I open my full map up to see where we were in comparison to the castle and discovered that not only is the castle an eternity away, but we somehow ended up going around [Trades Town]. I grunted in annoyance, Leo looked at me knowingly, he must have seen the same thing.

“Well, guess we have an extra-long way to go now, let’s try and make our way to the road. Avoid any beasts or anything else that might be lurking in the forests.” Max said as he glanced back towards the serpent's corpse.

After about an hour of travel we found ourselves stepping from the forest onto the cart worn road. We got to where [Trades Town] was supposed to be on the map, we thought maybe we could sell some stuff and clear our bags. The town was just… gone?

“Uh, did the town just disappear off everyone else’s maps?” Trish asked, confused.

“Yea…” I responded looking around us, there was no sign that a town was ever here. A notification popped up.

NEW QUEST: Castle Ru’lique!

Traveler, [Trades Town] has been removed. You must make your way to the Castle Ru'lique! Many folks their need your help! Meet with the captain of the guards to find out what you can do to help the castle prepare for the upcoming battle.

REWARD: unknown.

-Note regarding [Trades Town]: Jaq’kuah has removed this town and dispersed the NPCs across the realms, so that you may run into them again in their natural habitats.-

I exchanged a look with the others, shrugged and said, “Well, I guess we keep making our way. Not like we haven’t played a game before with our inventories full.”

“My inventory isn’t even close to full.” Trish said, we all looked back at her confused. “Well, I learned that if anything I have can be used for my profession, Narnia will hold it for me!” she said excitedly.

Max, Leo, and I all groaned outwardly, “Narnia? What made you call the wardrobe Narnia, mate?” Mel asked with a confused look.

Trish staring at Mel, appalled by the question, “Have you never heard of the books? Seen the movies?” she asked in a tone that was jokingly offended.

Mel looked to the rest of us as if begging for help, “It’s a classic book, check it out sometime. It’s actually really good. My question is, do we have to call it that?” I responded.

“We were talking, and I told her about the story, and she loved it! She asks that I call her that from now on, so yes, that is what we are going to call HER.” Trish said with a bit of exaggerated exasperation. We all rolled our eyes groaning while walking away. I felt a slap on my arm, I looked back and saw her glaring at me. I laughed and put my arm around her and kept her walking with us.

After about an hour of travel, we crested a hill and were greeted by a breathtaking mountain vista in the distance. I inspected my map, the castle was just beyond the peak of the mountain on the other side, so we had to make our way around them.

“Probably another day or two of travel before we even reach the mountains, should we make camp before it gets dark?” I asked.

“Yeah, it might be for the best to get a camp started soon, I don’t think we should do it here though, let’s make our way into the forest a bit more.” Leo responded.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I said, then after a moment of thought I added, “Isn’t it a bit odd we have yet to see anyone else on the roads?”

Max shrugged then dodged a limb from hitting his head, “Watch out for that limb. And yeah, I did think that was odd as well, I think maybe it’s because of how far south we are coming from, and the map doesn’t really show any towns or anything before the castle, considering [Trades Town] wasn’t a real town either. We might just be in an area that is not normally inhabited by people. There are a lot of beasts though. They stay well hidden, I think they are scared of us now with our new levels, I’ve seen some of those feraliths run at the sight of us.”

I didn’t realize the beasts were running from us in fear now, to be honest I have not paid much attention to any of the beasts in the forests since we got on the road.

“Are the levels getting any higher at least?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of level eight beasts in the distance. I suspect we won’t find anything willing to fight us until we get closer to the mountains.” He responded.

After another hour of traversing the forest toward the mountains, we finally stumbled upon a spot that Leo was happy with. It was the first meadow we’d seen in this world, and it was truly breathtaking. Rolling hills stretched for hundreds of yards, eventually meeting the edge of the forest. The meadow was carpeted in vibrant blue grass, interspersed with a stunning array of colorful flowers.

What caught my attention most was the natural pool nestled in the center, framed by two trees unlike any we’d encountered so far. Their branches arched gracefully over the water, as if reaching out to each other. Wild growth clung to the trees, tapering off as it spread outward. Thick steam billowed from the pool, obscuring the view of its far side and adding an air of mystery to the serene scene.

