March to Dead Chapel
#2 of Aspire
Jhoni's shop was very easy to locate. A crowd of Vindicators blocked the view for most, and even when Calder and Mary got close they threatened them and refused to move. Calder knew the rules by heart though, they couldn't actually attack unless he agreed, so he simply pushed through. Jhoni was sitting at a wooden stall, resting her head on his arms, "I told you, I don't sell to Vindicators..."
"We have this slip, we were told to come to you." Calder handed over the slip.
Jhoni snatched it up (a lot less dramatic in a game world), "Wow... I didn't think... I owed her a lot of money, and this will call off the debt? What did you tell her?"
"I plan on taking down the Giant Knight in Dead Chapel. Can you help us out?"
Mary looked around, "Yeah, I want to look pretty during our suicide attempt."
Jhoni nodded, "Hey, I wish you all the best. If you get that thing killed, a lot is going to change around here. I don't have a lot, but I have some stuff you could use." There was no shopping menu, rather just tiny messages in Calder's sight that showed him receiving things. He got a slightly better spear and some potions, while Mary received upgraded armor, a weak fire whip, and some potions. The only difference in her armor was the color, a transition from brown strips to black, "Rumor has it that the ankles are weak on that monster up there, but that hasn't helped anyone so far."
Calder nodded, "Thanks. I don't know if we can do it, but it's worth a try. Keep your head up, alright?"
The two pushed their way through the crowd, ignoring the shouting and insults, "You're sure about this? I would like to stay alive you know..."
Calder nodded, "Hey, I'm already dead, so what's the worst thing that could happen?" Mary wasn't satisfied, "Alright, let's at least go see this thing for ourselves, then decide what to do."
Leaving the relative comfort of the city left the two with a strange sensation, almost like dread. They could die at any moment, a single ambush could mean the end of their journey, and the world felt like letting them know, "Keep your eyes open and your weapon ready."
Mary nodded, "Same for you tank."
Dead Chapel was a ways off, but seeing as there wasn't much reason to travel, not many strayed too far from the city. Just a few fighters in basic equipment killing common monsters and picking up every piece of junk they could just so they could afford food. Calder and Mary tried to avoid the weaker monsters, making it easier on those who were literally fighting for their life.
The trees got thicker, "Hey... does something seem a bit off?"
Mary shrugged, "Not that I can tell."
Calder wasn't sure, it felt as though someone was watching. Before he could indulge in his paranoia goblins appeared, the same ones as before, "I knew it, something isn't right. Soften them up and I'll take them out, just like before." Since they had leveled up a little, the goblins went down much faster, but the experience was much more than before, "This is really strange..."
Mary was happy and scared at the same time, "I know, but I'm not going to complain too much. This fire whip is murdering these things! Let's grind a bit, a few extra levels never hurt anyone, right?"
Calder didn't have any logical retort, and seeing as how the Giant Knight was supposedly a super high level, a few more skills and health boosts were just what he needed, "Fine, but make sure to pick up whatever loot these things drop. I'd rather be comfortable with money."
Off the two fighters went, slaying countless goblins. It took hours, but they had both leveled up significantly. Calder himself unlocked a new attack and some buffs, while Mary was very thrilled about her new attacks, "Hey, what's that over there? Near the mountain..."
A man in robes, a wizard of some sort. Form his guild tag, he was clearly a Vindicator, a Vindicator blocking the path to Dead Chapel, "I should have known they wouldn't make it that easy to get there..." Calder and Mary approached the man, "Move out of the way."
"Ha! I think not. Don't you know? Big ol' monster hiding in the pass, noobs like you keep trying to fight it. I'm here to keep you safe. See?" He charged a ball of fire and shot it at a stray goblin, "Now run along and play safe."
"We aren't playing around. Move out of the way."
The wizard chuckled to himself, "Balsy, aren't you? Well that's fine. If you want to get by so bad, you'll have to get through me. I wouldn't mind selling that armor of yours..." A message popped up in Calder's vision, he was asking to fight.
"Mary, you don't have to participate if you don't want to."
She smirked, "Oh please, brats like this need to learn a lesson."
"Fine then, let's go!" Calder accepted, "Burst Strike!" He held his spear in front of him and his body was rocketed forward, directly into the wizard.
Calder set his feet, "Four Lashes!" Mary's whip flailed and struck the wizard four times, each time a color tint overtook his body, "Now! Don't let up!"
There was a moment of pity as Calder used his attacks to finish off the man. He was just like them at the beginning, lost, confused, and left only with the knowledge that their body was dead. Now he was hurting others for some sort of complicated plan, this erased that pity. He begged for mercy as he was unable to get off a single attack, but Calder didn't let up.
"Woah, that was kinda cold Calder..."
