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Volume 4
Chapter 38: A Forgotten Name
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"WHO IS COMING?"
Thorn's words were made of anxiety and worry. He felt his own voice shake at the sight of a particular [prompt] in his vision. At this point on, he thought that there was nothing more that could surprise him in this game. But for this game... no, even the mere thought of that [prompt] itself, it was already enough to shatter all his composure. Seeing how frightened a gamer, his friend, in front of him right now is, he just couldn't imagine what kind of trauma this game world could have possibly brought a person.
"It's him! It's him, Thorn!" Henna screamed at him.
Thorn could have thought of more proper words to say but he shook her shoulders to try if she could be reasoned out.
"Who are you talking about?"
His confusion was clearly drawn to his face. He shook her again, made her focus into his yes, and he suddenly felt cold as he saw the pleading expression on Henna's face when the reply he wanted came to surprise him even more.
"The Destroyer is coming!"
With the mention of the name, Thorn felt that the world had suddenly darkened and the next thing he knew, he was looking at a different scene he'd only seen once in his entire Terran career.
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Over half of the territories in the Continent of Espada, expanding through the Eastern Regions where the countries are allied under the flag of [The Union], and almost a quarter of the south eastern region of the Northern Continent, Tiara, where the in-game kingdoms remained at war...
The time zone was between dawn and the early hours of the morning, and as hunters and all of the players of Terroa prepared for their long days of hunting down the monsters that threatens the lands of the Terrans, the Sol that shined that day was extraordinarily warm and peaceful, inviting the sense of adventure and excitement to those wild at heart. It wasn't the kind of warmth that can burn the skin, but it was the warmth that welcomed the coming of the Terran Summer Solstice.
It was a time for fiestas, for parties, and galas. For happenings, events, and the usual trending tournaments ignited by just started Tournament Season.
In all of Terroa, particularly on those morning regions, the start of this season was definitely a day to remember, for it was also the most beautiful morning setting the Weather AI of the [Janus System] had made for the past year.
One city in particular over the continent of Espada, is the city of Dakar. It was situated near the central-eastern border; between the southern territories of the Country of Isley, and the Imperium of Zansamar that dominated half the central and top-southern regions of the continent. Kissing the tip of the eastern side of the Samarian Dessert, Dakar, despite the humid and stroking temperature, had always been flourishing as the trading capital of the two warring regions.
It is the 4th biggest player city in Terroa.
Unlike other cities in the game where a concentration of a particular race of the players are gathered, in here was the city where all the races of the game are gathered together. The most famous race of them all, the [APOLLO] race, can be immediately identified with their familiars and pets. Either tagging the cutest pet or the scariest familiar, gathered in one or four more corners, they are a sight of this city for this city, being the nearest city just before the desert, is also the capital of poacher players. And for these [Hunters], the biggest eye-catching spectacle for them is the so called [Barn].
Of all the seven race, the Apollo is the ones gifted not with physical might or battle prowess, but of the charm that is the envy of all the race.
To the point that it's almost a cheat when meeting a female Apollo player, with their [Charm] stats having an additional percentage upon creation of their avatars, they are gifted with the ability to charm certain animals or monsters, depending on the condition, [Hunter Rank], [Luck], and circumstances of the catch.
Under these conditions, the Apollo race are given the unspoken spot on the ranks of the guilds as the tankers and cavaliers, or even quartermasters during wars. And so Dakar, as the center of commerce between the central and east regions of Espada, had its streets decorated with "pets" that high ranking Apollo players displayed.
That morning, just after the famous [Lantern Festival] season, as the players were just on their way back to their own bases or operations, the increased volume of people in Dakar was not much of a surprise. This happens every year on the three years that the game existed virtually and today was not a new day for the regular merchants and operators of the city. Still, this lively day was disrupted by a single howl of the biggest monster that entered the city's Sector-G Barn.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
Technically, when monsters are inside the Barns, they practically just become stuffed toys, they were there to sleep, to be taken cared of by the NPCs, and become sights for the visitors and tourists.
