AN: Welcome back true believers.... Wait that's Marvel... Er... Anyway, here's chapter 4. Due to the sheer size of these chapters we're actually past the halfway point for this volume. At the 4 chapter mark, we would have anywhere between 12-20 normal chapters by now for what I have been writing for this story. Does anyone mind the shorter chapter form, but lengthier chapters?

Chapter 72: Welcome to the Fantasy Life

The sound of booted feet slapping rapidly against a stone floor echoed through the corridor behind Scott as he skidded around the corner on his way back to his safe room. He had lost count of the number of times that he had fought and died in the three story building that the hellions had laid claim to in the tutorial dungeon.

Sometimes he won, many times he lost. However, as time passed and he spent the effort to train his skills and his will to survive he made progress. Against the hellions it only showed to a small degree, but even a small degree of improvement was better than none.

The rapid-fire staccato of sound echoed through the area as well as Scott turned the second corner just in time to avoid being cut down by magical machine gun fire. He reached his safe room just as the machine gun hellion turned the final corner. This time he had made it back safely. He had managed that feat more frequently of late.

Blood dripped steadily to the floor as it poured from his many wounds. The number of hellions had decreased recently, but there were still over two dozen remaining. He did his best to kill a gun-fighter every time he saw one, even if it meant he would die as a result. Close fighters were dangerous, but the gun wielding monsters could kill him without even getting close to him. They did not all have terrible aim like the first one that he had met. In fact, most were good at taking him down.

He glanced at the salvation mirror briefly to save his status then went to sleep. It was a constant practice for him. How long had he been in this place? It was impossible to know, but it felt like weeks if not a few months.

After he awoke, he spent some time analyzing all of the items that he had gathered recently. Most of them sat in a heaping pile in the corner of the room. Once he had discovered that they would remain there safely, he had cleaned out his bag. The only thing he made certain to keep inside was the coins that he had looted. There were hundreds of the little copper things inside his bag. They took up quite a bit of space. Scott checked his status to see if anything had changed.

Scott Jacobs

Race: Lunarii | Class: Twilight Master

Age: 18 | Max Lifespan: Ageless

Level: 5 | Title: The Reborn

Attack: 140[183-190] | Defense: 140[201-209]

Strength: 100 | Agility: 100 | Vitality: 100

Intellect: 100 | Charisma: 100 | Attunement: 100

[—]

Class Skills

Unarmed Combat: 31

Twilight Sorcery: 28

Primordial Magic: 1

Sense Life: 20

Arcane Lore: 1

Arcane Mastery: 26

Light Armor: 21

Analyze: 18

[--][/align]

[Miscellaneous Skills]

Survival Lore: 15

Boomerang Mastery: 1

[--]

"Things have definitely changed." said Scott. He cataloged a list of his current chosen specializations to remind himself of what he had chosen.

[Notations]

Unarmed Combat Specializations [2]

[Improved Health Regeneration I][Improved Defense I]

Twilight Sorcery Specializations [2]

[Celestial Mastery II]

Sense Life Specializations [1]

[Sense Nature I]

Arcane Mastery Specializations [2]

[Increased Attunement Efficiency II]

Light Armor Specializations [1]

[Reduce Armor Burden: Light Leather]

Analyze Specializations [1]

[Compare Similar Item I]

Survival Lore Specializations [1]

[Improved Environmental Observation I]

[--]

He nodded his head slowly. Things had begun to make a little more sense once a few of his skills had reached level twenty-five. The specializations seemingly followed the same progression as the class levels from the casual sever. He would know for certain once he had a skill level reach forty, or if he left here before then and asked Rhea.

His unarmed combat skill had not increased in several days, or what felt like several days, since it had reached thirty-one. He had fought the hellions over a hundred times since then and danced with as many as two of them at once while avoiding their attacks over a lengthy period of time. He had come to the conclusion that increasing his skill-level past thirty for most of his skills would be an extremely difficult thing to accomplish in this place.

The leveling system was the issue. He has sitting at a fairly severe bottle neck. He could already feel a slight headache beginning to form and suspected that he was close to reaching his combat level cap. He could not increase his social level in this place, otherwise it would be a perfect hunting ground for a long time to come. Once both his combat and skill experience pool level caps were reached he would have to wrap things up quickly. The ensuing headache would make it too difficult to concentrate if he tried to farm the place too much longer after that.

Scott moved over to his mountain of looted crap and began to analyze and then compare each item. He could not see actual stats for an item, though he could see which among then was probably better than others. None of the stuff he had collected was better that what he actually wore, if his analysis was correct.

A great deal of time passed while he analyzed his items. It was important to do this both before and after going out to stalk the hellions. Doing so had steadily increased his skill at analyzing things.

Once the mountain of weapons and various armor items had been analyzed Scott stood up and stretched. It was time to go out and try to kill off a few more of the hellions that wielded firearms or grenades. He only needed a few of them to be left alive for farming purposes, and honestly the fewer that remained in the end, the easier it would be to finish the quest when he had to deal with the coming headache.

**

Wide and curious eyes took in the sight around them. As far as the eye could see, the man known by most people simply as Captain Johnson gazed upon the Field of New Beginnings. He had logged in, as Aria Ardent had called the process, and was now trying to figure out his place in the strange new world.

"So, newcomer. You think that you have what it takes to be a priest, do you?" asked a rasping voice.

Captain Johnson, Adam to his friends, turned to see a tiny old woman with a walking staff. "Uh yes, excuse ma'am are you the one called Mid?"

"Yes, that I am. You are Adam Johnson, would-be priest of Blizrum, god of war. Am I correct?" asked Mid.

"Ah, that is... What I chose. This place, it I don't know." Adam looked around a little more. One moment he had been alone in his bedroom and in the next he was standing in a field of flowers. Aria had said that it would happen that way, but to actually see it had been quite disconcerting.

Mid chuckled lightly. "It can be a confusing time, especially for one such as you. Do you have any questions?"

"Ma'am, I have many questions." admitted Adam. He had so many questions.

**

The sounds of a goddess hard at work echoed through Origin's room as she tried to finish as much of her backlog as possible. Most reincarnations and destined love pairings took place through the system or through her bifurcated goddess avatar. Her lesser expression, a tiny portion of her true essence, operated most of the reincarnation systems on any given server.

However, some things required her direct intervention on a higher level. A few souls were flagged for further review due to various reasons. Sometimes they were part of a destined love-pair. Sometimes they were assassins that murdered a king. At other times they were simply players who needed to hair their rare class and skill combinations saved. Most of the time flagged souls were actually just people such as Scott who were trying to transfer between servers. That was something an in-world version of Origin could not handle directly.

