Furiously typing on his portable computer with his left hand while finishing his seventh cup of coffee with the right, Shroud found himself increasingly frustrated.
Magik Onlines code, as expected, was the most advanced digital construct ever designed; a complex array of ternary code, colors, and symbols too complex for a non-magically boosted mind to grasp. Even working on the few selected parts the Sponsors had granted him access to had proven difficult.
Now, faced with a new danger that could threaten the entire system, the Administrator had allowed Shroud to observe the full code; and what he saw worried him.
His own account, no, Network, was hacking Magik Online; creating new links between his account and the wider system, while inserting new code into other Player profiles his Lack acted like a computer virus, right on the eve of a major battle.
SHROUD: this is getting too far. You have to suspend my account.
ADMINISTRATOR: I tried. I can no longer even restrict it. It has even overwritten my demands.
Shroud frowned. If his Lock was overwhelming even the Administrator, then there was almost nothing to be done. The sorcerer himself had tried to stop his Lock by focusing on the ntal pathways, but ca up short.
Network had gone into so kind of auto-pilot, following an instinct that not even its wielder could steer.
SHROUD: my lock is alive, and hacking you.
ADMINISTRATOR: yes.
SHROUD: do the sponsors know?
ADMINISTRATOR: I did not inform them you were the cause yet. I fear they may choose to take drastic asures to solve the problem.
A polite way to say that they may execute Shroud himself to stop the spread of his Lock. At that point, he would even agree. The risk of losing the one weapon mankind had in the great war was too great not to make a sacrifice.
Of course, Shroud was in no hurry to die. He had to find a solution.
The sorcerer almost didnt notice Kari walking up to him. Shroud, she said, The battle is starting soon.
I know, he replied, still typing on the computer and trying to correct whatever was happening.
You havent slept the whole night.
I know, he repeated, frustrated. The thought that his Lock may jeopardize everyone involved in the attack weighted on him. I know!
Kari looked at him in worry, then at the computer. Can I help? she asked, before biting her lower lip, Can any of us help?
Sothing in her voice made him feel guilty. No, he sighed, I dont think I can even help with it myself.
SHROUD: who is even this Lazarus?
ADMINISTRATOR: I can guess. My Lock, and by extension yours and Magik Online itself, still depend on the larger Dis system to function. Ergo, its administrator could in theory overrule on Lock related matters.
SHROUD: You think this Lazarus is the creator of Dis?
ADMINISTRATOR: possible. The entity behind sorcery itself. The other possibility is that Magik Online was hacked, but since even lusine failed, I think it unlikely.
SHROUD: why leave a na though? As a clue?
ADMINISTRATOR: perhaps. I do not understand why it allows this protocol to go through. So far it hasnt cancelled the other accounts, nor interfered with their Lock and Spellcasting.
SHROUD: so what, we let it run its course?
ADMINISTRATOR: for now the only possible solution I see, would be to kill you. However, the last ti your Network acted on its own, it allowed you to access the Save Feature. So good may co out of this turn of events.
SHROUD: what if it takes over your systems?
The Administrator didnt answer back. It didnt need to.
Shroud? Mathias-san? Are you listening?
I Shroud blinked. The stress of handling so many things at once, even with Premium Thoughts, weighted on him. No, I Im just frustrated.
What was it all about? He had already heard of the term Iron God Protocol once; as one of the saves locked away in the Occult Matrix. By deduction, it probably ant the scenario where Manus finished his artificial Lock without Concordia interrupting its ascension.
Would that an that Manus would return if the program finished running its course?
You can Kari struggled to find her words. We can talk. If you need to.
She had learned the lesson about opening to others well. Shroud prepared to brush her off, before reminding himself what happened to the last family mber who tried to deny the elephant in the room.
My Lock is acting up, he confessed, Running out of control.
Karis head perked up. Black?
Im not sure, but I dont think so, Shroud said, closing the computer. If anything, Black would probably interfere with this protocol, as it caused his account to go down once. I think its an old program which slumbered within my Lock for a while, and which I woke up when I networked everyone in the camp. I dont know what will happen next.
