Responsibility never sold itself to me until I ventured through WanderX. In real life, responsibility didn’t go beyond controlling the nagging of others. However, in WanderX, it was about being the vessel of a lord. To be infused with loyalty in a quest that wasn’t clear to me, yet abundant in its lore and secrets. That was the feeling I had when I met Markus Knotter. Imagine an NPC that had such profound effect on you that it spoke to you in the real world. My apartment, before him, was nothing more than a nest of modern excess. Noodle cups overlooked the vast plains of my room. However, after meeting him, My room had become an absolute battle station. A place where I would plan and maneuver my success in his name.

The interesting thing about Markus Knotter is that he was not your archetypical hero. He was a proto version of that. A drunk, barrel-chested lost king, in search for an empty throne. Who, in his despairing nature, would still maintain himself as regal as any true king. When you’d see him, you would know. You’d help the man. The moment he started to provide me beer and would talk about the most pedestrian of topics, I started to look up to him. What’s more, Markus told me that he saw something useful in me and that our friendship and brotherhood would be based of my innate Gunderhen ability. For he wanted to raise a kingdom in the middle of the Valley. Seven crowns given to hobo-masters. It was odd to me how he had achieved such vernicular, but he seemed to be keenly aware of Earth and real life.

Stalking someone you don’t know might be fun, but secretly stalking someone was a whole other ball game. I noticed this, as I peeked outside of my car window and looked at her house. She was there, folding her clothes, thinking. Suddenly she looked in my direction and I froze in place. But she didn’t see me, and even though I was apprehensive, I did not avert my gaze. I could burn her house down, make her dependent of me, as we would venture through the virtual world of WanderX.

Such thoughts had invaded me ever since wander X showed the new me. There was a power in my character that translated over to our world, or at least, that’s what it felt like. And I couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t want to be there as well. It had been a month without contact and I needed to find the ingredients of the VR headset. The miasma had been worn out and the ins and outs of the root were wholly unbeknownst to me. Therefore, I had to make contact her some way or another. However, calling her resulted in her hanging up the phone which admittedly was kind of self-explanatory. She’d been mending her failing marriage and had moved back in with her husband in one of his houses. She wouldn’t want her husband to know about me, let alone share her secret of entering psychedelic VR fantasy worlds. It was a terrible secret in a way.  I noticed that she was moving to another room in her house and I started to ponder on how to set fire to it. My obsession with arson had grown significantly over the last few days. One argument for it was definitely being able to destroy something belonging to someone. You could glue people to you if you were able to take vital things away from them. Indirect power as it were, which in effect, made it all the more rewarding to execute.

So, what did we have here? Contemplating arson,stalking a married woman, being fat and balding, and addicted to a psychedelic VR game. Add to that a social structure broken down, no contact with my family except for the notification that my father had passed away and last but not least, absent a job. All I had was the game and a desire enveloped in lethargic debauchery to go on adventures with her in that world. What was I to do, but to have her be at my side fighting monsters? I couldn’t believe she’d move on, for the game was simply too perfect, was it not? She was perfect in Wander X as well. As I inhaled deeply I could smell the combination of sweat and vinegar, the exhale however set my mind in this present real. My peering into her life touched the narrative memory of her in both worlds. Her serious, mission-like approach to things together with beautiful anger when facing obstacles, it made me want her life to become difficult.

These were my shadowdrives of life. Thoughts ill-befitting a barbarian hero, for it only accentuated the gray fat that was I in reality. It was a challenging state of being really because every choice or move I’d make was directed into ruin and lust. Lust, in this world always lead to dissatisfaction at its final stop. That was this fucking life really. Do smart things, enjoy the end. Do joyful things, hate the end. Always the same, one formula. However, in these black recesses of my mind, there was now something new. A network of newfound pathways, tapped into joyous potential aimed at divulging myself into a different me. It was as if Ares inhabited me, but my also shared its vessel with Pan and Zeus from time to time. At any rate, I was most likely transfixed on Alyx and I had to improve things in my current life to have her wanting to be with me. I had to regard her in such mechanic manner devoid of any felling for I would lose myself in thought if I allowed the fantasy of her to surge. Still, I needed counsel from her one way or another. I shook with contemplation. Perhaps I should just tell her? She avoided my calls and she seemed to be alone in the house. There was little time, so I exited the car and walked to her all too white house. Two firm knocks on the blue door as I scouted the area for nosy neighbours. She opened the blue door and pierced the area of her eyes through me. Her arched eyebrows accentuated her commanding gaze. I was in trouble.

