[https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2023/04/25/17/56/warriors-7950699_960_720.jpg]
Two seconds after Stella engaged the first floor's Boss in battle, an email came. She dismissed the notification for the time being. The tiger had grown to maximum size, big as an elephant, demanding undivided attention.
Yet, even that small gesture interfered enough. In a blink of an eye, a giant paw threw her against a tree like a rag doll. She forgot to activate the proper perk, felt her ribs break, and fell breathless on all four. The animal arrived a moment later, snapping his teeth an inch away from Stella's neck.
"Your win, Cato."
Patting the tiger's head, she cast a Combat Heal and struggled to rise to her feet, the pain still present. The beast ran away, only to return after ten seconds, normal-sized, a tennis ball in his mouth, drooling all over it.
"Thanks, buddy, but we played enough for today."
After massaging the animal's withers, she left the lair and entered the Dungeon's rainforest, reading the email on the way.
<[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
Howdy
I need your help with a quest. Reward: untold riches and a favor from me at your chosen time. If you are not sure about accepting, imagine me making puppy eyes. Ambre's in too. Reply yes, and a portal will open for you.
Juniper Narang Masterson, war name: Wicaksana, Consort Prince of the High-Elven House of ath Ndersel.
The signature, an automated one, displayed many flourishes. Stella giggled, imagining her friend–a jungle and beach guy, always in shorts and barefoot–with a crown, then her giggles left the place to hesitation. A quest meant the first occasion to prove herself outside the Dungeon, but it carried risks. Nevertheless, Juniper, she trusted; he was a safe choice over some unknown adventurers later.
As soon as she replied, the promised portal opened. Two steps and she arrived in a beautiful park with impressive oak trees, rose bushes of varied colors, lawns and alleys, and a romantic castle in the background.
"Welcome to Mars." Juniper hugged her while Ambre, their common friend, saluted with a nod and a smile. More people were present, some she knew and some she didn't. "OK, folks, our party is full. I'll leave the explaining to Luna."
The young man stepped back, letting a tall, classy blonde woman move forward. Breathtaking was the word she inspired in every aspect. Or superlatives: infinite-length legs, vertigo-inducing as dark as deep-space eyes, and many other details that Stella renounced thinking about as she concentrated on the sounds worded by the sensuous lips.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, adventurers. I'm Luna, Queen of ath Ndersel. Yesterday evening, a quest was delivered to us. The task is to find the hidden city of El Dorado by using a magical compass."
"But that's in the Amazon or something," a burly man interjected.
"It could have been transported to Mars during the Change," Juniper said.
"Or it can be a whole new town created through magic," the Queen said. "We don't know. Nevertheless, this is worth exploring, even if only a hundredth of what the legends recount proves true. To make your time worthwhile, I'll reward you fifty ounces of gold if you find it or twenty just for trying."
"Sounds good to me," Stella blurted, dazed by the amount of money elven nobility threw around. Luna couldn't repress a smile.
"I'll let you decide how to proceed. Don't forget the time limit, sixteen hours from now." The woman saluted with a slight nod and retreated toward the castle. Watching her amble away with an inhuman natural elegance, putting to shame every model that ever walked a catwalk, Stella couldn't help to use one of her most potent abilities, an Inspect. The outcome sent a shiver down her spine.
Class: Noble, Queen rank. Tier: Elder. Species: High-Elf
Strongest perk: Words of Power. Do you want to become a frog? Step on Luna's toes and your wish will be granted. With a simple whisper, Luna ath Ndersel can strip away perks, classes, levels, or skills.
"Now, the roles," Juniper interrupted her thoughts, pointing at people. "Erna's the only one able to read the compass. Brutus, Ambre, and I are damage dealers, but I'll tank if needed. Serpentine is Support, and Stella our Healer and Leader."
"Why not Ambre?" Brutus, a burly man, said. "She has military experience."
"Stella's more than qualified for the job," Ambre said. "We trained together; she has tons of spells and unparalleled knowledge of builds."
"A nerd? Have you seen any combat, miss?"
"I soloed the Dungeon. It's a five-people party task." The man annoyed her, and she gave him a check.
Class: Palaboom, evolved from Paladin. Tier: Mythical. Species: Human.