And yet, when a B-Rank Elphan, a monster with six legs and long tusks curved in a way that it will skewer enemies both horizontally and vertically from its front, and with a massive body measuring almost 15m in length, began howling horrifically like a dog on the moon, the players around that Barn who had heard it, all turned their eyes on its direction.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"That monster's howling."
"It's roaring!"
"Is this even possible?"
"It's like it..."
Just then, as if prompted by the current highest ranking "familiar" in the city, one Barn cubicle after another, and even the forests from the other side of the dessert beyond the city's gates, the closest mountains, the long forgotten tombs and cemeteries, on deep rivers, the closest sinkhole dungeons, the large caves of both discovered, undiscovered, and still being discovered ones, and on the dessert side-beyond the sight of its scorching hot sands, on every large areas possible, from every monster race of all classified sizes and ranks, came howls of unimaginable terror.
Like a symphony of monsters with different styles and pitch who only sang that single howling tone, the sound vibrated the wind, shaking the space between one's ears. The sound was coming on every angle possible, on every place thinkable, on every corner of the land unimaginably far apart.
It was the sound of shaking, of a laughing wind that seem to mock one's very existence.
The laughing sound lasted for a few seconds, then died out as if it was never there. Silence engulfed the terrified players as others, in their fright, immediately decided to log out of the game and never finish that phenomenon. It was so real to them that they momentarily forgot that it was a game. Their eyes were stricken by fear, their hearts pounding out of their chests when they woke up and removed their [consoles] form their heads. There are even many who developed a kind of VRMMORPG trauma and came swearing on their houses, offices, and/or cars to whoever came to calm them down.
But to those who stayed or was unable to log out from shock and surprise, their horror-stricken reflexes made them pull down their player windows as exhales of fear came out of their mouths like some reaction to those who had screamed from terror at first.
"This can't be..." said one of the first to pull their wits. "Where is the log out button?"
Panic rose, chaos began to scuffle in the square near the central plaza.
And yet, as graving as a news this was, it's still not the surprising part. Because as every player in Terroa, in battle or not, in the middle of dying, being eaten in some random forest or a cave by a monster, or being taken down, defeated, kidnapped, or hauled by other players; every single soul currently logged to the countries within the time zone at the time that the howling finished, saw a single scene.
To where they stood or sat or laid, their eyes' colors vanished into grey nothingness, and their soul was carried to another place...
It was a scene of utter destruction, of a city familiar to others, but of a time no one is yet to recall. A war is taking place. With blood and gore not filtered by the [pixel] graphical mode, of a world filled with wails of crying men and women, of warriors who had lost their will to fight, of the [Demons] of the outer space that was in the middle of retreat on the smoke-laden sky, and of nine shadows watching a scene in the distance...
...watching the back of a man who held a lifeless neck of the darkest [monster] the spectators of another time currently knew.
The dead man was [Priority One: Mefisto]. Wanted for staging the War of Two Powers.
Holding his neck was an unfamiliar man--or demon at that.
And then, centering that scene, was a woman of profound beauty, laying in the ground holding the cheeks of an unconscious wounded guy on her lap. She raised her head, eyes bearing tears, she cried the name that everyone only heard for the first time.
"Please stop this already... [ ]!"
And the man he called holding the neck of that familiar villain, the perpetrator of simultaneous destruction of the neutral cities of the Xargoal Free Cities... that man branded as a criminal inside the game, Mefisto-dead in the hands of the man, turned his head slowly. And they all saw the blood lusting look in his face when he slowly turned around.
No one's body were visible in what seemed to be a cinematic movie of the game. But they all felt a strange feeling of awareness when they saw the demonic smile on that man's face. No. His face couldn't even be called a man's for it was a dark version of an angel, both cunningly attractive and also terrifying at the same time. But upon completely facing the woman, they all, slowly, like an approaching plane, heard the coming of that wind. That wind that felt familiar to them just a few moments ago, all the more strangely-and-terrifyingly familiar to those who had heard it before... or saw his video at some point in time.