‘ You can’t be here Jake, I can’t be seen with you.’

‘Look here, Alyx I…I am fresh out of Miasma. I want to go back, I want to go back with you’

‘I said-‘  as she neared me looking up.

‘ You can’t be here.’ She nodded towards my car.

‘-Go to Motel 8, its at the edge of town, wait for my fucking call.’

She grabbed by the collar of my jacket.

‘ Listen to me, you don’t call. I call….Fat fuck.’

She pushed me away standing near the door, eyes watering. The same silver I’d seen in WanderX. The same silver tear I’d caught her having in real life.

‘I want to go back to y’know. Get yourself sorted out as you wait for me.’

‘Please Alyx please..I …Things are happening to me, I think I am losing it.’

‘Yes well. We’ll talk when I call. I repeat: when I call.’ She closed the door and I could hear her fiddling with the double lock.

I might have scared her a bit.

Motel 8 was truly a downtrodden hotel as any I’ve ever seen.

I parked the car and went for reception, ignoring the concrete blocks and void drug addicts lurking about.

‘Room for one please’ I said.

‘Did you make a reservation’ The cute petite lady receptionist asked as she shoved her glasses up from the tip of her nose towards her eyes.

‘Ah no, no I did not.’ I replied.

She looked at the monitor and made a deep nod.

‘We do have a room’

‘Allright then….That one please?’

‘You’ll have to deposit some money from your creditcard.

I gave her my card, praying to god or any god monitoring financial gains and bookkeeping to have enough money. I would better my life an instant as long as I’d have enough credit. My awareness of my finances had waned in what had seemed like eons. 

‘There you go’ she said as she handed me the creditcard.

Turned out I had enough. My phobias for email had prohibited me from checking life regularly, but this was confirmation enough. The card worked, I was all right.

The receptionist gave some warning about the window combined with rainfall, but my glee from knowing I had money had blurred out anything she said. The room had the yellow and white of clotted cream and was simple in its contents. A chair, a table, a coffee machine, a bed, a shower and a toilet. The door was both one big window as well as a door. Two chairs were out on the porch for me to sit in and relax. The room seemed to have heard me, knew of my presence. It had rendered itself as a room as I ended this empty air. I was the coffee, it the cup. Without me in it, it would’ve been just desolate. Still, I was quite watery as coffees go.

I let myself fall on the bed. My sweat had evolved itself into an amalgam of doritos, vinegar and cigarettes and my belly felt moist. I had no home.

My dad was gone.

Everything had to improve, I needed a system.

And I actually needed a woman. Someone who’d motivate and care for me. I abused the idea of alyx, in every way. But I needed her, I needed her knowledge of wanderX. All the other fantasies involving her had to go. She was the gateway into that adventurous realm that made my back feel of warm honey.

Dinner dawned and as I entered the restaurant I ordered a beer and a schnitzel with melted cheese and blocks of ham on top of it. My phone rang and I immediately picked it up.

‘ Alyx?’

‘Yeah, its me’

For some reason I took a big gulp of my beer.

‘Jake?’ She asked.

‘Hmm, I’m here, listen I need to go back to wanderX’

‘Its not that easy.’

‘-Yes, be that as it may, I still need to go back though’.

‘Get a hold of yourself Jake, I can’t just come around and get portalled out of here. My husband at least needs to know who you are and what’s up. He needs to know you’re just a somebody, not a romantic interest or something. ‘

‘Yes, yes I understand all that, but…You have to help me Alyx, I am gradually losing my mind.

‘Allright, why? What’s up?’

I’m having thoughts, thoughts about….

‘Yes?’

‘Arson, quite frankly. I’m contemplating arson.’

‘That could be the game creating new neural pathways’

‘I need to master it, and I need to do it…Alyx..please.

‘Ok, right fine. I guess we’re speeding things up here’

My breath let out squiekey exhales. It was a pang of panic as the mind realized all of this plan was based on confidence. Playing the VR game could equally be seen as a clear cry for help. Its one thing to be lost, its another not knowing how lost you are.

