Coal: Guys.... Where is Foxbold?
Eric: That's what I was going to ask.
Ishi: Ruby you stayed here do you know what happened?
Ruby: I was just here chilling and then a countdown started. First you and Eric left, then Shawn and Coal. Lastly, Deekin and Niko left. Foxbold said he had somewhere he had to be. He hasn't come back since.
Shawn: This whole situation is.... I have no words.
Niko: Want to add something, Deekin? You usually always have a comment about something, and you can see countdowns and numbers right?
DDDeekin: Can see the countdown. This is an Aggro countdown. A timer before someone is coming to destroy us.
Coal: Why isn't Foxbold here then?
Shawn: There are a few possibilities... One of these possibilities is that he went to face whatever started this countdown.
Eric: So he is safe?
Shawn: Unlikely. He would have returned otherwise. We each must go with the assumption that he is gone. Deekin says this is a countdown for a battle, yet we must prepare for the worst. It could mean that we might die at the end of the countdown.
Ishi: No way......
Niko: You are kidding....
Ruby: I agree with Shawn. We don't know anything for certain. Just three days of life...
Eric: All we know is that we have three days before whatever happens will happen. We can run, we can hide, we can fight, and so on. What we do in the next three days will change our lives. Let us not waste a moment of it.
Eos: Kyuuuu!
Coal: I don't speak whatever he speaks, but I agree. Well said.
Ishi: Yeah. If this is a fight, then I have to go beyond! I have to fully awaken-
Niko proceeds to poke everyone with her artifact.
Ishi: ow! HEY!
Shawn: ...
Coal: ouch! Hey! What was that for?!
Eric: Niko! Ow! What are you doing?!
DDDeekin: Ow! You already did it to me!
Niko: Oops. I forgot.
DDDeekin: Guys, don't worry. She is trying to help. She unlocked a power that can help us if I am right.
Ruby: Yeah, we just have to... NO! Stop! Niko! Don't you dare poke- OW!
Eos: Kyuuu~
Niko: Umm..... That wasn't a yelp like I would expect....
Ruby: Ignore it. It is an immortal thing. He feels pain differently.
Niko: Alright.... I'll just explain what just I did. My artifact literally can unlock anything, even figurative or abstract concepts. Mostly.
DDDeekin: The key to victory.
Niko: Thanks. I unlocked the hidden limit in everyone. Your full potential unlocked.
Coal: A price to be paid for such powers right?
Niko: No. Not really. Only I paid the price. With snakes and zombie bites. Now we can fight.
Shawn: If we win then what? It doesn't change the outcome.
Eric: Shawn? What do you mean by that?
The group receives a newsletter that is old. The same newsletter was sent to all people. It was news that never got released before.
Eric reading: There have been numerous cases of Users....Heroes...going missing...... The only known connection between the cases are....
Eric reads more intently and silently before going pale and walking back he starts to tear up.
Eric: No.........
DDDeekin: The only known connection is that each person bought something from the previous game-errrrrr..... previous worlds..... Then it gives a list of names and times of death.
Eric: His name.....John Co0n3r.....It's on this list..... July....12..... That was the day we fought FarCry... The last time I ever got to see him..... That was so long ago....This article was released.... three days after that..... I haven't heard from John since then... I thought..... I thought.....
Eric curls up into a ball and cries.
Ishi: This is horrible..... Why did this now show up?!
Shawn: I don't know..... It could be a leak.... It could be fake....it could be that someone stopped this from getting out..... Why would they do this? I have no idea....
Ishi: Eric... I'm sorry....
Eric does not respond, nothing the group does gets him to respond so they decide to give him personal space and time to think.
Eric: He.....he was......my childhood hero......my savior.... I was only able to be an adventurer because of him.....
Suddenly Eric feels his thoughts of John slipping.
Eric: No.... John.......
As much as he tries to cling to his memories, he is failing to grab them. Eric no longer remembers his face.
Eric: What....did he look like.....I can't remember...
Then he can't remember his name.
Eric: There were some "0"s...and some "o"s in his name and.... and......GHA!
He feels like someone important in his life was erased from his memories. Yet he still feels like he should know who this person is. Eric knows he was grieving over the loss of this person yet he can't find the tears anymore over somebody he used to know or at least used to remember.
Eric: burr..... I'm soaking wet....
Eric hurries inside and everyone welcomes him back
Coal: Are you ok?
Eric: I'm ok. I'm just soaked.... Can't remember why I was so upset.
Ishi: I'm so sorry about John..... You can talk to me about anything..... I promise I'll help you with anything-
Eric kisses Ishi, catching her way off guard not expecting this sudden change from grief.
Eric: Anything?~
Ishi: Um.....Y-y-yeah. to help you get over john's.....
Eric: Who is John?
Ishi: Huh.... but isn't he.. your idol?
Eric: Didn't the church say something about having no idols? Anyway nothing means more to me then you Ishi~
Ruby: Eric.....Same for me.
Niko: Because no one else is going to say something I will. Eric you are different.