We walked over to the pool, wary of our surroundings. After a close inspection, there was nothing dangerous about the pool or anything around it that was dangerous. A new notification appeared.

WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST POOL OF RESTORATION.

Here you will find you may rest safely and gain a buff for 24 hours after soaking for 5 minutes or more, that will slightly increase your health regeneration outside of combat. 1% every 5 seconds.

“Well, this is as good a place as any to set up camp… forever!” Trish exclaimed, her excitement palpable.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. As I glanced toward the center of the pool, I noticed a massive white boulder with bubbles bubbling vigorously around it. “That must be what keeps the pool hot,” I said, pointing it out.

Leo, eyeing the boulder thoughtfully, said, “I wonder if any chunks might have fallen off over time. They could be useful for alchemy.”

Max was already inspecting the surrounding trees. “I’m curious if this wood would be good for a bow. I’ll climb up and see if I can find any suitable branches,” he said, heading toward the trees with determination.

Mel studied the pool intently. “I think this water could be useful for enchanting gear with a passive regeneration effect. I got a notification to collect some and inquire about it when we reach the castle,” she said, gently stroking the surface of the water with her massive hand.

Trish was already in the pool, looking far too relaxed. I climbed in beside her and settled near the boulder. Leo was dunking his head under the water, searching for a shard of the boulder. He eventually found one and was ecstatic. He noted that, despite its small size, it emitted an immense amount of heat and quickly placed it into his last empty vial.

Max, unfortunately, had less success. He struggled to find a suitable branch for making a bow. The wood from the trees was hard but not flexible. Max explained that while the constant steam made it seem flexible, it would become too brittle if dried out, making it unsuitable for crafting a reliable bow.

The next morning, we packed up and continued our trek toward the mountains. It was hard to leave the pool behind, especially with the buff from soaking still having about eighteen hours left.

As we neared the mountainside, Max warned us that the beasts were reaching higher levels and becoming less skittish. After a few more hours, we finally arrived at the vast mountainside. I noticed a new symbol on my mini-map, an unfamiliar icon that looked like stacked rocks.

“Does anyone else see some… rocks on their mini map?” I asked still studying the symbol.

“That must be something for your profession,” Leo suggested. “I usually see symbols for herbs, it’s how I find all those herbs that are hidden around.”

I walked over to where it was shown on my map, inspecting the face of the rocking mountain side, I noticed a strange shimmer. For the first time, I pulled out the pickaxe I received from my blacksmithing profession and began to strike the vein. Once I had loosened some of the ore, I used the shovel to clear away the debris and collect the extracted ore, gems, and some odd rocks that came from it that my instincts told me I would need. I carefully place the first of the rocks that I found against the hard surface of the wall and hit it a few times until it cracked; when I opened it, I saw a beautiful purple-white stone that glowed with power.

The ore resembled iron, with the same reddish-brown hue, but it had a white shine to it. [Duriron], after a close inspection, I could tell it was a little stronger than the iron from home, but not much. The gems that fell from the vein were red, with a very feint glow to them. [Lesser Glorubyte], it had a hint of magic in it, that felt warm and welcoming. Finally, a closer inspection of the purple-white stone [Unknown], I guess I was not high enough level in my profession to see what this thing was or did, it felt very powerful though.

We moved further down the mountain side rounding the corner to see a massive dragon-like creature exploding into the air with something in its claws. The downdraft was so intense we had to back behind the edge of the downward slope, by time we turned back around the corner the creature was gone from sight.

“Did anyone get a good look at, whatevah that was?” Mel asked, trying to peer through the treetops.

“All I saw was dust blowing into my face.” Leo responded rubbing his eyes.

“I am pretty sure that was a dragon…” I said in awe.

“No way!” Max said excitedly.

I was the only one who got a good look at the symbol since I was leading us around the bend. We had me in the front to be on guard in case something was waiting to attack us. Normally, Max would be leading and scouting ahead, but he was covering our flank, watching for any creatures that might be stalking us.

So far, the beasts in this area were only level sixteen, which meant we would have had to grind for some time before approaching the castle. However, thanks to the experience we gained from the serpent, we were a bit ahead of schedule.

We traveled back up the other side of the mountain for a few hours before a new notification popped up.

NEW QUEST: Beary naughty!