Assessing background: hit-man, Mafia, probability 86%
The reading baffled her. Brutus behaved like a Rogue and even had a dagger tucked in his belt. A bad sign, if one. When Rogues went with daggers against bows, spears, or greatswords, there was only one thing left to say: Rest in peace!
Juniper led the way out of the garden, and the group took a hovercraft, with Ambre driving. The road waved down a mountain slope, turned around a small city, continuing straight through forests, meadows, or Martian sands. The quiet trip provided Stella the occasion for a private conversation.
"Congratulations. She's gorgeous."
"Goodness, no! Luna's my mother-in-law."
"Sorry. She looks like max twenty-five. Guess it's hard to tell with Elves."
"I didn't ask; it's not polite. But Albera, my wife, is about our age. She's on Earth for an exam at her college."
Stella let the talk dwindle and Inspected the others. Erna was a human and an Artifact Hunter, no surprise. The Support–a slim brunette girl–an Eldritch species and Tarot Witch as trade. Ambre and Juniper had both gone through a class and species evolution. The French, Ambre, was a Valkyrie no more but an Elfury and High-Elf, while Juniper an Archetype and Primeval.
"Err... Jun? Forward me your new specifics; I'll mull over some builds. What are Primevals, by the way?"
"The Elders' ancestors. I can do a bit of everything they do."
"I hate you."
After reading the descriptions, she dozed off, waking up an hour later with the hovercraft parked on a meadow near a grove and Erna complaining about the compass losing its signal.
"Let's split and search around for hints. Juniper and Ambre on their own and Serpentine with Brutus."
Her suggestion was obeyed without questions. After the scouting parties left, she leaned back, admiring the landscape. The copse was full of birches, with the occasional brier here and there. Behind it, she could see the strange patchwork the Change brought together: strips of Martian desert, forests, wheat fields, villages, and mountains in the distance.
Stella's daydreams were interrupted by the bluish hues of portals opening everywhere. Over a hundred people passed through, armed with guns, pikes, or axes. Uniforms shouted loud their allegiance: Anarchists and Regretters. People who once ruled but were no longer important, from politicians to TV presenters or copywriters, preaching revolution to regain their influence. She grabbed Erna by the arm and teleported away, activating the team's chat.
[Stella]: Help! A group of hostiles is attacking us. We're hiding in the forest.
[Ambre]: Coming.
[Brutus]: On my way.
Neither Juniper nor Serpentine answered, but a notification announced:
A Tarot Card is drawn.
The all-rounder
All stats of the party are raised by +10%.
Neat! Stella thought.
I can't breathe! Erna screamed in her head.
Relax. We're safe.
I can't bre–
We're in a tree; it helps us breathe and communicate in thought.
What the hell?
Yeah, I know. I evolved into a dryad. I can enter trees and bring someone with me.
Erna pestered her with questions, which Stella ignored, concentrating on what happened outside. Arranged in a broad formation, the Regretters poked the bushes with their weapons. There was no doubt about their intentions: flushing them out. This meant they knew about the quest and wanted the compass.
Then Ambre landed with a Supersonic Charge, followed by a cone of Dragon Breath and another AOE of icy wind to quench the fires. The attacks killed a good chunk of the group but also knocked down their tree, obliging Stella to teleport into a sturdier one.
I'm sick, Erna complained.
"Ultimate," a loud shout resounded; Juniper was back.
Stella had seen the karmic attack once before, but it had been a lesser version. Now... Light beams arched up and down. At their point of arrival, giant energy fists slammed into the attackers, killing or even disintegrating them outright. A handful of people survived and fled.
"They're normals," Ambre inspected a corpse. "What the fuck are they doing?"
Brutus arrived last, carrying Serpentine in his arms.
"Sorry for the delay. I had to take her on; she couldn't run ten meters without a break. Her muscles are like boiled noodles."
"Hey, that's bullying," the girl protested.
"No, it's reality."
A second notification showed up:
The Tarot Witch won the game. The deck is on cooldown until midnight.
"You can come out," Juniper shouted.
Before Stella had the time to exit her haven, another series of portals appeared, as many, if not more, as in the first wave.
"More incoming," Ambre said.
[Juniper]: Stella, Erna, stay hidden.
