Chapter 23

  “The guides have been told what event will be first,” Aspen said.

  Danny listened carefully.

  “It’s called Monster Invasion. The event is a play on the usual Monster Horde event that attacks population centers in waves. Instead of steadily increasing groups of monsters, you will face an army from one of the Three Monster Cabals.”

  “Monster Cabals? I thought monsters were unthinking. What happened to that?” Danny asked.

  “Well… that may have been an exaggeration.” The guide quickly amended, “On a newly integrated planet, they should be. Clever, maybe, but forming a society or communicating outside of basic commands is rarely seen until the mid-100s.” Danny glared as yet another thing he had been misled about was brought to light. “I won’t apologize for telling you what you needed to know and nothing more. If you think you can guilt me using that stupid look then the Multiverse will chew you up and spit you out.” Aspen sneered.

  “Whatever. What should I expect from the Cabal?” It was a drop in the bucket at this point anyway. Danny had already figured that monsters were not as simple as the guide had originally made them out to be. Things rarely were so black and white.

  “The three are the Vampires, the Lycans, and the Liches. Vampires are the most well-rounded of the three. They have an even split of magical abilities and physical prowess; they also like to turn their enemies against each other with the promise of power. Fancy themselves nobility as well— hubristic bloodsuckers.” Aspen scowled as if speaking of them brought a sour taste to his mouth. “The Lycans are the most physically impressive. Big, hairy, and mean with claws and teeth that would put your pet monster to shame. Luckily, their intellect is about what you would expect from such a brutish bunch. One of the hardest to deal with is the Liches. They can raise monsters back to life, provided the body isn’t destroyed. They also are powerful casters in their own right, but the real hangup is how they never run out of warm bodies.”

  “Which one is it going to be?”

  “Like the System would spoil that surprise. You’ll find out when the System wants you to, and not a moment before.”

  “Do they have any weaknesses? A wooden stake to the heart, garlic, a crucifix?”

  “What? No. If it were that simple, they would have been wiped out ages ago. You natives are so backward it’s almost amusing. Your only saving grace is that the System will put a limit on the Level of the invaders. Probably a cap at 100, with only a limited number allowed at that Level. That should be your goal before the event starts. Get to the peak of Stage 2, hopefully beyond it, before the invasion starts in earnest.”

  “How am I supposed to do that? I just got to Stage 2, and that took three months!” Danny said.

  “Get to Stage 2, or the monsters win the planet. That’s it, no do-overs, no second chances. This world will become a Catastrophe if you don’t repel whatever Cabal comes.”

  “No pressure,” Danny said sarcastically. “What about everyone else, are they going to help?”

  “The System wouldn’t throw this at you if there was no chance at success. The problem is, Wildcards fall about half the time. After the first event, the Multiverse factions all get a chance to try and recruit the best and brightest. Many of them will go off-world, leaving all the dregs behind, the ones already unable to keep up. When that happens—well, you can imagine the rest.”

  “So I either have to save the entire world on my own or jump ship?” This felt like a lot. Even if half failed, that meant the other half didn’t. Surely, things weren’t as dire as Aspen was making them out to be. He did have a penchant for being on the glass half-empty side.

  “Not quite. You can build your own faction and recruit the natives yourself. Convince them to stay on planet. One thing is for sure, if you aren’t at the head of this, then you are leaving the fate of your planet up to chance. Is that what you want to do?”

  Danny thought carefully. He didn’t like the idea of abandoning the place he grew up, but looking around, could he even really say that this was the same Earth that he had known? It was completely different, even the trees, while similar, were unlike anything he had seen before. There wasn’t much left for him here, except his friends. If push came to shove though, Danny figured that he could take them somewhere else, away from here, there was a whole Multiverse out there after all. But there was also something appealing about founding his own little group. Furthering his goal of Purifying and transforming monsters could be their focus. The idea of gathering a like-minded group had a satisfying quality to it.

  “What does it take to make a faction?”

  The guide smiled. “First, you need a Pylon. They’ll be spread all around the world. Claim one, there will be someone to take you through the finer points later.”

  “Why do you want me to do this so badly?”

  “I don’t want you to do anything besides what will be the best for your progress.” The guide answered.

  “Yeah, okay. Is there anything else I should know?” The countdown now indicated that they had less than ten minutes left.

  “I called in a couple of favors and have a list of some groups you should seek out when the First Wave comes. The Ketloq Raiders, for your beast taming; the Watchers, for your cultivation; and any of the fairy factions to further your mastery of the staff. The Ketloq might not be the most receptive, but if you mention my name, they should help.”

  “Thanks, Aspen,” Danny said. “Seriously. For everything. I know we had our issues, but I would have died several times if not for you and the things you taught me.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The fairy gave Danny a once-over. “Native, you have been trained by the Alei-Tacht of the Faerun Armada, earned the respect of three well-respected Training Spirits of the Pillars, you have the highest Soul stat I have ever seen, and you were the most damn annoying student I’ve ever had,” He said. “You will do great things, I am certain of it.” Danny felt something wet run down his cheek, but he wiped whatever it was away. Not trusting in his ability to speak, the two sat in a comfortable silence as the timer turned down. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… A final flash of blue enveloped Aspen. And he was gone. Leaving an irritable, controlling, demanding fairy-shaped hole behind.

