So anyway, as I was saying… or was it doing? It doesn’t matter really all you need to know is ‘this guy are sick’ and needs purifying through my meaty fists here. I gave the guy a swift kick to the shin, and he crumbles like a sack of tatoes. As per my luck, I got into it with another idiot who after eight years still hasn’t figured out how best to improve through the system.

  “What’s the point of accepting a limitless power scaling tool, if the best you can do with it is threaten me with is an enjoyable time, and conjuring a little baby fire popping out the end of a stick? For someone that is Hankae, I think it's quite possible that you might be one of the weakest Brannmann I've ever had the displeasure of scrapping with” I said.

  The person replied whilst letting out a quiet sob. “You’re that non-sent ain’t you? You don’t have anything special about you at all, but here I am black and blue on the floor!” said the bandit, if only I hadn’t heard that for the hundredth time already, I thought in my head.

  “Well now you know! Don’t judge a book by his cover, but more importantly, don’t be a very naughty boy and break the law” I said, increasing the volume of my voice. Standing tall, left hand on my waist, and holding out my right arm fully. I pointed, using my index finger straight at the bandit and shouted, “I’ve got nothing to say, but doing this seems fitting!”

  Wardi, having already finished off his solo performance ‘Fantastic feats and how to slice them’ he calls it. Watched my usual victory fanfare and tried to hold back a smile, how can anyone not appreciate these moves, I’ve got style and substance, maybe a slight sprinkling of dramatic flair.

  Rhua and Horace have their own variant, the high five jive. They link arms, jig in a circle, then high five at the end. Simple AND effective what more could you want, though Rhua absolutely hates it, and her face always says, ‘Kill me now.’ Wardi will join that collective one day let’s face it.

  “Well troops, that’s another group of idiots taken down by the dream team” he said.

  “It’s been a while…SINCE WE’VE HAD…a clash with … SENTIENTS…and not a bunch of nasty critters” Horace piped.

  Horace the poor bugger, had a nasty bout with himself and fried his noggin whilst trying out a new ranged weapon he developed called an ‘Unhappy Deal’ a highly fermented non-lethal food-based projectile -combining his alchemy and culinary skills through the system into a munition. Unfortunately, he didn’t think “Maybe, I should do this thing outside”? and set it off indoors.

  He’s fine overall, just unable to go through a normal conversation anymore, the rollercoaster ride of his soft speaking and operatic shouting at the peak scares away most you see. A medicae we spoke to once called it “Self-inflicted Choral Tourette Implementation Condition” or “Sic-Tic’s” as we jokingly call it.

  Wardi scanned the area, just to be sure nothing else wanted to have a try at us. “Rare for bandits to even be in the Gilia region” his face turning into a slight look of concern. “Particularly when there’s nothing of worth unless you focused on the darkened side of the system pathways” Rhua quickly followed on with.

  I nodded despite having no idea what I just agreed with. “It’s not too uncommon for a foraging request to send us this way, it’s one of the few places Mushay can thrive after all. What with it being the designated burial spot virtually all the races on Maliterr use, it's a nutrient hotspot.” Wardi continued saying. “You could say…THIS PLACE…is for …FUNGOIZ’S” Horace interjected causing us all to laugh at that little piece of comedy gold.

  In the middle of all the laughing Wardi tried his best to rally us, “Let’s hee-hee! Pull ourselves together troops.” Wardi is always the first to try to keep things ticking over, but it’s hard to take him serious when he’s still keeled over chuckling to himself.

  “Ok, that’s enough excitement for one day.” Rhua said, pinching her arm snapping back to her normal self. I pulled out the request poster ‘Collect one hundred Mushay, 10000 HFC reward – Brewmeister Barry’. “Do we really need to gather a hundred of those things, It’s usually around six maybe seven right? What is Barry up to; nobody needs this so many damn Mushay!” I said to my fellow party people with a sharp tone.

  “This is the sixth time we’ve done this now right? I’ll make a note of it in the system journal” Rhua says, then begins staring off into the distance whilst her arms and hands move around as if they are independent from her body. The other two did the same for a moment.

  “Not, bad. We’ll be level 21 soon.” Said Wardi. “HECK yeah!” piped Horace.

