A Castle

The bright light exploded behind me, the rock wall shattering and chasing after me with a vengeance. The shrapnel chased me as I ran across the wall of the castle. My steps intertwined with the explorations of spells and incantations. My body seemed to move on its own, stepping perfectly to avoid each rush of water or flying rock, like a dance the steps rehearsed tirelessly for days. My legs swiveled and shifted swaying my body in the torrent of death. I ran forward to a small mage waiting for me, his staff glowing and burning with intense flames. I walked past my knife gently slicing his neck. Then as the strike of fire water and earth smashed onto my position but I was already gone my knife jumping from one artery to another soaking in blood and screams.

"Keep firing, he can't dodge forever!!!!!"

I could probably take out at least fifteen of these mages at once but it is early and I feel like an exercise like this is appropriate.

I ran forward to another, the earth cracking as I approached. I jumped over the forming crevasse, my knife slicing through the neck and arms of the geomancer. I need to get out of this town. The quests are too easy.

I dashed around the landscape zombies being called up from the slaughtered mages and rays of light burning my flesh but every attempt was in vain, I quickly killed every mage after they had exhausted their skills.

At least I got some base magical attacks with decent coverage in every element. I now have seventeen out of twenty five possible copies, that leaves me with enough slots to gain sword abilities and guarding skills.. I sat on the floor looking through my inventory and staring at the loot.

"Hmm quite the mess you made here… you know this was supposed to be an early guild quest, right?"

Sitting in the air in front of me was a short kid wearing white hoodie. He had white hair and yellow eyes. His pale skin sinking into his layered hair and blanketed hoodie. There were no weapons nor did he have any health bars. He was smiling so carelessly like someone with nothing to fear.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kyn. I'm an admin in this fine game… so what do you think?"

"Of you or the game?" I said not looking up from the screen and scrolling through my map staring at the possible towns between here and the capital.

"I didn't think we'd met before, sorry if you slipped my mind."

"We haven't but when someone said I was a hacker you defended me. I appreciated that even if you didn't do it for me..."

"And what if I meant the game?"

"Well then.... I'd say it's amazing, it's like nothing I've ever felt."

"Well then I'm glad your opinion of me and the game are so high."

"So why are you here? You guys are annoyed I'm leveling so fast?"

"No… well maybe some of us, you see your skill was supposed to be nerfed before release but the guy who was supposed to do it called in sick and everyone forgot about it until I saw you at the top of the leaderboards and fighting monsters with their own skills."

"Damn and here I thought It was my own skill that made me the best but I guess I just got lucky, huh?…. So you want me to quit?"

"No on the contrary. I find it quite fun watching you take the dragon we designed to be extremely difficult and stop people from traveling to the demon area and beat it with relative ease. Having a foe like you inspires me to make better events and content that will challenge all players and maybe even defeat the unkillable assassin, so thank you."

"So then we keep coming back to this lingering question, why are you here? You want an autograph?"

"Hahaha no. I can tell you're smart enough not to ally with a capital or you would've done it already so you must be going for the national hero title. This is good since having that position opens us up to thousands of event possibilities. In a few days we are hosting a tournament between every participating player and I want you to join… you will even be paid. After your declaration that anyone who can beat you will learn your US, our numbers are up. It seems the intrigue behind you and your skill and the united desire behind every gamer to defeat you is vital to our games success. So I would like you to be my puppet, someone I can put in events and people will swarm to try to defeat, all banding together to fight a common enemy and to become the best, the figurehead of the game if you will. I want you to become LSO. So what do you think?"

"The money is intriguing and if you want to pay me to participate in events that's fine but I'm here to have fun not to become some 'puppet' . I love your game and I think you're alright but I'm not gonna be some marketing scheme."

"Hahahaha you're even better than I thought. I'm so happy you didn't accept! The tournament will be soon it will have prizes of course, for example first place gets three hundred pounds in the currency of their native country, a bonus amount of Exp and lastly any question answered by the admins for example, "what is Assassin's US?" you see?"

"Sure, I'll win it then!"

"And what would you ask?"

"Maybe how the technology works?"

"Hahahahaha that is our closest guarded secret so I sincerely hope you don't ask that but I'd expect no less of the kid who managed to reach level twenty in the first twenty four hours of the launch. The kid who no one ever heard of but in this game managed to become number one surpassing all the streamers and professionals. You intrigue me Assassin and I look forward to speaking to you more. Well bye now!" and with that he was gone. His childish avatar gone with the wind.

I stood up walking out of the castle. So that's one of the game creators? He seemed different than I thought. I need to level up fast if I'm going to get stronger. I need to reach level sixty in six days or I'll lose. I also need some way to cope if all the players gang up on me from the get go. I turned in the quests and two nobles ran out to greet me.

"Sir hero thank you for slaying those vile mages please, how can we repay you?"

"Do you have a horse or some kind of transport?"

"Uh no sorry, people who are not allied to a town are not supposed to ride mounts."

Seriously this game! Why does everything revolve around that????

"So if I gave it to someone who was, would it work?"

"Yes I suppose… are you sure there isn't something else?"

"No that will do, walking is a pain so just give me whatever summoning device you use and we'll be even."

"Very well then if you're sure that's enough for saving our home, thank you."

'You completed quest - 'illegal raid of a castle'

You leveled up.'

I'm now level thirty eight, to think my level has increased so quickly just from killing a few mages. I should message Psye now.

'Message to Psye:

I'm online. Let me know when you are too. I have a gift for you.

Psye:

A gift???? What is it?

You:

It's better explained face to face or well avatar to avatar

Psye:

Ok hold on I'm logging in now.'

