Yvvaros: The Final Transcension Read online

  “It’s okay,” she finally said. “I’m just glad you were able to check in on him in the first place.”

  “Yeah, me too,” said Luke. “Has everything been quiet out here?”

  Tess turned her head to face him. Her eyes were serious, despite her relaxed body language.

  “The Tymians are becoming more forward, if you can believe it.” She twirled a few strands of her hair as she spoke. “I heard them outside last night.”

  “They attacked the cabin?”

  Tess shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “But they did attack a player within earshot of me. I wanted to go to help, Luke. I almost did.”

  Luke walked onto the sand and sat down next to her.

  “What stopped you?” he asked. Tess looked at him.

  “The fact that you aren’t here,” she said softly. “The fact that I knew you’d be mad at me, if I did.”

  Luke nodded slowly. A wave with a bit more force behind it than the rest slid up the shore, wetting the bottoms of their feet.

  “We’ll be safe,” said Luke. “Our cabin is far enough removed that we won’t be a target.”

  “Is that what you’ve been telling yourself?” A new voice came from behind Luke. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kaoru leaning against the cabin, watching the two of them with restrained annoyance.

  “Kaoru.” Luke frowned and put a hand on Tess’s shoulder. “I don’t know how you found us, but forget it. We aren’t going back.”

  “Just like that?” Kaoru crossed her arms as she walked over to them. “And you, Tess? Are you happy hiding out here, ignoring everything that’s taking place?”

  Tess looked down into the sand. She squeezed Luke’s wrist, and he frowned at her.

  I’m not going to let it happen again. Tess is safe here, safe from the Tymians and safe from me.

  “I’m not ignoring anything, Kaoru,” said Luke. “What would you have me do? I can’t fight all of the Tymians.”

  “The Universal Truth is behind these attacks, Kato,” said Kaoru. “It’s fucking obvious! We can put a stop to this! It’s the only away for us to get our bodies back!”

  Luke didn’t say anything. He realized a second too late that it was the worst possible response.

  “But you still have your body, don’t you?” Kaoru laughed. “It’s all just unnecessary drama for you. When Yvvaros goes to hell, you’ll just log out, live the rest of your life back in the real world.”

  “The real world is just as fucked, Kaoru!” Luke realized he was shouting, and took a deep breath. “What do you want me to do, find the server? Reprogram it? There isn’t anything I can do, and you know it.”

  “You don’t want to do anything,” said Kaoru.

  It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t.

  “Luke…” Tess stood up and walked over to Kaoru. “She’s right.”

  Luke shook his head and looked back out into the ocean. A low hanging cloud hovered over the ocean in the distance, wavering with the wind as it floated toward the coast.

  “People die when I get involved,” said Luke. “I’ve done enough already.”

  “I’m not leaving here without you, Kato.” Kaoru’s voice was firm and challenging.

  Luke stood up and walked over to her. Tess moved to step in between them.

  “Stop it! This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

  “I helped you once, Kaoru,” said Luke. “Look where we ended up because of it.”

  “That wasn’t because of you!” Kaoru slipped by Tess and pushed Luke in the chest. “You think you can get out of this just by feeling sorry for yourself?”

  She pushed him again, and Luke took a step back. He turned away from her.

  “Leave,” he said. “Now.”

  Kaoru stared at him for a couple of seconds. She glanced over at Tess, and then without saying a word, turned and walked away.

  “Luke, you should at least listen to her!” Tess grabbed his arm and pulled him to face her. “Think about what you’re doing.”

  “I am, Tess.” Luke gritted his teeth and looked away.

  Fighting isn’t worth it if it means getting people killed in the process.

  Luke slipped away from Tess, plagued by anxiety.

  “I’m going to take a look around the area, see how bad it really is for myself.” He looked over at Tess. She wouldn’t meet his eye, and walked back into the house.

  She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get why I’m doing this.