The ones arriving now were all Gifted, including tech mages and engineers wearing exoskeletons and carrying heavy machine guns. A translucent dome enveloped the area, and an energy wall arose between their team and the other group. At that moment, a voice spoke in their head.
This is the Referee assigned to the Solar System. Today, at midnight, it will be a year since a Quantum experiment gone wrong brought the Mana into your world. At the event's point zero, a city was born out of magic and legends: El Dorado. We cloaked it until now, but it's time to decide its fate. Two camps are competing in this quest; whoever reaches the town will use its power at will. Before we proceed, your challenger asked to speak to you.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Another portal opened, and three men came into view. The first wore an exoskeleton with a strange cannon attached to it; the second–an unshaven young man–carried a greatsword. The third was a tall, thin, dark-haired adolescent, looking fifteen years old, armed with a naginata. Stella didn't know the latter, nor did the Inspect give any result, but seeing the first two made her tremble with rage.
[Stella]: Magnus and Jack are here.
[Erna]: Meaning?
[Stella]: My ex and my former best friend. They ambushed and left me for dead on the Dungeon's top floor just after I cleared it. They stole something, but I don't know what. I was unconscious.
[Juniper]: This can't be a coincidence. Stay hidden for now, OK?
[Erna]: NOT OK! We're inside a tree.
The adolescent stepped forward while the rest of his group dispersed around.
"I salute you, worthy opponents," the youngster bowed. "My name is Horizon, and my quest for ascension is to help your planet. I'm asking you to surrender the compass."
"Yeah, sure," Ambre sneered.
"I'll use El Dorado's latent power to return one year in time and stop the experiment that unleashed the System Apocalypse upon you. More than one billion lives will be saved. No more Mana flood or integration. Earth and Mars will remain unchanged, and a barrier will isolate your world from the Multiverse."
Shit, Stella thought.
The adolescent retreated, and the voice spoke anew.
First, vote if to fight or not. If you choose the second option, the compass will be removed from your possession and given to Horizon.
"He cheated," Serpentine yelled. "His fake attack put my game on cooldown."
"And my Dragon Breath," Ambre seconded.
We're aware. However, the stakes are high, and we'll allow the match if you decide so.
[Stella]: Can someone explain all this madness?
[Juniper]: A group of superior beings and Systems, the Referees, maintain a code of rules around the Multiverse. Champions often compete in trials or arenas. Last year when–
[Brutus]: Kid, it's enough. Let's not go there.
[Serpentine]: It's OK. I'm at peace with it.
What are they talking about? Stella asked Erna.
Do you like soap operas?
Err... no?
This is very similar. Remember the headlines about a Witch trying to conquer Earth through a duel to the death against a random champion?
I don't follow the news. I lived only in the Dungeon since the Change.
That was Serpentine's mother, and Brutus killed her.
Blimey! Really?
There's more. Horizon is her father. He abandoned his family when she was little, obsessing about becoming immortal. She blames him more than Brutus, now a father figure to her. Told you: soap opera.
More reasons to hate them.
During their conversation, the group chat continued in the background.
[Serpentine]: I prefer not to vote. However, don't be fooled by his appearance. He has several hundred years of fighting experience.
[Ambre]: Fuck, an Eldritch Tom Cruise.
[Serpentine]: He's a Divine; that's way worse.
Stella rushed to speak. It was an important moment, and trends must be set early.
[Stella]: I vote to fight. One billion is not a bad number for an Apocalypse. I like this world better.
[Brutus]: What she said.
[Ambre]: I'd rather not. One billion lives, peeps... But if you decide to fight, I'll fight.
[Erna]: Let him have the artifact. I can't take this pressure.
"Well, kiddo, it's up to you," Brutus gazed at Juniper, speaking aloud. The young warrior pointed his staff at Horizon's face, showing no hesitation.
"We fight. I won't give up on Albera."
That's the spirit. Fiat Amore, et Pereat Mundus!
The match will proceed. Condition for winning: Kill every member of the other team.
Three...
Two...
One...
START!
As soon as the path cleared, Ambre Supersonic Charged at Horizon. Somehow, the man avoided her attack, making Ambre crash into the forest, destroying everything in her wake. Before she disentangled from the fallen trees, Magnus shot his weapon, leaving a hole the size of a basketball in her torso.