  I’ve said it before, but that’s going to be fatal for someone if it already hasn’t been. Just because you can still hear what’s happening around you doesn’t mean anything against users with stealth focused abilities. A familiar thought that I won’t say aloud because it wouldn’t be the first time. I began Imitating stabbing motions mid-air aiming at Rhua’s direction because she was taking forever. Wardi and Horace smile and nod in understanding, it’s not the first time they’ve seen this little spot of showmanship, I often perform it when it’s Rhua, she picks the most convenient times for hypothetical assassination attempts.

  We split the gathering duty equally, and it takes us no more than few ticks to collect all one hundred Mushay. “Well, looks like we’re all done here, want to do the honours as usual dear?” Wardi says looking in my direction. “Certainly hun.” I reply with.

  Now, with everything you’ve read so far, you’re probably thinking ‘They’re going perform some sort of spell to just teleport and save us several pages of filler dialogue right’? No. The port and go network has been out of action since Colossi – Bompeeoh rebelled in protest. Castle Un Nom Générique and it’s illiterate and dumb soldiers went and disconnected the Pyrocell battery powering his outdoor cooking stove, not thinking perhaps a bunch of cooking equipment bigger than most houses may NOT be a clever idea.

  Bompeeyo walked through a fair few kilometres of energy pylons, which formerly powered the Okaasan shard that allowed teleportation between the major cities. Protesting in a terribly angry manner that I’m told “could be heard all the way to Castle Schloss seventy-seven km or so apart.”

  “Touch my stove again and I’ll chin you AND your mum King Blau!” I’m sure that would have been a remarkable sight, watching the poor bugger wet his pants at the thought of instant death. I know I said the colossi can end us but don’t, it’s usually because nobody does anything to cause upset to them in the first place it’s a win-win situation! I’m getting off track a little, it’s just so exciting being able to tell someone stuff I get all loopy.

  Anyway, due to the Trades act of circa 2042; ‘All work and repairs are to be carried out by the original party, parties or manufacturers without exception, and through the original method of delivery’. Due to budget constraints, Okaasan Inc couldn’t afford professional electricians who would have dug the cabling underground.

  Instead, they used interns from legal and race relations departments to connect the network originally, who connected the entire network above ground open to the elements, villains … and upset Colossi of course. And so, it’s been out of action since forty-six. It’s funny because you did not ask for that information in the slightest. Hawkestown is our destination, and we always avoid the cities, so the network story was just a bit of filler to keep you entertained in the end!

  Ok I’m sorry about that, this next bit will be cool though. I pull out a slingshot from my carry bag, this isn’t just any slingshot though…THIS is a G&S slingshot. An enchanted slingshot that grow’s to fit more humanoid sized bullets or passengers in our case.

  It’s much a much more fun way to traverse the new world. The slingshot embeds itself into the ground and Wardi gets into position first, followed by Horace and then Rhua. I get into my position next to Wardi, and the sling begins drawing itself back. Once it’s locked onto the target destination, a voice from the device tells us to say the release command when ready.

  “Don’t you bloody play it” Rhua barks at the three of us angrily. Rules are rules, you can’t stop a power like this, and I say “ready.” the device counts down, ten, nine, eight. Nodding to Horace and Wardi. “Without a further ado, G&S would like to welcome you on board with some in-flight entertainment sing along if you know the words” I said in a nasally voice.

  We hear the final seconds, three, two, and we’re launched up high in the sky and the mega music box I pulled out and activated from my travel bag erupts into a booming symphony with instruments from a faraway land.

  SORAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  We’re hand in hand, traversing the land.

  On adventures we, shall goooo oh-oh!

  Our two worlds collide, lost in a fire, never to return. But the gods they came for us. To right a wrong and fix the unjust. So, let’s show them what we, got-got-got!

  SORAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  The story’s never over, there’s love here like no other.

  United! We stand!

  United! We stand!

  You and me, my friends!

  …I forgot to mention before take-off, G&S slingshots come sold with a matching G&S landing pad, ‘if it ain’t a G&S landing pad, you’re probably already dead.’

  I love G&S, but I can feel you itching to get the scoop and what’s going on. I set up the pad before we travelled, obviously you’ve figured this out by now, right? The location was set for the roof of Barry’s shop building ‘A bottle or two LTD’ if we’re going to take a multi-day journey, we may as well return the fastest feasible way coming back, so why not here.

