– another Special Mission to train his Backup Assassin Team. To rush the things along, they stopped sending the Random Surprise Big Black Boxes to him and sent one to me – trapped with a deadly explosive. I suspect the World Admins are required to use in-World means to steer the development.
This made me wonder, how did a Necromancer get into their Scripts. Either The Mighty Lord Random arranged the incoming characters or some hacker got really tired of this Perverted Spectacle and decided to take over the Project. So far the New Guy is winning – we knocked out the Librarian and I have been working hard on generating likable content. That campfire show with clapping and cheering and dancing had to have gotten some attention. I don’t know for sure if I’m going in the right direction – on one side, I haven’t gotten any “System Challenges”, on the other, they did give me a Reward when we finished the Camp Takeover. Maybe they don’t really feel like steering us anywhere. Maybe they are thinking that in a few days I got to Level-19, took over the Camp and tamed a Dragon – they simply don’t have any script-writers that wild. Who’d message a total newbie that whole list and add that if completed in 3 days, there’ll be a bonus of a new pair of shoes or a Necromancer shirt – please choose one.
Even if I keep the soul, I’ll erase most of its memories. It’s human nature to find justification for one’s actions and to persist in the Old Ways because to admit the error is to admit self-imperfection and only a few have strong enough self-esteem. Maybe I’ll remove everything from his memory from about a day into his “transfer” to this World to the moment where people are cheering his body being publicly burned. Other than that I’m done with it – it took me less than an hour to get all the hidden Crystals and Artifacts, three hidden at different World-edge locations, almost impossible to get to on foot, a matter of one Shadow-Jump for someone who’ve learned the exact place and gotten that skill albeit through questionable means. The Energy Crystals are loaded to the brim and might have a “personal attachment” to the Old Boss. I’ll see if I can remove it or I’ll ask our wonderful Chief of the Artifactor Lab if he can.
I jumped to the Cave to see what’s going on there and because the Map told me that’s where our Friendly Sprite is. He was indeed sleeping in the Cave all alone. I guess I’ve triggered his Air Feelers because he woke up and stared at me. I apologized for waking him up and asked what’s keeping him here all by himself. He told me he’s not a big fan of loud parties, besides someone needs to keep watch over the Shimmering Veil portals we’ve discovered and he’s basically doing what I’ve told him to on our Day 1. I asked him if he’d like to relocate to the Camp assuming we can station some Guards here and set up some motion-detecting Artifacts. He said that the Guards, will be the end of his peace and quiet and in that case he might as well join with us at the Camp. I apologized for not contacting him earlier – I was moving around all day after taking over the Camp. I was looking for him at the bonfire but couldn’t find him. He assured me he’s not upset and he heard me mentioning him in my speech. Then he asked me what brings me here, before the sunrise. I said I’m not even sure – I just had a strange feeling I had to be here. Fizz shrugged and suggested I call up the Shades – if I’m right and something nasty will happen, it’s better to have them here. I stepped into the clearing before the Cave and called out, “SHADES!” They have appeared from the thin air within a minute.
