After being teleported away from Jorenheim, Wraith found himself at the top of a flight of stairs. They went deep into the ground, spiralling away into the inky darkness. Before he could make heads or tails of where he was, a system message popped up.
This trial requires a party of 3-5 players, this requirement can be waived if you choose to enter with the wolves:Sarin and Vangar. Note-You will be prohibited from allying or working with other players should you choose this option.
Will you party with the wolves?
Yes/No
There was no doubt in his mind what he would pick. “Yes.” Although other players would be stronger than Sarin or Vangar, there wouldn't be the same level of teamwork. After fighting, eating and living together, the pack had a cohesion that couldn't be imitated by a group of players that met for the first time.
You have chosen to party with the wolves, please make your way down the stairs. Should you choose to forfeit, you may use the teleportation circle located behind you.
Teleport out of here? Why would anyone give up on the test?
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In the real world, a small group of people were holed up in a large, dimly-lit room. The walls and the many tables located in the room were covered with monitors. There were twelve people there, ten of which were sitting at their own tables. One man sat in a chair at the front of the room, looking at the monitors on the wall. To his side was an assistant with their own desk.
The man's name was Jacob, he was the head of this particular project. He was in his early thirties with well-groomed short black hair and an expensive grey suit. He turned to his assistant and asked, “Andrew, how do the numbers look?”
“Of the fifteen hundred players, only about thirty of them have dropped out.” Fifteen hundred was a lot bigger than the three hundred he gave a speech to two weeks ago. The reason for this was because those players were wild cards. Unlike the other twelve hundred players that were meticulously selected from across the Americas, the three hundred players were chosen because they fit the basic requirements.
They were randomly selected when they filled out a survey. It was for that reason that they had a two-week period in the dormitory, where they were connected to a capsule that would record and analyze their actions.
The other twelve hundred players moved to nearby dormitories only a day ago. They were picked for their achievements in Royal Road as well as out of it. Most were well-educated but also had a talent for combat and gaming.
For Jacob, this was a new and exciting project. As one of the heads of the Western branch of Unicorn, he was responsible for overseeing gameplay for North and South American players. Unlike the Eastern and the European branches who relied on already existing employees for in-game data and management, he decided to go about things in a different way.
He had invested money to track, transport and give lodgings to fifteen hundred players. All of this was done in order to find the most qualified players, whose sole purpose was to play the game. It had taken weeks of planning and preparation, but he had finally created a custom-made dungeon to test the players in.
The first part was to test their wills. The players had to walk down an enormous flight of stairs. On average it would take between four and five hours to reach the bottom. There would be a few that quit and gave up partway through, but what they were really looking for were those players who were steadfast and determined.
Because of the difficulty of testing for it, they created an A.I. program to flag worthy players. Of course, this was just the first step in a lengthy process. “Has the A.I. made the proper groupings?”
“Yes sir, players were put together based on their ability to complement each other, but...there's a slight issue with it.”
Jacob frowned at hearing this. The A.I. was supposed to be flawless in its selections. “What's the issue?”
Andrew pulled up a profile on the monitor. Jacob and the rest of the workers were stunned at what they saw. The profiles they had access to had all the updated information on a character, even including the places they visited.
“Is this right?” Even if it was created by them, they didn't have the ability to keep themselves updated on every single thing that happened in Royal Road. That was why almost half of the employees at Unicorn was solely dedicated to collecting and analyzing current events in Royal Road.
What he saw before him was a character with ridiculously inflated stats and skills that have never even been heard of. It went far beyond that of a hidden class. “Pull up the personal data.” Unlike most games that can be played anonymously, Royal Road had very detailed profiles for each player.
Normally it couldn't be accessed, but since he was at such a high position in Unicorn, he had full access to it. Well I'll be, that kid has out-done himself. He recognized the face of Warren Fuller, the youngest and most inexperienced candidate they had.
“So what's the problem? The A.I. doesn't know where to place him?”
“No sir, it made a group for him with two wolves.” The assistant pulled up the information for the two wolves. “Should I override it?”
“No, leave it be. Lets see where it takes us. Ah, and don't forget to get my capsule prepared.” It seemed that the test was going to be more interesting than he could have imagined. Come on kid, show me what you're made of.
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Wraith had been walking for hours. Finally after an endless number of steps, he saw the exit. The exit was sealed by a curtain of energy. It was golden and almost like a liquid in terms of appearance. From what he could tell, it was a portal that would lead him to a new area.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He turned to his pack and nodded, signalling that they were to go forwards. He walked through and felt his body be engulfed by warmth.
