we were able to fight and free those used for such nefarious purpose. Eventually, we were overrun and pushed back.”
He glanced up at the wall. Sally now noticed that it looked like there were windows in this hall at some point, but they had been bricked up. She imagined that she had spawned in on the left side of the island, and the big bad was living it large on the right side. Something simple and cliche like that.
“Now that we have few adventurers, it has become untenable for us to venture out far.” He turned his gaze back to her, some amount of exhaustion now in his eyes.
“Party size is five here too?” She looked around the room. “Have about fifteen warm bodies. That’s almost a guild.”
“It is, but only four remain with a Class that is suitable for adventure… most are more suited to crafts and trade skills. That is why I have my doubts that you would be able to assist us, despite your intentions.”
A System where not everyone was designed to be a combat Class. That was pretty interesting on some level - being a baker in a fantasy world would be less stressful than having to grind and slay to grow in power.
“How are Classes assigned then?” She wrinkled up her face. “It’s not a choice?”
The Baron shook his head. “It relates to your proficiencies and recent experiences before you came to this world. Assigned by the System once you have accepted the oath.”
That sounded terrible. Now she’d become a Vampire Smoocher or something. Although… that might make taking a skill back home worthwhile. Her fingers drummed against the dagger sheathe. “Alright, I’m in. I accept the oath or whatever, give me my introduction cinematic or something.”
“That’s not…” Hercule raised an eyebrow. “Very well. Normally we don’t forgo tradition, but I am tired of being stuck in this keep. Welcome to the waning flame of Thrimble, Sally Danger.”
She looked down to see her STAR now glowing gold. A sure sign that she had leveled up. With the taste of victory on her lips, she clicked it.
[Level 1 Reached]
[Class Assigned: Unholy Knight]
[Growth Stats: Strength, Endurance, Willpower]
[Skill Assigned: Gravecurse]
“Sweet!” She clicked her fingers. “I’m a type of knight. That means I can go punch dungeons now, yeah?”
“Not literally, I suggest. Claude, please outfit Sally in whatever we have to spare.”
“Grab the biggest sword you think you think a little waif like me can handle,” she instructed the man behind her with a wink. He scowled as he scurried off, unsure if that was some kind of test to see what he thought of her. It was.
The Baron raised an eyebrow and looked at Virgil. “Before our hopes raise an inkling, perhaps enlighten the girl on how unassailable the wall ahead of us truly is.”
Beside her, the man nodded. “Dungeons have a guardian outside them. Once defeated, you can enter and face the challenge inside. Sometimes it’s a further fight, other times it is a puzzle or other such difficulty.” He deflated slightly, and his expression was more distant. “Current guardian is right at the end of the valley out of here. No way past. Their ability is… well, their Stats increase the lower their health gets.”
She nodded. “Ah. So you almost killed them, but now they are ridiculously strong and resist further attempts because they are so low on health.”
“Very astute.” He grimaced and gave her a nod.
Not the easiest tutorial boss she’d ever heard of. And with few tools at her disposal too. Maybe doing a few easier worlds would have been better… but then it would be too late for Thrimble. Digging through her STAR menus, she brought up the new skill. [Gravecurse] seemed reasonable. 5% reduction to all Stats and 10% Speed reduction, one target at a time. Usable at thirty feet or under. Not as cool as [Chain] or…
“Oh.” A wide grin spread across her face. “What percentage of health would you say they had left?”