  The forest was quiet. Luke could smell sea salt on the air even as he pushed through the thick foliage. The plants grew freely. Tiny animals scurried around in the undergrowth. The area had a soothing quality to it, almost happy.

  Luke pulled out his sword and swung it as he went, cutting through vegetation and grass. Each swing brought him no closer to being at peace, but there was still something cathartic about it. A bird flew by a few feet in front of him, and he sighed.

  I can’t just sit by and let Yvvaros burn to ashes.

  He spent the next few hours running a soft patrol, cutting through large swathes of forest and grassland, watching for the Tymian threat. Part of him wanted to find the monsters, and hungered for a fight.

  He summoned a few conjured swords to serve as his wing guard. For a few minutes, he’d considered using his new skill, Progenitor’s Soul, before pushing the idea out of his head. The ability was volatile, and draining. The last time he’d used it, he’d ended up knocking himself out.

  Something moved in the forest ahead. Luke gripped his sword tightly in his hand and approached slowly. He tensed up as the bushes parted in front of him, and an animal jumped out.

  COAST HOPPER: A small, six legged creature endemic to the western coast of Yvvaros. Generally small and harmless, the larger specimens can grow to be the size of a small dog.

  Luke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little silly. He turned back toward the direction of the cabin. His stamina meter was nearly empty, and the only food he had was in Tess’s satchel.

  He took a step forward, and then stopped.

  That sounds like… fighting!

  Luke cursed under his breath and pushed forward through the trees, feeling dread descending over him. He’d been watching the area. There weren’t any Tymians nearby, not in the inner plains or in the forest. It made no sense.

  He rounded the last bend and pushed out into the tiny clearing that they’d built the cabin on. Tymians surrounded it, and standing a short distance away from them was a Korrith, one of the demon summoners that he’d first seen during his expedition into Makorin.

  The Korrith watched him, its mouthless face seeming to contain far more expression than should be possible. Its eyes were glowing a faint blue, the mark of one of the monsters possessed by the Universal Truth.

  CONJURE SWORD 4

  MIRROR IMAGE 3

  HOLY REGENERATION 2

  PROGENITOR’S ARMOR

  Using all of his magicka, Luke activated his main combat abilities, turning himself into a force of reckoning. He took a step forward and then paused as more Tymians arrived on the scene.

  They were walking out from the ocean, apparently unphased by the deep water and crashing waves. The ones already on the shore were slamming their claws against the cabin, shattering windows and destroying what Luke and Tess had built.

  “Tess!” Luke charged forward, using his summoned blades along with his physical sword to chop into the monsters. A few of them turned to face him, along with the Korrith, which readied a spell in his direction. Luke dodged and shot his floating weapons at it, doing only a little damage but creating a distraction.

  The newly arrived Tymians circled around him as he cut through the closer ones, pushing his way to the door. The Korrith launched a fireball at him. Luke lifted his arms up, crossing them in front of his face to keep it from being a direct blow. He was thrown back, and crashed through the door and into the cabin, scattering splinters of wood through the air.

  �
�Luke!” Tess rushed over to him, casting a healing spell out of second nature.

  “I’m alright,” he said. “We have to-“

  The cabin was a death trap. Tymians pushed inside through the windows and door, charging Luke and Tess without hesitation. The Korrith cast another fire spell, and Luke felt heat emanating from the cabin’s front wall as it went up in flames.

  “Stay close!” he shouted to Tess. “We can make it out! Just keep-“

  An arm slammed through the nearby window and sank claws into Luke’s neck. He gagged, and then swept his sword in an upward side strike, neatly severing the limb from its owner. Tess cast a spell, and all of the Tymians were suddenly moving at half speed.

  “Now, Luke!” she cried. “Slow spells only last for a few seconds.”

  He made sure that she was still with him, and then charged forward, slicing into Tymians as he pushed his way out through the open front doorway. The monsters surrounded the cabin in mob formation, and Luke hacked through them indiscriminately with his blades. Purple blood splattered against his skin tight Progenitor Armor. He ignored it.