The Drows didn’t question my calling them – they just lined up and looked at me. I actually asked them why aren’t they spreading around looking for threats just in case. I got their scary Drow Smiles in return and an assurance that they’ve combed the area before coming out of Stealth. Then I wondered why Shade-3 was sitting on the top of the Gallows with logs all around it. Did she not understand, I intend to set fire to the thing? She sure did, as well as she knew I’d use the Dragon for it. First, they have taken upon themselves a mission of being my personal bodyguards. Second, the Gallows were the best vantage point to survey the crowd and the surroundings. Third, they seriously suspect Victoria can see through their Stealth. Thus Fourth, she would've not lit the fire before making sure everybody is sufficiently far away including the Drow. However Shade-3 is not upset at my questioning her actions – ordering her to drop Stealth and showing herself to the Masses is a good way to cement my position as a Leader. I said that it seems I have to make sure to be a type of a Leader who manages people smarter and wiser than he is. Drow Smiles… Scary Drow Smiles…
Then the Shade-Leader asked if I still can use the Brownie as before or if I have another. Sorry, I can’t use it since I’ve sealed it into two nested boxes and I don’t have a replacement. Immediately two of the five shadow-jumped and I saw them appear at the Brownie Tree and then at the Fairy Tree and then back – nothing. Brownies seem to have all survived the night and Fairies sleep in large flowers which didn’t open yet. The Drows suggested they go to the Shimmering Veil and take a look – they’ve crossed it before and came back fine. All seven of us walked to the first Veil Portal we’ve discovered – to the World that gave us Phil the Monster. Technically, six of us walked and Fizz flew for a while and then just landed on my shoulder. Shade-4 turned his Stealth on and I was overjoyed to notice that I see his soul through his Stealth much better now. Thank you, Level-19! I saw the Veil give off a tiny ripple then a minute later again and the newly-revealed Drow assured us there is absolutely nothing there. The mess we’ve created is still untouched, the doors are shut and there’s no sound coming through them. We started our leisurely walk to the next Veil and then I heard a mental scream for help in a voice I least expected. It was Mr Slime – a nasty man from the second World that we’ve been in contact with.
I dashed to the second Veil, stopped and reached out to Mr. Slime. The only way I could have returned him to his World was by making him into a Zombie. The guy died having fallen into our World through the Veil which kills almost any living thing. However I suspect the Designers of the Worlds didn’t account for Zombies and at least for now I can send my “protegees” between the Worlds quite easily. We have threatened Mr. Slime that we’ll come in-person to collect our fee for saving him – 25 sets of clothing. The “fee” is minuscule for his highly developed World and I was hoping that they’d actually throw in lots of goodies – I’ve mentioned to them we need blankets but I expected a lot more for the Polite Respectful Neighbors that they’ve tried to kill by sending a Dragon to our World. Now I felt him being utterly terrified right across the Veil.
My Shades froze next to me awaiting orders. I took over Mr. Slime’s body and looked around. He was in the large Hangar adjacent to the Veil on their side. This is where they’ve shoved the cage with the Dragon into and inadvertently caused a disaster by cutting away a piece of the wall to slide the cage in and bringing down a part of the upper floor. Now he was surrounded by about two dozen teens in similar uniforms, the doors were sealed and the room was getting filled with some yellow gas. Some were panicking, some were convulsing on the floor and several have been dying. I started grabbing those souls and returning them into the bodies making the kids into Zombies. Could I’ve revived them? Yes, at this point I could. However a freshly-revived person would need to breathe again and there’s this strange poisonous gas in the room. I can easily send my Shades into the gas – we don’t need to breathe – but that would've not helped the kids. If we carry them across the Veil, they’ll die the moment they touch it. So ironically, turning them into Zombies is the only way to save them. Twenty seven kids. I’m exhausted. I’ve actually gotten some Mana from the Shades making sure to leave enough for shadow-jumping. Suddenly it’s getting crowded on our side of the Veil. Since I have to use Mr Slime’s body I am not really aware of what’s going on around mine. However the Shades seem happy with the newcomers so I finish Zombifying all twenty seven, order Mr Slime to pick up one of them and march through the Veil to our side. I’m spent. I break off and order the Shades and the new arrivals – the Humanoid Assassin group under the command of my former classmate Val – into the Other World. Get the kids out and outside of the Cave. I never get tired of watching them move – I felt the wind blow past me and by the time I’ve slowly reached the entrance to the Cave, I saw Dr Nectar dashing between her patients laid out on the pebbles. Welcome, kids, to the first Sunrise of the rest of your (un-)life.
Dr. Nectar is again really disappointed with me. I’ve risked my live needlessly. No, dear, you’re wrong this time. I didn’t even cross the Veil and all Shades were next to me the whole time. Tired – yes, risked my live – not this time.