End Online: Volume 5 (26 page)

‘So there are players of all types. Come to think of it, my
character is going to be in here for a month according to the system notice I
got. Perhaps I should play the victimized inmate for a while too,’
I heartily think to myself while a prison guard outside shouts
at the troublemakers.

When I hear him threaten to extend their incarceration times, I
suddenly decide not to do the role play.

I log out for the time being and speak with Verde and Sir
Laurence over the phone. Verde is incredibly pleased that I managed to kill
Mason and they both find my imprisonment to be greatly amusing.

I also speak with Mason while offline for a while. He is
extremely frustrated that I managed to kill him with my final desperate
attempt, but he considers himself to have won since I’ll be in prison for the
rest of the war.

A couple of days later, I am sitting in the prison with Fen
eating a very luxurious meat and vegetable stew I cooked up while watching a
report on the TV of the current war situation. I turn my attention away to shout
at all the inmates who are complaining about the intoxicating smell of my food
and not having any themselves. Even the prison guard is standing outside the
prison door, staring through the grates at my food while salivating. My potions
may taste like Armageddon, but my cooking is excellent.

Forcing my attention away from the outside interference, I look
at the current war report on the screen presented by a male and a female in a
medieval looking newsroom. A bird’s eye view of Grenton is projected behind
them where several trails of smoke can be seen coming from the city.

“ShiningGary, I thought you said Grenton, the capital of Forste,
would not fall to the combined assault of Glace and Dalbe? Care to comment?”

“Yes, LyatLover, that was the original situation. Glace did not
have the numbers or force necessary to break through while Dalbe’s playerbase
has an average player-level far below the other kingdoms. Additionally, Grenton
only has two choke points to defend from attack. The city is otherwise surrounded
by a forest that players can’t navigate.”

“But the forces of the two kingdoms did get in, ShiningGary.
Doesn’t that mean you were wrong?”

I can practically see the veins throbbing in their heads as the
two presenters butt heads. I don’t know them at all, but I can tell there is
probably some old grudge between them.

“The situation changed, LyatLover, just like I said. First, do
you know of the famous party of players led by Lost?”

“Of course, who hasn’t seen the videos with them in it? They
have travelled all over the continent, even to some strange new continent in
the south sea. What about them?”

“A good friend of mine from Grenton told me the news that only a
few days ago. Four of the party members from Glace broke into the city through
unknown means. They started a brawl that lasted just under an hour and caused a
massive uproar.”

“I don’t see how that could change the situation. One person
can’t affect an entire war and change the outcome.”

“Actually, the uproar caused many players to abandon their posts
on the wall to rush over and have a look. The weakened defense allowed both the
forces of Dalbe and Glace to break through the city gates and invade the city.
That was the fall of Grenton and the Forste Kingdom. The kingdom that was in
the best position to win suddenly fell due to the actions of a small group.”

“Incredible! I can’t believe that one group of people could do
so much! I wish I could have seen it.”

“One of the people actually recorded and uploaded the entire
thing. Just search Lost vs Grenton on the End Forums and you can find it.”

“I will look it up as soon as I get home. What happened in the
end?”

“He got imprisoned in Grenton for the crime of arson dating back
several months. There is currently a large procession of players from all three
kingdoms swarming around the prison in hopes of being able to see him.”

That last sentence instantly gives me a headache. They show the
image of a massive throng of people around the prison that I am most certainly
within. They also predict that now that Grenton has fallen, it is only a matter
of time before Iceridge falls as well.

Not worrying about it anymore, I log off to focus on researching
the information necessary and getting my books and equipment ready for
university next year.

***************************************************

The month that my character was imprisoned in Grenton eventually
came to an end. Just as everyone had predicted, Icebreak was the second kingdom
to fall. The players of Glace put up a good fight against those who weren’t used
to fighting in the snow, but the sheer overwhelming numbers eventually won.

The most surprising part was the message that every player
received after the war finished:

The message caused a massive uproar throughout the internet. The
ability to become a new race was like a bombshell to the gaming community.

I, on the other hand, have my own problems to work out. The
massive crowd of players around my prison know when I am going to be released
and return vigilant after an entire week of waiting for me. I end up waiting an
additional two weeks before bursting out of the prison with Fen after the crowd
dies down. We catch them by surprise, but it still takes us several hours to
completely lose them despite our advantage in speed.

After leaving Grenton, Fen and I head into Eldenweiss Forest.
Our destination is the abandoned elf village where Verde, Sir Laurence, Mason,
Matrix, and even CaptainGordon are waiting. As it turns out, CaptainGordon’s
ship was left at the southern continent when he teleported back, so he is
currently a pirate without a ship.

“Lost!” Sir Laurence calls out excitably as soon as I arrive.
“You would never guess it, but Verde will be attending the same university as
the both of us!”

