Chapter Nineteen: Leaderboard
My entire body ached, and movement was not in the cards for my immediate future. Not without a great deal of effort, and pain. I had fully depleted my stamina during the final battle, making me feel like I had been tied to a Formula 1 race car with weights strapped to my arms and legs and was told to keep up as it drove away.
The overall effect was a weariness so deep it could have been etched onto my soul. It made the decision to lay there and do nothing an easy one. A beastie could have started to nibble on me and it wouldn’t have mattered.
Unwilling to move, I lay on the ground, staring up at the night sky as the sound of flesh ripping and bones snapping echoed around me. The snarls and growls of feasting monsters were a song that punctuated the end of a long battle. Another fight I have survived, and another one that has seen my power grow.
For a brief moment I considered getting up and returning to my party members, but the thought galled me after the way I had left. I had rushed into the night like some sort of sacrificial hero, right after summoning large undead monsters. I have a lot of explaining to do when I return. I acknowledged to myself before turning a critical eye to the heavens. Even through the red haze that blanketed The Wound like an ever-present aurora, the twinkling of the stars above were visible. Winking and dancing tauntingly.
“I am not the only one who has some explaining to do. You really need to make up your mind about what it is you want from me. Why even bother giving me dark powers if you are just going to try and get me killed?”
The only answer I got was with a loud crunching sound as one of the beasts tore through more of the carnage around me. Frowning slightly I took a glance at the monster who was rudely interrupting my one-sided conversation with the system.
Tanaka: Level 37
Type: Kodrilus
Affinity: Friendly (Tamed)
It didn’t even bother looking up at me as it tore through what looked like a giant centipede covered in long fuzzy hair. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow but then once more spoke into the sky.
“Seriously, I know you can hear me. What is it you want from me?” I knew the answer though. Threigar had told me. Chaos. The system hates stagnation. Stupid system.
“You know. If you really wanted an evil dark lord there are plenty of drug dealers and murderers that die every day. You didn’t have to choose me!” I was greeted by more silence. Although the glittering stars made it feel as though I was being laughed at. Especially as I had started to guess as to why the system had chosen me.
Every time I had a flashback from a painful or dark moment of my life it revealed the depths of evil in my heart. Another rung down the ladder on my struggle to maintain my humanity. Yet, it was that very struggle the system sought from me. Evil, for its own sake, is as fragile as glass. It was a saying I had once heard, but couldn’t remember from where.
Despite my increasing attributes, I had long since surpassed the limit on how it affected my body and mind. I was still growing, but it was at a much slower pace, and my previous life still had many pockets of a haze that my increased intelligence couldn’t cut through. The point felt clear though.
The more rigid something is, the easier it is to snap. True evil inspires resistance. Plenty of evil men had become rulers on Earth, and each one had a similar folly. They had let their evil define them, and thus it had become their own undoing. Hitler was an example. Hitler turned the rest of the world against him through his actions. He brought chaos, but also a unity of purpose. In the end, he was a weak man who died alone in a basement.
Then you had crime families. They were evil, but they lasted. They had morals and values. Loved ones. Unlike Hitler, they didn’t die alone. They didn’t bring the world against them. They were a persistent evil. Sometimes a necessary one.
“You are procrastinating.” My own voice declared breaking me out of my musings. It’s true. I am procrastinating. I am terrified. My thoughts agreed with my spoken voice. Once again memory washed over me as fear crept in.
I lay on my bed staring at the TV screen. “What do I want to play today?” I asked myself aloud. I was greeted by the silence of a lonely apartment. All of my friends were busy this weekend. They all had fiances and children. Loved ones and responsibilities. I was ‘free’, but I was never satisfied. Always seeking to fill the churning void of loneliness.
I finally settled on a game to play. An older game, but a solid one. The main character moves to a school and gets the ability to enter a person’s heart, and steals their selfish desires. He makes friends and helps them fight their inner demons. Unlike me, he wasn’t alone. It would be weeks before my group got together again. Weeks before I was the ‘Game Master’ leading a group of misfit heroes on an adventure once more.
