As the Guildless unsheathed their weapons, they prepared to fight the new enemies that appeared. Each spawned out of a molten gold muck,growing bodies with arms, creating a humanoid-like form.

They would hear a voice echo into the area. “Guys please trust me. We will defeat him, I promise." It was Madder. Her voice seemed unsure, yet hopeful.

“Precisely! “ Aluxan yelled. “If you want to stop the Gold Herring, You’re going to have to Defeat me before I cover the entire world into Gold! I will be considered the winner of the Domination event by claiming the most ground!”

“I don’t think that's how it works!” Jun yelled back. “Isn’t it based on remaining players in your guild?”

“What do you think Madder is doing?” He countered. “You think that eclipse is for nothing. She is casting a shadow onto the whole world to catch it all, but right now, my gold is scattering her shadow! Which is why she has sent you to defeat me, the leader, and last member of Humanity! I am Humanity!” He swung his arm foreshadowing the impeding threat.

As the air mustered a furiously, the ground shook. Each of the Guildless players bared the quakes, and held too, trying to keep balance. Out of the cracks thousands of new entities appeared.

“Who said I was alone!” Aluxan yelled.

As the figures emerged from the golden floor, the Guildless were astonished. These weren't just ordinary creatures. They were characters created on the Peppermint Server.

“I thought the players had logged off, or switched servers!” Aethera said.

“I figured the same,” Mandy said, turning to face an emerging set of enemies.

Grande took flight, facing Jun. His expression was dim, surprised and nervous. There was sweat under his brow. “Don’t worry. We can do this! You can do this!

Below each new golden body grew a health bar and a name, resembling their in game name.

In the end, their worst fear would come to the Guildless. What they had tried to avoid all along.

“We really didn’t want to do this!”

The Guildless would receive a message from Madder.

“Guys Stop Humanity. I’ll Stop the Gold Herring!”

A message would alert to all players left in the Server.

Domination Event 10 Minutes!

"I put my faith onto you, Junior." Madder Thought.

With that she released her skill, relieving her shadow from the World. The eclipse shattered

“Arculus help them against the Aurgon! Go! I shall try to stop the Gold from spreading!" she yelled.

Madder and Arculus descend from the sky, free falling.

As Arculus would land onto the floor he enter battlefield, the Guildless players all in combat. He spread his cape in the sky. Its red glint emanated, sending splints of piercing blood through enemies, defeating them in an instant.

“Arculus! You made it buddy!” Hargerty yelled.

Nearby Aethera kneed an enemy and sent it flying towards the sky. Gaston Body slammed several enemies at a time. Hagerty jumped slamming a flag standard into the floor. It burst glowing, sending enemies away and giving power to the guildless. Mandy picked off enemies one by one and when an enemy would attack her, Oege would parry. Finally Diggy with his unveiled powers commanded grains of sand within the Arena, and used it to defeat enemies.

On the outside Madder could see gold particles spreading on the floor like bugs sculpting or waves of water finding a shore. As the sky would begin to crack the sun, Madder got into a sprinting position. “Here goes.” She whispered to herself. As the first ray of light hit the floor she ran to meet it, catching the light, and emitting a shadow where it landed. “Dad keep the spotlight on me!”

Up in the sky, a shadowy beastial entity covered the sun. It has a very furry appearance, but it was blocking the sun in a particular way only allowing a stream of light to peer through. Madder followed the light, scorning the floor as the gold would begin to meet it and kept going, moving at immeasurable speeds.

Back on the battlefield, a loud rumble would be heard. The Aurgon, was getting up. It stretched its wings. For some reason, only Jun could see the phenomena. There was another being next to it. Petting it. Jun knew who it was, from this previous vision. Aluxan. “Oh there there! You wish to fight?” Aluxan said. The Aurgon nodded, flapping its wings towards him. “Not yet. Let them earn it.”

Something about Aluxan’s tone bothered Jun. All this time, he was not against an enemy. He was fighting himself. It was then that he heard a voice.

"I know. I bothers me too." The voice seemed to be speaking in his head. It was Blackfeather. “This is the side of you I wish we can throw away, but he’s the douchebag of us. And he you and I. You know this game. You just have to remember! Right now, you have to do something. You can do whatever he does. The Aurgon is a manifestation of himself. It is him, but not him. Similar to how I am you, but not you. Just how I can manifest the Naysong. You can Manifest. She needs us. I can feel it.”

With everything going on, Jun couldn’t think straight. At his fingertips were the lives of his friends and across from him, he was the one sending them into dismay.

“Madder.” He thought. “Where is she?”

As Arculus’s name would appear onto his screen, he looked up and saw the dark beast above him. “But how! I don’t understand how to do this.”