Verde’s inability to keep a goofy smile off her face causes me
to laugh. The others simply look at the three of us curiously, wondering what
we have been keeping to ourselves.

“That is excellent!” I respond, tuning in with the cheerful
atmosphere we’re creating.

“Mason! Matrix!” I shout in shock upon finally noticing that the
two have more acute facial features, with longer hair and the pointy ears of
the elves.

Mason responds while clapping me on the back, “Yeah, while you
were wrinkling away in the dungeon, Matrix and I visited the elven village and
exchanged our ‘Compact Soul Gems’ to become elves. The benefits are great.
Level twice as fast but stats grow twice as slow. This doesn’t even matter
because we levelled our stats up as humans up until now. The bonuses to the bow
and swordplay are well worth it!”

“You didn’t consider wanting to become any of the six new
races?”

“Nope, it’s an elf’s life for me.”

“So, does anyone know what the new races are yet?”

“Yeah, the posts have been up on the internet for quite a while.
Each realm has three or four corresponding settlements players can teleport to.
Each settlement usually has a different variant of that race, so it is up to
the player to decide which to become. The six new realms are the Devil Realm,
Diva Realm, Beast Realm, Aquillan Realm, Arctic Realm, and Pixie Realm. Each
variant of each race has their ups and downs, so look them up before you decide.”

“Actually, I have something else in mind.”

“Really, what?”

“How about you all follow me and see first hand?”

Everyone agrees, but I maintain the mystery as we head east and
south. Verde and Sir Laurence’s expressions darken the further we get. A few
days later we arrive at a towering mountain range.

“Lost, this isn’t what I think it is, is it?” The prince asks
gloomily, not wanting to be anywhere near this location.

Mason, Matrix and CaptainGordon are completely in the dark in
regard to why we are here.

Climbing the mountain range, I lead the party to a familiar cave
on the back of one particular mountain.

“Grael!” I shout out, my voice echoing down the cavern and
causing everyone in the party to become alarmed.

I hear footsteps coming from further in and wait patiently. Sure
enough, the figure of a man in tight leather clothing with long, black hair and
royal purple pupils appears in front of us. His expression is extremely
displeased, as if he has just awoken from my shout.

“How dare you disturb my rest. What do you want, servant?”

“I have brought a ‘Compact Soul Gem’ as you requested.”

Grael’s expression instantly turns into one of pleasure as he
gestures for us to follow him into his lair. Inside the massive open cavern,
the afternoon sun shines down through the missing cap of the mountain. Grael
takes my ‘Compact Soul Gem’ and heads off into one of the side passages.

‘If I recall, that is the cavern to his treasury. Wait, what’s
that?!’
I notice a complicated magic circle
about three meters in diameter painted onto the stone floor at one side of the
cavern.

I did a little research on the new realms on the internet while
my character was in prison, and that is the magic circle to teleport to the
other realms. Before I can think anything else, a message appears in front of
me.

Along with the message, my appearance starts to change and my
whole body feels hot. Draconic scales grow and armor the backs of my hands and
arms, the sides of my neck, and a little on my jaw. My legs also develop
similar scale armor on my thighs and shins.

Perhaps it is due to my ‘White Warrior’ class skill, but all the
scales on my body are pure white, glistening like silver unlike Grael’s
obsidian scales.

Everyone stares at me in astonishment, and Verde withdraws a
hand mirror from her inventory and shows me that my eyes have become royal
purple with reptilian slits for pupils. I can’t deny that the they are exactly
like Grael’s.

The dragon in human form returns shortly after, a satisfied expression
on his face while nodding to himself. “Good, now I have my first official
servant.”

“What!? Then why have you been claiming I was your servant
before?” I gape at the dragon who is completely self conceited.

“What nonsense, you were already my servant.  We have now
completed all the formalities and it’s official.”

The others laugh at me which Grael ignores, but I really want to
attack him right now. The only problem is my chance of victory is zero. Grael
and I go over the plan to acquire the six other stone tablets, including
everyone else from the party so they know everything as well. Apparently there
will be some big reward for everyone if we acquire the tablets so they are more
than happy to search for them across the realms. More than anything, it is an
adventure for all of us to do.

Grael further gloats about the teleportation circle he prepared
in advance to force me into the other realms if I had refused to go or tried to
escape. After explaining everything, the arrogant dragon returns to one of his
caverns to sleep, leaving us milling around the magic circle.

“So, where should we go first?” I ask the others while feeling
lost for directions.

Verde is surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject and
jubilantly declares, “I haven’t gotten to choose my race yet! Let’s go to the
Beast Realm, Kano City. I want the agility, stealth abilities and ears of the
Nekomata Beast Race.”