"Yes! The Antimatter Cannon works."
Magnus's jubilation made Stella mad. Cursing, she struggled to keep her anger under control. A few yards away, Juniper's Ultimate hit Horizon square in the chest. The light gathered inside the false adolescent, then irrupted out in beams of fire, hitting those around. Magnus and his exoskeleton disintegrated, as did many others. Only one person got spared, Jack. He swung his greatsword toward Ambre, who was back to life but still caught in the downed branches.
Ambre deflected the weapon and shoved Jack away. He dashed into the woods, making way for Horizon, whose naginata bit Ambre's shoulder. To buy her time to recover, Juniper teleported and tried to smash the adolescent's head, yet Horizon dodged. With his staff able to shapeshift, Juniper produced a blade from the bottom, impaling his adversary. Ambre attacked from behind, skivering the enemy in her turn.
"Fuck!" Ambre screamed when another engineer collapsed.
[Stella]: His minions die instead of him.
[Juniper]: I've seen. I'm out of Ultimate charges.
[Stella]: Keep track of your skills and, most of all, your Resurrects.
Horizon was caught in a tug of war with the two warriors, clutching Juniper's staff with one hand and, with the other, Ambre's spear. Yet, despite his perforated condition, he smiled.
"I studied your fights from the Dungeon's logs. Having an opponent's weapon stuck in you disarms them, right? PHOENIX!"
So that's what they stole, Stella told herself.
A ball of fire enveloped Horizon and Ambre, but not Juniper, who had teleported. After a moment, the cloud of ashes began to reform, reconstituting Ambre and her opponent.
[Stella]: Ambre, you're on your last life. Better kill the mobs.
Ambre took flight, waving between the trees. At the same time, Juniper engaged Horizon, shapeshifting into a half-human, half-tiger form. His attacks would have killed anyone else through sheer speed, power, and ferocity, yet Horizon danced around, avoiding them.
[Juniper]: Brutus, I could use a hand.
[Brutus]: Sorry, kid. I'm stuck here.
A raging gunfight was going on near the hovercraft. The tech mages discharged their machine guns at Brutus and Serpentine. The man deflected the bullets with an energy shield, taking out enemies with deadly precision. The Palaboom class now made sense; with every shot he landed, heads exploded in sprays of brains and gore. At the same time, the Tarot Witch haphazardly fired a borrowed gun.
Erna, I need you to be brave, Stella encouraged her teammate. I have to go out and fight.
Don't abandon me here!
I can't leave you alone in a tree; you'll die... Hide under that bush and stay put.
Stella exited the trunk without letting her guest argue, pushing Erna toward the hiding spot. Noticing a pair of Healers preparing to resurrect their fallen comrades, thus offering Horizon a new stack of lives to spend, she teleported near the closest one. She shoved him into a tree, activating her powers while thrusting the bamboo spear into the other foe's chest. The first Healer's head went inside the trunk, but the body did not follow, trashing its legs for long seconds before death's stillness took it.
She followed with a stab into the second Healer's eye to destroy as much cerebral mass as possible. Resurrecting him was now impossible, not at that tier; only Mythical and Elders had a second body structure of Mana that could reconstruct everything. The other bodies lying around suffered a similar fate.
[Stella]: I'm on the mobs too.
[Juniper]: I released some magical crows in the forest. They'll show you the targets.
She heard a caw. The noise led her to a Rogue hiding in a tree's crown. Sneaking was one of the things Stella did best. She entered the tree undetected and pulled the woman's head inside. The Rogue tried to teleport but failed, the only result being that her body detached from the head.
A couple of crows sat on a branch twenty yards further. Underneath, two people, a mage and Jack. She took the first out with the same method, shoving his head into the trunk. Jack didn't either move or try to fight. Instead, he just raised a pair of sad eyes to meet hers. Stella rested her spear on his chest.
"Why?"
"To get you back... I miss–"
She pushed on the sharpened bamboo stick, piercing Jack's heart. He died looking into her eyes. Stella pulled the body farther, hiding it under a pile of leaves. No brain-stomping for him.