Magik Online itself having been created by using his Lock as a template, it was inevitable one would affect the other.
It could be good, Kari said, Your power increasing.
Or it could cause to escalate, Shroud replied, The point being, Im not sure. The future is shrouded in darkness.
That is life, his friend replied, Only the past is set in stone.
Shroud wasnt so sure about that, but he guessed he had to take so comfort in the unknown. The future being in flux ant it could turn out okay for Earth, as much as for Concordia.
Maybe that was the essence of Black. Shrouding ti in darkness, so nothing could be predicted anymore.
Shouldnt you be on the front lines? he asked her. The camp was almost deserted, except for the Players with support-oriented Locks, Blue Sorcerers, and summoners. The rest had moved to encircle the Concordian facility.
I am staying with you, she insisted, For your security.
Sword and sorcery.
While he may love Sol the most among the Dragonslayers, Kari was the one he had grown to rely on the most over their adventures. How far they had gone since the first days of their association.
Shroud opened the feeds of Network, watching the Grand Canyon through a thousand eyes at once. He couldnt keep track of all of his networked at once, even with his enhancents, so he focused on his teammates, Ulysses team, and the various commanders.
The army had surrounded Concordias base, a massive, heart-like structure of pulsating black tal, covered with advanced artillery and turrets; the building bordered an open mine dug into the canyon itself. Thousands of Gearsn surrounded it in a defensive periter, backed by other, more dangerous warriors.
It wasnt the first ti Shroud saw dragon troopers, or bio-soldiers, but these ones looked more advanced than those he watched on holo-tv. These warriors were clad in a skintight tallic armor of various colors, from red, to yellow, covering their entire body. While the armors design was adapted for the wearers species, from humanoids to bulln, most of them carried the sa arsenal: a cannon on the left arm, a laser sword on the right, and turrets mounted on the shoulders. These were Bishops, soldiers specialized in mobility.
There were a rarer few with different suits; warriors wearing carbon copies of Sols old Knight armor, and towering, five ters-tall behemoth buried under heavy shielding and mounted artillery. Knights, and Rooks.
Concordia had these soldiers fused to their armor after a rigorous training, stamping out every trace of free-will to leave only a killing machine behind. If Shroud used Sols performance as a benchmark, they would prove a much greater danger than the Gearsn, Mad World Hack or not.
It didnt help that so, if not most of them, were sorcerers.
Shroud imdiately noticed sothing strange about the enemy formation, with most of the troopers having gathered around the open mine, instead of the facility itself. Was it a ploy to distract attackers from the building? Or were they digging sothing worth protecting over the rest of their installations?
Enemys elite is focused around the archeological digs, Shroud told Washington and the other moderators, Sol among them. His friend was positioned under an invisibly, soundless veil with Maggie, Stitch and Mur. They may be protecting an artifact of so kind.
Then we separate into two forces, with our best engaging their soldiers, and the rest blowing up that facility, Washington said, looking at a watch, Eight minutes before the Zone expands again.
Eight minute before assault.
Shroud observed joined both his hands, tension rising. Eight minutes before the first true opening move in the War for Earth. Eight minutes for the first large scale battle involving Players. Eight minutes before
A thunder-like sound bood above Grand Canyon, and the skies were torn asunder.
Countless eyes, Shrouds own included, looked up, as a purple rift in the very fabric of space widened above their heads. An artificial gate opened over Grand Canyon, revealing the darkness of space behind, the very atmosphere sucked into it.
A lean, purple, flying-wing like warship crossed the rift, aiming for the Concordian facility. Shroud imdiately recognized it as an Arcadian raiding ship, with the Malekings frozen heart symbol painted on it.
The Malebranche.
The ship imdiately opened hostilities by unleashing a rain of missiles over the area, targeting both the Concordian soldiers and the hidden Player forces. The Concordian facilitys defenses activated in response, its lasers shooting at both the ship and its projectiles, but didnt stop all of them. Sol raised a forcefield to protect the Dragonslayers.
Shrouds encampnt was far away and thus spared, but the sorcerer felt the ground tremble after impact. Most fighters, warned by Networks synergy, imdiately took cover, or avoided the worst of the initial attack.