Wander X was my only hope. Pandarpha was my only fucking hope. The warrior battlemage. What would he do? He would be calm. He had been through battles with giant spiders for god’s sake. That was me, there was a tight drive within the body. A restricted notion of efficience over time.

‘Jake, we have a cabin somewhere near black lake mountain. It’s a retreat of sorts that we use.

‘We’re doing our sessions there ok?’

‘Yes, yes’.

The cabin looked and smelled of oblivion. How the wet and the bark had not transitioned into mildew was beyond me. Alyx’s husband Vincent, was actually a nice fellow. He smiled and made me feel safe. At any rate, I didn’t feel like he thought I was a creep. Alyx had a different look at me altogether though. Stern, distant. Like I was a bit of a dog, like I was trouble. Vincent was fixing a couple of things in their little lakehouse and made sure the heater was on.

‘I’ll be checking up with you two in a few days’ He said.

And he just left.

She closed the door, folded her arms and looked at me, scanning intently.

‘ So you couldn’t handle being out of WanderX?’

Alyx…Markus Knotter, he ….He changed it all for me.;

‘Markus, you didn’t see markus knotter, jake..please.

I did dammit I did. I can show it to you.

Well, it took some convincing but Vinh had a bit of Miasma left.

He doesn’t play? I asked.

He only grows the root. She said as she took off her rain coat and hung it up she was wearing a bright red knitted sweater and took out two mugs from her bag. The cabin in many ways was the same as Alyx. Remote, intangible and yet, extremely present once noted. There was an immanence to her.

‘Did I…Did I do something wrong Alyx?’ I asked.

‘No, no you didn’t…you’re just…You have a different lifestyle.’

‘Do I emberass you?’

She nodded.

‘maybe a little, yes’

But we’re…Still just friends right?’

‘Doesn’t mean anything in our 30s jake. Not in that regard. You’ve got to fix yourself. You’re in shambles. You even gained weight.

It was true, my knees also started making noises.    

We took the root, slowly. I chewed it as the bitterness melted in my mouth. It tasted like the remains of a coffee machine, the bits you have to clean out. And still, there was a numbing sensation as I chewed the root. It worked instantly, the pathways, the bridges in my mind were already made. The root was like a guiding light of chemicals in my brain. My spirit knew where to go.

It was a smell of autumn pine trees that had hued my immersion. The sky shone a golden yellow as we were standing on a plateau and in front of us stood he. Steadfast, brave and no shame in broadening his shoulders, putting forth his belly. Markus Knotter was staunched. Built from farmer’s strength. Yet, there was a solemn calm to his demeanor, a sense of acceptance of the unknown. I feared I could never have that. I wouldn’t be able to find it in the same way. He was arguably fat, but carried it with grace. He probably was a bit older too to be fair.

Seeing her wearing her battledress and looking at me in calculating manner did things to me. It felt food, but also challenging. I had to live up to her expectations and my own. Additionally, I felt my knees  lighten up and my ankles bouncing. In wander X, I had lost weight and looked significantly more muscular. There were no aches and many muscles I had never even felt were like a cushion around my joints. It was like a spring in a car. In front of us, we saw Markus knotter with a broad big grin he regarded as in laughter breaking even Alyx’s cold demeanor. She then looked at and nodded while looking down.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

‘You were right, it is Markus.’

‘I wouldn’t lie to you, not with this.’

‘Enough’ markus bolstered.

We both looked up.

‘Orcs, orcs within these hills.

Draw thine weapon, we should hide and surprise them .

Orcs in the valley were a breed created by warlocks and wizards to complete and follow their indomnitable will.

They looked firm, strong and had the skin of necrotic mud. They possessed long fangs and claws. Furthermore, they looked as if they were on steroids, but had taken too much of the stuff. We hid behind a tree, Bellwitch was mostly on the lookout. Three of them could be seen, they seemed to be scouts. She drew her bow and aimed her arrow, yet markus motioned her to lower it. For another two orxs entered the fray. Two rampside hills were next ot he sandy path upon which the orcs patrolled towards us. Maybe we could send bellwithc there in order to shoot them from above. Not a bad plan. And perhaps I could sneak in from behind allowing markus to face them up front whilst I attacked them from behind.