It was that wind, that sound, that dreaded laugh, digging its way into their consciousness, slowly bellowing, howling, never letting them forget its effect and tone.
"Siva..." The woman cried again. "Please stop already!"
The man smiled but this time, it was arousing love to everyone who witnessed it. To what level of mastery it had to offer for one to copy that sort of smile, everyone, men and women, old and young players hidden in their unique avatars, all felt the arousing emotion seeing that grin.
But the illusion they felt in their chests, painted by warmth and arousal, was also layered by an ever growing fear when the loveable smile extended into a heinous grin.
It wouldn't take a martial artist to know that that smile is layered with intent to murder.
His smile vanished and his seriousness grimmed. "I will stop only when everything is destroyed."
Siva threw Mefisto away on a random direction. And like a ragged, useless doll his body rolled as he faced the woman on the ground with bloodshot eyes and movements aiming to hurt her. As he lowered his body, the body-less players watching the scene was so caught in the moment they all felt like running away from him due to fear. But their initial reflexes was halted as they all felt rustlings of sand and the sound of foot stomps coming from behind her.
Then there came the eight shadows. One by one they jumped into the scene, ready to defend her, shadows and silhouettes whose been seen by others that managed to access their individual quests.
It all felt slow as the audience was dragged into the impending happening. Arms raised against the man named Siva, the feeling of intense expectations and aroused excitement made them forget that they were just watching that scene. And as it seemed that a clash was about to happen, the movie clip slowly faded away with the slow-motioned after images drilling a picture to everyone's eyes.
Breathing came back that which felt they held for a very long time, as they all remembered the fact that they were all just audiences. When the players came to their senses, the sky was dark like that of sunset. They were back to where they were before but everything around them was moving very slow.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Their memories kicked in and their immediate reaction was were different. To those whose in the middle of defeat when the memory came in, used this slow-motion opportunity to escape. To those whose been dying, used that time to drink a red potion. To those inside the city, they wondered how it was all possible since they saw each other and the slow-motioned scene. As their surroundings slowly became faster, the normal speed of the virtual world came back with the booming sound they last remember they heard.
Moments later, these players looked at one another. They all had a unified thought as they looked at each other's eyes.
What was happening?
Looking up, into the darkened sky, another sudden event was just starting.
Those who were about to log out, clicked the button before it vanished again. To those who remained looked above and saw the darkened sky. The darkness covered only a portion of some select regions, but to an angle of those whose being shed the light of Sol of that time zone, they could see an image taking shape in the sublime light in the sky.
With what looked like a creature that came from nowhere, it was flying, flapping its wings as it began to hover and flew above the clouds. Its size alone measured that of a hill or even bigger, hundreds of meters in length with a physic of unimaginable size and proportions indicating its profound strength.
But still it wasn't a full form and was only a shadow. And yet it was there like a mirage of its fullness, a dragon of forgotten unsaid legends and unsung songs.
It vanished as quickly as it appeared, lasting only a mere few seconds, before it disappeared like a gas in the clear blue sky. It opened its wings like greeting its prey and vanished, pointing its head as if looking at a single direction. North.
There are some who looked up the northern horizon. They knew, like a feeling of strong emotional connection, that something morbidly fascinating is waiting on that direction.
They knew, they felt it...
Something had happened there that shouldn't be ignored.
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Forums went wild as soon as the players who saw the hidden cinematics logged out of Terroa.
Their titles mostly consisted of the [name] spoken in that video. While there are some who claimed that they knew the shadows that represented the protector of that mysterious beautiful girl.
[Title: Mysteries of Terroa. Not everyone who play RPG: Terroa knew that there was something this epic would have actually happened. It was the first time that players are terrified of the game but at the same time, they were profoundly intrigued by the sudden appearances of the characters in that movie...]
[Title: The MISSING BUTTON. It was terrifying! For a moment, when the player panel displayed the greyed-out LOG OUT button, I thought I was going to be trapped in that world forever. I'm never gonna play that game again...]
[Title: Eight Shadows. Frankly speaking, even though I was shocked at first to see it, it was still one heck of an experience to see the younger version of one of the heroes of the Great War...]