  The Korrith stood a short distance away from the rest of the monsters, the final obstacle in the way of their escape. Luke’s head pounded, and he could feel his nose beginning to bleed as he charged at it.

  The Korrith cast a spell. Luke swung his sword at it, hoping he’d be able to deflect it. He missed.

  The world around him suddenly went completely dark. He could still hear the monstrous grunts of the Tymians, and the waves crashing against the shore, but it was as though his eyes had been turned off.

  A blind spell?

  “Straight ahead, Luke!” shouted Tess. “Swing your sword.”

  Luke realized that he was still running, and hesitated for only a moment before pulling it into a downward arc. The blade recoiled off something, and Luke felt a sharp pain stab into the side of his abdomen.

  “Get down!” yelled Tess. Luke felt her pulling downward on his hand, and realized that she was still right next to him. He dropped low, and felt heat emanate from the space he’d just been occupying.

  Tess was chanting something, and suddenly Luke’s vision filled with white.

  I can see again!

  The Korrith was wielding a curved, serrated dagger, swinging it in killing blows at Luke’s head. He slammed his shoulder forward into the creature’s chest, and then pulled his conjured swords into flight for a counterattack. The Tymians, slowed as they were, bore down on him and Tess from behind.

  “We need to run!” she shouted. “Don’t worry about fighting them!”

  Luke gritted his teeth.

  All I’ve been doing is running, and it hasn’t worked. Not to protect Tess.

  He stopped. Tess continued forward for a few steps, glancing back over her shoulder at him.

  Luke gripped his sword tightly in his hand. Progenitor’s Soul made his weapon hum with energy while it was active. Luke felt his headache intensifying, but he forced his way back toward the horde of monsters behind them.

  The Korrith was unprepared for his onslaught. Luke’s sword sliced into its abdomen, and his four conjured blades ripped into its shoulders and legs like bullets. The Tymians suddenly began moving at full speed again, charging Luke with reckless abandon.

  He swatted them away, channeling his anger and contempt for the monsters with every swing. Luke realized that he was screaming. Tess cast a spell on him, and he felt a bit of his headache fade.

  “You’re going to get yourself killed!” Tess screamed. “Luke, don’t do this!”

  Luke whirled as one of the Tymians attacked one of his mirrored images. He decapitated the offending enemy, and then skewered another through its stomach. The Korrith had recovered and was moving toward him, palm outstretched.

  Tess slid up next to him, pressing herself tightly against him and chanting something under her breath. Luke started to pull away, but she got her spell off before he could.

  CHAPTER 7

  They were instantly somewhere else, somewhere familiar and recognizable. The dome of the Temple of Rygon arched over their heads, sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows inlaid into the architecture.

  “Tess…” said Luke. “You… teleported us?”

  She sighed, and slowly nodded.

  “You almost got us killed! What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I…” Luke trailed off, trying to remember what’d been going through his head. He felt guilty, all of the sudden.

  I didn’t want to run. Is it better to fight and die, or run, and live?

  “Look, we’re safe,” said Tess. “I guess that’s all that matters.”

  She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small piece of bread, handing it to him. Luke took it and started eating it, feeling a flash of nostalgia at the similarity to his very first foray into Yvvaros. He looked around and noticed that the High Priestess Azalene was addressing a group of players gathered in the pews.

  “The Universal Truth has not abandoned you,” said the High Priestess. “This is not the Second Severence. This is the First Transcendence!”

  Luke frowned. The High Priestess was an NPC, the matriarch of the Temple of Rygon, a church that in the lore of Yvvaros, was devoted to the Universal Truth.

  Is she giving a sermon about this because she wants to? Or does the Universal Truth have control over her as well?

  “Come on.” Tess took his hand and pulled him toward the side of the large, dome covered building. Luke stared over at the High Priestess. Her eyes were normal, without the blue glow that marked the Tymians ever since the Universal Truth had broken free.