Moving up to the orcs backside nimbly activated all types of muscles unknown. I kept my torso low to the ground as a tiger ready to pounce. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, realizing that the height of these moments as a barbarian mage every fantasy of controlling Alyx evaporated. She had to be her own device and arbiter of life in wander X. That way, we would win. I moved closer to the orc and stabbed him in the neck. He fell, swiftly I moved over to the orc next to him and stabbed him in the sides as well. He fell too. Two arrows were shot from the thicket hitting one enemy fatally as well. Now, it was just tow that remained.

‘Show your strength pandarpha.

I wish to see if you are eligible to train hero magic at the acadamae of meriabok’. Markus shouted.  The upcoming fight against the two orcs would be a testament of my prowess. An opportunity to study magic under his tutelage.

The problem was, from the get go I suddenly didn’t feel it. The game appeared to realistic, too energetic, too physical that I couldn’t comprehend what my capabilities were. I believe my hesitation was quickly shown for Markus intervened and destroyed the two.

You need to get aquainted with being a hero. Please, log out and try to do some physical fitness until you can envision what to do with these monsters.

How could this be? What had happened ?Why was I suddenly tired? Why did I lose it?

We returned to the safe chrystal and logged of.

I awoke in the cabin of Alyx and she was already up and about and awake.

‘Jake I am sorry I doubted you’

‘That’s ok, we have more pressing matters to attend to. My health.’

It shouldn’t have been all that hard. What was it exactly that I wanted? Well, for one I was tired of losing. In terms of goal-forming I had become tired of losing, frankly. Therefore, my goal was to simply not lose anymore. At everything. This was to be my revenge arc, under the guise of self-improvement. My physical and mental health, my desires in wanderX, my social spheres. All of it had to improve.

So we took a walk. And, honestly, I had to touch a tree during the walk as a little rest.

Alyx walked in front of me and gave me plenty of rest and water. I had become soft, and she took care of me. The forest that covered the lake almost, smelled of wet pine trees and for a moment, I was once again blissful. Walks in nature, combined with the rpg, with a beautiful woman. This was the life. There also didn’t have to be anything else. I had a goal. I had a vision.

The first thing I noticed during the walk was that my cardio was fucked. Additionally, my joints and bones ached a little bit at the right knee and ankle. Losing weight was paramount but also developing muscle around my legs.

‘How do you train legs?’  I asked Alyx.

She shrugged.

‘Come on, you know the answer,you look like you know this stuff’

‘ You could start with walking and kettlebells.’

What’s a kettlebell?’

‘Jesus, lets start with just walking.

She was a hard mistress, of that there was no question.

I felt her mild disappointment emanating for the next three hours.

Something was up and I wasn’t sure what it was, and I figured she didn’t know either. All we knew was that we needed each other for the incredible VR game. Which ,oddly, had become somewhat old fashioned. But the total package of it all was so clear to me. Being strong, having an adventurous affair with her, in the conformity and safety of an all too real world.

It could work. But it required work. I needed to become a better version of myself.

Should we return to WanderX at some point? I asked.

Yes, but we need to level you up a bit more.

How do you mean?

You need to do some more mundane quests, so that you can win those battle cards and readily use them.

‘I don’t know, I just felt this strange disconnect with the game.’

‘Yes, that’s your health’

‘Right so small quests and physical exercise, got it.’

 A day later we logged into WanderX again.

We traversed the Sighing wastes. A vast plain of grey and bones reminiscent of an old kingdom age. Markus Knotter pointed out the various statues calling it the remnants of the golden city, an arch metropolis he had sought to rebuild.

To do that, to have his kingdom come, I needed to serve him. Truth be told, there was something deeply satisfying in believing in a leader. He emanated such qualities through everything. He observed you deeply, believing that you were able to risk your life. He was the absolute quest-giver I needed. Imagine that an A-list actor would be rendered in-game and sort of guide you along. Keanu reeves , Mark Hamill and even Vin Diesel understood that art. But now imagine that it is not the quality of their voice, but the magical presence of such enigmatic personalities asking you for help. We are living in a world of iconography, it is true.

Still he asked us to do his bidding and so we did. We had to traverse the ponder hills and face the strange going ons with the remaining orcs inside the dwelling caves.