Enter the nearby cave, there is a ‘beary’ unfriendly bear in there that has been killing innocent travelers that pass by. It’s better you get him before he gets you! Take the head of the bear to the captain of the guard in Castle Ru’lique when the deed is done!

REWARD: Unknown

I groaned outwardly. “Oh, great, the system uses puns,” I said, clearly unamused.

Trish giggled quietly to herself, while the rest of us groaned in agreement. We backed away from the mountainside to get a better view of the entrance from a safe distance, avoiding any accidental encounters.

“I’ll scout around for the cave and find the best route,” Max said.

“Okay, man, just be careful,” Leo replied. I nodded in agreement.

After about forty-five minutes, Max returned. “The path is clear. It’s about fifteen minutes that way,” he said, pointing southwest toward the mountain face.

We all jumped at his sudden appearance. With a low chuckle, I said, “Dammit, man, you scared the crap out of me!”

We gathered our things and headed in the direction Max indicated. After a few minutes, the cave came into view. I held up my hand to stop the others. “We need to figure out how we’re going to handle this,” I whispered.

“I think we should lure it out of the cave, so we have more room to maneuver,” Leo suggested, scanning the surroundings.

“Yeah, it’d be better if Max, Leo, and Trish stay at range while you and I keep it pinned at the cave entrance,” Mel proposed.

“If Leo and I position ourselves to the left and right, we’ll have good angles on the bear. This should be easy,” Max said confidently.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

See now, we did all this planning assuming the bear was our level or lower… It was not. Mel and I headed towards the cave, our plan was to pull the bear out by being loud and annoying. Before we even arrived at the cave entrance we heard a low rumbling growl. Two glowing red eyes peering out at us, and its head slowly emerging from the shadows of the mouth of the cave.

Its head was massive, far larger than any of us had anticipated. Its fur was a dark, blood-red hue, and bone spikes jutted out along its spine, reminiscent of the other bearlike creatures we’d encountered. Spikes also protruded from the sides of its face, resembling two bayonets designed to inflict even more damage. This creature was at least twice the size of the other bears we had faced. As I glanced up at its name tag, my breath caught in my throat, its name was framed in gold and silver. My experience told me this was an elite-level creature, [♂ Titanic Rageshard Lvl 32].

I glanced at Mel and nodded, there was no turning back now. With our resolve hardened, we charged at the bear, our battle cries echoing through the air.

I reached the bear first; he swiped his massive paw at me, and I used [Abyssal Retribution]. Nothing happened, my body was slammed against the cave mouth wall, and I bounced another six feet out of the mouth.

“James!” Trish screamed in terror.

“Heal him damnit! He will be ok!” Leo yelled, trying to get her to focus.

My health bar was down to two percent, the pain was immense. I looked down at my chest and I could see where the claws pierced my chest, blood was gushing from the wound. I was slowly fading away. A gentle warmth washed over me, I noticed my health going back up, it stopped at twenty percent, Leo ran over to me and opened a vial and poured it down my throat. Bringing me up to twenty-seven percent, finally able to think semi straight I tried to figure out why my ability didn’t work.

Realization struck me, the trials for Star. I had to give up a random ability, and I never even stopped to look at which one it was with all of the events afterwards. I felt like an idiot, I could have died. I may very well still die; I was far too dependent on that ability.

I hurried to my feet and looked back at the massive bear. Mel was holding it off pretty well on her own, but the bear was pushing her back quickly. I cast [Celestial Sanctum] around Mel, and quickly ran back into the fight. My health began rising slowly after I ran into the bubble. I immediately used [Celestial battle cry] to get the bears attention.

Its eyes turned toward me, filled with hunger and hatred. I shivered with a tinge of fear, now that my ace-in-the-hole ability was gone. Shaking off the fear, I focused on the enemy before me, there was no point dwelling on what was lost. The bear's health was at ninety-four percent. I steeled myself, gripping the [Bone Pick] tightly. The bear charged, its maw wide open and roaring with intensity. I dodged to its right, swinging my pick into its ribs, then rotated and pierced its belly.

Mel swung her massive hammer at the bear’s head, missing by mere inches as the blow narrowly avoided striking me. An icicle flew past Mel’s side, barely piercing the bear’s neck. The bear’s health dropped slightly to ninety percent. Max fired two arrows rapidly at its chest, but the bear’s massive paw swiped them out of the air. As I rolled under the bear, I tore my pick down the inner haunch of its back left leg.

