Custom Class Book Two: Player in the Collisae

Prologue

Zahn stared up at the dust ceiling deep in thought. The altar he found himself reborn on again felt cool and smooth under his back as it leeched the body heat from his skin. Where am I that he’ll stab me as soon as I show up? His previous respawn had looked promising until the burly unnamed warrior sheathed his absurd-sized blade into Zahn’s guts and sounded cheerful to do it. Staring up in the dark room only left his thoughts spinning around the impossibility of dealing with someone strong enough to outright murder him for a greeting until he realized the cool stone was turning quite cold and finally sat up.

Since becoming trapped in the hellish game world of Riviana he’d regretted his choice of job more than once. Using a careless someone’s information to break into the competition’s masterpiece had seemed so simple until he realized he wasn’t going home. Home. The idea echoed in his chest as he thought back to the world he’d left behind along with everything he knew.

Iron gray clouds migrating across a pale blue canvas, where the specks of light shone down at night as stars. Airships wandering across the skyways hanging from their ponderous balloons as military craft zipped by in their steel-winged düsenflugzeug as if to claim the very air for the Reich. Metal and stone buildings rising high against the burnished sky proudly displaying new frescos since the revolution and the speakers at every street corner blaring the pride of freed men for all to hear.

Sitting on the altar in his skivvies and daydreaming of his people’s accomplishments left Zahn dazed enough to jump when he heard another voice. It didn’t match the chipper giant who slayed him moments or hours before but its tone was angry enough to compensate for him. Rising to his bare feet and shuffling along the only path as quietly as he could left the player too far away to make out the words before the argument retreated but someone was furious about something. Can’t be me, I just got here. As he approached the formerly locked door, he saw light filling the tunnel with soft daybreak and could finally make out the problem.

Sitting directly in the doorway stood a gray stone obelisk, a little over three feet high. The rock was almost smooth and stood straight up tapering to a point that could easily break someone’s skin and carrying a familiar looking weapon encased within the rock. Or should I say familiar-feeling? The blade of the weapon protruded into his tunnel from the monument, curved slightly back as the broad slicing edge presented itself as if to brag with its blue and green sheen. Coming out the far side of the squared pillar came the rest of the sword complete with ornate silver handguard and a vibrant red tassel Zahn could easily see even in the dawn light. Seeing the weapon that killed him sealed in solid stone was somehow comforting to the player and felt like a small victory, if confusing as to why it was there at all.

As the day’s light intensified, he could make out more detail on the shaded side he stood trapped on and saw the sword blade had not only punched through stone but also bisected a few lines of text, making the words difficult to read. Bobbing his head around the dangerous weapon allowed Zahn to piece together the meaning and he paused in his pigeon impression as the meaning hit him.

The Player Zahn was killed here by Gladiator Burnato, fifth position.

Claim your own Gravestone to regain your lost items.

Staring at the words made several ideas run through his head, none staying for long. Do I leave a grave every time I die? Are my graves linked? I can get my stuff from all my deaths out of a Gravestone? Zahn grinned and reached out to grab the rock when another train of thought struck him. Does every grave tell whoever reads it that I’m a player? Can anyone read my Gravestone? Can anyone get my stuff from them? His smile faded as his breath came faster and more unanswered questions came with it. What happens if someone sees me claiming my grave? Do I have to do anything to get it back? Is there some way to send my grave somewhere specific so I can loot it in private?

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The angry voice from before barked again and made him twitch into grabbing the stone to steady himself. As his balance was saved the seemingly-solid rock shimmered at the edges and rapidly disappeared, fading into nothing after less than a second. No items or clothing appeared on his body or inventory, and his belt’s bad didn’t magically gain soiled food. As soon as the blade came free it fell to the ground with a clash and the shout was joined by more voices coming closer. Scooting back from the fallen weapon Zahn eyed the thing and tried to pull up its item information. His Observe ability didn’t seem to be activating until he heard the first voice speaking again.

“Someone’s alive in there alright. He’s trying to identify Marta!” The cheerful brute from before had returned with friends, and it didn’t seem like any of them were willing to be friendly.

The player scooted backwards into his now-lit tunnel and looked around the small respawn room he’d been brought to with some dismay. After the curving path brought him the dozen steps to his refuge, he could see nothing had used anything in the area for years or longer; with a thick layer of dust on the ground showing his footsteps and the only thing not looking like a pile of debris being the freshly cleaned altar. Looking left and right to try and hide past the doorway was equally fruitless with a pile of what might have been canvas on one side and shattered remains of boxes on the other.

By the time Zahn finished his cursory inspection, the bodies following him had caught up and stood waiting behind, filling in the tunnel and taking away his meager light. Turning to face his captors left the player surprised and wary, unwilling to trust the chipper thug.

The curved blade he knew so well hung easily in its owner’s grip as the man stood grinning into the small room just behind his boss. The man wore heavy-looking plate armor on his chest and arms without anything beneath for comfort or joints and his muscled body was nearly bursting out from under the armor already. He grinned behind a shorter man wearing a thick black cylinder of a hat and studied the newcomer through squinting eyes. His hooked nose reigned over a thin beard and fat belly, covered in a decorative red coat with gold buttons. The apparent leader of this troupe stared the player down without speaking, and if he hadn’t been panting like he’d run a marathon Zahn was almost willing to try talking to him.

The silence stretched as the two parties studied one another and the lowbie struggled to see past Mister Choppy to see who else was present but the bodies were dark blurs against the foreground members. Finally, the short man spoke, his voice naming him the angry barker from before.

“So, you’re the intruder, are you? And how did you think you’d manage, at that?” While deeper than his fighter’s the man’s voice trailed off into a nasally whine with each sentence and made Zahn’s neck hair prickle at the discord. “Even if you tunneled in you won’t find riches here, foolish boy. Speak!”

He found himself opening his mouth to do just that when his brain caught up and he closed it. Blinking at the realization he had to try and stay in control made Zahn immediately forget about his determination to stay silent and asked, “How did you just try to make me talk?”

His reply wasn’t whatever Mister Angry expected by how the man started to pace the edge of the small room. “Where did you tunnel in? Did you use something elemental? Without those damned wurms there shouldn’t be anything on the plateau that can swim through earth.” Zahn tried to watch both speaker and killer as he backed up towards the wall but the wandering man found what he was looking for before anything else could happen. He lunged towards the stone altar, slapping a hand down against the dust-free surface. Dragging his palm over the clean top, the smaller man slowly turned a sinister grin towards Zahn.

“Call off the alert. We have nothing to be afraid of. After all, we’re safe here in the Collisae, and nobody would dare challenge us. The closest town depends on our business for their business, and we have the biggest games for hundreds of kilometers around.” He bore a full smile as he straightened up and faced Zahn properly. “You’re probably wondering why I’m telling my trusted gladiator all this; I’m not. I’m telling you, so you understand just how much trouble you’re in, young man.”

The happy fighter filling the doorway barked a few words to the men behind him before stepping into the room and filling its exit. “What should we do with him boss?”

Zahn’s eyes followed each threat as they spoke and felt something cold uncoil in his belly.

“It doesn’t matter,” the small man’s smile nearly split his face. “He’ll come right back here, forever. You have a new practice dummy Burnato, and you just might reach fourth position with him. Welcome to your new home, player.”