The lurid vista ,akin to a dream, both compelled and created gave a soft beat in my heart. As the morning pink oasis of flow rose within us adventurers.

We entered the cave and were approaching it in stealthily fashion. Alyx, or Bellwitch, had adapted a style that would press her back against the wall and stretch out completely,honing a controlled breathing, revealing her lithe figure. At that moment I remembered that this was what I wanted in life. For always, this would be enough and more.

As we peered around the boulders we noticed the patrol of what appeared to be both Orc warriors and Orc sorcerers. The cave itself was dark and damp, yet for the gleaming sunrays that peered to the cracks on the several ceilings. Bright green moss grew around the cave which aided us in our stealthily attempts.

Markus Knotter decided to wait outside. We were instructed to clear the cave and collect strange tablets with carved ornamentations hailing the mighty wizard Mornath. Whoever that was, it was a name I had heard before. For in my vision, I saw myself going up the skullhand atop this very cave where I would learn deep cryptic arts.

Our first two targets were a warrior and a sorcerer. Our efforts would first focus on the orc sorcerer. Alyx drew her bow and let loose her fiery arrows which hit the sorcerer in the head. I quickly altered my target towards the warrior and struck him in the throat with my sword. The element of surprise had become a fact right now. We had to train ourselves guerilla style. Quick and fast. The only problem was that we didn’t know the lay of the land, so if the enemy responded quickly, we were in trouble. However, the stereotypical orc perception appeared coherent within wanderX. They had no idea what was coming for them. Another pack of 2 were killed instantly. I had to both strengthen my resolve as well as have 20% of my action become loose. It was an explosive way of fighting, that seemed appropriate with this style of combat. As such I felt that I was leaps and bounds ahead of my enemies who appeared unaware. The element of surprise and speed we both maintained equaled efficiency in combat.

The sun slumbered its regard into the cracks of the skull cave. We came across a natural stone bridge that covered a deep chasm with bright blue water beneath it.

The rocky road paved red with the blood of our enemies and the flow of our surprise attacks. Yet, at one point we faced three opponents who were aware of us. A warlock and two orc warriors. The two warriors came for me and I realized Alyx was fresh out of arrows retreating back to collect them from her enemies. Why she had not done this in the first place was beyond me, however now the orcs were in front of me. To the left I was faced with one orc that had one big ear and to the right there was an orc with a large forehead. The Ear-orc hit my leg with a club that had rusty spikes on them. He hit me right below the knee which I checked. Meaning that I actually blocked his club between the spikes. The Forehead orc saw his opportunity to push me backwards and I fell off the cavernous road into the depths of the skull cave. I hit juts of rock and landed into the water. If I wasn’t this strong ingame I would’ve died from scratching the rock, but the shoulders I was granted by the might of this game provided me with organic armor almost. The cold water was murky and dusty. Furthermore, it had a soft current drifting me towards an unknown depth as I regained my composure. I’m not sure how far down I had fallen but the orc screams appeared distant and in pursuit of something. It was Alyx ofcourse, who had probably already escaped the cave. My situation, as now I slowly had come to realize, was dire. I reached for a rock and attempted to climb it so I could reach something of a pause. As I sat on a strong big rock, I took an enormous inhale and I felt the cool air go through my digital lungs and providing virtual oxygen to my artificial muscles. Above me, there seemed to be a path chiseled out by the laws of the cave. And there it was, sitting atop an altar, a strange artifact that looked like an iron tome depicting the image of a bearded wizard. This must have been the tablet of Mornath surely. I felt that it had the same qualities as it had in my vision. Who was this mighty wizard? Such questions did not appear to be the most important. What was important that this was the objective, this was the mission. The room the artifact was in appeared to be structured by something more civilized than the way of orc. My steps were met with ancient arrows that I disregarded with a roll forwards leading in front of the ancient artifact. No stone boulders it seemed nor any other traps of malcontent appeared in place. I lifted the tablet of Mornath and the engraved face opened his eyes.