Roaring in fury, the bear turned toward me and grabbed me by the arm, flinging me out of the cave. I hit the ground and rolled to a kneeling position, blood running down my left arm. I gripped the pick tightly, baring my teeth in pain and anger as the beast charged toward me at an unexpected speed.

I began running to the right of the bear, heading toward Mel. “Mel! I have an idea! I need a lift!” I yelled, rounding a tree to avoid the bear's wrath. I jumped toward her, and she caught the bottom of my right foot with her mace, launching me into the air. As I flipped through the air toward a huge tree branch, I pulled out the fang from the massive serpent. My feet connected with the branch, and I pushed myself toward the bear’s flank, pointing the fang at it like a spear.

“Hey, you ugly bastard I’m up here!”

The [♂ Titanic Rageshard Lvl 32] turned towards me and began to stand on its hind legs to catch me, but as if it realized what I was going to do the bear tried to move. It was too late; however, I still missed my mark, and the fang only pierced deep into its side. I rolled upon landing, quickly getting back on my feet and running a few more feet out of its swiping range.

With its health now at sixty percent, the bear roared in rage. It yanked the fang from its side with its mouth and charged at me again. This time, it feigned a move to the right. I tried to dodge left, only to realize too late that I had been outmaneuvered by a beast the size of a short school bus. Its paw swung at me, and as I dodged, it struck me and sent me crashing toward a tree. Fortunately, Trish caught me before I hit it. “You need to be more careful I am out of energy; I have to regenerate for a few. I can’t heal you!” she said.

"James, stay back and try to regen some health. I'll keep this fucker busy for a bit; besides, I wanna try something!" Mel shouted.

My health was at fifteen percent, Max, Leo, and Mel were all still at one hundred percent. That just meant I was doing my job. The bear’s attention on me waned as my taunt debuff fell off. Ten seconds felt like minutes, I needed to recover health somehow.

“So, you bond with me. We have a great moment, and you don’t use me? I see how it is…” Star said sounding wounded.

“I don’t know how I am supposed to bond my essence with you. I don’t have time to do that right now. I’m not sure if you can see the massive bear over there trying to kill us!” I said irritated

“Who said anything about meditating out here?” Star responded, then darkness surrounded me.

I was suddenly back within that strange realm, in the middle of the platform. I tensed, not wanting to fight another demon.

“Worry not, friend. There are no more demons here. This is now your place of peace and meditation. This is where you will come when it's time to deepen our bond or enhance my abilities with your skills,” Star said soothingly.

The world around me began to shift and transform. An anvil appeared beside a forge, with a small hut for working in. A mat materialized beneath me, accompanied by incense gently rising from a bowl. A creek bed, which seemed to have always been there, burbled softly next to a towering tree that cast a serene presence over this place of peace and meditation. Its beautiful purple and orange leaves fluttered down like a gentle rain, the tree’s umbrella-like canopy offering a comforting embrace as I settled into tranquility.

I closed my eyes without even realizing it, yet I could still perceive the beauty around me. I could hear the gentle murmur of the creek and the occasional chirp of crickets in the quiet of the night. A green and blue fire crackled in the darkness, sending sparks into the air that seemed to mingle with the stars above.

I felt a piece of myself detach from my body, and I saw a hand reaching out for it. It formed into a version of me, like a constellation of stars. I could control this… no, it was me, but not within myself. It was as if I were observing and controlling myself from a third-person perspective. It was an odd sensation, feeling my arms move while seeing it as though someone else were watching.

The hand continued to reach out. “Come, friend. Let us merge our essences and become one. Only then will you wield me to become a force even this measly Rageshard beast cannot hope to match,” Star said.

I extended the arm of my avatar toward the hand, and our fingers touched. A peculiar sensation washed over me, and I was transported to another realm. Here, beauty and pain intertwined. Stars surrounded me, but this wasn’t me. I had no control over where I could look or move. I drifted through a vast and endless abyss, illuminated only by the light around me. Distant lights flickered out, and a voice spoke beside me, “Another life lost to the darkness. So many of our kind cannot seem to remain alight these days, old friend.”