She had originally had a huge backlog of flagged souls, but due to the fact that she had actively matched the time in her room to the time Scott spent in his tutorial dungeon she had managed to nearly clear the backlog entirely. Little-to-no time had passed outside of her room relevant to the amount of time that had passed within her room.

Just as she was about the finish up her backlog she received a message from Shara. "Little sister wants to meet up?"

Origin smiled softly. She had not spent much time with her recently due to her job and her new fiancé. This could be fun. They had met up once or twice but only for a few minutes. The gamer goddess thought about things for a moment, realized that she should be tired, and then affected a modest yawn in order to maintain her authentically human-like lifestyle.

Shara wanted to meet up in Origin's room, so the blue-haired goddess sent her a message saying that she was available. It was not long, even with the time-dilation before a knock came at the door. "Come in!"

The red-headed ninja girl opened the door quickly and rushed in to the room. "Big Sister!" she said before rushing over to Origin. Shara leapt atop her and bowled her over onto the floor while embracing her powerfully.

Origin laughed warmly and patted her back. "Good to see you too, Shara."

Shara laughed sweetly then snuggled close to her older sister. "I've missed you."

They hugged tightly for a few minutes while the ponytailed girl nuzzled her older sister's neck. She was a sweet girl, and quite lonely most of the time. Despite how she occasionally irritated Origin whenever she was around Scott, she did love her little sister.

Once the obligatory cuddle-session ended, they hopped up onto Origin's bed and started to discuss the reason for Shara's visit. The ninja-girl was both incredibly excited, and at some points quite angry.

"That is... How could something like that even happen?" asked Origin incredulously, her anger rising with each passing second.

Shara wore an express that was part anger and part sorrow. "Little Liz was so young and sweet, and that guy did that to her."

"Her own step-father... How could her mother side with that evil creature?" asked Origin.

"I don't know! I've tried rewriting things several times, but those idiots that run the project committee censured me." She looked Origin in the eye, "Do you have any idea what it is like to be promoted to one of the higher divine positions in the local pantheon, but put on restriction like an unruly child?"

"No, and it is pure garbage. We should see if we can buy them out." said Origin. The entire project that Shara had been assigned to sounded like it was so poorly run that an incompetent child could have handled things with greater skill.

"Can we?! That would be wonderful! My—The Scott native to that world would not have to experience that trauma, and his little sister would not have been killed because it happened!"

Origin's fingers curled into fists and she closed her eyes. "That guy raped his own step-daughter to death and got away with it, and when Scott tried to do something about it, he ended up put in prison? They call that justice?"

"It's so screwed up! I know. The Scott in that universe actually walked in and saw the aftermath of everything. He was so psychologically traumatized as a child that he has trouble even functioning as an adult at times." said Shara heatedly.

She then looked Origin in the eyes. "It gets worse, though."

"How could that get worse?" asked Origin.

Shara shook her head. "I can't find Liz anywhere in the system. It's like her soul vanished from the reincarnation folder."

"What!" snapped Origin. That was a grave crime, and since she was a goddess of reincarnation as well it was also like a slap in the face. "They misplaced an entire soul? What sort of idiots are they? Souls can't just go missing! That poor girl needs to be ushered into a new existence where she can heal, not lost in the system somewhere!"

"I know that! I can almost believe that they hid her file on purpose just to screw with me. I swear it's like working with a bunch of childish idiots." said Shara.

The conversation hit a lull after that. There was a lot more that could be said, but neither of them knew what to say. The entire situation was so terrible that it was hard to think of it.

It was Shara that found something to say. "Oh, my guild has been kicking Corpse Rat's ass all over the place since you left the casual server."

"What? Really? The time-dilation shouldn't have allowed for much of that." asked Origin in confusion.

"What did you set it at? Months have passed there since you paid Gambol." said Shara.

Origin blinked. Her eyes widened slowly. "Crap on a cracker! I didn't reset the time-dilation!"

Shara laughed at her sister. "No way? Did Ms. Perfect forget to sync the time-ratio?"

Origin groaned. "It doesn't matter that much since we won't be going back there unless we finish the issue with the board, but it's still a stupid mistake."

"Yeah, Corpse Rat is pissed that we're picking on them so much." said Shara with a laugh. "I haven't been personally involved, though they know who hired us since you wanted it to be known."

The blue haired goddess sighed then laughed a little. "I received a few forwarded complaints, but never bothered to read them. I'm not a complaints department."

She closed her eyes gently then snorted. "It makes sense why there were so many now. The time-dilation was not changed, so they had been getting their asses handed to them a little at the time for months."

"Don't worry about it. Everything is nice and legal. It isn't even one of our family members doing the ass kicking. When the money runs out, the assassinations will stop."

Origin smiled sweetly. "It's too bad for Corpse Rat, that I had a lot of money to burn."

Shara laughed a little then hugged her sister. "They really shouldn't have tried messing with you."

Origin placed her head against her sister's cheek. "They shouldn't have messed with my family."

Shara acquired a crafty look in her eye. "Speaking of messing with family..."

"Still not sharing." said Origin with a smile.

Shara groaned loudly. "Oh come on... You share with Ero."

The blue haired girl sighed softly. "I know, and she's sweet, but it is hard for me. OK?"

"Yeah, I get it. If they had not bonded while you were away on family business, she wouldn't be in the picture, either." said Shara before she unleashed a petulant pout.

"Maybe you can find a way to be with the Scott in your community service project?" asked Origin.

Shara nodded. "I hope so, but we'll see. He might not like me much when he realizes the truth."

"Hey. Shara, don't think like that." said Origin.

"Can't help it. I can't help him much with anything to be honest." said Shara before she unleashed a soft sigh.

"Well, you became one of the goddesses of that world-setting, right?" asked Origin.

"Yeah, for all the good it does. I can't even do something as simple as a soul-retrieval and reincarnation for Liz." said Shara bitterly.

Origin hugged her sister tightly. There was little else that she could do for her at the moment. Their family did not control the project that Shara was working on for community service purposes. Those who were in charge, were clearly unconcerned about the people who lived in that world natively.

Shara needed a change of subject. Origin began to tell her about recent events that had occurred in her life since last they had met.

"Really? Thirty-seven times?" asked Shara incredulously. Her future brother-in-law had died repeatedly in the tutorial dungeon.

The blue haired goddess sighed softly. "He's doing fairly well, all things considered. From what I have been able to glean about his situation, he's taking things slow and farming the hellions."

"That's good. It certainly wouldn't hurt to maximize his growth and finances." said Shara thoughtfully.

A beeping sound came from Origin's console and the girls looked over to it. A big red number thirty-eight popped up on screen. Origin snorted then smiled softly. "Well, dead again..."