  Rhua, now that we have landed. Gives me a look to say, ‘One day son, I’m going to cut you. You and all your future children, then I’ll go back in time, and take out your entire family tree’ I’m still holding off on asking her if my guess is accurate, I thought I’d wait until we have an extra special occasion; one in which she specifically is less heavily armed.

  “Let’s just get these damn Mushay to Barry already.” Rhua says after she averts her piercing gaze back to the foraging bags Wardi has stacked up next to the storefront. “Be fine where they are pet, I know you lot well” Short and mighty, stout yet with a cheeky vitality and mohawk capable of plucking an eye out without warning. Meet Barry ‘Brewmeister’ Bernard, ranked number one on the list of Maliterr’s nuttiest bastard awards. At least to me he is, and you would think so too.

  Baroness Areya of Coch Manor decided it was her right to expand the Manor reach into the neighbouring lands. Most towns decided it’s easier to just shut up and play along, but trying to force that on Hawkestown… well let’s just say Barry took it upon himself to make a point by turning into a biological wrecking ball and demolishing the entire western portion of her manor using some exceptionally potent potions he had been saving for a special occasion.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The smell beforehand was bad enough: Farm-like, with a hint of cheese that had been growing between one’s toes. But you’d think he would have tried cleaning the bottle out after he finished with his solo rampage. The shop stank for days; and he did too.

  “Hiya Barry, how are you doing mate? Wardi says with professional yet casual undertones in his voice.

  “Aye, pretty good thanks for asking pet, you’re back in one piece so I can assume you’re doing alreet ya self mun heh-heh” Barry chuckles to himself. “I’m glad ya here, head down to the basement though… there’s a little summit ya need hearing. and it ain’t pretty.” he says still smiling the entire time. See! I said he was a nutter didn’t I.

  “I hav-ta admit, I hav-given yaz a bit of a lengthy and pointless request, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I wanted to, but something’s been amiss for a while up on them plains, and I had a suspicion when Mushay started growing more frequently than they should be. Wardi normally keeps a calm and cool persona, but even he is showing signs of frustration, the others meanwhile are fully engaged, mostly out of fear, me on the other hand, know all the tricks to keep little stouty cool as ice.

  Barry continues his relentless speech “You know these Fungoiz only release reproductive spores when the root meets a particular stone called Vechisia in the ground.” Horace of course, knows that. Since he’s done a little training under me but the rest of you probably aren’t familiar. “This stuff is rare, kinda thing we av big clashes over when it’s found…Mushay shouldn’t be popping up as fast they are ya hear me?”

  And as ya all know, most of the materials or mats as we call em these days, that adventurers like yourselves go out seeking from: treasure chests, gathering or through having a fight with the local wildlife. They’re one time use for specific disciplines… but how often do you come across a mat, which has purpose across multiple disciplines?

  “When you mention it…” Rhua chimes in a hurrying manner before the word vomit continues.

  “Moithril sort of can do this but only within a smithing and construction discipline, but Vechisia, that stuff makes moithril look tame” said Barry, who quickly kept talking slowly putting all but Horace towards naptime. “As I said earlier, the stuff triggers the spores to be release, that’s been the info known globally, but you see, I’ve learned through my own little experimentation there’s a hell of a lot more to this stuff… you remember my little day trip to Castle Coch?”

  “WHO DOESN’T!” Horace sings aloud like a one-man choir” Barry laughs for a moment or two then returns to word raiding. “Most-ohya know in the starting weeks leading up to the big events, enhancing potions are pretty in demand and sell fast.” “It’s the difference tween life and death in long drawn-oot fights with tough enemies, and you can’t just take them freely, tis why all the alchemists operate one per person house rules, tha ingredients to overcome limits, cause short term toxicity and tis also why tha system will pop up an warn users if you attempt to drink more than one.” Barry continued barraging us with words frying our brains.

  Never warns me though! Thinking aloud through my actions as I fake wiping a tear from my eyes, pretending to be suffering from a severe lack of love.

  “I had been working on a new debuff potion, like our Horace’s non-lethal weaponry” Barry said. “Figured there’s definitely a market fa something mad like this, so I experimented by making a non-lethal itching potion as me first project, but low and behold Horace had mixed up my ingredient draws and instead I managed to make something unfamiliar, it shifted colours of its own accord.” Barry said with a cheeky grin on his face finishing his talking.