The eyes through which I was seeing turned toward another figure. It wasn’t a star but a person—or at least it had the form of one. “Yes,” the voice continued, “this sister of theirs has grown too strong for our kind to keep the abyss at bay any longer.”

Wait a damn minute, am I seeing through Star’s eyes right now? I thought to myself.

“How many more of us will that wretched Goddess take, and how many more of those abominations will she create from our fallen kin?” the other voice demanded, low and furious.

Star’s gaze fell to its hands, which radiated with a golden and blue light. They appeared small, as if Star were still a child or perhaps a teenager. The vision began to fade, and I found myself back in the realm beneath the tree, my eyes opening.

“Star, was… was that you?” I asked, still disoriented.

“Yes,” Star replied. “That was me as a child, only a millennia old, still just beginning to understand who or what I could become.”

An essence began to coalesce into a humanoid form. “Now it is my turn,” Star said. It moved toward the mat and sat down, or at least I assumed it did, as its brilliance made it difficult to see clearly.

“You are cheating piece of shit!” My mom screamed.

I was only five or six years old during this time. My mom had just caught my dad cheating on her, don’t let her anger fool you though. She was no saint in this relationship either.

“Oh, fuck you, you worthless cunt!” My dad yelled back, his face red and angry.

I don’t remember much of this night, but I do remember a few days later.

“Dad, I don’t want to leave. I’m sorry I told Mom; I didn’t mean to hurt you guys,” I cried.

“Son, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said gently, his voice trembling as he fought back tears. “You just have to go with your mom for now. I know you don’t understand it now, but you will in time. I love you more than you know.”

As my mom pulled me toward the old Ford pickup truck, I looked back at my dad, watching him crumble in tears, broken. Instead of seeing his pain, I saw my hero, my favorite person in the world at that time. His attempt to push me away felt like a rejection, as if he didn’t want me or didn’t care about me anymore.

My older brother took my hand. “Come on, James. We’ll hang out in the back and play! It will be okay, little brother.”

I climbed into the back of the pickup, with its old shell on top, and sat down on the blankets. I stared out the window, watching my dad grow smaller and smaller until he was out of sight. “I love you, Dad. I’m so sorry I made you hate me,” I whispered to myself.

“James, I… Look, what happened—”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s in the past. I was just a kid; I don’t really want to talk about it,” I cut Star off.

“Very well. If you do want to talk, know that I’m here,” Star responded hesitantly. “For now, though, our soul essences are bonded, and you have the ability to wield me properly in battle.” Star quickly changed the subject, sensing my mood shift.

“Okay, I have two questions. First, how long can we stay here, and does no time pass outside at all? Second, how do I actually use you in a fight now that our essences are connected?” I asked.

“Well, our time is almost up. We get about ten minutes every week to strengthen our bond. That can increase as we grow stronger... I think. Also, no time passes outside while we are here,” Star said. “As for wielding me in a fight, just channel a bit of your power into me and see what happens.”

“Let’s head back out and find out,” I said, determined.

The world around me flashed back into existence. I glanced at Mel, who was still mid-swing with her hammer. The beast had swung its massive paw to deflect the weapon, but its eyes widened in shock as the hammer passed through the paw and solidified just in time to strike him on the side of the face.

The Rageshard fell to the side dazed for a moment, a bolt of lightning and a huge ball of fire struck it at the same time from Leo. Max fired three arrows simultaneously, looking at them closely they had a strange eerie darkness surrounding them. All three struck the beasts right eye, he roared in pain. Furious, the bear stood back up, its face etched with intense rage and determination. Its health had dropped to forty-five percent.

His body began to glow a dark blood red and its eyes going completely black. A new status buff appeared next to its name.

[Rageshard’s Blood Frenzy] – While this status buff is active, the Rageshard will gain 30% more haste, and health regen of 2% hp every .5 sec. for 10 sec.

I gripped the handle of [Starlit Eclipser] pushing some of my power into it and I got a prompt.

[Starlit Eclipser] now fully bonded! Congratulations Traveler!

[Starlit Eclipser] can take the shape of any weapon of your choosing from the list below, once chosen this choice cannot be reverted. Please select from the options:

One Handed: Two Handed:

Sword Sword

Flail Mace

Mace Axe

Axe Polearm

Club Glaive

Dagger Hammer

After looking at the options I decided almost immediately, I have always wanted to use one of these, and I was overly excited about it.