[Title: Rumors. Right after the cinematics, NPCs all talked about the earthquake but none of them saw the cinematic movie...]
[Title: NEW!! Quests and Missions. Just as we went back into reality, I received an email from my cousin whose still online in Tiara that there were a few changes that happened there...]
[Title: Lonely Mountain Tower!!! I am a traveling painter and was in Alexandria, watching the white peaks of the mountain when it all happened. I left my cam-bot on site and even though there was the recorded images of the mountain, the real shocking part happened when I came back. In just one second, the peak was normal and white with the changing colors of sunrise. Then after a shadow of what seemed to be a dragon covered the lands, something suddenly popped up in the peak side...]
[Title: A New Start. I haven't played RPG: Terroa for a while now but after reading all these stories about this event, I can't see no reasons why I shouldn't go back. Now I miss being in the front lines of battle as a Rogue Assassin...]
People have their own opinions, adds, and minuses about the sudden event in Terroa. No one is able to explain how and why they were momentarily forced to see what they saw.
The [event] they said was another one of the unannounced ones that had been happening lately.
Although not everyone was able to see that movie and only those who had watched it are the ones whose making a scene, the others in some parts of Terroa also proclaimed they once experienced having a quest or a mission that came out of nowhere.
The forums exploded of wild, connected/not-connected stories but there were those who did posted about a quest for an assassination mission that came as you opened a particular glass bottle in a random street shop or was just laying in the streets. The reward was enormously valuable but the difficulty was also as high as it was ranked. These forum topics eventually attracted the attention of some big shot players, and those whose just been reading and watching things unfold in some random Gamer Shop.
Players have began to notice these changes and there are some who had even posted their comments on the game's official page. The Media Relations Department of PANORAMA CORP was as busy as ever, especially now, and [Carl], as the head of that department, was already complaining about his restless schedules.
"Er Pres..."
"If you have something to say, Carl, say it right away."
President Ethan was wearing his usual scowl. The kind that he always wears anywhere he go. He was on his office chair, looking outside his glass wall, arms tucking his head on his seat.
"But President..."
"Carl, just. Say. It."
Carl swallowed and planted the papers he's carrying on Ethan's desk. These were printed sheets with labels and information on the papers, indicating that each paper (that numbered around 200) all were items that Ethan immediately recognized as not being part of the original game items he had approved and designed.
On the binder, the words [X-Class Items] were written in deep red color, bold and clear, explaining the severity of the problems he's been facing so far. Ethan frowned even more, making Carl take a step back. Seeing him in this form, Carl thought, was another record. He knew he'd seen his 50 shades of frowns but this one right here is another record.
"THAT DAMN SON OF A BITCH!!!"
The sound of shattered ivory echoes after a hard hit on the wall and a piece of the poor figurine even hit Carl's right shoe. Carl did not even dare to brush it off as he was afraid that the next figurine would fly straight to him so he focused his attention to Ethan, not even daring to blink an eye.
"I've already had enough of the BODs' boots on my ass with Janus and now this! Hell! I don't know what's happening to my god damn game anymore! Carl, you better do something about this or I swear I'm gonna strangle you with those papers in your hands!"
"(--how is that even possi...) President Ethan, Janus's crash is not my fault!"
"It is your fault! I am making it your fault! You're supposed to get me a program that could get all these back the way it was supposed to work before! Where is that damn virus!"
Ethan's loud yelling was heard even from outside the office. It was even enough for the sexy secretary to actually leave her desk and take her early lunch.
But to this exchange, Carl's composure went a little stiff. He firmed his eyes and looked straight at the President, firm of the words he was about to say.
"President, with all due respect. The program is already completed for some time now. The problem is that we cannot use it unless we know where to point it. Janus' external prompts are not working and he even managed to disable the cable and HD drives! I was left with no choice but convert the virus into an in-game item. Category: WEAPON. Class: SWORD."
"..."
When Ethan didn't reply, Carl picked up his pace, and pleaded.