Shara laughed a little. "Geeze, is it really that bad? It's a tutorial dungeon!"

Origin shrugged. "Forty hellions, all leveled to match his reincarnation stats, and have skills equal to their level. That would be difficult for anyone."

"True! Plus he's farming them, so he probably runs afoul of other hellions wandering into his combat area." Shara nodded.

A nod of her head was the only response that Origin gave. Shara noticed the suddenly pensive look on her sister's face. "What's wrong? Do you miss him?"

"Yes, of course. It's not that, though."

"Oh? What's on your mind?" Shara squeezed Origin's hand gently.

Origin frowned slightly. "I've been helping Scott with a few things on his Earth, since there was no reason not to do so. The time-dilation had to be shifted around a bit, but there has been real progress."

"Oh? Do you mean with the government?"

"Not really. They're idiots. I worked out a deal with the captain that Scott met with first."

Shara looked at her sister curiously. "What happened?"

"Right now he's talking with Mid in the Field of New Beginnings. He's going to be a test case and deal with the government on Scott's behalf since Scott will be busy adjusting to the new server." said Origin.

"Ah, so get the captain to deal with the idiots while you get more time with Scott! That's great... Isn't it?" The look on Origin's face was counter to how Shara thought her sister should feel about the situation.

"Yes, that's wonderful and I think it will work beautifully." said Origin with a sad expression and a slightly angry tone.

"What's wrong, Origin? You don't sound happy." said Shara.

The blue haired goddess sighed. "I met Sarah recently."

"Sarah, who is—Wait! Wait, you mean Sarah?" asked Shara incredulously. "Did you look for her or something?"

"No! That, that woman showed up at Scott's house while I was getting ready to go meet with the captain." Origin's fingers curled into fists and she looked as though she wanted to strangle someone.

"What? What did she want?" asked Shara, scandalized. Sarah had pretty much devastated Scott when she'd dumped him without so much as a parting text. The same night she had accepted Scott's marriage proposal she had gone off and had drunken sex with her first boyfriend and gotten pregnant from it.

"Scott, naturally. The hussy! She had the nerve to go to his house and demand to see him, she even tried some lame tactic where she pretended that her child was really Scott's." said Origin.

"What? Scott's the father?"

"No, no. I'm a little iffy about checking on Ero's possible pregnancy since that actually matters, but I had no trouble checking on that woman's story." said Origin an edge in her tone.

"So, she lied?" asked Shara.

"Yes, total fabrication. The problem is that she's sent like three dozen texts to Scott's phone. I swear she has tried to reach him as often as he's died in the tutorial!"

"Wow, bitches be thirsty." said Shara.

Origin blinked then stared at her little sister. "Wha--?"

Shara laughed. "Sorry! I'm trying to be a little more street. Is it working?"

Origin shook her head. "No, not so much."

The red headed goddess grinned at her older sister. "Well, fine then. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Origin sighed loudly. "I don't want to tell her off since she was Scott's fiancé. That could go badly, you know."

Shara nodded. "Yeah, humans can be a little weird about their emotions and stuff."

"Yeah." said Origin with another sigh.

A brief awkward pause rose up between them. In order to break that silence, Shara said, "You should go all Final Fantasy Seven on her ass."

Origin looked to Shara, an obvious question on her lips. The red head beat her to the punch by clarifying her statement. "Get her on top of a giant cannon and have an epic slap fight."

The elder sister blinked slowly then unleashed a ridiculous grin. "Shara, I love you."

Shara made a happy squealing sound then hugged her sister tightly. "Yay!"

Origin rolled her eyes lightly then lightly stroked her younger sister's hair. She was a sweet girl, a sweet girl who had given her a wonderful daydream. Origin closed her eyes and vividly dreamed about an epic slap fight with Sarah. There was background music and everything.

**

The slight scraping sound of metal lightly brushing against metal echoed through the room, but it alerted no one. A hellion wearing the customary odd raincoat stood directly beneath the air conditioning vent for the security room, and made no sign that he might have heard the slight noise.

Truth be told, the building was full of these little noises. The hellions were used to minor noises and due to the way the world worked, they were unaware that they had an intruder in their midst.

The hellion sighed loudly then glanced at another security feed. A glowing crystalline orb on the best in front of him shifted color as the image on screen changed to a close-in view of the cafeteria. "Meat... So, hungry."

He was so embroiled with his desire to eat sweet, sweet, meat that he did not notice the overhead grate slide open then hang down ominously. He certainly did not notice it when Scott slipped halfway out of the low ceiling. However, he did notice it when two powerful arms snaked around his neck and snatched his oversized ass up into the air slightly.

The hellion tried to scream. He beat at the arms holding him in the air by his neck, but he could get no leverage. His feet dangled uselessly just a few inches off the ground.

Scott dropped the monster after a he held it aloft for a full minute then dropped it to the floor. He rolled out of the large opening in the ceiling, an obvious security oversight that he had exploited several times now, and landed on the floor with grace and skill.

He immediately placed his palm to the monster's forehead and began to concentrate. A soft blue glow formed around his hand. Several seconds passed and the air temperature began to drop drastically in the immediate area. Soon the flesh of the monster's head began to take on a darker color. Frost and then ice began to form along its face.

Scott sighed loudly after he spent the better part of a minute directing elemental water in the form of ice to do his bidding. He stomped downward with his booted foot and the hellion's head shattered in a gruesome display.

He stood up then glanced at his palm. "Not quite there, yet." It took too long to generate the icing effect. It was not like the freeze spell that he had used on the casual server. That particular spell had been his go to spell for much of his early career as a sorcerer.

Ranged attack spells were particularly difficult for him to create at the moment. However, he had learned that he could create minor elemental effects if he created simple touch-spells. He called the power that he had just used, [Grasp of Winter].

Scott set about looting the corpse of his latest security office victim. He had taken out a few of the hellions in this manner once he had discovered an easily accessible entry into the building's ventilation system. Much like the overly large ducts in a typical videogame, the ducts in this building were quite spacious.

He checked the security footage and counted all of the remaining hellions. There were twelve of them scattered throughout the building. Recently, Scott had begun to whittle down their numbers in anticipation of his final push. He could feel that he was close to the point where he would not be able to do much more in this location. Before that happened, he wanted to get the number of remaining monsters down to one or two.

Scott noticed that four of the monsters were milling around in the employee lounge on the first floor. He grinned. That was not unexpected as he normally found at least one or two of them there.

Despite the tempting nature of so many monsters packed together in a single room, he had other prey in mind. He zoomed-in on the chief director's office on the third floor. There was a single hellion, slightly larger than the rest, sitting in the director's comfortable office chair.