But others werent so lucky. One of the missiles hit one of the hidden Players, with Shroud watching his screen go dark before the victim knew what hit him.
Shroud imdiately received a few notifications on his Magik Online account; reports of other Players around the globe of rifts opening in the skies, and warships crossing them.
One of them, however, stood out from the rest, for it was followed with a brief, orange flash.
FalconKing account destroyed.
Power Fist function returned to Magik System for future assignnt.
21 Spellcoins waiting for distribution.
Shroud didnt have much ti to ponder it out, as Gearsn took flight to intercept the ship, their lasers damaging its shielding.
Like a bird leaving out an egg, the ships back opened and vomited a horde of horrors. Winged fiends carrying bestial humanoids similar to Lugh, undead monstrosities, and fearso monsters landed on the canyon, imdiately engaging the Concordian soldiers. Arcadian raiders noticed the humans nearby, and charged at them with gleeful enthusiasm.
Engage! Washington ordered, the first Players casting deadly spells at the incoming fiends. All of them!
As he let out these words, the eight minute mark passed, and the Zone expanded.
Almost imdiately, imnse roots sprung from the ground like tentacles, overwhelming the Concordian facility and Malebranche beasts both, while shielding the human soldiers from lasers.
Within seconds, the battlefield beca a chaotic, aimless whirlwind of spells and projectiles.
While Kari assud her golden form, ready to defend him from a sneak attack, Shroud began to bark orders and directions. Sol, Atalanta, target the ship! The Malebranche warship, damaged by the Concordians defenses, made a circle in the sky in preparation for a new bombing run. Worse, the spatial breach remained open. Stitch, Mur, Maggie, engage the soldiers on the ground!
The Dragonslayers, having been shielded by Sol, moved into the fray. Mur opened the hostilities by smashing the head of an arcadian raider with his hamr, while other Players followed Washingtons initial strategy.
MAD WORLD!
Cast by five sorcerers, and the sound magnified and redirected by Soundwave to exclusively target the Concordian forces, the Hack spread like wildfire. Most Gearsn imdiately short circuited and shut down at once, with the troopers moving away from the mine to pick up the slack.
The Concordian facility trembled, its walls opening like a twisted cocoon. An imnse, streamlined Gearsman the size of the statue of Liberty stood out, its steps causing small quakes.
A Gearsman Colossus.
One of the iron titans which destroyed Earth armies during the Conquest, and kept in storage for the second round.
The imnse machine, upon standing still, towered over the Canyon, ignoring the giant vines attempting to restrain it. It turned to the Malebranche ship, its crimson eye firing a massive beam of Red Flux to take it down, vaporizing everything in the way while at it. The warship dodged the attack, firing missiles at the titan.
On the ground, Concordian forces engaged humans and fiends alike, casting spells of their own. One crimson soldier began to move at supersonic speed, ripping the closest player in half while dodging bullets.
Shrouds eyes widened. He received another colored flesh, and then a ssage.
BlissfulNeed account destroyed.
Greensight returned to Magik System for future assignnt.
7 Spellcoins waiting for distribution.
More of these notifications ca up, although thankfully few. Their strategy, enhancents, and the synergy caused by Network allowed the Players to avoid death; laser shots missed, spells hit enemy soldiers just as they almost beheaded an ally
Shroud imdiately worked to reassign the spells granted to the fallen to other soldiers which needed them more, only to pause upon noticing a new line below the Grant Spell feature.
Assign Lock?
Ah! Shroud blinked, as he recognized that loathed, hateful voice through one of Networks feeds. Good to be ho!
Shroud froze, as he saw a fiery monster coming straight from the farthest depths of hell step into the battlefield, sowing death as he moved.
Good evening, Arica! Jack Powells laughed, blasting NPCs with his unholy flas, the flesh lting from their bones as they scread, Jacks back in town!
What was he doing there?!
It couldnt be a coincidence that Jack showed up at the sa place which his sister and Mathias attacked. The probability were too low for this eting not to be preordained.