"...but please understand, doing so, the category of the item was reverted to a special one-time use only. We can't use it unless we know that the [individual] we are going to use it for is not a player but actually the NPC form of Janus."
Ethan's face was stolid. His brows met dead at the center as he prompted, "In short?"
"In short, sir, the item is just a dull sword against everyone and everything else."
"Including monsters?"
"The same sir. The program is made only to affect Janus."
Ethan's face grew serious and the rage he had disappeared with a calm breathing and fixing of his tie.
"E-Ehem. Very well." Ethan turned to the large glass window, looking down at the city tens of stories below. He put his hands behind him and exhaled loudly that made Carl release the tension he held in on his chest. "And what about the squad you are managing? Can they track down Janus?"
"That... er..."
Carl summoned a panel on his right side and checked the contents of the window. After a while, he saw a series of texts there and gave out a smile that made the president look back in curiosity.
"So?"
"Well, they might actually find him earlier than expected."
"What do you mean, hm?" On Ethan's prompt, he stood up and Carl flicked a panel towards him. He checked the contents and closed his eyes to ponder. He inhaled deep and then gave out a warm smile. "Ah, at last..."
"The picture was taken in Loire by a member of an elitist group called Illuminati. I've ran a search using Giggle's Face Search and found this picture on the net."
"Hmmm..."
As Ethan was studying the picture, the prompts of the [face search] program scanned the picture and on a corner of the picture, behind the group of the players who posted for a groupie, was a smiling face of an old man talking to a man.
The scanning prompt scanned him and a [match] label appeared, summoning the picture into a separate window alongside a picture from their own database. It showed the name [Pegasus] in white label and Ethan's smile grew into a sinister grin.
"We found you." He said and looked to Carl. "Okay. Now that we know where he is, can't we just chase him immediately?"
"To that, sir..." Carl did not finish his words. Instead, he motioned to his own panel again and this time, the scanner pointed into the other side of the picture, into a group of men with a man in white tuxedo pointing a finger into [Pegasus] while talking to a knight. Seeing this, another figurine met its abrupt end in another corner.
"Carl! Why do you keep on skipping on the important parts?! I'm gonna hang you!"
But before Ethan could actually see Carl and strangle him in his mind, Carl was already three steps away from the door to the exit.
"Waaaa... I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Carl lowered his head and exited the room, barely missing a mermaid that went past where his head have been. "I'll get working on it! Sorry!!!"
Carl joyfully celebrated escaping injury in the hallway outside and didn't pay attention to what Ethan was saying because even at the end of the hall as he was walk-running away, he could only hear President Ethan screaming that name in a long tune.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... GGGGGGGGGGGGG......!!!"
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The northern ice caps remained untouched, but for the mountain rangers battling the harsh environment and the monsters of the northern mountains, that peak behind the Walled City of Alexandria that connects--and separates--the Crowned Sea and Crowned Mountain Ranges, was a sight to behold every morning. Recently, Alexandria, despite its famous image as PKers' central gathering city, had became famous because of the posts of some players regarding this beautiful mountain view.
At the peak of it lies the whitest of snow, rumored to have once been home to a capital city when a great empire had ruled the land. The blue-white caps changes color three times a day, with the colors varying depending on the season's times. And, because of some unexplainable reasons as well, there were minimal clouds gathering at the peak of this mountain, unique to it as it seemed that this mountain was erected by some sort of colossal magic--alone in a wide open plain, surrounded by the frozen forests, of cold, bottomless caves, of frozen lakes and rivers, and the closest mountain range, the Crowned Peaks, being two days of flying away--gaining the title as [The Lonely Mountain] of the north.
The North's tourism, though not that wealthy, also has its standards of guests. Tourists from the real world who play this game just to sightsee, spends real-world cash to satisfy their nature eye-needs. That said, some of them were in the middle of taking pictures, videos, and with a few artists even painting the scene with the mountain as the backdrop, when the incident happened.
After the cinematics that almost terrified every player of Terroa, what they saw next almost changed their impression of the mountain.