Scott had slain the boss several times now. He had developed a method of attack through trial and error that nearly always worked. Each time the boss had died, the number of hellions left had decreased by one. He suspected that whatever hellion was next in line for the title got to be the boss since the old one had died and their memories of events were always reset if he died or returned to his safe room.

The main reason that he primarily focused on killing the boss and the hellion in the security room was that they both granted him something beyond a removal of monsters from his quest. The security room hellion granted him access to the monitors so that he would know the displayed location of the hellions. The boss dropped better loot, mostly in coinage, but still it was a chance at better loot!

From the moment that he had discovered his current method of attack, he had exclusively killed only the security room guard and the boss. He did occasionally farm the other hellions for experience and things to analyze, but he only killed those specific monsters.

Scott hopped back up into the ceiling then moved quietly along his chosen route. He had to stop now and then to wait for roaming hellions to continue walking away. They tended to be more alert than the stationary ones. They would notice creaking metal and other things.

He slipped out of the ducts then climbed the stairs to the third floor, and entered a different set of ducts at the top of the stairs. It was more efficient, as the other set of ducts was like a labyrinth due to improbably placed grates and fans that seemingly had no purpose other than to make his life difficult. The ventilation shaft that he used now led up to the ceiling and allowed him to take a straight route to the director's room.

Once he arrived, Scott stretched out quietly and listened for a while. The boss always started the same conversation whenever he arrived. He was on the phone with the city government, negotiating for the release of hostages that they did not even have. He had been through every room in the place, including the hidden basement sub-level. He had found nothing but hellions to contend with. Though, the secret basement level occasionally spawned a random useful crate. He typically looted it for food and water after killing the boss.

Scott listened attentively to the conversation as the hellion spoke about killing and eating one hostage every hour till his demands were met. These guys were disturbing on so many levels.

After the call ended, Scott listened for the movement of heavy boots on the carpeted floor. The boss always did the exact same thing after the phone call ended.

The hidden sorcerous assassin reached into his bag and pulled out a smiling grenade. He quietly opened the grate in front of him, and then casually tossed the grenade over toward the Boss' location.

The hellion boss gazed impassively out of the overly large glass window. He was fearless despite the possibility of snipers, or perhaps too stupid to realize that standing in front of a window is the best way to get shot by the police when you were an armed hostage taker.

The sound of the grenade hitting the floor nearby caused the hellion to look down. His eyes opened in surprise and he had just enough time to exclaim, "Oh Shit!" and throw his arms up before the smiling face on the grenade grew three sizes.

The subsequent explosion rocked the area and sent the boss hurtling through the glass window with tremendous force. Scott immediately hopped out and ran over to the door to the room. He locked it with the deadbolt then trotted over to the destroyed window and looked down. On the ground three stories below he could see the dead hellion artfully arrayed on the stone.

Scott doubted that the fall could have killed the beast, but he accepted it all the same. It had the feeling of an end-scene from a movie or action game. Every time that he'd done this, he had said something different after the fact. This time was no different. He nodded to the boss then said, "Applesauce. Bitch."

The body on the ground shimmered then disappeared. A moment later it faded into sight in the room once more. Scott immediately began to loot the corpse. It would not be long before the nearby hellions raced toward the room now that the fight was over.

"Aha. Special loot get!" exclaimed Scott happily before he pulled a shotgun out of a hidden holster on the boss' hip. It was a short-barreled weapon, but it was clearly some sort of shotgun. He also looted all of the boss' equipment and discovered two silver coins and several dozen copper coins.

Rapid pounding noises came from the door just as Scott finished looting the corpse. He glanced down to see what underwear the boss wore this time. It was a disturbing habit, but he blamed the system. Each time he had slain the boss, he had noticed that the deceased former hellion leader had worn different comically styled underwear. The first time he had worn boxer shorts with cute little ducks on them. Another time, it had been women's panties; exceptionally lacey women's panties. This time they were tidy-whities with a Hello Kitty themed print.

"Seriously? That exists here?" That little cat popped up everywhere. Wait, was she a cat? He was fairly certain that he'd read somewhere that she was actually supposed to be a little girl.

The pounding on the door became more insistent. Scott, had heard it all before of course, so it did not bother him much to know that there were several angry demonic ogres just outside who wanted to eat his sweet meats. "Yeah, that's right. She's a little girl. A little British girl."

He glanced at the images of the little girl emblazoned on the hellion's underwear then rubbed his chin. "I didn't know that little British girls had cat whiskers, but hey, everyone has their own special thing I suppose."

"You in there meat?! I smell you! Come out, meat!" shouted the hellions.

Scott glanced at the door for a moment then frowned. "So noisy."

He sighed lightly then moved over to the ventilation system and returned to his personal inter-office highway. Scott was long gone by the time the hellions broke into the room and discovered what sort of things their former boss had been into.

Scott stopped by the sub-basement to loot the crate and discovered several pieces of fruit, a candy bar, and a bottle of water. "Sugar it is!" exclaimed Scott before heading back to his safe room.

It could easily be said that he had made this place his home. He no longer feared leaving his safe room in the slightest. If he died, it merely meant that he had screwed up. He endeavored not to do that same thing again in the future.

Currently, he had a very simple and easy method of clearing out all of the hellions. As long as he killed only the security hellion and the boss, he would finish the quest in another five rotations.

Scott sat on his cost and drank from his bottle of water. Food and water had not been an issue since he had discovered that crate in the basement. Before that, he had subsisted off of candy bars and the sodas he had taken from the drink machine on the far end of the first floor. He had died a few times trying to get to that life-saving elixir.

When he died and respawned here, he was no longer hungry. If he went a long period of time between deaths he became hungry like a normal person. The cot seemed to slow that process a bit, but he did eventually have to eat and drink.

"I'm done here, aren't I?" he asked the empty room after a while. Every skill that he could increase in this place had risen to at least thirty. He had started to develop a rather nasty headache recently, and he had more loot than he could carry in his bag by a wide margin.

Scott sighed. "Yeah, I should finish this soon." It had been a lovely place to train, but his skills were not increasing at all, and he was certain that he had reached his level caps for both combat and skill levels. All he could really do at this point was farm items and coins, but if he did that he might reach a point where his headache became so severe that he would not even be able to open his eyes or move around.

He performed his customary analysis of his items, an action that caused his headache to increase slightly in severity, and then set out to repeat his previous hunting actions. He had developed boss killing in this dungeon to a science. It did not take long before he had finished off the hellions.

After the last boss hellion had been blown out the window by a happy grenade, Scott looted the corpse and something surprising occurred. The phone rang.

He glanced around the room for a moment then shrugged and picked up the receiver. The crystalline spheres on either end of the device lit up as a familiar voice spoke to him across the line.