  They headed out through the main entrance and stepped onto the streets of Kantor. The city was surprisingly busy. It made sense to Luke. Kantor was seen by all of them as a safe haven, a place free of the Tymian attacks that plagued the surface.

  “They’ve already forgotten the Battle of Kantor,” he whispered to Tess. “The Tymians can make it up here if they want to. They have before, and the fact that this city is still untouched has more to do with the inclinations of the Universal Truth than anything else.”

  She shrugged.

  “The only players that have come to Kantor for sanctuary are the ones that wouldn’t fight, anyway. Maybe it is safe up here.”

  Luke didn’t say anything. Compared to what he’d seen in Stark Town, it was shocking just how many avatars were moving about the floating city. He looped his arm through Tess’s, keeping her close to him as they pushed through the crowds that filled the white gold streets.

  He’d forgotten just how incredible the view from Kantor was. Clouds bobbed by with lazy persistence. A flock of birds flew overhead, moving in perfect, natural formation. Luke could see most of the Inner Plains, along with smaller sections of the Msitu Wilds and the Sarchia Desert.

  “You haven’t said anything about what comes next,” said Tess.

  Luke chewed his lip. He was conflicted, moreso now than he’d been when the two of them had left Dunidan’s Rest. He wanted to protect Tess, but it didn’t seem like that was something he could do with defensive action.

  “We have to go back,” said Luke, after a long silence. “I don’t want to, and I’m not sure if it’s going to be the best move. But we don’t have a choice.”

  Tess smiled at him and ran a hand through his hair.

  “I think it’s a great move,” she said. “They’ll be happy to see us.”

  The two of them walked to the center of Kantor. The area around the rune circle was filled with merchants, NPC and player alike. In fact, there were more merchants than there were players shopping.

  Nobody is buying anything that they don’t absolutely need anymore.

  Luke led Tess forward into the rune circle, and the two of them were in Stark Town. He brushed his shoulder off as a cool wind blew from an alleyway nearby. The settlement was morbidly quiet. It reminded him of what he’d seen back in the physical world, his tiny town on the verge of being aban
doned.

  “Let’s get moving,” he said to Tess. “No need for us to stay here for longer than we need to.”

  They began walking down the center street to the south. Stark Town felt as though it had already given up completely. Luke saw a few scattered players, most of them decked out in high level armor and weapons, hovering around on the outskirts.

  “Nobody wants to risk it,” said Tess. “They’re all afraid, and given that they’re locked into the game, it makes sense.”

  “Yeah,” said Luke. “I guess it does.”

  He felt slightly abashed, realizing for the first time that he couldn’t fully understand their mentality. Even after being there for Tess for the past few weeks, defending her and doing everything he could to make her life easier, he still couldn’t see things from her eyes. He could still log out, even if he didn’t choose to use the option defensively.

  A market stall on the edge of town was tipped over, its contents spilled across the street. Tess knelt down as they walked by it, searching through the jumble of goods.

  “This is a seed pouch,” she said to him. “Do you think it would count as stealing if I took it with me?”

  “What?” Luke raised an eyebrow at her.

  “For after we figure things out,” she said. “I’d like to expand our garden a bit, and maybe set up another one at the cabin.”

  Luke nodded slowly.

  “I’m sure that would be fine,” he said.

  The two of them jogged south across the Inner Plains. The area was barren, and because of that, most of the low level monsters roamed in greater numbers than usual.

  They continued across the sand. A small sandstorm whipped through the zone in between them and Dunidan’s Rest. Luke shielded his eyes, but Tess began chanting. A moment later, the two of them had a defensive bubble around them that kept the sand from penetrating.

  “No need for us to get grit in our eyes,” said Tess. “Just stay close to me.”

  It only took them a couple of minutes to reach the compound. Luke was half expecting it to be destroyed or abandoned. He contained his relief as the two of them approached, seeing that the gates were still intact, and the walls still held.