You have selected Flail, good luck Traveler!

The handle lit up in my grip and grew another foot in length then chains of bright blue and golden light materialized with spikes poking off the sides of them. A ball with four spikes spread evenly on the surface finished the end of the flail. I was shaking with excitement and looked up towards the beast that was rapidly attacking Mel, and I smiled menacingly.

I looked back to Trish, her eyes opened wide as she watched the flail materialize. She looked up to my eyes, and nodded with determination, “Aegis Sholaught tulania surah!” a feeling of warmth washed over me, and my health went up to fifty-five percent.

“It’s fucking go time now!” I shouted with excitement, charging at the beast.

Activating the bonus effect [Eclipse Nova] as I was within inches of the bears snarling face. I smirked as the world around us went completely dark, and stars began to light the abyss around us.

“Remember me?” I growled with unwavering resolve as I swung Star towards the base of the bear’s jaw. The strike connected, sending the bear flipping onto its back. Mel followed up with a powerful hammer swing, Leo launched a massive icicle the size of a torpedo, and Max fired five arrows that raced around the icicle, perfectly timed. Trish cast a spell that made Max’s arrows glow brightly, adding to the spectacle. I leaped into the air to add more force to my swing aimed at the bear’s gut. All our attacks hit with impeccable timing: the arrows softened the tissue as the icicle drove into the bear’s chest. Mel’s hammer crashed down onto the back of the ice, driving it further in, while the end of the flail struck with such force that it shattered the bone. A resounding crunch echoed as the ice pierced through the bear’s steel-like chest bone.

A new notification popped up.

CONGRATULATIONS TRAVELER! YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE ‘BEARY’ BAD BEAR THAT HAS BEEN CAUSING HAVOC TO PASSERBY’S, TURN THE HEAD INTO THE CAPTAIN FOR YOUR REWARDS!

CONGRATULATIONS TRAVELER! YOU AND YOUR PARTY HAVE JUST CREATED YOUR FIRST COMBO ATTACK!

REWARD: 100xp

“Yo! That was amazing!” Max said excitedly.

“Ok, that had to be the absolute coolest attack I’ve ever seen.” Leo said, his voice brimming with excitement despite his attempt to stay composed.

I looked at Trish, you could see the fear on her face tears brimming in her eyes. She ran colliding into me, “I was so scared I was going to lose you, please don’t ever do that again!” she said sobbing with her arms wrapped around me.

“Hey, hey now, it’s ok love. I’m okay now.” I responded gently pulling my head back to look her in her eyes.

“She’s right though Jame’s. What the fuck happened there?” Leo said, looking at me with worry on his face.

“When I was doing my trials, I had to give up an ability at random. I didn’t bother checking which one it was before the fight. I got so caught up in everything that I forgot,” I admitted, feeling a bit foolish for almost getting myself killed.

“Wait… Trials? What trials?” Mel asked curiously.

“I will explain later… I don’t really have the time or the energy to get into it right now.” I said with a hint of resignation. “We should get what we can from the bear and check his cave out see if there might be anything useful in there.” I said quickly, changing the subject.

Trish just eyed me worriedly; I looked back at her reassuringly. She knew I would explain it when we could have time alone. Rubbing my arm lovingly, she moved past me towards the bear’s carcass.

Max also eyed me, “I take it those trials were a bit more personal than they were a puzzle?” he asked. I just nodded and moved towards the carcass as well.

We gathered what we could from the bear and moved to his cave. There wasn’t much of value, some armor and weapons that were too damaged to be of any use. However, we could scrap them to create something new.

Among the items, we found a locket with a small portrait inside that seemed to blink on occasion. While it was a bit off-putting, we figured that in a magical world, a blinking portrait was probably just another quirk of enchanting. Trish took it into her inventory, saying, “Somebody could be looking for the person this belonged to, and it could give them closure.” We all agreed, though the locket still felt unsettling.

After exploring the cave, we made our way back toward the castle, eager to find an inn and get some much-needed rest. We had quests to turn in and crafting to tackle, and the prospect of a well-earned break was a welcome one.