To assess the main confrontation, Stella teleported to the tree line. Her party fared badly. Serpentine, Juniper, and Brutus were dead, but the men's bodies shone, Resurrecting by their own daily spell stacks. Ambre dueled Horizon to buy them time. The man anticipated her every movement. Lightning fast, he glided on the soil like on ice, forward, backward, or in any direction necessary. The Elfury tried to take flight as a last resort, but Horizon caught her by an ankle, smashed her on the ground, and pierced her spine. After a short spasm, Ambre's body became limp.
Juniper was now back on his feet, but Brutus was still struggling.
[Stella]: Jun, listen to me. Equip an all-rounder perk and that thing you never use, Balance. The one doubling the weakest attribute–
[Juniper]: But it debuffs my–
[Stella]: DO IT!
Horizon dashed at her friend, spear first. The blade passed less than an inch from Juniper's throat, the tiniest fraction of a second, and a lateral step saved him. The exchange began again, reheated, but the fight looked even.
[Juniper]: You're a genius. My stats are maxed.
[Stella]: Brutus, unleash your Paladin attack on him. Karma strikes decimate the mobs.
[Juniper]: I'll keep him with his back turned at you.
[Brutus]: I hope you know what you're doing. Here I come.
Feinting a flurry of attacks and thrusting, Juniper made Horizon retreat into Brutus's arms.
"Smiting Justice!"
Heavy spasms went through Horizon, and his eyes showed their white. Again, lines of light irrupted from his body and disappeared into the forest. The divine twisted his torso and grabbed Brutus's head, snapping the man's neck. Juniper Dashed backward, dodging a spear thrust.
[Juniper]: The crows say all mobs are dead.
"You're done," Horizon smirked. "You and the Dryad are no match for me."
"Nah, it's you who's done," Juniper said, avoiding a hit. "Your minions are gone."
"I don't need minions to kill you." Horizon attacked, but Juniper held his ground without a fault.
[Juniper]: Here's my take. He can transport himself in time and see the future. Not much, a second or so. It's the only thing that makes sense. Horizon, like–
[Stella]: Temporal Horizon. Should I rezz the others?
[Juniper]: No, he's checking Brutus and Ambre all the time. Try to keep him in place for more than a second. I'll hit him with my newest spell, Darkness. Never used it, but I hope it will disorient him enough for me to land a killing blow.
[Stella]: I'll teleport with him into a tree. He'll get stuck, maybe killed.
[Juniper]: No, I'll do it, just in case he can fight back. Tell me when you're ready to grab him.
[Stella]: Moment... Ready. I'm in the bush to the North.
Attacking in a frenzy, Juniper made Horizon retreat again.
"I'll kill you all," Horizon promised, fury flushing his cheeks. " Just–"
Green-thorned tentacles enveloped him. Stella.
"Attack!"
At Juniper's command, crows dived at the man, taking turns pecking his eyes. Horizon gasped, overwhelmed by too many assaults. Juniper grabbed him, then teleported inside a thick oak, which he exited right away. The enemy was left half-stuck in the trunk, only his upper torso showing, screaming in terror.
Juniper interrupted the screams, plunging his weapon into Horizon's throat, pushing until the tip met the oak's bark. Yet, Horizon was still alive, pumping regeneration in himself like mad. A dark coating spread over Juniper's spear and into the divine's body, and the spell's estimation proved wrong. Stella received a shared notification.
You have learned Consuming Darkness. Cost: 50 Magic Points per heartbeat. Absorb your enemies' Health at a 2HP/1MP ratio, restoring yours. If their Health Pool is depleted, the skill will destroy the target's mana structure and inflict permadeath.
After so much training together, there was no need for words. Stella teleported near Juniper, thrusting her bamboo spear into his thigh to help him feed on Horizon's HP. Soon, Horizon began to rot and fell apart, leaving only the skull and ribcage behind.
"Do you mind taking that thing out of me?"
"Oh!" Stella hurried to extract her weapon from the wound.
This is the Referee. Victory is yours. You killed Horizon beyond the possibility of Resurrection. We'll distribute your rewards in ten minutes.
"I'll be back," Stella blurted, resurrected Brutus–knowing a Paladin had unlimited out-of-combat revivals–and teleported away, hurrying to find Jack's body. Moments later, the young man gasped, returning to life.
"I'm sorry," Jack cried, hugging her.
"It's OK..."