"So, seems you finally finished the tutorial." said Mid.

"I suppose, so. What happens now?" he asked with a smile. It was nice to hear a voice that did not sound interested in eating his sweet meats.

"Head back to the safe room and follow the instructions that you find in the box there." said Mid before the line went dead. Scott replaced the fantasy phone back onto its cradle and the glowing sphere at the center of the device dimmed.

Scott meandered his way through the transit authority building without concern. He had killed everything in the place already.

After he returned to his safe room, he glanced at the mirror then checked the little box for further information. There was a new letter waiting for him inside, along with ten silver coins and a small light blue colored crystal.

Scott pocketed the money and the crystal then read the letter. It was a congratulatory message on completing the tutorial.

[Message]

Congratulations on completing the tutorial dungeon!

Unfortunately, you cannot take the items and money that you have gathered with you out into the world. It would be problematic for various reasons.

Do not be too upset about the situation, however. If you place everything, including your quest rewards, into the box and close the lid you will be compensated accordingly.

~ Mid

[--]

Scott frowned. "Man, that's weak. What was the point of farming all this stuff then, dammit!"

He analyzed each item one at a time before he placed them into the box. He had a mountain of armor and weapons to place inside, and did not bother to count them at all. Even though the items were shrunk down to the size of something a typical Barbie Doll might be able to use, the items were heaped above the rim of the box.

Scott stood there naked and annoyed as he closed the lid. A brilliant light flared from the box and then it died back slightly. The box continued to glow for a moment afterward. Once the glow died down and the lid opened, Scott took a look inside.

"The hell is this?" Scott picked up an item that looked a lot like a fantasy version of a cell phone. The device sit easily in his palm, had a large glass screen on the front of the device and three crystal spheres situated just underneath that were arrayed like buttons.

The little sphere in the center lit up and then began to flash. It immediately began to emit a cutesy ring-tone sound reminiscent of the victory tunes from the casual server. Some strange instinct overtook him and he touched the flashing crystal.

The screen lit-up and an image of Mid appeared like they were having a video conference. "Hi! I see that you received your compensation!"

"Compensation? Mid, what is this?" asked Scott.

"It's a Crysta-com, dear childe. You have something similar on Earth." she said with a smile.

"So, it's some kind of smart phone?" asked Scott.

"Yep, the ARS equivalent. You can even use the Aethernet to order stuff online." she said in a perky manner.

"Wow, that's neat." said Scott. Sure, he was butt naked and faythless, but this was still pretty neat.

Mid chuckled warmly. "It's pre-set with a few global store chain addresses. As a premium account holder you'll be able to buy and sell from various stores with greater success."

"Now that does sound neat. Any of these places sell clothes?" asked Scott.

Mid laughed musically then nodded. "Dear childe, of course they do. Normally ordering off of the Aethernet would require you to wait twenty-four hours before your packages arrived in the mail. If you order now, they will all appear in the mail box on the first floor by the time you arrive there."

"I can order without money?" asked Scott, a confused tone in his voice.

"Check your bank balance." said Mid.

"Gladly, but how?"

Mid laughed again then gave him a basic rundown of his new toy worked. Scott fiddled with the crystals located below her laughing image. A moment later her image shrunk down and he used his finger to move her to the corner of the screen.

"Oh, you touch me so forcefully." said Mid with a silly giggle. She was in high spirits today, for some reason.

He checked his com-menu and located his bank balance. His eyes lit-up when he saw that he had a little over twenty-three thousand Fayth.

[Bank Balance]

[Balance: 23,438]

[Copper: 38][Silver: 34][Gold: 2][Platinum: 0][Aurans: 0]

[--]

He let out a low, slow, whistle. "Definitely better than just twenty silver!"

"Absolutely. Tutorial stuff needs to stay in the tutorial, but we compensate our premium players according to their efforts. It is one of the special services."

"Wow, not bad. I should probably do a little shopping!" said Scott in rising excitement. Suddenly, his prospects in this world had never looked so high.

"Lucky! I have to work another few hours before I can shop." said Mid with a smile.

Scott laughed a little. "Really? Can't you just split into different Mids and shop all you want?"

The mini-Mid in the corner of his screen tugged down the brim of her hat. "Yes, dear childe, I certainly can. But it's just not the same."

They chatted freely for a moment until Mid said something else that was quite interesting. "Yes, you definitely want to save five silver for licensing."

"Rhea never mentioned licensing, or did she?" Scott tried to think about what sort of specific things Rhea had said to him.

She had been detailed about the game mechanics of the classic server, but most of the lore and similar things had not been discussed in detail.

"Probably not. However, it is important that you go and have your class licensed in your home city. That will give you legal protection and allow you to hunt, rent property, and other things." said Mid.

"Does everyone have to do that when they go to another city?" he asked.

"Ah, no. Licenses are good throughout a given nation. You'll want a passport for international travel, but those are one hundred gold coins and must be re-issued every four years." said Mid.

Scott blanched. "It costs a million Fayth to travel internationally?"

Mid shrugged then smiled warmly. "If it makes you feel better, that's only a quarter million per year."

"You have no idea how much better that makes me feel." said Scott in a sarcastic tone of voice.

She laughed at him then shook her head. "It's expensive, but it is also globally accepted. You need to recall things like World Travel and other rapid transportation methods. When you have the power and resources, you'll literally be able to traverse the entire planet in a matter of moments."

Scott understood it. He just did not like the idea of paying for it. His anus had clenched so hard that he might have crapped out a diamond if he had thought about it. Although, had he actually done so his monetary issues might have been solved.

Travel expenses aside, Scott decided it was time to do some shopping. He fiddled with his Crysta-com for a moment and brought up a menu that showed the names for several stores. He immediately recognized one. "Regal Alice, huh."

Mid's smile brightened further. "Why yes, feel free to spend all of your lovely money in my store."

Scott laughed at the girl's blatant attempt to separate him from his funds. He clicked on her store's name and a secondary menu popped up. He read through it then blinked. "I get discounts?"

"Why yes, dear childe. At my store you receive a base twenty percent discount and trade agreement for purchasing from you. Though, if you go to Meaden you'll receive thirty percent on trade-in goods that my store accepts."

"My agreement for Meaden carried through? I thought that it would have stayed behind." said Scott.

"I own the franchise. I do what I want." she said.

Scott laughed, "Then why not thirty percent across the board?"

"Why? You're not marrying me, you silly boy." said Mid with a twinkle in her eye.

"Really? I'd only get a thirty percent discount if we got hitched?" asked Scott.

Mid laughed in an absurdly adult manner. "Dear childe, even if we did get hitched a girl's still gotta eat."