He looked around, "See that? Behind that tree?" Mary had to crane her neck a bit, "He killed a lot of people here, by choice. If we let him go, he would most likely do it again. Come on, let's get up the hill."
The two marched up the steep hill in silence. Calder reflected on his decision, and though he wouldn't admit it, the last thing he wanted to do was kill someone. No matter how evil, the Vindicators may have a reason for boxing people in this little area. Perhaps there is a war, more violent guilds attacking the innocent, something. Unless something would change his perception, he didn't want to have to kill another.
Dead Chapel was surrounded by a dead forest, all sorts of creepy, but weak, monsters were lurking about. Calder and Mary didn't have any trouble dispatching them, but with each fight the tension grew. Could they really take down the Giant Knight? Or was it just a suicidal attempt like the Vindicators kept telling them? The only way to find out was to press forward.
When they did get inside Dead Chapel, the lack of monsters and plethora of item bags was a bit disturbing, "Hey... those used to be people..."
Calder knew it at first sight, but he didn't want to be the one to say it out loud. Dead bodies that dropped everything they had. People given a second chance at life only to be cut down immediately, "Look through them, see what we can use or sell later."
They kept their guards up, but methodically went through the bags. Mary did find some better armor and a bracer she could use, in addition to a couple of whips, while Calder found a better spear and potions. Both of them took everything they could though, just because these people died didn't mean they had to as well.
At the end of the hall stood a massive double door, the same gray stone that made up the entire building, "I don't hear anything on the other side, should we open it?"
Calder nodded and cautiously pushed open a single door, peaking around to make sure the Giant Knight wasn't in waiting, "It's clear I think..."
"Ever the cautious one, a rare trait in this world Calder." As soon as the two entered the small room, a familiar voice echoed out, "I am pleased that you chose this route." The man in black, still with his white mask.
This time, the spot for his name and the brackets containing the guild name could be seen, but there was a problem, "You don't... have a name?"
"I do, you simply aren't powerful enough to see it yet. I see you've made a friend, though she doesn't look like she'll be much help. Far too afraid of the ordeal ahead."
"Pretty brave! Why don't you come down off that column so I can teach you some manners!"
He chuckled, "My dear, you should know better by now. Level has little meaning in this world, but those sharing my level can easily destroy you before you let off a single attack. I could enchant your armor to drain your health at a rapid rate, so fast in fact that you wouldn't be able to remove it in time."
Calder was too tense to make light of the situation, "Who are you really?"
The masked man was silent, "Tell me Calder... had you seen the children in this world?"
Like the leader of the Weaver's Guild, many children characters existed, "Yes, but that didn't-"
"There is a line of code in this game that cannot be altered, it's called the Second Chance Protocol. It's the longest piece of code in this game, making it a programmer's nightmare, but it exists because for many, death is not permanent. When you die, or get killed most likely, the code processes what you've done, good and bad, and determines if you get a second chance. If you do, you are placed into another server with no memories of the game, essentially starting from scratch."
Calder and Mary exchanged a glance, "So... killing that jerk wasn't as bad as we thought?" Mary was obviously perturbed by that as well.
"Too many children have popped up in this world, and others as well. Story time kiddies.
There was a server, one of the first, but I get ahead of myself. Everything was going well, nobody was starving, the community worked together, you could say it was a utopia. However, all good things come to an end. Greed took over some of the players, and that led to the fall of the largest city in that world. Thousands died in a single day. From that point on, the noble warriors tried to take back the city, and at one point, they nearly succeeded, but another wave came and wiped them out. City after city fell, those who rejected crime quickly participated. Some sold their own bodies just to make ends meet, others killed their friends and family for some spending coin.
We ended up entering the server and wiping it clean. In an instant, countless lives were thrown away simply because of that snowball effect started by the few. Since then, we've bounced across servers, taking an oath to stop that from ever happening again. We cannot directly participate in killing the responsible parties though, so we each choose a champion. I chose you Calder, you were the only one I believed to have the drive, the spirit, and the morality to protect this world."
Calder was dumbstruck. He wasn't anything special, and it was clear that many more had the drive to protect the world, "Uh..."
"A lot to take in, I know. Trust that I trust you. The potential you have inside is great enough to influence every person on this server, and I hope that you will. We do not wish to eliminate an entire server again Calder." He paused, "Bring me the material the Giant Knight drops, and I will make you a shield beyond imagination, one that may very well be your symbol as a savior."
Mary grabbed Calder's arm, "Calder... I... I... I can't fight with you... I'm too afraid of dying..."
"I'm already dead, remember? So... is there any truth to that rumor that the ankles hold a weakness?" He was forgetting to ask why this man hadn't tried to kill the knight himself.
"Hit them hard enough, and like any person, they will fall. Keep your shield up."