  We all suddenly had the same thought of “shifting colours”!? looking at each other with concern. “Aye” Barry said, always returning to a distinctive iridescent Amber colour though” Barry said whilst used his ascertain art to identify what he added and conjured the list in the air for us all to see:

  *One vial of Draig blood, heated to 500c, stirred not shaken.

  Three elder ent lumber, taken before autumnal senescence.

  Three pairs of LocoLoco feet sourced ethically.

  Nanna’s twinned needles – used with love.

  Seven Autom hearts maintained at -44c.

  Vechisia stone. *

  Rhua couldn’t help but speak out “Hey, each of those are the primary ingredient for the highest possible potions in their class, right? Draig blood for strength, Ent lumbers for wisdom, LocoLoco feet for agility, twin needles for dexterity and Autom Hearts for Vitality”

  Barry replied, “That they are.”

  “Then what did the Vechisia do exactly? Rhua replied with.

  “Something I daren’t think would be possible” he said to her, his tone turning more worrying by the second. “It’s what allowed me to do what I did with Coch manor … no way could I have, without taking super hard to make potions like that…the Vechisia stone seemed to function as an adaptogen.”

  “Adapo-what?” Wardi said with his raised brow.

  “It’s summat tha I thought up, it responds to what you need.” He said to us continuing his repeated verbal attacks.

  “It amplified the intended effects each ingredient specialises in - I should be dead by all counts, but! The amplification sent me whole being into overdrive! Tore the front gate off with my bare hands! And then the idea popped into my head…run fast, then curl into a ball aiming at the walls and I found myself ricochet-ing around completely unharmed!” Barry’s smile was so menacing after saying that, he was beyond proud to kick Areya down a peg or two.

  Edge Lord is the only sentient known to have even done any damage to that damn manor and he was fully enhanced when he struck it, I thought to myself.

  “Queen Areya used her infamous dead shot ability when I stopped to appreciate the work I did. Her conjured arrow was bigger and wider than me, and I watched the whole thing in slow motion as the speed effects really kicked in.” Barry stretched upwards before continuing. “The arrow hit me between the eyes and there wasn’t a mark on me.”

  “Ok well this sounds like it could be the recipe for disaster if anyone thinks to use in a more nefarious way.” I said aloud, trying to sound comical as I do. But having heard what I just heard, I don’t think I can hide it at all. Remember when I just wanted normality in my life? I sighed out my thought.

  “Well, this is definitely not how I saw my day unfolding” Wardi says holding his hand over his eyes.

  “Something or someone has been stock piling Vechisia stones on the plains Barry says. “Whatever the intentions, it needs resolving, so I’ll set out a request, with a heck of a big reward for finishing it.”

  “No way” Wardi interjected. “I’m not having any part of this one, and neither will the rest of you. We’re good at what we do, small requests here and there, maybe even something related to a dungeon if we feel up to or partaking in being a runner for a chasm if one pops. But from what im hearing here, is we could be getting ourselves thrown into a murky bottomless pit.” He said concerned for us.

  “Calm down Wardi, you’re getting worked up and that’s not like you, if you start freaking out then what the hell are we going to do you’re the glue of the group!” said Rhua.

  “She’s half right, you’re not the glue, more like the fire that’s melting it this evening, it’s not like you to be this worked up.” I said to him, placing my hand on his shoulder firmly. “Look, this is clearly bothering you, so how about this, if we can gather more to this already fun sized party, we perk and enhance ourselves, gear up better than we ever intended to, then maybe, we can consider taking on some requests that we normally wouldn’t dare to?” I looked at him smiling before continuing, though he still had his hands hiding his face.

  “Besides, we’ve always talked about trying a Chasm without being a runner, the stuff we could obtain would boost us bigtime, we may even get ourselves boosted up the sentient rankings or however that stuff works.” I said I’m lying of course, it’s just easier to play dumb with sort of thing I’m not on it, I’m probably last!

  It's been a short while since I explained about how things work around these parts… oops! Well, it’s time for further introductions me thinks. As I try to begin speaking about the system, an overwhelming force takes over my body. Unlike the speech curse, this one feels different. I find myself stumbling backwards, losing all feeling and sense of control as I’m rushed by my party members who are trying to aid me in my sudden seizure, my vision splitting in two.