After he made it through, he was surprised to see that his entire body was covered by grey cloth. Even his face was covered by a hood and a plain white mask. The only thing that was visible was his mouth and chin. Even his eyes were covered by the mask, though he could somehow see through them.
He looked at what he wore.
Opaque White Mask
Durability:20/20
Defense:1
A featureless mask that covers the face but allows for eating while equipped.
Cannot be removed while in dungeon. Will remain equipped even at zero durability.
Basic Grey Gloves
Durability:20/20
Defense:3
Plain cotton gloves with some protection.
Cannot be removed while in dungeon. Will remain equipped even at zero durability.
Basic Hooded Grey Shirt
Durability:20/20
Defense:5
Plain cotton shirt with some protection.
Cannot be removed while in dungeon. Will remain equipped even at zero durability.
Basic Grey Pants
Durability:20/20
Defense:5
Plain cotton pants with some protection.
Cannot be removed while in dungeon. Will remain equipped even at zero durability.
Basic Grey Boots
Durability:20/20
Defense:5
Plain leather boots made from thin leather.
Cannot be removed while in dungeon. Will remain equipped even at zero durability.
It seemed that he would be in these clothes for the duration of the test, probably to provide some anonymity.
The clothes seemed to be standard issue for all of the candidates, so he wasn't too shocked. What did stun him was the system message he received.
Debuff: Seal of the Destitute has been applied. Will remain in effect while in the dungeon.
Effects:
* All stats will be reduced to ten
* If a stat is already below ten, it will not be affected.
* Life capped at 250 Hp
* Mana capped at 150 Mp
* Combat-related skills will be unavailable. Exceptions made for mages and priests. AOE skills disabled, only beginner spells can be used.
* All attacks, both magical and physical, do the same amount of damage.
* For melee classes, only the basic weapon can be used. Found inside your inventory.
After looking around, he saw that a few people had already arrived. They seemed just as shocked as he did. Every single applicant was only as strong as a level one newbie.
Wraith was among the first people to arrive, so he drew back into the shadows to observe his surroundings and avoid having Sarin and Vangar noticed by other players.
He saw that he was underground. The ceiling was high in the air, about one or two kilometres up. It wasn't just a cavern, or even a city. The area stretched out as far as the eye could see. He couldn't even tell where the other side of the wall was.
At the moment he was just outside a city. It wasn't huge, but it was fairly big. Houses were built from clay and stone. Through the open stone gate, he could make out a figure or two. The inhabitants seemed to originally be rats or moles that grew humanoid shapes. After seeing the strangers come to their land, they became quiet and wary.
The other players didn't pay much attention to the city or the houses, instead choosing to look at and talk to the other players. Wraith heard snippets of conversations, such as, “...I can't use the axe I just bought for ten gold. All I can use is the steel axe I got in my inventory.” “...only this crappy steel sword...” “...can only cast a fireball and a magic missile...”
It seemed that people were about to go exploring the city when a man popped out of nowhere and hovered in the air. Unlike the other players, he had on an expensive set of armor and a sword. The man's face was that of Jacob, the person that gave everyone this opportunity. Soon other people started to recognize him as well.
“Everyone that has gathered so far, I ask that you stay where you are until the last of the candidates have arrived. When they do, I will provide further instructions.” His voice boomed through the cavern, as he used some sort of skill to make his voice carry over.
After about an hour of waiting around, during which time Wraith worked on his tailoring skill, the last of the candidates had shown up. The atmosphere had grown quite tense while waiting, as more and more people showed up. Wraith and the others soon realized that there were more than the three hundred players in their dorm vying for the job.
It seemed that their questions were about to be answered as Jacob cleared his throat to speak. “I know that most of you are surprised at the number of candidates that are present. Yes it will be more difficult, but that just means that you need to work a little harder. Now about your stats, skills and weapons. You're all probably wondering why we restricted everything. The reason we did so is to put everyone on the same level to see your true abilities. You'll soon get used to it since there's plenty of time before any real combat occurs. By the way, you are not allowed to kill other players. Anyone that does so will automatically be dismissed from testing. Over the following eight weeks, we will host a number of different mini-trials to determine your qualifications.”
He paused after the long speech, and then moved his hands in the air as if he was pressing buttons in the air. He had apparently done something, as the rat and mole people came out of their homes and went about their daily lives without being afraid of the players.
“Alright, the inhabitants of the city now have an ambivalent relationship with you. The first test will be in seven days. While you wait your job will be to finish this quest.” He pressed another button in the air.
Treasure-Hunter
You have been tasked to find things from anywhere inside the dungeon. There is no singular item you are tasked to find. You can collect as many items as necessary and they will be judged on their rarity and their total value. They do not have to be material objects.