Eric: Hahaha! Niko. Niko Niko ni..... You sure do say some weird things sometimes. Right, guys?
Niko blushes as most of the group laughs.
Niko: GRRR!!! I'll break your Niko Niko Knee caps!
DDDeekin hugging Niko: Whoa there tiger! How about you enjoy this hug instead?
Niko: Naaaa... Not a cat.....But you can keep hugging me.....
Eric: Ishi lets go to bed early~
Ishi: Ok?
Ishi goes with Eric
Shawn: Guys. I am being called. I'll be back.
Shawn leaves the room to answer a call.
Shawn: Who is this?
FarReach: Shawn Blackwater, it is great that you can hear me.
Shawn: What are you playing at? I haven't told a soul, not even Coal about my last name. Mainly because she never asked.... That's beside the point!
FarReach: Once a slave, always a slave. Isn't that right?
Shawn: ...
FarReach: What? Surprised? Did you really think that your past wouldn't come back? The bill comes due. Coal is a nice girl isn't she? You have done good in this lifetime.
Shawn tearing up: H-how?.....how do you know all this?.....
FarReach: The calm and calculating Shawn is falling apart. Foxbold was wrong to put his faith in you. But he did leave you all with something annoying to me. Shame they won't help you in the end.
Shawn: W-what? Foxbold? What have you done?!
FarReach: I defeated him. But make no mistake. I didn't kill him. I give you all exactly three days to make your peace. I can't wait to see you all. I am what he once was. I see you Shawn Blackwater right now.
Shawn: YOU! What do you mean you used him!?
FarReach: He has become my artifact as those who came before me became yours.
FarReach hangs up and Shawn's eyes are twitching and crying in rage, and fear.
Shawn: Coal....
Coal: What is going on?
Shawn: It is as we feared.... Foxbold was killed....I think.... His killer called me..... The timer is how long before he comes to us.
Ruby: This is bad...
Niko: I'm fixing Eric! He is different somehow!
Eos: KY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eos blocks the way and shakes his head.
Ruby: yeah! You know EXACTLY what is going on right now. Eric just invited Ishi to his room. Do you REALLY want to step inside their room RIGHT now and catch them in bed with each other?
Niko blushes heavily: I-I-I didn't think that through! Don't judge me! I-I-I really didn't know it was like THAT!
Ruby: Now you know. You know what it doesn't fuck-.....wait..... what?! The system didn't even try to censor it?!
Coal: No, that must be a fluke. That's just shit.....what...the hell.... Why isn't it working?!
Ruby: As I was saying... It doesn't really matter anymore... We are all falling apart.
DDDeekin slaps Ruby: That felt good. Look. We are still a team. We are down a member. Do you think we are just going to sit back and let the end come to us?
Ruby: Yeah, and? Foxbold couldn't beat this dude and we got a defective Eric according to Niko. We got someone too emo to cry sobbing quietly in his hood. I see you Shawn. We used to be a proper team. Look at us now.
Coal: It is time we all vote-
Ruby: Forget the vote. I know all of you are against my vote anyway. sigh.... If the darn Creators of these worlds would stop creating "gods" for five seconds maybe we really could live a happy life.....
DDDeekin: Lets just sleep on this. We'll talk more about this when Eric and Ishi are with us. Ok?
Ruby: Fine...
So the group goes to bed. They woke up to a system alarm.
System: Guild halls must be managed by either an admin or PC. As there are no PCs in this guild it will be closed.
And just like that they are all kicked out of their own guild building. The morning the system had an update.
System Update:
bugs fixed: Artifacts are now allowed in PVP.
Changelog: A bug where Artifacts are banned in PVP is fixed. All data concerning the missing players has been erased. Npc's will no longer use dialogue that references these players. Updates are pending and for the time being the system will be unable to censor language due to an unexpected error.
Eric: Huh? Didn't Foxbold ban artifacts from PVP? That wasn't a bug.
DDDeekin: That's small compared to the other thing. I understand what happened last night.... You were all mindwiped.... I can remember but you guys can't.
System:
New event! Kobold hunt.
Duration: 1 day.
Ishi: Gha.... We can't get a break!
Shawn: Foxbold used to be part of this world right?.... Perhaps he was preventing things like this from happening... Kobolds aren't typically of the good alignment. Ishi and Eric are good. Me and Coal are neutral.
Ruby: What about me?
Niko: And me?
Shawn: That's easy. Evil. No question about it. Ruby is a thief who doesn't care if others get hurt. You Niko are....
Niko: EXCUSE ME!
Shawn: Warlock vision doesn't lie.
DDDeekin: What about Deekin? What was Foxbold's?
Shawn: You are Chaotic neutral. Foxbold's..... is [redacted]. I couldn't see his.
Coal: This sucks. Because of the stupid event we can't go into any towns for supplies....
Niko: I have a solution. For everyone but Shawn just to show you just how evil I am.
Shawn: Fair. Personally I'll rank you Chaotic good.