  My friends are aiding me in my left field of vision. The right? I see Serilia and the major gods, there are minor ones in the chamber, so near, yet so far at the same time. Yet I hear everything…I’ve not once encountered anything like this, nor have I ever heard whispers or talk of such a thing either.

  At the round table – The spectator relished.

  There is a bright room, filled with crystals and figures. The seven of dawn, gathered around a large dark wooden table. The sermon of the dawn is singing aloud:

  “Serilia, almighty and most graceful of all. First of the gods and head of the table.

  Eria the logic, second of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood for the races to conjure.

  Iwan the Gaia, third of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood for the crops to grow.

  Chanag the Aqua, fourth of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood to let water flow.

  Aricaer the Ignis, fifth of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood to govern the forge.

  Nellah the Gale, sixth of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood to move the skies.

  Tyrokun the keeper, seventh of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood to maintain the writings.

  The figures in the room cry out in union, the sermon has been the same since the beginning, of all that has, was and ever will be. “You must now witness your return in motion youngling” A voice in my mind spoke softly.

  “The incident should not have occurred! boomed Serilia causing the attendees much hurt as they dropped to the floor by her voice alone. “A failure on the CCTV has led to the cardinal rule breaking!” In an instant, all including the fellow gods at the table fell to their knees in agony as she let out a flash of pure white light from her eyes.

  A young god in training or G.I.T as the dawn have named them so, piped up, “Almighty one, please, forgive me, it was but a moment that I did not have attention, my utmost attention to the happening!” He sobbed aloud. Another white flash and the room filled with cries, cries that were shaking the realm in pain. “Silence you WORTHLESS CRETIN.” “DO NOT SPEAK, I SHALL SAY WHEN YOU SPEAK.” She barked at the youngling god.

  The room is becoming further away suddenly, and my vision turns black. Suddenly I am there again, running and looking back at scenes of the seven, who are unleashing vicious attacks to the attendees. “I don’t understand!” “You must keep watching youngling.” The voice in my head says and more scenes upon scenes appear, they must be occurring through different meetings I thought.

  I hear the speaking again eventually, yet it seems it is a later date and time. There are even more attendees in this meeting. I see one that seems to be smiling… a smile that is piercing me and sending chills. Serilia began speaking again “Maliterr has formed, and the peoples will be reborn anew, let what happened be a lesson to the importance of the CCTV, I do not wish for another occasion like it to ever happen again.” she says with a cold tone, one that says, “If you fail me death will be swift.”

  Her face lights up literally, the room in turn, suddenly feels on a high. “One of her many powers the voice whispers to me, do not fall for it.”

  The figure, smiling with a dash of danger proceeds forward “Serilia your divine almightiness, wouldn’t it be great to add unfamiliar ideas in the mix? I had an idea for a feature, a rather bold one in fact. perhaps you would like to hear about it?” leaving no time for a response and simply continued to talk to her. “I had this idea, in which we generate little areas. Randomly in their formations, some are to be filled with slayable monsters, maybe others require carrying out a set of duties to clear, perhaps one of these areas, contains a lone foe, one that is unlike any other, requiring a combined effort with many users all partaking to successfully obtain a reward.” they continued speaking “Of course, we could automate when and where such a thing could happen for, we are, the masters of all are we not?” the figure said.

  “Well, I don’t see why we can’t. but don’t make anything too over the top Phahl, GR is furious still over the state of the world merger, never in all their existence has something so obscene occurred.” Bellowed Serilia Phahl responded “Of course divine one, I would never dare to include something that would be fatal.”

  Serilia replied to him after a short pause “Well, done, Phahl, for a G.I.T consider me impressed by such a fine display of forward thinking, I’ll allow this, but if I find its causing issues for my precious little ones when they’re brought back, I’ll take it right away.”

  “We mere younglings, sing your praise dear Serilia” Phahl replied. He quickly vanishes to a dark room with nothing of note around except a small stone stage which he stood upon. A dim candle began illuminating his area. I am in the body of a robed figure, surrounded by others like me and bowing in his presence. “Phahl returns unto us, glory be to Kaiser, glory be to KAISER!” They chant. “Let the games begin comrades! he shouts to them.

  “Go forth, let the darkness entwine you fate denier” the voice spoke.