“I know you can see it!” Blackfeather said with scorn.

‘See what?” He yelled back at Blackfeather.

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“See gold. It is our PBE:Skill. Right now you’re not thinking of it, but somewhere here is gold. There is a chance, there is a single opportunity.”

Jun looked around. He couldn’t see anything that resembled what he saw before, but it then hit him. He looked quickly into his inventory. “Crypto!” As he raised the crypto coin item into the air it shined brightly with Gold, and Jun’s Entrepreneur skill would activate.”

“I was waiting for you to summon me.” Crypt said, speaking into his mind.

“But what can you do, Crypto?”

As Crypto's form manifested through the coin he felt the menacing aura of Blackfeather in Jun. But as he appeared, Aluxan's face turned red. “Wait no!”

Back on the battlefield, the Guildless were surrounded in by thousands of enemies slowly moving towards them. Jun looked down, seeing a patch of gold around various players. But as he looked at the ceiling it too was gold. Crypto, landed on the floor, inspecting it. “This gold is Bedrock but it is still just like currency.”

“No Stop!” Aluxan yelled.

“If it's what I'm actually thinking then.” He planted his hand firmly onto the pane. “And if it's a Skill that means!”

The floor cracked, letting out a gust of wind below. All players below rose, being hurled leagues into the sky, suspended in air.

‘We’re going to die from fall damage!” Oege yelled.

“Ahhhhh!” Diggy cried. “Help me! Help me in particular!”

Each of the Guildless players felt a suprising feeling. They felt held by an unusual presence. Grande raised her hands, targeting each her them with a Fullmind ability, keeping them in the air safely,

A Sudden urge in Jun's chest. Blackfeather once again wished to speak. “Look, where did that bastard go?”

The thousands of players that that rose fell onto the floor taking fall damage and being defeated instantly, turning back into gold. Although the floor quickly patched itself back into gold.

Meanwhile, Madder kept her pace, running onto water. She watched as the water, hardened turning into gold, but quickly cut it off with her shadow preventing it from spreading. It was then that she felt an unwavering presence. It was quick but as she looked into the distance she could see an unaltered Gandora. When she looked back to the water she saw the Aurgon, galloping on the gold water as quickly as she was running.

“It can’t be!” She roared.

After all of the golden players fell, the Guildless looked ahead of them. The Aurgon had disappeared.

The Aurgon appeared behind Madder, stunningly in gold, beaming light towards her. it would reach for Madder, but she evaded jumping into the air, but as she landed back on the water, she hadn't noticed it had already turned into gold.

“Wait?” She said in fear.

The Aurgon grabbed onto her with its massive claws, and pushed her deep into the water holding her in place with its grasp.

“You will never stop us!” It yelled, but to Madder, all she could hear was the muffling of water, and the drowning out of sound.

Bubbles spewed from her mouth, as air left began to leave her body. Each second was desperate and needed, but she couldn’t help it. She was drowning. She knew the result of such a fate. She had seen many before, that Mad had done. That she had done. But there was only one thing on her mind. “Aluxan, don’t do this.”

“I never needed you!” He roared. He continued deeper into the water.

Madder then casted a skill she only used in dire situations. With her last breath, she casted a skill that could only be used once a week. "True Form: Nemesis."

"There it is!" The Aurgon cackled. "Show me your true strength.

As Madder's body would change, her arms with cracks and grew wings. She sprout out the water in flight, soaring into the skies, releiving herself form his grasp. She took the opportunity to take head north. She didn't wish continue fighting him. There were more pressing matters, but something was holding her back. "It can't be me." She thought. "This isn't the formula."

—-

Back in Elleon, The Guildless opened their maps.

It was Aethera that noticed. “Arculus, if you're here, where is Madder?”

She then opened her Friend List and noticed that Madder was located in Gandora Lake.

“Guys I have a bad feeling!” she said.

—--------------

In the Sky, Seismic held back the Sun. He could only hope his daughter was okay. He may have missed out on one, but he wouldn’t do the same to the other. “I’m sorry Peppermint, but I have no choice!”

—----------------

A portal was opened, allowing them into the hills of Gandora. The rainforest, that was colorful, and vibrant had been transformed into monuments of gold. As they landed the Guildless could hear the clashes of weapons.

“That way!” Jun yelled.

They followed the sound until they saw an open area. If one looked upon it, half was covered in gold and the other remained in Gandora’s natural tone.

“We must help Madder!”

The Aurgon mouth was opened wide. It's teeth sharp and menacing. It was breathing golden fire at Madder which she seemed to be blocking. Behind her the Sun crept over the Aurgon creating a shadow behind Madder. Each second of the ire’s embrace seemed to turn a piece of Madder into gold.