"And buy fancy hats." said Scott.

"Indeed!" she said with a laugh. "Only the fanciest of hats, dear childe." she practically purred the words.

"Fair enough." said Scott with a soft chuckle. He decided to steer the conversation away from the topic of marriage. He already had an engagement to think of after all.

"So, do all of these stores give me a discount?" asked Scott.

"Of course, they're part of the premium account holder's consortium. The largest and most dedicated businesses across ARS are added to the list, though they charge extra for delivery."

"It would be less expensive to go in to their store." said Scott. That made sense, actually.

"Yes, unless you absolutely need something or you see a premium item that you like, it is best not to order online if you can go into the store." said Mid.

Scott checked out what Regal Alice had to offer. On the casual server, the store bought and sold lore crystals. What he saw on the list of online items was something different. It was mostly a selection of accessories and specialized lore crystals that taught basic information about things in the world.

"These lore crystals don't work the same as on the casual server, right?"

"Correct. They slowly teach you while you focus on them. It is similar to finding a tutor or trainer, but takes a lot more time and effort. If it is a skill crystal it will also grant you a skill over time, but the growth quality can be effected if the lore crystal is low-grade." said Mid.

"I thought this sort of thing would be rare, here." Scott was fairly certain that he had been told something along those lines.

"Well, they are rare enough aren't they? Check the prices." said Mid.

Scott tapped on a crystal that was touted as capable of teaching gunsmithing, it was a high-grade crystal. When he saw the price, his anus clenched tight enough to be used to draw wire! "Three hundred fourteen gold to learn gunsmithing?!"

Mid laughed sweetly. "Dear childe, of course it is. That's a production skill. You can use it to make things that make money. The premium grade, and master grade cost several times more money than that. Though if you ever see either type of crystal in my store, I highly suggest you buy it regardless of what skill it is."

"I see. What's so special about them?"

The business goddess smirked in amusement. "Well, premium crystals can increase the growth rate of a [skill when you learn it through the crystal by up to two letter grades. A master grade crystal allows you to learn a skill with S-ranked growth regardless of what it would normally be ranked as."

"Wait, S-Rank? Wouldn't I have to give up a slot permanently to use either of those types of crystals?" asked Scott.

"Yes. They are the only short-cut method to avoid lengthy questing. Though, some of those quests actually culminate in finding crystals like the ones mentioned."

"I see." Scott looked through the available selections for a time, but saw no premium or master grade lore crystals. The few that he did find were all high-grade. Mid explained that she did not carry mid-tier or lower items in her store. She sold those bulk rate to artisans and production companies. Prices varied from two gold to over thirty-two thousand gold.

Copper Fayth was the most basic medium of currency for bank balances and daily purchasing power. Gold was the standard for higher level purchases. The item that basically cost three hundred twenty million Fayth was called the [Divine Circlet of Eldritch Wisdom].

It was a level four hundred item that was proof-tested and known to increase intellect and mana by four hundred percent. It also increased experience gains by forty percent, and provided celestial protection that was rated at three hundred eighty points. Oh, and it also allowed summoners to summon a Lesser Abomination of the Deep.

"It's interesting that items actually do have stats. I could never see any when I analyzed things." said Scott.

"That's because you currently suck." said Mid lightly.

Scott laughed. "True enough, but I wonder how I can suck less at analyzing things. What is this proof-testing that I see, anyway?"

"Items that are analyzed by masters are considered to be proof-tested. Without master level specializations in analysis and knowledge of that item, you can't really proof-test."

"Knowledge of the item?" asked Scott.

"Yes, say a master swordsman who also has a master level specialization in weapon identification, but is only an expert in the bow. That swordsman can accurately tell you the exact stats of any sword, but put a bow in his hand and he wouldn't be able to tell you the exact stats. He would be able to guess fairly well, though."

"Ah, so if I master boomerangs and light armor, then get master level specializations in armor and weapon identification, I can see their stats?" asked Scott.

"Yep!" said Mid.

Scott smiled at the mini-Mid on his screen then left her shop and sought out a clothing store. A store called Fashion Fatale caught his interest. He would receive a ten percent discount whenever he shopped there.

He looked through the premium selection for a moment and found a few pieces of clothing that doubled as light armor. The total amount cost eighty-seven silver, after taxes and delivery fees were added on, but some of his new clothing had nice options.

The proof-testing showed that the combined defensive boost would be twenty-nine to forty-seven points. Plus, the leather gloves and boots doubled as weapons, and would increase his attack by eight to fourteen points. He was delighted to see that he could buy and equip light armor items up to level seven due to the fact that his light armor skill was both a class skill and was high-enough to allow him to equip better equipment already.

The level restrictions on items were based mostly on required skill to wield the item, even if it did not make sense past a certain point. One level required four skill levels in that skill. If the item related to a class specific skill then the main class level could equal the restriction level. However, if it was not an item related to a class skill then only miscellaneous skill levels applied.

For instance, a level ten sorcerer could equip a level ten light leather vest. However, if they wanted to have a higher-level piece of equipment they would need a higher level of light armor skill. If the sorcerer had a light armor skill level of forty, they could not equip anything higher than level ten equipment. However, if they had a light armor skill level of eighty they could equip level twenty light leather armor.

Alternatively, if the level ten sorcerer wanted to equip steel field plate that was restricted to level one hundred they would need to have a heavy armor skill level of four hundred even if their class level was one hundred. They would need to train their miscellaneous slower growth armor skill as though it were a class skill just to maintain relevance.

Acquiring higher level items did not only allow for better item stats, but a better chance of acquiring and using unique items with special options at an earlier level. His blue silk shirt, passionate red harem pants, and yellow silk sash each had special options, though his other lower level purchases did not.

[Clothing]

Blue Silk Shirt of the Starry Skies [Proof-Tested]

This shirt woven from the silk of the [Shatterpillar], a common insect monster in the Valkovian region, is of medium quality and fineness. It is sleeveless in design and makes quite the bold fashion statement.

Item Type: Clothing (Light Armor)

Material: Cloth (silk)

Level: 5

Restriction: Sorcerer, Monk, Fighter

Durability: 24/24

Quality: Medium

Fineness: Medium

Defense: 8-14

Value: 2600

Special Option: Improved Elemental Control: Lightning

[--]

[Clothing]

Yellow Silk Sash of the Elusive Wind [Proof-Tested]

This sash woven from the silk of the Shatterpillar, a common insect monster in the Valkovian region, is of medium quality and fineness. It is simple wrap-around design that is the perfect accessory for the discriminating monk or sorcerer.