The paladin who collected the male genitalia of fallen enemies, the turtle wizard whose response to problems was playing the bagpipes, and the list went on. A day filled with laughter and freedom from the pressure of isolation. A day that was all too often followed with ennui. The sharp contrast between having those I cared about around me to the complete lack of human interaction.
From being a vibrant part of someone else's life to being just another gray speck in a world that lived around me. I was just so tired of being alone. I wanted to cry out for anyone to be there, but I couldn’t. They all had their lives. I had mine. I still didn’t want to be alone.
The memory faded and my emotions squirmed. The last week had been amazing. It truly was the pinnacle of what I had wanted in an adventure. Friends and traveling companions. Then, of course, the system had to hand out the quest and force my hand.
“Well oh powerful system. What do you have to say for yourself? It’s your fault I got dragged into this stupid mess. Couldn’t you have just dropped me off at a nice starting village? I could have slain slimes and goblins. I might have even met a pretty farmer's daughter. Defend the nearby city from a dragon attack and called it a day.”
No response was forthcoming from the heavens. Stupid system, I thought as part of me wondered how I would take it if the system did ever see fit to respond to my questions or provocations. I knew that the system had to have some form of sentience. It had understood me on a fundamental level. So what would happen if one day I yelled at the system and it yelled back?
“Well? Is today the day? Bah!” I groaned and made the conscious decision to stop my introspection. An array of System notifications hovered at the edge of my vision and reluctantly I opened them up.
Notice. Due to the number of notifications needed to be displayed, the information has been abbreviated. Do you wish to see the extended notifications? Yes / No?
Of course not! I thought and immediately selected no. One thing I hated more than anything was needing to read a bunch of pointless information that all repeated roughly the same thing. Just give me the highlights, and don’t waste my time.
You have tamed 12 monsters.
You have defeated 17 monsters
You have gained a collected total of 14,000 experience points.
You have reached level 17
You have gained 5 skills. (See Learned Skill Sheet for information)
You have tamed more than 10 monsters and you have gained a new Title. (See Title Screen for information)
You have unlocked a new Class Quest.
Quest: The Legion Elite
Quest Objective: Defeat or Tame the four elite monsters.
Quest Reward: Rewards based on Performance Rank.
“That settles that question. You are trolling me.” I muttered as I stared at the quest for a long hard moment. I tried to maintain my ire at the system, but eventually began laughing. Give me the power to battle and tame monsters. Check. Tell me to battle four elites. Check. Magical orbs that can shrink and contain your monsters. Sorry, try again next time.
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At level 15 I had unlocked access to my tier three set of class skills but apart from being able to summon a bunch of ectoplasmic zombie skeletons, I didn’t have any way to make monsters appear out of nowhere. Not yet, anyhow.
“Alright, Leo. You’ve done enough procrastinating. Better get back to the group and get this over with. Gods above. Why does everything hurt so much!” I groaned as I rose to my feet, quickly coming to the understanding that movement wasn’t in my best interest yet.
All because I had to try and act heroic. I am never doing that again, I hope. In the meantime, since I don’t want to walk, I will catch a ride. Looking out at my new monstrous allies who were still busily feasting on the remains of the dead I unleashed a quick mental tug.
Tanaka looked up from its meal and stared at me. Already its mind was proving potent as the bonus to its intelligence through my other skills had taken effect.
“Come, take me back to my friends. I am not in the mood to walk.”
“I am eating.”
“I know, and I want to eat too. I just don’t want to eat… that.”
“It tastes good.”
“It’s a giant bug. I will pass for now. Maybe if I become desperate. Now let’s go. You can go back to eating it once you drop me off.”
“Can I eat friends?”
“No.” A few minutes later and the thunderous steps of the Kodrilus were carrying me back toward my camp.