“I won’t let you do this Aluxan! I won’t.” Madder felt the weight of her hands increase. She could no longer hold up her defense. She then felt warmth around her body. When she opened her eyes, she felt a familiar presence. “Alex?”

In front of her was a vision of Naysong - Blackfeather. “How?” She then felt a tug on her limbs.

She quickly snapped to her senses and realized she was surrounded by her fellow players.

“Guys pull!” Jun yelled.

Each of the Guildless players came to a collaborative effort. Her feet were stamped to the ground and her body was slowly turning into gold. The Guildless players pulled, pulling her from the gold’s capture.

She couldn't keep her breath, even if she had been saved. “She quickly commanded the Guildless. “We must stop the gold from spreading to the rose patch behind me.”

Although it seemed like a farfetched claim, the Guildless players understood one thing. They looked back and noticed something about the flower patch. Over it was a name that would normally be designated to a city.

Gandora Gardens.

The Guildless players each took a stance, and the Aurgon spread its gold petrifying breath along them. Each slowly took damage and began to slowly petrify.. Madder was left on the floor, twaddling back towards the flower patch. When suddenly she hit something behind her. It was Jun.

“Jun!” she yelled. “What are you doing there?

“When I began this game I was amazed. I had played games before where the hero is always the strongest. But in every game I played, it was always the same. Become stronger than the boss and defeat it with strength. It was never with friends. That’s why I didn’t wish to become the strongest. But then I played Asper online, and I met some people that showed me what power meant. What it meant to adventure. The people who I would want to call mentors are selfish and corrupt. They had power in their own ways and used it to subjugate the world and keep others below them. How can I look up to those people. I don’t want to be like that, ever. Then I realized what I truly wanted to do in this game.

Jun then looked at Madder who laid onto the ground, helpless. “I need you to do one last thing for me.”

She had a confused face on her face.

“I need you to give me one thing.”

Her confusion stood but then she looked around. “Here?” She said shyly.

“What no!“ He yelled embarrassingly.

"I need you to give me a quest! Not just any quest! Give me a Quest for Aluxan the Aurgon!”

At first she contemplated the quest, but saw the resolve in Jun's eyes. There was spark of gold, and she understood. “Here. I hereby give you a quest!”

A quest window opened on his screen. He looked at the information and smiled. As he accepted the quest Jun’s PBE:Skill activated.

Entrepreneur activated. Quest: Collect Gold.

The area was now surrounded with different colours, which consisted of mostly red. The Guildless players were all sectioned with red, and green whilst only a slip between Aethera and Gaston was Gold.

Enter my Shadow, and don’t come out until Everything is fine. I will protect you with my all!” He yelled.

It was not as if Jun was speaking quietly. His monologue reached the ears of all present. The Guildless embraced the gold breath, but stood firmly rejuvenated by his resolve. The Aurgon, though, laughed. “Pitiful!” He then approached them continuing to breathe his flames.

“You heard me!” Jun yelled again. “Get in here!”

A jolt came across Madder’s Spine. She hustled into Jun’s Shadow.

Jun looked at the Domination Event timer and saw that less than five minutes remained.

In their last breaths each of the Guildless began to be petrified into Solid gold. The scuffling of breathes as each would lose the ability to breath. They stood firm, confident in their allies. All that was left seemed to be Jun, and the Aurgon.

"What did you do?" Gaston snorted out.

"Gold Dust" The Aurgon said scuffling his hands. "Its a skill that is peerless, but petrifies enemies in a near radius. For some reason, Jun was not affected.

“So what now?” The Aurgon took a heavy step, slowly embarking towards Jun, who walked back. With each step his shadow would grow further and finally the Aurgon stood tall, blocking the sun and casting an eminent shadow.

‘Madder now! Take everyone's bodies to Gandora!” Jun yelled. He didn;t now if it was possible, but thought Madder's shadow abilities had to have some way to do something in this situation.

Madder quickly extended Jun's shadow touching each of the Guildess players. A black trail extended quickly towards the Rose Portal. As it flowed in, the Guildless players were pulled towards the portal, and as they met it, they were phased through, leaving Jun and the Aurgon alone.

“Now, its just you and us now!” The voice was coming from Jun but was very different. His mouth moved without him trying to move it. It was as if he was possessed. It was pitched darker and lower than Jun's regular voice and it was angry. Aluxan knew very well. Seeping from Jun was a dark aura. As he looked upon the Aurgon, his Entrepreneur skill would light up gold on the Aurgon with a price over its head."

"Blackfeather and Junior."

Quest: Collect Gold

Quantity: All

Reward: Ownership of Gandora Gardens.

Duration: 5 minutes.