CH3.2
I didn't lose Marie; she was taken and suffering. Those were the only thoughts keeping me going alone, trailing after my mentor on a long, lonely road. As I struggled with every step balancing on my hands while harsh winds blew dust in my face, debris cut into my hands, and shit covered me up to the wrists, I held onto hope like a warm blanket. My path was at least clear. The fresh piles of horse shit proved it.
Every six hours, I found a care package reinforcing that I was on the right path. When I was tired, I slept on the side of the road, and when hungry, there were always vials of stimulants and nutrient drinks ready for me.
Rainwater kept me hydrated on Dixie Highway, a road once well-used by bards and minstrels abandoned for its proximity to the yellow line. Tears blurred my vision, but the map screen kept me on the path even as I finally went nose blind to the smell of shit. My self-cleaning clothes were disgusting, and no matter how much I walked on my hands, my gear continued to increase in weight. Every hand step was as hard as the one before.
After two weeks on the road, something incredible happened.
Tactile Telekinesis lvl2 Tier 1
STR 50
DEX 40
VIT 30
A rush of energy filled my body from skills improvement. Two weeks of constant effort had paid off in a big way. Every step was easier than the last mana transformation was a faster process. I could walk faster despite the increased weight.
I heard footsteps behind me, and a man in all black carrying a scythe on his back walked beside me.
"The door is closing; those too short on spirit have already been left behind." I looked up to see the man's pale face and vacant grey eyes. Black hair spilled over his face, giving him the appearance of some kind of hero. "Do you feel the closing the ending that was always inevitable?"
"Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The door is closing; don't you feel it? The overseer's gaps slacken, and all the world's evils gather their strength. A fool has trapped you in a cursed vessel meant to empower you, only leaving you impotent." The man said.
"My name is Atom; what's your name, sir."
"Names and tools used by the system to designate and distribute a carrot and stick. You've taken a beating, and so have I; my friends who once sought after my wisdom have left me alone on this lonely road. Company is what I desire, and with my help, I hope to keep it. Know me as Niche." Niche said.
His obvious fake name aside, It was good to have someone to talk to maybe I could vent to him and get some of my anger off my chest.
"What do you value in life? Tell me so I can tear it down and set you free?" Niche asked.
I opened my mouth and closed it. Maybe this guy wasn't right in the head. Red wasn't quite there either with his choice of metaphors, but this guy seemed to have some screws loose.
"There are no gods, only words used as spells to shame you into actions that don't bring you value. Stats and skills won't do you any good against a raid boss stronger than millions of players. Mehwa was slain not a thousand years ago, and the world is darker for it. Order's gears had a wrench thrown in them, and sprockets fell to the world to bounce and fall under furniture. Do you see this world is doomed before the door closes? No order is left to match chaos. Don't search under the couch for golden gears." Niche said.
This was on me. I knew that adventurers were madmen, but this was too on the nose. How could any of them pass for normal?
"A thousand years is but an hour for the old monsters still picking the bones of this land. It is late, and soon, no light will slip through the door." What did that metaphor actually mean?
I hit a particularly sharp rock and cut the hell out of my hand before smashing it into a fly-covered cooling pile of horse shit. That was going to get infected. I would have to squeeze the puss out of my wound the next time I stopped. Flesh was mending thanks to my ring but that wouldn't matter with infection.
"Can I say something?"
"You did, but go on, lad, the road is yours." Niche said.
"Can you get me out of this cursed gear?" I asked.
I was feeling rather done with adventurers. But if he could do it, I might change my mind. Without help, there wasn't much of a chance I could match up to the power of the King in Yellow in its own realm.
"This is the stick your master set for you. I dare not shield you from a valuable lesson. There are rumors that our avatars will carry over into the next world. If that is true, one would naturally seek out power in this one in preparation for the next." Niche said.
"I'm not an adventurer," I said.
"And I am no longer the lion but a child learning the world for the first time. Society demands you roleplay within their parameters, but no, you can be anyone you want. Be a child and learn the world anew after you are a lion with the power of no to the dragon." Niche said.
"So I should throw off preconceptions of what others have told me, and I have been told and learn things myself."
"No, you should understand everything is ending anyway; women only want men over 6ft tall with a 12-inch dick. The sex so readily available here will be absent as the new game demands monogamy. In Erkunden, we are to act as the Romans and build a society from a strong foundation. Ladies are locked in motherhood and support roles, men have ultimate control over finances, and modesty is enforced by the new system. This old world of lust and glory is over, and mankind is poorer for it. Do you know this kingdom should be called a queendom? All the gentry are women. Van Raven's glorious grey-skinned warlock princess is missing, and it promises to be a glorious quest. The full hand of a rotten Shepard has taken our grey-skinned future queen. The door is set to close right when a new quest is afoot." Niche said.
"It sounds like your dick is being caught in the door," I said.
The man scoffed. "How crass of you, but what should I expect from anyone spending time with Red of all men? Good luck getting laid wearing training gear. You should have looked for a trusted mentor instead of that noob predator." Niche said before leaving me.