***
“Ladies and gentlemen. It has been my pleasure to make sure that you all have been satisfactorily saved from death. If you would like to fill out your comment cards and leave them in the collection box as you leave your feedback would be greatly appreciated,” I chimed as I approached my party members.
As my monstrous mount approached the flabbergasted demons I dismissed the deathsworn radilgor I had summoned without bothering to bond them. While giant skeletal monsters could be cool, I was hoping I wouldn’t need to rely on them again anytime soon.
My five companions were all staring at me with wonder. Well, four. I have no idea what the hell is going on under Velixen’s cloak. I was just impressed she hadn’t yet disappeared into the shadows once more.
“What…” Grenthar began faltering as he stared up at the monster who had last been seen chasing me away.
“Oh, this is Tanaka. My new friend. Named him after the guy who created Godzilla. Not that you know what that is, I guess.” I tried to keep my tone cheerful, but there was no escaping the gravity of their body language. Nothing was said for a few moments so with a wave of my hand I dismissed Tanaka.
“Go back to your bug feast.”
“Thank you,” Tanaka replied before sauntering off. Still, the group just stared between the monster and me until finally, one began to speak.
“You aren’t a physicker, are you?” Faerwyn was the first one to get over her speechlessness. I shook my head and offered an apologetic smile.
“You healed us though, you offered boosted abilities. Sure you used dark magic, but it definitely was support magic.” This time it was Shialk’s turn. Once again I remained speechless but nodded. It had to be delicately handled but each of my classes offered some level of support skills. It came down to knowing how to use the right ones at the right times, but I had been focused on that since I first got a look at my skill tree. I had never wanted to be a solo adventurer.
“You know, Leo. When I told you that I knew you weren’t what you portrayed yourself as, this is not what I had expected.”
“I know, Jeloqa.” I finally answered. “Listen, everyone. I know all of this is pretty sudden and unexpected. Since now have sworn an oath to me though I will tell you what I can. As long as you abide by the oath I don’t care if you decide to leave me alone after the explanation. I won’t annul the contract with Threigar. So if you want to leave me behind I will accept.” They all looked back and forth before Grenthar nodded his ascent. With only a brief hesitation I began telling them my story.
***
“Yeah, so that’s the deal.” I finished and looked between them all. I had long since dismissed my camouflage skill so they could see my real class and titles. None of them spoke for a long moment. When a voice finally did speak it was the very last one I had expected.
“I will stay by your side.”
I stared in awe at Velixen, my mind going numb. It wasn’t just that I was surprised by the fact that I was hearing her voice for the first time. As the words dug their way into my brain there was a potent magical effect on them. I stared at her, my mouth agape as she removed her hood, revealing not a demon but another Fel-Human like me.
She was by far the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her skin was as dark as the midnight sky, and her hair was as brilliant as the full moon. She shone with a power that was meant to mesmerize you, calling you to get lost in the splendor of her unearthly beauty. This wasn’t an effect of charisma. This was something more. A yearning filled my heart and it was painful. Then, as simply as it had appeared it was gone. It wasn’t that she was less beautiful. The power that had been influencing my thoughts simply lost its efficacy. She must have seen the transition in my face because she suddenly smiled at me, before replacing her hood. As she did the rest of my companions came to their senses too. Although from their expressions they hadn’t fallen under the effects as much as they had been genuinely surprised at her actions.
“Excuse me. Can someone explain what just happened?” I didn’t take my eyes off Velixen as I asked the question. Jeloqa answered for her.
“It’s her bloodline ability. All Fel-Humans have different racial traits. The more powerful your race becomes the stronger an aspect you get. It affects your physical appearance, your abilities, and the like. She became almost fully integrated at a young age. Someone did an experiment on her after birth and forced her to artificially increase her racial rank from F all the way to rank A. Many things happened after those experiments, but that sensation you felt was the effect of a more fully aspected fel-human..”
“How does it work though? That wasn’t charisma.”
