Jenga!
The three companions crossed the threshold and stepped upon the bridge leading to the floating castle.
As soon as they stepped through...
The bridge was 30 feet wide and made of impressive stone work, somehow suspended in mid-air.
The party began to cross the mile long expanse to the castle, the anticipation growing as they drew closer.
After they had traveled half the distance, they all began to get worried. This was proceeding far too smoothly. There were no monster attacks, elementals to slay or puzzles to solve..it was eerie.
The party rarely spoke as they walked, for they all felt something rather ominous was coming.
Suddenly, Thorn noticed a blue light appear from the bridge ahead of them. The light grew in intensity until it flashed with a brilliant wave that instantly washed over them.
Thorn knew exactly what was going on.
It was just like before, his party was now frozen in time. Archanos was once again communicating with him.
A millisecond later the form of Archanos appeared projected from the blue light. He bowed his head slightly before beginning to speak.
"I must be quick, we don't have much time. It has been a lengthy life, a huge gambit to play the long con, but I believe my sacrifice may well allow us to best Skye. Here in this place, she cannot hear our thoughts, cannot interfere.".
Thorn smiled, " So we will not just roll over and accept our fate? "
Archanos smiled back, "Indeed we will not. Come now that you are here, I will transfer some information. It's the only way."
Archanos held up his hand and touched it to Thorns temple, emitting a small spark.
This spark shot into his brain and opened up a torrent of information.
A series of new skills popped up.
Thorn recieved numerous skills, but also memories of using these skills so much so that he felt he understood them entirely.
Thorn was assaulted with tons of memories from his future self.
He remembered this moment in his past, and began to recognize the importance of this moment.
It was in this place that Olaf and Tide were killed in his past.
Archanos was forced to begin his travels here and fight morto venti alone, eventually having to travel back in time and take on the burdens of this world.
In order to keep the Meta away from the Evil Dragon Archanos was forced to build the temple and make it an instance zone which only allowed players to enter. This stopped Morto Venti from being able to access it until players began to arrive in this world.
Thorn's interaction with the black dragon would begin at this moment, for Morto Venti had been waiting for a long time to get his revenge.
Hades.
The guild was behind us, they had entered the temple and completed all the floors with a group of forty level 30 players. Morto Venti was amongst them, possesing an assassin player.
Thorn had no thought they would be protected due to the instance zone, but from the memories he had gained he realized he was wrong.
Morto Venti and his forty assasins would kill the prince and throw Tide off the bridge. If a player falls into the endless abyss they will most certainly fall into a coma in the real world.
The prince had been convinced of his own immortality, but the magic of this realm makes his amulet sometimes not work. Here, in the Meta, he can die.
Thorn couldn't help but feel this was all so real, and unbelievable. Time travel...in a game. Memory Manipulation leading to skill creation!? Such things should not be possible.
Archanos wishes to change this fate and fight back against Skye, betting everything on this moment.
The earlier message was to throw her off and hide the real message, equipped with memory transference!
According to his memory, this interference will most likely create a continuum effect. This would create a new future in which starts a new series of unpredictable events.
He gave himself the skills he would need in order to stand a chance, though he knew it would not be enough.
He remembered the pain of losing his friends. The heartache, the loneliness as he struggled through countless difficult situations always at the brink of death.
He remembered falling in love with a woman, having a child. The true care and concern embedded deep in his heart, next to more blossoming love.
So many joyous memories, so many terrible ones, and yet Archanos chose to never exist if it meant changing his fate.
He put all his chips on this one roll of the dice, and Thorn vowed he would not waste this chance.
The memory transfer completed and Thorn heard one last alert.