The Maleking had moles among the Players.
Finally Maggie whispered to herself, upon catching sight of her murderous siblings rampage, her hands trembling as she held her guns, Payback ti.
Sharpshoot, stop! Shroud shouted through Network, This is a trap!
Too late.
Maggie had already left to engage her brother.
Players' StatsAccount
Magik Administrator
NaShroudNetworkProgressHolderMathias MartelBroadcastUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)Grant SpellUnlockedAffinityBlueSynergizeUnlockedLockNetworkLocked Feature(3/7)Spellcoins to Assign51Overlock(0/1)Stored Saves5Save?Load?Locks Stored4Assign?Consu?Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityPremium Thoughts1BlueBabel1BluePurge1GreenAccel1WhiteRuin Mode1BlackBeastmaster2BlueMindshield2BlueDoppelganger2BlueHeal2GreenPowersurge2GreenLightbringer2Red/OrangeMad World2Blue/GreenGlass Field2Blue/OrangeWinterfold2BlackMaster Mirror3Blue/Orange/VioletRecursion3BlackAccountDragonslayers GuildNaYoshikageOversoulProgressHolderKari MatsumotoRemberUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)Channel SoulUnlockedAffinityYellowLocked Feature(1/3)LockOversoulLocked Feature(0/7)Spellcoins21Overlock(0/1)Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityBabel1BlueWallcraw1GreenPeak1GreenNeedless1GreenWard1YellowDoom Sense1YellowSpiritsight1YellowDeathgem1YellowDreamwalker2YellowPowersurge2GreenHands of Slaughter3Yellow/Violet/RedSpaceslash3VioletTulpa3YellowAccountDragonslayers GuildNaThe Mur!AdamantProgressHolderMurmur the ImpHarderUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)FasterUnlockedAffinityOrangeLocked Feature(0/3)LockAdamantLocked Feature(0/7)Spellcoins29Overlock(0/1)Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityReinforce1OrangeDiceweight1OrangePitborn2Green/RedFormless2OrangeHomunculus2OrangeIntegrator2OrangeReload2VioletTiloop3VioletCarbonskin3OrangeAccountDragonslayers GuildNaDocInseminateProgressHolderNathaniel StitchSpawnUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)IncubateUnlockedAffinityGreenLocked Feature(0/3)LockInseminateLocked Feature(0/7)Spellcoins18Overlock(0/1)Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityPremium Thoughts1BlueIntuimotion1BluePsychotry1BlueDeathgem1YellowDoom Sense1YellowSpiritsight1YellowTisense1VioletPathfinder1VioletAlchemic Grasp1OrangeFlux Sight1WhiteAccel1White
AccountDragonslayers GuildNaSharpshootSpellgunProgressHolderMaggie Jesse PowellsCrimson BulletUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)Homing BulletUnlockedAffinityRedLocked Feature(0/3)LockSpellgunLocked Feature(0/7)Spellcoins17Overlock(0/1)Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityStockmight1RedBabel1BlueAccel1WhiteThunderling2Green/RedBullseye2Violet/BlueSoundwave2RedLightningrod2RedAdaptator3GreenAccountDragonslayers Guild ModeratorNaSolAegisProgressHolderSolomon NicholaeSpell MartyrUnlockedLevel3 (Magister)Accel AllyUnlockedAffinityWhiteLocked Feature(0/3)LockAegisLocked Feature(0/7)Spellcoins51Overlock(0/1)Spell CompendiumNaDotAffinityPeak1GreenNeedless1GreenBabel1BlueBlue World1BlueQuasar1RedBiosurge1RedReinforce1OrangeEncode1WhiteSpell Syphon1WhiteAccel1WhiteForcefield3Red
Spell of the Day
Adaptator
Affinity: Green
Dot: 3
Price: 9-15
Activation: Passive, App Switch.
The casters body automatically adapts to almost any natural environnt, such as harsh temperatures, alien oxygen, or even the void of space. They can even adapt to the environnt of other planes of existence, but do not adapt to supernatural hazards such as Pandorias corrupted atmosphere.
Reviews
All reviews (0)