At the top now lay a shining object, like a star, it shined and reflected the light of Sol.
Something that only the best and trained eyes could see, a tower had suddenly appeared. A spectacle so pure in its grandeur yet so also alarming, the reflection of light from the gem at its peak ignited interests on the most adventurous of minds.
Just a few hours after the hidden event, PKers had already began to flock in Alexandria. Teleport Lights sparkled in the plaza, players were gathering from all over the place. Shops were built around the area, and some even displayed their slave-trades.
As branded children, men and women, of all races and clans, with their own unique charms, were all lined up for buyers to choose from, the slavers' trades and items flourished with interests from players who had curiosities up their sleeves.
Of course, as Alexandria was the capital city of crimes in the game, there are not only one group of sellers but actually a lot of them. And with interested buyers not thinking twice on spending cash for quality goods, there are also those small-time traders desperate to take a slice of the market and make a name on the said business course. They were everywhere, not ashamed of doing even the smallest of the most shameful of ways just to get their hands on something to trade. They would not only rob, they would also murder. As they all think of this world as just a mere game, they have nothing to pull back just to satisfy their greed for cash.
Morality has no place in here. The sudden event seemed so little in the traders and buyers in Alexandria as they all think that money is everything, and second only is this game's game.
In a corner street, in one of the deserted alleyways that went straight towards the Northern Gate, overseeing the Lonely Mountain's top on its welcome arc, a young boy not more than 4 years of age in his physic could be seen standing.
Not moving even just a single muscle, the little guy remained looking up, staring on a sight from afar. The boy's eyes were soulless. His forelocks were screaming of a kid from the human race, and his skin was pale from malnutrition, wearing nothing but beginner clothes. He just kept on staring at the shining object at the top of the mountain, like a firebug, aimlessly and unreasonably attracted to the fire that which sparkled on his sights. The boy took a step to get close to the object he was looking at but as soon as he did, he immediately fell down as a man's armored leg tripped him off.
"Ah, I'm sorry, are you okay?"
The kid did not reply to the man's question and the man himself helped the poor boy up. The man's hands were gentle, betraying the fact that he wore armor with a golden glow.
He checked the kid and frowned behind his helm. His bewilderment was evident with the reaction of the boy; wordlessly expressionless. He helped the boy stand to his feet and asked again, "Are you alright?", scanning the boy for any injuries as if he's in the real world.
"Jack." Called a knight's voice from behind. "We're gonna be late."
"Just wait a moment, Karim." Jack replied, pulling a set of blue and red potions that he made the kid drink. "I'll just be a sec."
When the boy drank the potions, there wasn't much of change. In fact nothing changed. But seeing that he drank it all, Jack's face showed satisfaction.
"Come on." Karim spoke and tapped his shoulder.
Jack checked the kid's body again and stood up when he made sure that he was alright. He left the kid there and gave him a second look back before he went with his group again; a legion of more than a few hundred soldiers in tow.
His left hand rested on a golden scabbard with a sword's golden handle screaming for every eye to see. On his cape was a circular symbol, a dragon chasing its own tail. As if looking at you when seen from afar, an illusion of an eye can be seen expressively staring at you as with the sword in its mouth serving as the eye's core.
With their numbers wearing the same eye-catching emblem, with their armors themed as black, red, and blue, it's like looking at an ocean of black ants wearing large eyes on their back that stared straight at you. The faces of his men were not laden by the cold temperature. In fact, they all looked cooled and warm wearing only the signature attire of a knight.
Ignoring the shivering, glaring sets of eyes from the jacket-layered onlookers on the streets, Jack led his group towards the Eastern Gate of the city. But before he could make it towards the center, he looked back again and saw the boy, who started walking again, for one last time, and spent a moment to look at him.
"What? Something wrong with him?" Karim asked.
Jack looked at him and then to his soldiers, looking at his legions' faces before giving a glance to the kid who only stood up and stared up north as if nothing happened.
"Nah. I thought he resembled him." He replied casually and started walking...
...that made Karim grim his face and the soldiers who heard it frown in consent.