Item Type: Clothing (Light Armor)

Material: Cloth (silk)

Level: 7

Restriction: Sorcerer, Monk

Durability: 16/16

Quality: Medium

Fineness: Medium

Defense: 4-9

Value: 1700

Special Option: Increased Agility [+2]

[--]

[Clothing]

Passionate Red Pants of the Fire Dancer [Proof-Tested]

This set of pants woven from the silk of the [Shatterpillar], a common insect monster in the Valkovian region, is of medium quality and fineness. It is a harem style design and makes quite the bold fashion statement for the agile and evocative.

Item Type: Clothing (Light Armor)

Material: Cloth (silk)

Level: 6

Restriction: Sorcerer, Monk, Fighter

Durability: 25/25

Quality: Medium

Fineness: Medium

Defense: 9-14

Value: 3300

Special Option: Flame Dance

[--]

Scott looked over the proof-testing of his items for a moment. His other purchases; the underwear, socks, boots, and gloves did not have anything special about them. They also did not provide much additional protection. Their only good quality was that they were not particularly expensive.

He had a little over one gold coin left that he could spend since he needed to buy his license, so he looked through a few other shops while chatting with Mid. He noticed that items such as the bag that he had before were easy to buy in stores, but they were rather expensive. A simple space bag cost five gold Fayth. He settled for purchasing a money pouch for forty-five silver. It only held five hundred coins of any denomination, but it was better than walking around with an arm load of money.

Scott decided to save his money after that. If he needed anything else he could buy it in a store. There was also the fact that he needed to live off of what he had in his pocket for a while. He spent some time chatting with Mid then shut down his Crysta-com.

A few minutes passed as the naked man made his way over to the mailbox on the first floor. It was close to the exit, but not close enough that he could not resist the urge to tempt fate by opening the door.

Scott found several small boxes sitting next to the mailbox, each of which was addressed to him. He opened them up and donned his attire. After he finished getting dressed, he glanced at the double doors that led outside, but he opted to return to the salvation mirror first.

Inside his safe room Scott gazed upon his himself in the mirror. He blinked twice then placed his hands up his hips, through back his head, flashed a smug manly smile, and laughed like a barrel-chested he-man from an old adventure novel. "I look like a circus freak. Ah. Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha."

The colorfully clad man checked his stats and skills one last time before he headed out.

Scott Jacobs

Race: Lunarii | Class: Twilight Master

Age: 18 | Max Lifespan: Ageless

Level: 5 | Title: The Reborn

Attack: 140[193-199] | Defense: 141[232-250]

Strength: 100 | Agility: 100[102] | Vitality: 100

Intellect: 100 | Charisma: 100 | Attunement: 100

[--]

Class Skills

Unarmed Combat: 32

Twilight Sorcery: 31

Primordial Magic: 1

Sense Life: 30

Arcane Lore: 1

Arcane Mastery: 30

Light Armor: 30

Analyze: 31

[--][/align]

[Miscellaneous Skills]

Survival Lore: 30

Boomerang Mastery: 1

[--]

"Colorful... and a badass." said Scott with a grin. He sighed loudly then left the safe room for the final time. He had become strangely attached to the place. It was his immortal refuge from the hellions outside his door.

He strolled through the tutorial dungeon and headed for the front door. Once he reached it, he sighed loudly. "This is really happening, huh? I'm really leaving this place?"

Scott turned back one last time in order to give the tutorial dungeon its proper consideration. He could not know the exact amount of time that he had spent there, but he felt as though he had made something of a life for himself within the confines of the subterranean transit authority building.

Nostalgia was a funny thing. The building and everything in it had sucked big hairy demonic ogre balls. Yet, he could not help but feel a little odd when he walked through that door. He might still be a noob, honestly he probably would be a noob in the world to come long after whatever happened with the Lord of Destruction, happened. He was an outsider, a non-entity who had crossed worlds. His place was not set, nor was it something that could be decided easily. His purpose was to become strong, have fun with his friends, and possibly save the world.

The blue-haired master of the twilight smiled softly as the door closed behind him. He walked forward a few steps then he faded away. Not long after, the world itself faded to black.

When Scott next opened his eyes it was in the strange black void that he experienced whenever he had died recently. In front of him flashed the words important message. He tapped the air before him to open up the message and he smiled broadly.

It's about time you finished playing with those hellions. How long do you expect a girl to wait, huh? No consideration at all! Well, I'll have you know that I'm fine with that. I'll see you soon, Scott.

Oh, and I made a teensy, tiny, little mistake with the time-dilation. It's nothing major, but Ero and Herbert won't be joining you for about nine hours or so. Time has to resync properly.

Anyway, I have a few other things to tell you but they can wait till we meet up in a few hours.

I love you, Scott

XOXOXO

~ Origin – Also, Rhea and Aria. Uhm... and a few others you might meet... If you're a good boy.

PS. Enclosed is something I thought that you might like, and so you that don't forget what you're fighting for. Hee hee.

PPS: Drink some water. I know you'll be thirsty.

PPPS: Sorry, Shara wanted me to say that last part...

[--]

Scott tapped on the attachment that came with the message and he thought that his heart might stop for a moment. "Rhea and Aria in low-cut wedding dresses..." Apparently, Origin did not mind sharing if it was with herself. That was good to know for future reference.

The image before him was of Origin in her Rhea and Aria guises. The two forms of his goddess love were wearing wedding dresses and hugging each other in a passionate embrace. Their cheeks were pressed together as they looked out at him longingly.

His face reddened slightly, whether it was because of the mind-altering effects of ARS, or because he had just seen the most absurdly beautiful sight in the world, he did not know. He lifted his Crysta-com and pressed a crystal. "And now you're my background image."

While he fiddled with his phone to set the background he discovered that he had a music folder. He opened it up and found a few musical selections were pre-downloaded.

"Ero's theme...? The High-Elf's Lament?" Scott looked through them then blinked. "The Ballad of Fat Scott?"

He clicked on the last one and listened for a moment as a female voice that he was absolutely certain had to be Shara began to sing. She sang out sweetly in a heartbreaking voice, but the content of the song was ridiculous.

"Our love went away, the day you went to your: Big. Fat. Grave..." The song rose to a powerful crescendo and the music crashed all around him. "Oh—Oooh... Fat Scott, why did you not: Eat. More. Fruit..."

He listened for a moment as she continued to sing and then zeroes in once more when her voice started to rise. "Couldn't you hear the heart behind my bountiful and lonesome breasts... It was crying out, oh It was calling."

The voice grew somber and sweet at the same time. "Now, soft and lonely, they quiver everyday... here on my chests."

The song stopped suddenly and she spoke normally in a soft and questioning tone. "I'm sad, so I can make chest plural right?"

There was a quiet moment followed by a lonesome sigh just before the music started once more. "And in the darkness of my lonely heart... My tears... Won't stop falling..." sang the sweet voice of Shara.