Niko: Nope. A bit late to say that. But alright. We can't go to town as kobolds and I have a feeling disguising ourselves like the Kobolds up North as three kobolds in a trench coat isn't going to work.
Eric: Then what is your solution? We already lost our guild.
Niko: Like so.
Niko pokes the air with her key several times, opening several portals.
Niko: Shawn feel free to step inside the third portal.
Shawn: Wow. This is a new way of saying "Go to Hell". I'm tempted to go actually.
Coal: NO! Shawn! You are NOT going through that portal!
Shawn: Haha.... Coal... I'm joking.....mostly.
Coal: Mostly?! Aaaaaaaaaaa!
Shawn: Coal! Please don't freak out! I learned new warlock spells that would make it actually somewhat safe.
Ishi: Niko..... Please just shut the hell....portal close.
Niko: Alright. So we got a couple of worlds where the kobold hunt isn't going on. The problem with most of them is that we would have to start back at level one while there. The last portal is-
Eric: That's the one we'll use that one then!
Eric and Ishi rushes through the portal and before Niko could say anything Shawn and Coal rush through it.
Niko: I'm trying to warn them that-
DDDeekin: kisses her: No need! Let it be a surprise!
DDDeekin holding Niko in his arms rushes in the portal and all the portals close.
Eric: Ow.... My head..... Ishi... WHOA! Who are you?
Ishi: Huh? Eric? Is that you?
Niko had opened a portal to ironically the same server that Foxbold was on during his fight. Kobolds are not a permitted race among NPCs or players in this world and so their avatars have been converted into human ones that have the closest approximation to them.
Shawn: Niko? You don't look that different at all.
Niko: Sigh... I was trying to tell you that there is no kobold hunt here because there are no kobolds here and there won't be any. Only you guys claimed I was a furry kobold or cat. I would only be a fourth kobold and three fourths human.
DDDeekin: Still very cute! But WHY are we here in New York? and... I'm not a bard..... I'm a... musician here?
Ishi: Fencing? Priest? I have dueling skills... Why is this wrong?
Shawn: I see. Our classes adjust to the setting here. I'm a cultist apparently.
Eric: Hunter. That's basically a ranger right?
Ruby: Thief. Nothing changed. I give this place a 0 out of 10.
Eos: Kyu!
Ruby: You followed us?!
Eos is a white fox with a pet collar.
Niko: Since everyone is being weird and having a moment telling each other our new classes, mine is Doctor.
Coal: Practitioner of mystic arts.
Everyone looks at her.
Coal: I'm a saleswoman or Merchant...
Shawn: No one better laugh at that.
Coal: Niko. What did you hope to do by bringing us here?
Niko: Buy supplies?
Coal: Ok. Let's go down to the black market and buy magic powder.
Niko: Doesn't exist.
Coal: magic ingredients?
Eos: Kyu!
Niko: Define "Magic"....
Coal: Armor?
Niko: No blacksmiths...
Coal: See? I can't prepare my spells here. Weapons?!
Niko: There we go! My favorite kind of weapon as a Cleric and Artificer. A gun!
DDDeekin: um....
Coal: A what?
Niko: Having a rifle with Silver bullets drenched in holy water. Boom!
DDDeekin: I'm starting to get a little concerned...
Coal: Um.... Niko... is magic possible here?
Niko: Not a chance. Why do you ask?
Coal: Well.... there is magic warping space nearby...
Niko: What?
Coal: something is wrong. I can feel it.
The shadows on the walls starts shifting and form a figure.
FarReach: How Ironic. You came to the same place he did. I gave you three days. Are you that eager to get it over with?
Shawn: That voice! He is the one who killed-
FarReach: No. Not killed. Converted. Guess who has been keeping secrets?
Everyone gets into a fighting stance
FarReach: You are in luck. Because I'm still converting his data or essence. It's a large amount so it'll take a while. That countdown is how long it will take. Take this time to make your peace or love for each other because I'm going to destroy all the worlds. For fun I guess.
Shawn: We aren't going to let you win Elder Evil!
FarReach: Elder Evil? What a fitting title. FarReach, the far reaching one.
FarReach's form disappears and the world seems to go back to normal.
Ruby: Shawn. You know what an Elder Evil is right?
Shawn: Of course I do. I'll be surprised if you know.
Eos: Kyu!
Ruby: Well I do. One Elder Evil is a being strong enough to kill a world just for fun without much effort. Imagine one that wants to destroy all the worlds!
Coal: That is a pretty heavy thing to drop.
Ishi: Yeah...
Eos: Kyu!
Ruby: We are just kobolds. We are the type of creatures that people kill to grind levels. Sure we have fancy classes and-
Niko: Just stop. Foxbold seemed surprised by my new power. That look he gave me felt like he was saying that we just might be even stronger then he is. We just need to wait for the event to end then we go back and train.
Ruby: There isn't much left to do. I guess I'll go along with it.
Eos: Kyu!
Ruby: YES! YES EOS! STOP ASKING! Well get something to eat!
With that the party spends the day there waiting for the second the event ends. They are scheming.