Stella paused and sighed. Their breakup had been bad; she had been cold, insensitive. Borderline autistic Jack had screamed at her, and some part was true. The powers and the classes drunken her, filling her mind and soul and leaving little space for anything else. She thrived since the Change.
"Who would have thought," Jack mirrored her thoughts, looking into nothingness.
Stella ruffled his hair and left. There were no adequate words to say. Hoping to stay friends? Keep in touch? Let's wait a few years and try again? Find a better girl to love? All those were meaningless, at least now.
She rejoined her party. They were alive and kicking, gathered a little farther on the meadow, discussing the fate of a handful of Anarchists survivors, also brought back to life. Most captives were young, in their late teens, like her. In broad light, they appeared frail, malnourished, and defenseless, and there was a pair of girls with flowers in their hair–a pale attempt at coquetry–crying. Stella's heart sank, but her friends were no cold-blooded killers. At least some, Brutus had another vibe.
"I will give you one more chance," Juniper clamored. "Become honest citizens, or I'll hunt you myself. Now get out of my sight."
The hovercraft was destroyed, full of bullets, but the compass worked anew. So, they walked; it was the only thing they could do. Soon, they met the desert and pushed on with Ambre checking for shifting sands. There was a lot of small talk around, which Stella ignored. Her mind ranted about Jack or new builds possibilities.
"What reward did you get?" Stella asked Juniper at some point.
"I got Timeslip, Horizon's ability to see and travel in time for a second. Ouch! Why did you hit me?"
"OP!"
"What did you get?"
"Inescapable Grip. If I catch someone, they can't teleport away."
"And you talk about OP."
Finally, after hours of walking, they reached an unexplored range of low mountains. A road began where the sand ended, losing itself in a valley, meandering through the forested hills.
"The compass shows a word: wait," Erna said.
There was an engine noise in the distance, growing louder. Soon, a Hummer with an armored person at the wheel appeared down the road. When the vehicle stopped nearby and the driver exited, the resemblance to a human disappeared; it was a robot.
"Hi."
"Err... Hello?" Serpentine answered.
"What took you so long? Let's go," the robot gestured toward the car.
They went inside, Serpentine near the driver, because she had motion sickness or pretended so, and the vehicle went on, fast but steady.
"Who are you?" Stella broke the silence.
"El Dorado's Majordomo."
"Is it true it's made of gold?"
"Let's not ruin the surprise. I can tell you one thing: you and your factions' leaders will rule it. One of you six will be the Lord Mayor. Any suggestions?"
"Stella," Juniper irrupted. "She devised the strategy that gave us the win."
"Juniper," Stella put her hand over his. "He brought us together in the first place." The rest nodded, and the matter was settled.
The night approached, and the car fastened the pace. With the sun setting while the stars and the small moon rose, the evening was eerie, and the landscape hypnotizing: rolling hills with groves, ponds, and beautiful meadows. A large river flowed in meanders, and tucked in one of them stood a city.
El Dorado was a sight for any eye, sore or not. It had a star shape but with so many branches that it appeared round. A stone wall fortification followed the contour, with a bridge leading to the portcullis gate. The buildings inside were eclectic, some medieval, some baroque, and a lot in art-nouveau shapes. The Hummer released a short claxon and parked outside the central access. The group proceeded on, entering the town.
Welcome. Quest succeeded. El Dorado is now attuning to you.
"Congratulations," the robot said. "You can choose a house of your liking, it'll become your property, but I'm afraid furnishing will be on you. Now, let me show you la piece de resistance."
The atmosphere was magical, with the city's street lamps turning on and also the stars above. They walked for fifteen minutes, following the Majordomo.
"This is the true reward," the construct voiced pridefully, stepping aside to allow them to admire a circular central plaza with a colonnade encompassing it. The columns were paired, and each pair met in an arch.
"What's this?" Brutus gestured.
"Money and power, dude. Tons of it," Serpentine gasped in awe. "This is an intergalactic transport hub."
The voices around faded, replaced by a joyful heart drumming in her ears because, for Stella, the place meant something different. Portals to forests with trees as tall as skyscrapers and dragons to ride, gates to delves and dungeons with chests filled with gems and wondrous artifacts, doors to gold-sanded beaches with lewd sun-bathing sirens. Breathtaking adventures and treasures to hunt.