‘We are awake, she will return’

The damp room revealed a despair within. For the grime and green of the walls reflected much of my mind. This was who I was apparently, a pawn only to be led astray within the deep secrets of the forgotten earth. There was a flow of influences from both this Mornath and Markus Knotter. Markus heralded the ways of old, to have a lord who decided things for you to do which were just and rightfully so. Whereas Mornath appeared to be the one who would explore the vast outreach of what was possible. What magic had infused this structure? Many engravings on the wall depicted him or his face rather. In fact, many of the mural depictions of him featured his face attached to some sort of Mech. A mech in a fantasy realm was a thing that I reckon some would be opinionated about. Specifically Markus Knotter, for this would certainly not feature within his kingdom now would it? Still, part of me was interested in this realm of the mighty wizard Mornath. Who was he then? Was he also a magical NPC such as Markus? Behind the altar that held the tome the wall was adorned with mighty embroidery. Embroidery depicting an ancient war between dragons and these robots. From the onset, one would say that a mech would have considerable chances against the might of a roaring dragon. However, it was the pilot that did it and therefore, the old ways of knights was the way to go surely. Regardless, I knew neither, for I was a simple level 2 gunderhen sage. I didn’t even know exactly what the class meant. Still, I had the invading feeling that this game would integrate my own wishes into what I am. That was the design of the game after all. It catered to my own ambitions, my desires. Considering all these, I realized how battered up I had become. My muscles ached in the acid of effort and my eyelids had become quite heavy. I decided to sit against the tapestry wall. However, As I leaned against the wall, some contraption had activated and the floor and the wall turned around. For I had discovered a secret passage. The passage in question was an ornately carved spiraled staircase that  ascended the dark mountain. For a moment, just a moment, it felt as though the game would simply render wonder to keep me engaged. Yet, the choice of rest was still available to me. Had I not been tired ingame, I wouldn’t have discovered this. There was a randomness to the virtual being adding to the realism of this fantastical realm. Which kept me wondering, reminding me of the mysteries of old MMORPGS that would teach its players to honor the bloodstream with caffeine. Ascending the stairs was quite a difficult task due to the lack of air but as I got higher I could hear the winds flow over what I suspected to be the mountain top of this Skull rock dungeon. As I had reached the top I ventured forth into a small entry courtyard. To my right I could see a stretched out vista of golden plains. On the horizon a ridge of cool white mountains encircled the plateau. In front of me I noticed the opaque quality of the arcane glass hand structure that reached out to the heavens which stood as a symbol of both command and humility. The hand was guarded by one of the wizard mechs I had seen before. The construct was wearing a leather wizard hat and wore a chained tome to his belt. Other than that, it looked like an mechanical construct of industrial proportions. I could see rockets painted in knightly pallets as well as a sword and shield. Furthermore, the eyes of the mech lid up in futuristic fashion.

The palm of the hand held another tome, yet this one I remembered from my vision. This one would hold the secrets of magic within WanderX. I realized that both the mech and the tome were items of value. Alongside the knowledge they held, I was keen on looting these two objects.

‘Intruder, trespasser’ The mech said in a deadpan manner.

‘Sure, I suppose’ I replied unsheathing my sword and readying for battle. I wasn’t afraid, still realizing that I was not afraid actually made me afraid. There was no one around, if I died now, that would be it.

The shock of the punch led to a punchy taste of coffee in my mouth. I pondered on it briefly. Why Coffee? Bitter, yes. Bit like iron? Sure.Blood? Or perhaps it was a reach of a goal in my mind. The bitter taste of blood, converted into the taste of coffee highlighting the moments with her I longed for all these years. Friends sitting together, talking about the unknown mundane academic complexities of life, only to postpone the true questions. Do you like me? Are you interested in me?

The sword struck down at me with a tremendous force, yet I stepped to the side in an attempt to dodge.

The wizard mech was intimidating.

I attempted to swing at the construct but to no avail. It seemed I had to calculate where my sword would have to land given that it was a couple of feet higher than me. The construct tried to slam me but I was too fast for it. I knew that the construct would only do a normal default attack heralding its programming, so I could do a normal attack as well. Yet, the construct was faster than I reckoned and I had to outsmart him. Therefore, I put all my action into my strength hoping to sweep him with two strikes. As instead, the construct dodged me, punched me in the face, lowkicked me in the ribs and stomped me into the ground. I was beaten down to a pulp and retreat whilst slashing defensively with my sword. At one point I decided to guard myself and step away, only to find the construct doing the same bloody thing. I was convinced that I would be able to full attack him again and break through his defence. My sword sang through the air and aimed at his cybernetic eye. One was defended appropiatley but the other got into his eye successfully. The construct attempted to punch me but I knew to sidestep it, as a reaction the construct defended itself again holding his hands close to his face. However, I could see that it would take a while for his arm to reach his face, so I nimbly clung to his hand, which was retreating back, providing me with a striking momentum to hit him underneath the ribs, where I hit some cybernetic core. I saw the lights of the construct go out. I repaired the construct, and managed to pilot it, picked up Alyx, Markus and we set off to the Vanishing shores.