“You are correct. She stimulates the greed, and envy in a person’s soul. Too often people let their cravings control them, letting their envy of others dictate their lives. They are slaves to these desires. Her aspect is the embodiment of desire, thus making its very essence her own slave. This allows her to have the effect you experienced. If you are someone who has control over your greed, or at least does battle against it, it’s easier to resist her aspect. Unfortunately, because of how Velixen came about her aspect she is currently unable to control it herself”
“I see,” I replied, thinking about my own aspect. She gets to control people's hearts. I just eat people and get abilities that turn me into make me hungrier for human flesh. “Is that why she hides all the time then?” This time it wasn’t Jeloqa, but Grenthar, who answered.
“Only partly. It’s like I said. She doesn’t like to be seen. She has social anxiety. It doesn’t help after what Nessa did to her though. Finding real love can be hard when you control a person’s desires. When someone takes that bond and trust and knowingly crushes it into dust. Do you blame her for not wanting to be noticed by others?” Grenthar’s voice turned cold with malice as he spoke. His empathy for Velixen coloring his features.
“Alright. So… what now, where do we go from here?
“Well, if Veli is now giving you her trust then I guess I am in. I’m sure we can all agree to that.” Grenthar announced as he cast his eye around the group who all nodded. “Good. Then all you need to do is decide our next step.”
“What? Why do I have to make the decision? You are the team leader. You brought me along for support and that’s what I am going to do. I’m not here to take over.”
“But -”
“No. I get it. I know what you’re trying to do. Save it. I didn’t have much choice in what the system has given me, and if you want me to be in charge at some point fine. But right now, and on the field. It’s your call. I am not some rich snot or noble whose ass you have to kiss.”
“Fine. If it’s my call then I say we leave The Wound for now. While you might be able to handle some of the monsters I doubt you’d be able to stop them all. I don’t want another situation like what just happened when we are ill-prepared for it.”
“Gren, the dungeon event is on hold. The system said so. What are you saying we do?” Jeloqa asked.
“I am saying we take Leo to get registered, and head to Ystherial. We vowed that if he joined us we would help him. With the monsters' habitats in flux, we can’t count on areas being safe to level in anymore, and we don’t have the supplies to last much longer here. I say we leave and prepare for an extended stay.”
“And if someone manages to complete the quest before we return?”
“How many thousands of years has it been since anyone has even dared to enter the true heart of the dungeon? Only a fool or a madman would even make the attempt and they would need an army.” As Grenthar spoke those words I gave him a look. A very angry look. Jeloqa raised her voice to speak, but I rudely interrupted her.
“Did you have to go and fucking say that?” I snapped, all of a sudden feeling paranoid and turning my head to look for… something.
“What? I don’t-” Grenthar was interrupted a moment later. I fucking knew it! I FUCKING KNEW IT! I screamed in my mind as a giant red system screen appeared. Unlike most of the boxes that appeared I could tell that this one was different from the norm, as all of us turned our gaze in the same direction.
SYSTEM ALERT.
Dungeon Event Activated. Overworld Mode Engaged.
Notice. The current Regional Quest has been updated. Progress Leaderboard has been added to your available system screens.
Notice. Additional Quests have been granted.
Quest: Race Against Time
Quest Details: A new Dark Lord has been brought into the world. Complete the quest ‘Dark Lord’s Legacy’ before he does.
Quest Reward. Unique
Quest: Unholy Allegiance
Quest Details: A new Dark Lord has been brought into this world. Find them and swear allegiance to them. Help them to complete ‘Dark Lord’s Legacy’.
Quest Reward: Unique
Current Leaderboard
1. Milzeyan & Army
2. The Holy Alliance
3. Degrashar & Army
The list went on until it finally showed our group.
124. The Dark Legion
“You just had to tempt fate. You wanted a madman with an army? You got them.” I grumbled. Though I wasn’t truly upset with Grenthar. It wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t grown up on Earth, watching movies, and reading books. he had no idea about jinxing fate. Although something in this world was. Fuck you! I swore at the system. Somehow, this time, I could almost hear it laughing.