Difficulty level: Variable
Quest requirements
Enter the Underground Hideout
Quest rewards
???
Quest automatically accepted.
“Now this quest does not give much information, and that's by design. It's up to you to find what's out there. You may have noticed that you are all in a party with a few other players. This won't affect the mini-trials at all. What it's for is the quest you just received. What you find will be pooled together. Remember that we'll be watching, so we can tell if someone is just riding the coattails of the other players.”
With that he seemed to be finished. Then, “ah, one last thing. If you die here, then you automatically fail the test. You'll immediately be teleported away from here to where you came from. The only exception is if you're killed by a player. So be extra careful if you leave the city.”
At this, the crowd started grumbling and shouting. Their stats were reduced, their skills were sealed off, and even their weapons were restricted. Now they found out that they only had one chance to pass the trial.
“Now simmer down, it wouldn't be a test if there weren't some challenges. The test at the end of the week is independent of location, so it doesn't matter where you take it. Good luck to you all.” He disappeared after giving his last comments, having logged off from Royal Road.
At his disappearance, the crowd headed straight into the city. Wraith saw that almost all of them would remain inside the city, afraid to lose their chance by dying. There were however a few that caught his eye. About twenty people paused and looked outside the city before following the crowd.
They were the ones that would venture outside the safety of the city. He would have to be wary of them, since they were likely his biggest competition. There would be a few from the crowd that left as well, but that would likely be because they were reckless fools. The players he marked were calm and composed.
The first thing Wraith did was wait until all the players had gone into the city. He let them go around looking for valuable items. What he did was go to the stores and stalls. Merchants and traders were always a safe bet to get information from.
The city was fairly big, so all the players were scattered about. From hunting with Sarin and Vangar, Wraith learned to sneak around and avoid being noticed by prey. He walked through back alleys and hid in the shadows on his way to a shop. Since the city was fairly dark, it was easy to move around. The only sources of illumination were glowing stones embedded all over the walls. It only gave off a faint light, but Wraith's night vision was several times better than other races or classes.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The owner was rodent-like in appearance, with a head of a mouse. It had short, stiff grey fur and curled hands. Like other members of its race, it was hunched over. With a large torso and small limbs, it looked weak and frail. From its baggy skin Wraith could tell that it was old, though he couldn't make out its sex.
When it saw Wraith, it squeaked in terror. The two large wolves that followed him didn't help matters either. Wraith put his hands up, palms faced out, to show that he came in peace. “I just want to talk, what can you tell me about this place?”
Though it was still quite nervous, it understood that he wasn't the enemy. “Th-this is the city of Lomundr, home to the Rodeis.” The sound was high-pitched and unable to pronounce the letter s properly.
“It's a comfortable place, filled with the damp smell of turned earth and is not too bright. I'm especially impressed with the architecture. That you could build such a city underground is fascinating.” By showing up with wolves he established that he was a potential threat. By speaking kindly and flattering the rodent, he built up the intimacy between them. Now the rodent knew that even though he was strong and powerful, he was a potential ally.
Pleased at hearing his home being praised, the Rodei lifted its head, momentarily forgetting its fear. Wraith looked around the store, glancing over the tools and items around the store. He dismissed most of them, as they were crafted by unskilled craftsmen by low-quality materials. There was one item that did catch his eye.
Hidden in the clutter lay a dusty old painting. Unlike the items, the painting was created by someone with a decent level of skill. After hunting and foraging for so long, Wraith learnt to be observant of his surroundings. Where most people would glance over things that were faded and old, Wraith fixated on them.
He knew that compared to the shiny baubles that lay before him, the old and weathered items could lead to a better and bigger reward. “What is this a painting of?”
The old rodent barely looked at it, dismissing it as being unimportant. “That's just an old painting my grandfather made. He wasn't exactly right in the head.”
Wraith picked it up and dusted it off. The picture showed the edge of the city. It was a scene that looked out past the rough stone wall in some area of the city. Beyond the walls, the artist drew great rivers of lava and giant menacing figures blurred by smoke. Bright eyes flashed through the smoke, giving off an ominous and deadly feeling.
“So is this a prophecy of some sort? Since it appears as though he was painting the last days of you city.”
“For some strange reason, my grandfather left the safety of the city when he was young. He came back a year or two later and started raving about monsters that bathed in fire and devoured stones. It was crazy, since we all know that such monsters cannot exist. Eventually he quieted down about the whole affair and got married, but he painted these pictures whenever he had the chance.”
Wraith shivered with excitement. Of course there was the chance that the rodent's grandfather actually was crazy, but there was still a slight possibility that the painting could lead to something incredible. “How much for the painting?”