  Danny lingered for a moment longer before he got up and returned to the campsite. He packed his things. Ash walked into the clearing and watched patiently as Danny collected the supplies that had been left to him. Indy tried to initiate some sort of game by nipping at her tail, but a low growl dissuaded him from continuing his hijinks. The familiar stone platform that held the Pillars was Danny’s next stop. Somehow, slotting them into their slots in the stone allowed them to recharge, but Danny figured he could take them with him and use them till they gave out. He still had a couple of points to gain. Except, the Pillars were not in place. Come to think of it, what was in that bag that Aspen had been hiding behind his back?

  ___________________________________________________________

  Aspen looked at the satchel that hung from his shoulder. Three ghostly figures appeared around him.

  “That was not cool,” Sassa said.

  “I’m sure the Alei-Tacht has his reasons. Besides, you saw what he left the boy in exchange.” Maypa replied.

  “But still—”

  “The Pillars are the pride and joy of all fairies. It would do no good in the hands of a native. Even if he did have some middling talent.” Oke broke in.

  “Shut it you old fart.” Sassa shot back.

  “Treat your elders with respect you—”

  “I don’t think we need to be—” Maypa tried to reason.

  “Go ahead, finish what you were—” Sassa taunted.

  “Amateur.” Oke finished.

  “Amateur!? I could—”

  “Need to be fighting over something—” Maypa interjected.

  “You could, what?”

  “Oh, I could—”

  “Enough!” Aspen cut their argument short. “The Pillars are too important to even leave it to chance that they get in the hands of another faction.”

  “But Danny wouldn’t do anything like that. He knows they are important,” Sassa said.

  “You’re right. He wouldn’t” Aspen answered. “But with how easily I took them from under his nose, do you trust that someone more skilled couldn’t do the same? Especially when the Sects send their recruiters with the First Wave?”

  Sassa was silent. Maypa tried to stay out of it, not leaning to one side or the other. Oke hmmph’d with satisfaction.

  “Besides,” Aspen said, “I left him something that was a worthwhile trade.”

  ___________________________________________________________

  When he was finished firing off epithets into the air, Danny made peace with the fact that the Pillars were not really his to begin with. The thing that really hurt was not getting to say goodbye. Sassa, Maypa, and even Oke hadn’t been his friends, not even acquaintances really, but it felt like there was something meaningful there. A bond built by blood and sweat. Something that felt wrong to just be torn away without any semblance of closure. Maybe that’s just how things are. Danny had a countdown. Whenever he wanted too, he could have gone to the platform and said what he wanted to say. At least I have you two…

  Ash sat with her back straight, at attention. Indy limped around in lopsided circles in a never ending chase to catch his tail. It wasn’t all bad, anyway. Danny pulled the parting gift out of his pocket, Aspen had left it on the stone platform with a note. [Necklace of Regeneration]. The note read:

  Native, the Pillars are too important to leave on this planet. I don’t know who donated a set, but I have left you something that the System has deemed a worthy trade. Hopefully, it will serve you as well as the last.

  -A

  “Ash, do you have any idea where to go now?”

  The wolf sniffed the air. No.

  “Great. What about you Indy?”

  The fox paused its game to look up at Danny. It cocked its head to the side with a mouthful of orange fur. Deciding that whatever it was must not be that important, the fox returned to hobbling after its orange and bushy prey.

  “What do I have to do to get a minimap? Was that just because Aspen had special guide powers?” Danny got an idea. Minimap. He thought. Map. Location. Quest. Log. Journal. Menu. After waiting for a minute or two, Danny realized that the System seemed to be done giving out freebies. The Tutorial is well and truly over then, I guess, Danny mused. We are on our own now.

  Already being confronted by the harsh reality of not having a guide, Danny puzzled through what to do next. Finding more monsters would be a must. He had to dial in the exact conditions that led to something like Ash instead of a steaming husk like all of his other attempts thus far. The new necklace might help, but he didn’t want it to just be destroyed like last time. In that case, Danny thought, maybe healing powers should be my last skill. I already touched on it briefly with Indy, but I haven’t been able to replicate it. The desperate moments in the direct aftermath of the Dreadwolf fiasco had felt like Danny made a breakthrough, in regards to healing magic, but the epiphany hadn’t stuck. Then there’s the Pylon faction-building angle. Honestly, I have no idea where to start. I have to recruit people and organize stuff. Danny had once been asked if he wanted a promotion to assistant manager at the pet store, but Danny declined. Being responsible for a bunch of other people, a lot of them older than he was, did not seem like something he wanted to do. Now, he had little choice in that matter.

  With no clear direction, Danny was unsure how he could even accomplish any one of these goals, let alone all of them. “Eyes on the next step, I guess,” he told himself. He looked around the now packed-up camp. There was a patch of flattened grass where the tents had been. A small fire-pit smouldered. “I’ve got a good feeling about this direction.” It was North-East. Probably. North-East-ish, at the very least. Danny had a hard time telling when his treasure sense was activating and when it was just a random hunch or whim; hunches and whims were all he had to go on anyways, so Danny figured that this way was as good as any. “Come on guys, we’ve got an Integration to take care of.”