I walked back to the starting village, killing any enemies I found on the way. Then meeting with Psye in front of the village.

"Soooo what's my gift?"

"A horse..."

"A horse?"

"Uh huh...."

"Like a mount, why give it to me?"

"Only people allied with a city can ride one so since I can't, I thought you should have it."

"So that means you're only giving it to me because you can't take it? Well thank you anyway. Speaking of allying with cities, shall we head for the capital?"

"Sure if you're ready?"

"Yeah, let's go so I can use my present."

We walked the next few hours through forests and fields crossing plains and walking past lakes, all whilst following a small dirt path from the village to the capital. It was amazing just how big this world is, I've barely even scratched the surface. I can't wait to play more!!!

Finally the dirt path turned into a clean stone brick road that led to a huge archway.

"Excuse me ma'am what city are you allied to?"

"I want to try out for this one!"

"Very well and the man behind you."

"Uum well um he is my loyal servant!"

"If he is not allied with a city he can't come inside."

"Don't worry I'll just grind for a bit."

"Alright I'll message you when I'm done."

I logged off standing up out of bed. My legs almost buckled under my body as I walked out of the dark room. Again I was alone, the sunlight gently drifting into the room.

The message haunting me…

The fear is sinking into my heart..

Everything hurts.

'Unknown:

Hey I got your number from this girl, I'll be at the old place, show up man you can't keep wasting your life.'

I walked out of the house and pushed through the door wrapping my body in a hoodie..

I followed the river down the banks and through the city, cutting past bridges and shops and the streets alive with noise and traffic. The steps I took were fraught with memories, the same ground I trod all those years. The sides of the river echoing with laughter. The rushing stream bouncing and crashing as it did all those life times ago. The ground trodden as it was by us. The world seems so small now. The world seems so dim. It seems empty my entire life seems like it could be condensed into the path by this stream. I pressed further on my heart ripped to pieces by the abandoned trail, the life I once had and the light that filled it. Now all the light does is hurt me. Each step soaking into the waterlogged ground.

I walked out of the town following the stream out of the town and into the forest. From the concrete to trees, animals replacing cars and the noises of the forest that used to flood my world, everything I used to love was fading from memory and becoming sour. I marched down the steep path, the mud sliding underfoot. I walked to the end of the stream, the small lake it fed into through a dazzling waterfall, the white water spraying and foaming like a cloud I could touch, the beautiful patterned streams that ran down the rock splitting and rejoining like a serene weave of water. I walked towards the shower of water and reached inwards my sleeve running with water. I lifted up the small metal pole and bowed my head tucking into the hidden cave, the water showering over the canvas.

"Hey Charlie, been a while." Dan was sitting his legs wrapped arouns a small stool as he smiled at me.

"What do you want?"

"I'm checking up on you!"

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend or were anyway."

"Well I'm alive, can I go?"

"is that all? I'm worried about you... I want to know if your ok, I want to know what changed?"

"Me."

"What happened to you? What happened to the guy who would work as hard as he could, never giving up? Weren't you going to leave this town? build a better life for your sister? What happened to the guy I admired and aspired to be? who was always smiling because he had faith in himself and knew he would be great? because all I see now is a sad shell of who you used to be."

"That guy died when she did… he realised that it was pointless to try. He realised you only get one tallent and I gave up on mine because I was stupid and arogant. Trying at sports was just a desperate cry for help a struggling idiot trying and clawing for some sembelence of order and control. but then I realised it was all useless, she left and so did my heart and drive."

"Look at you, you're pathetic! You can't even say her name."

Dan stood up, his stool flying across the cave. He ran towards me grabbing my clothes.

"Let go!"

"NO! Lee, you need to grow up! It wasn't your fault. There's nothing you could've done so what's the point of punishing yourself?"

I pushed him back and for the first time in a long long time I shouted, I shouted and rage came out. The anger I'd been feeling for years.

"IT IS MY FAULT YOU IDIOT!!!!! EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT!!!! AND I DID GROW UP BUT FOR ME THAT WAS ACCEPTING MY PLACE AS A NOTHING, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO STOP SPEWING YOU IDEALISTIC HEROIC BULSHIT AND ACCEPT THAT i'M A LOST CAUSE, IT'S ALL MY FAULT AND THIS IS MY PUNISHMENT!!!!!!"

my chest and throat stung, the sensation of everything coming lose, all of the locksa nd doors I'd put up shattering for that one moment.

"There's nothing you could've done, you couldn't have known!"

"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN! I should've been there like she would've!! ..... I should've…..

I should've HELPED!!

I should've seen.

But I didn't so this is my punishment I wasn't good enough and she died! I don't get to be happy while she's in that whole!!!!"

"Why is it your responsibility?!?! It's all of our faults then!!!! Why are you so special? What did you have that I didn't? Why shouldn't I have seen it but you should? Why are you punishing yourself but now me???"

"Because she told me what she felt, what she needed and I said I'd always protect her!!! I said I would help her but

I'M PATHETIC!!!!!

I'M USELESS!!!!!

Death is too light a sentence for me!!! All I want is to see her again! But I can't everything is pointless I am pointless, all I want is to hold her again but because i'm such an idiot, because I wasn't good enough I can't"

"Stop blaming yourself please! I can't bear it! Why did you have to leave us?!?!?! let me help you!!"

"Just leave me alone, I only bring darkness. dont make me responisble again!" I turned to walk away, grasping the metal pole and lifting the cover up the water smashing into the old canvas. And just as I stepped out of the cave two arms wrapped around my body. He grabbed me, his hands gripping into my chest and twisting my clothes.

"Lee, don't go. Let me help you. let me stay by your side like I should've."

"Goodbye."