“You want to buy it?” He seemed baffled that anyone would want to purchase it. “Two chunks of meat and we have a deal.” Although he didn't expect trading for items, he gave over about half a pound of meat and made to leave the store. Before he got out, he stopped and asked another question.
“You said your grandfather painted many paintings like this. How many are there, and where can I find them?”
“He painted twenty-four in total. Twenty-two of them are lying in the attic, but one is with the tribal leader. He seemed to like it, so he bought it a few years ago.”
“I'll buy the paintings you have, and I just need you to point me in the direction of the tribal leader.”
The rodent scampered off happily, eager to be rid of seemingly worthless wares all at once. It only cost a bit of food, surprisingly cheap for the painting. After he heard where the tribal leader was he made his way over, being careful not to be spotted by any other players.
The tribal leader's residence was bigger than the other houses, and more ornate as well. Where the other houses were made from mud bricks, his was made from stone. Wraith stood in the alleyway and watched a few players walk in. After waiting to make sure they had left, he quickly walked through the doors.
“I thought I told you, there is no treasure here!” The brown rodent yelled this at him. Unlike the storekeeper, he looked more like a mole than a rat. He seemed considerably stronger than the other rodents he saw.
“You must be confusing me with the others that came to you.” The rodent looked at him properly and calmed down.
“Sorry, I was just getting fed up with all these newcomers asking me for treasures and clues. I mean does it look like we have treasures? The most valuable things we have here are mushrooms.”
“I apologize on behalf of them. They were quite rude to the ruler of this city. I'm not here to ask for such things, I have come instead to buy a painting from you.” Wraith quickly explained what he was there for.
The mole listened quietly and then beckoned for him to follow. They walked into the inner room. On the wall hung a painting similar to the ones Wraith already possessed.
The mole gazed upon it for a second and then turned to Wraith. “I'll give you the painting, but i want you to get something for me in return. There's a tunnel outside the city that has a rare type of mushroom at the end. If you bring it to me I'll give you the painting. Be sure to watch out for the spider.”
Finding Fungi
The tribal leader will only hand over the painting if you find the Aelder mushroom, located deep in a giant spider's lair. Find it and bring it to him.
Difficulty level: E
Quest requirements
Ask to buy the painting from the tribal leader.
Quest rewards
Old painting
“Don't worry, I'll get it for you.”
You accepted the quest.
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This isn't going to be as easy as I thought, Wraith thought to himself as he stared into the eight hungry eyes of the ten metre long spider. This creature was fast and deadly. It didn't help that it had mandibles nearly a foot-long.
Besides being able to flit around the cave and even walk on the walls, it had the ability to spray a poison mist from its mouth. Even with only six legs left, it was quite formidable. The way they went about defeating it was to have Wraith take it head-on, while Sarin and Vangar attacked its legs.
It was difficult to dodge the fast strikes. He could only dodge about nine out of every ten attacks. In hindsight, the spider was actually a fairly weak opponent. Though it was big, fast and strong, that was only in comparison to Wraith and his pack's reduced stats. At most the spider was only a level five monster.
After a hard fight, they finally killed the spider. It could only be done because they ripped out its legs first, and then mercilessly beat its body until they were covered in dark green ichor.
As expected, he didn't gain much experience from defeating a monster at level five when he himself was at level fifty-two. What he did receive was spider silk. He was able to get twenty pounds of silk in total, from inside the body and in the cave.
It was a high quality item, though not one used by many people. As a tailor, it was indispensable. When he raised his skill into the advanced levels, he could craft some of the best clothing in Versailles. He put it in his pack and went picking mushrooms.
There were five mushrooms in total. Four were large, about the size of a basketball. The out side was red streaked with yellow, while the gills on the underbelly were black as coal. If he had to be honest, it looked poisonous, but he picked it anyway. The last mushroom was only about the size of his palm, and it was completely black. There was a shininess to the skin that he hadn't seen on any other type of mushroom.
“Identify.” He used the skill on the four red mushrooms he found.
Aelder Mushroom
A gourmet ingredient in cooking. Though the appearance is off-putting, it has an indescribable taste.
Tier one cooking material. Warning, if cooking skill is below intermediate level five, there is a 40% chance of turning toxic.
* +20-50 STR for three hours dependent on cooking skill
* +15-30 AGI for three hours dependent on cooking skill
* +150-250 VIT dependent on cooking skill
“Identify.”
Niouwael Mushroom
A mushroom that rarely grows and blooms. Even top herbologists are puzzled as to where the mushroom comes from, or the conditions required to grow it. Cannot be cooked. Gives permanent stat boosts. Effects may be amplified and transformed by creating a potion by boiling in a monster's blood.