Out there on the golden plateau that neared the vanishing shores, I could see two individuals. The mech I had been piloting started to bleep and circled its targeting system around what appeared to be Alyx. Why and how the mech did this I could not tell, but I was able to steer the mech towards the two, hoping it wouldn’t fire rockets or anything. The mech landed next to them and I opened the back hatch. Alyx ran up to me and hugged me.

‘I thought you were gone, I’m sorry that I ran, I was gonna go back’.

‘Ofcourse Alyx, I know you would, it is fine now.’

‘ It seems you have retrieved the magic tome of Mornath. Arcane secrets can be dissected from his works, show me that please.’

I handed him the book.

‘Hmm, yes. This is essentially a manual for the Acadamae of Meriabok. But also it….Hang on. The Haptobolean order?’

At the utterance of those words Markus Knotter suddenly disappeared into gold dust and got collected within the dusty tome’s pages.

His face could still be seen as it became incrusted on one of the papers.

‘Seek out the cause of the Vanishing Shores, bring this tome to the Acadamae afterwards’

‘Markus!’ I shouted, I felt an inciting sorrow well up.

‘Come on Jake, we should pilot the mech and go to our target.’

I piloted the mech towards a somber tower at the edge of of a cliff. The inside of the mech had little lamps that started flickering green, although why I did not know, nor did I have any inkling to find out.

As we reached the tower the mech auto-piloted itself on one of the balconies. The hatch opened itself and I walked out. However, the hatch of the mech suddenly closed as Alyx tried to get out. She managed to throw her communicating circlet through the hatch and I caught it, barely.

‘No Alyx, NO!’

The mech flew off high up into the air.

I was alone once again, in the span of an hour, but what felt like minutes.

‘Fuck….How am I going to….God damn it.’

At any rate I motioned myself up the vanishing tower where I reached another balcony. I heard the sound of combat and, strangely enough, a familiar voice. I peeked around the corner and saw that Xelith, the firemage, was in a battle against another sorceress who was also wielding a blade. Without hesitation I unsheated my own sword and motioned to aid the firemage against a strange looking creature. It was another woman, with soft white hair and a serrated edged blade. Her armor appeared to made out of infernal rock with bright green and orange glows from a few of its cracks. She had seemed to have multiple incantations upon her as she motioned herself towards us. I positioned myself between the opponent and Xelith in order to protect her from the melee attack but it quickly had proven to be futile. We went back and forth with the clanging of our melee weapons, but she had the upper hand but considering her magical armor  and numerous buffs on her it had seemed completely hopeless. There was the hissing of a summoned firesnake behind me and I yelled to Xelith that she should run away. She complied it seemed and now I was faced with my inevitable demise. The opponent, whose name, cause and details remained unaware to me was destroying me bit by bit.

‘Ah another newcomer to Wander X to satiate my needs for blood’ she said as she cut across my chest and kicked me backwards. What followed was a slicing combination from her in which she somersaulted and sideflipped a couple of times cutting me through both legs and across the face. I am not sure how much damage it was that she did, but it was clear that she was outleveling me bit by bit. As I lay down there on the balcony she put her heel on my damaged chest and knelt closer to my face.

‘The will of the sabgellian has just begun, the age of the Maat abhorris shall be honored in Zakir’s name’

At those words, those utterances she stabbed her sword deeper into me and I felt a gaping hole of darkness wash over me. Tentacles of strange gold colors swirled around me. And it had seemed I had died.

Darkness…..

Just darkness…

Nothing….

Would I log off?

Or was I dead?

Darkness.

Darkness..

The Gunderhen sage has a passage through the Sanctum betwixt.