Scott blinked then gazed at his Crysta-com with a flat expression. "Seriously, Shara. What the hell." He kind of wanted to find Shara and give her a big hug, but he also wanted to laugh his ass off. He was so conflicted.

"This thing is fun." said Scott. Sure, it was basically just a smart phone from a fantasy world, but it was still fun.

The message floating in the air disappeared a few minutes later and a glowing doorway appeared. Scott put his Crysta-com in his pocket and then walked through the door. He walked out onto the scene of a back alley. There was a dumpster nearby, an overly large rat currently taking an equally large rat crap off the side of a dumpster. He also saw what looked like a guy who had the head of a bear passed out against a stone wall. He had a bottle of something in his hand that Scott could tell was alcoholic and incredibly sweet from the smell alone, even at the current distance.

"Welcome to the fantasy life." he remarked sarcastically.

He slipped past both rat and drunken bear-headed man, and headed out toward the street beyond. Scott looked around in fascination at the buildings and people around him. The city looked like a strange fantastical version of a near-future Earth. Just down the street he saw a couple of people arguing while standing near a massive elephant-like creature.

He could not hear what they were saying, but the hug elephant-ting sat down on top of what looked to be some sort of vehicle. There was a loud sound that followed immediately after. One of the arguing men started to scream in a high-pitched tone while he pointed at his crushed vehicle.

Scott and several others watched as someone in heavy armor rode up on a vehicle that looked a lot like motorcycle that had no wheels. It hovered like something out of science fiction, though there was the skitter and skirl of electricity underneath the body of the machine.

The officer separate the arguing men, seemed to listen to their story, and then said something to them. The owner of the elephant started arguing with the newcomer. The apparent law enforcement officer reached into a holster on their hip and pulled out a massive firearm that could not have possibly fit into such a small space.

Both men threw up their hands, and surprisingly even the elephant lifted up its forelegs. The officer took something out of his pocket, gave something to each man and the elephant, and then got back on his wheel-less motorcycle. He rode off like that sort of thing was an everyday occurrence.

After the show was over, the gathered crowd departed. Since everyone else went about their business, Scott did the same. He wandered down the street taking in the sights around him.

Eventually, he made his way to what he believed to be a city park. He walked up a set of high stairs to the top of a hill that acted as an overlook. There were couples all over the place, as well as small families. Scott was even surprised by the sight of two fairies buzzing around a small rose bush. Seeing fairies reminded him of Ero and he sighed a little.

It was dark out, but the city was aglow with lights and sounds. The background music was subdued but had a certain whimsical and fantastic air about it that seemed fitting.

He walked to the edge of the overlook and leaned over the rail. Down below he saw a large pond, and on the pond shore he saw mermaids lazing about while chatting with each other.

"Mummy! Mummy! Whazzat!" asked a little girl excitedly as she pointed down at the mermaids below. They were well lit by a nearby lamp that caused their scales to sparkle and gleam in the light. The little girl, a girl with a little stubby tail, short hair, and white-furred ears that were rounded but triangular. She also wore a pretty little floral print dress.

"Sweetie, you know that it's not polite to point. We have to be mindful of others and the appearances that we keep." explained the older version of the little girl. She was matronly, but still a beautiful young woman with bright blue eyes and gleaming white fangs. She wore sleeveless dress with a fur-fringe and had her hair done up in an elegant manner.

"But mummy, daddy always says that a honey badger doesn't give a fu—" began the girl in a sweet, but excited tone of voice. The mother whipped her hand down and covered her daughter's mouth. "Never mind what your father says, dear."

"Is it because he's low-class, mummy?" asked the little girl, who was apparently kin to a honey badger.

"Yes dear, but not necessarily the sort of class that you're thinking of at the moment." She said it with a warm, motherly, smile. Scott could detect a hint of long-term suffering in her voice, however. Daddy honey badger no doubt caused her no end of concern.

The mother continued to show her daughter around and Scott listened in to their conversation in a casual way. It was not every day that a man heard two honey badger people speak with a faux-British accent, despite the fact that there was no reason for the accent to even exist outside of Earth.

Eventually, the little girl and her mummy wandered off to some other part of the park. Scott stayed in place and continued to people watch. It was a strange, yet familiar, sort of city.

Several hours passed while he stood there on the overlook. If not for the sudden explosion of a nearby building and the panicked screams of terror, he might have stayed there the full nine hours and some change that he needed to wait for Ero and Herbert to log in to ARS.

Scott whipped his head around to the location that the sound had erupted from and saw the devastation of what once had been a substantial building. Now nothing but a smoldering ruin remained.

The wind whipped up and soon the formerly cloudless sky became heavily overcast. It was not until someone on the overlook pointed to the sky in the distance and screamed out the words, "Thunder Reign!" that Scott knew where to look.

Hovering in the sky at a good distance was a brightly shining mass of lightning that had taken the form of a bird. A shrieking sound echoed through the air followed by an incredibly bright flash of light. A thunderous sound like an explosion, rocked the air and another tall building took damage. Instead of exploding, it fell sideways and collapsed in a way that blocked the road.

Air raid sirens began to blare loudly and soon a strange blue energy field arose over the city. Scott stood there slack jawed as lightning shot down and slammed against the new shield.

"Hey you!" snapped an authoritative voice. Scott turned and saw a man in heavy black armor rushing over to him. "Get to a shelter now!"

"What's going on?" asked Scott excitedly.

"Do I look like the damned answer police? The Storm Tyrant summoned Thunder Reign, if you don't want to die get underground!" snapped the officer before pointing toward a group of people running toward a small building on the other side of the park.

Scott looked to the officer then the panicked people running toward the structure in the distance. It looked like an oversized subway entrance. He started forward but suddenly he felt the hair on his head and arms beginning to rise up. Static electricity rose all around him.

"Dammit! Go!" snarled the officer before he rushed toward the edge of the overlook. Scott chased after him and followed his lead as the man leapt off the side.

"Fuck Beaaans!" shouted Scott as a bright flash of light erupted from the hilltop. A thunderous explosion drowned out the rest of his obscenity as he hurtled toward the water. Before he hit the surface a wave of force lashed out that sent him skipping across the water like a thrown rock. He skipped twice, was knocked further into the air by a second wave of force and went flying end over end for a brief moment. He flailed his limbs spastically while he screamed for his life. A brief few seconds later he crashed down into the center of the pond with a loud splash.

Scott lost consciousness momentarily, but somehow made it to shore anyway. He did not bother to look back at the ruination that had once been an overlook for the park. He was currently more concerned with saving his own ass. That underground shelter idea sounded quite good right about now.