Well this is a pleasant surprise. Consumable items that permanently raised stats and affected a character were not unheard of, but they were very rare and expensive. He decided to keep it until he found a worthy source of blood.
After he had scoured the cavern clean, he left the tunnel and went back to the city. He went to the Tribal leader's house and presented one of the mushrooms to him. He would keep the other mushrooms he discovered a secret.
“Here, I got your mushroom.”
Quest Complete!
Finding Fungi
Although it was protected by a spider, you have unearthed the valuable Aelder mushroom for the Tribal leader. As promised he will trade his beloved painting for such an exquisite gourmet item.
Level up!
Reward: Painting of a madman
“Well, a promise is a promise. Though I didn't think that you would survive the battle.” He reached up and took the painting down, trading it for Wraith's mushroom.
When Wraith received the last painting, an odd thing happened.
You have collected the entire set of the Paintings of Lomundr's Doom. From the paintings, the waves of enemies are believed to come from North-Northwest outside of the city.
Now he had proof that there was something to the paintings after all. He took out a compass from his bag and left in that direction, making sure he wasn't followed on his way out of the city. With his pack on his heels he left in the general direction given by the paintings.
He made his way through the rocks and earth, and marched over the uneven ground. Away from the city, the glowing stones became fewer in number, and soon he was plunged into complete darkness. Even with his night vision, all he could see were faint shapes and that was only if it was a couple of metres in front of him. He couldn't use a torch since it would serve to signal everything around him to his presence.
He had no choice but to slowly make his way forward, step by step. After walking for several hours, he had almost given up. He had no idea where he was, and he was almost certain that he would never be able to find his way back to the city.
“Sorry guys, looks like I led us on a wild goose-”
He stopped speaking when he heard footsteps. One, no there's two people out there. “Vangar, where is it coming from?”
He let Vangar take the lead and made their way over to the origin of the sounds. It seemed that the two individuals had stopped running and had now engaged in combat. He didn't know which was the aggressor and which was the victim, nor could he make out their features.
The only thing he and his pack did was growl menacingly. Fortunately the agressor didn't think it could handle four against one and ran away. The one that stayed behind stood up and walked towards him. When it got closer, Wraith could make out a humanoid outline.
He felt his hands being grabbed, not in aggression, but in gratefulness. The hands felt warm, but hard. The rough texture had the feel of stone. He heard sounds come from its throat. It was low and rough, with a rumbling sound of falling rocks. He didn't understand, but when he felt his hands being pulled, he let the strange creature drag him off.
He was wary about it being an ambush, but he followed since it was the only lead he had to the story behind the paintings. After an hour or so of walking, they went into a tunnel. As they reached the bottom of the tunnel, the area brightened with light spilling out from the opening at the end.
When they crossed the threshold of the tunnel, he was stunned by what he saw. It was a city crafted from metal and crystal. Giant blocks of glowing quartz were held and anchored by shining steel and bronze. The city was enormous, perched on top of an enormous stone pillar. Being so high up, the only way to reach the entrance was by a stone bridge leading from the end of the tunnel to the main gates. With only enough space for one person to walk at a time, it was a well-guarded fortress. With such fine craftsmanship, it didn't seem possible that the city could have been created by mortal hands.
Now that there was such bright light he took a good look at his guide. By shape alone it resembled a dwarf. However, instead of flesh it had living stone and instead of hair it had thin roots. Of all the fantastical races in Royal Road, this was one of the strangest. Even the undead were nothing compared to these creatures.
While he was in awe of the city and the inhabitants, he was still on edge. A city full of people was potentially a city filled with enemies. He walked over the bridge, following his guide. Vangar and Sarin gingerly stepped onto the bridge behind him.
He passed through the giant metal gates and took in the grandeur of the city. There were other creatures there, similar to the one that guided him. They had all come out to see the new arrival. Many seemed as wary of him, as he was of them.
They started grumbling at him. The low sounds were incomprehensible to Wraith, but he knew that it was how they communicated. “I'm sorry, but I can't understand you.” The creature he saved already knew about the language barrier, so he went into one of the crystal houses. When he returned, he had with him a piece of headgear. It was made of metal and it covered the ears and mouth of the wearer.
He gestured for Wraith to put it on. Wraith slipped it over his mask and set it in place. Immediately, the grumbling changed in pitch and tone. “So stranger, can you understand us now?”
It was an automatic translator. “Yeah. I've never seen a city like this before, just where am I exactly?”
The stone lips of the dwarf-like creature curved up in a smile. “This is the grand city of Nidavellir. Welcome traveller, to the home of the Dvergar.”
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