Runeguard 040

I couldn’t believe it. 

Shellshocked, I stared at the cruel System message while disappointment lashed at me. I had arguably just received the most valuable piece of loot I had yet found, only for it to be stolen away by the System.

“Damn it,” I muttered. Why hadn’t I chosen one of the other rewards? Clenching my right hand into a fist, I punched the wall. Bits of stone and plaster flew past me unheeded. 

I’m done with this bloody game, I fumed. “Adi, turn off all System messages. I don’t want to hear what they have to say anymore.”

“Dace, there is another message incoming. You should—”

“I don’t care,” I said savagely. “Turn the damn alerts off.” 

“Dace, what’s wrong?” I heard Beth shout in concern. I couldn’t see her, but sensed she stood just outside the boundary of Night’s being.

I stomped out of Night’s concealment and towards her. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” I snarled. “This whole game is rigged. The System just stole a tier—”

“Dace, stop,” Adi said, interrupting me.

“Not now, Adi,” I growled.

“I promise you, you will want to see the incoming System message before you utter your next words.”

Even in the midst of my anger, something struck me as wrong about Adi’s attitude, and I paused to consider what she was saying. It took me longer than I cared to admit, but eventually I puzzled out what was worrying at my subconscious.

Adi had volunteered information. 

She had never done so before. In fact, she had explicitly told me the Law stopped her from doing so. I narrowed my eyes. “Adi, how are you doing this?” I asked. 

I already had more unwanted surprises than I cared for. Ugly suspicion gnawed at me. Has Adi been lying to me all along?

Despite the vague phrasing of my question, Adi divined the intent behind my words. “Read the System message, and you will find out,” she explained. 

Without waiting for my consent—another disturbing example of her new independence—Adi projected the System alert in front of me.

Administrative order 52-24 halted. Scrubbing of a player’s Nodes violates core tenets of the Law. System override initiated.

Player Dace Tolman, your Rune Essence has been reinstalled. In addition, to prevent further contravention of your gameplay by administrative order 52-24, your personal administrator’s privileges have been upgraded. 

Congratulations, Dace Tolman! You have absorbed: Rune, a tier 4 Essence. Essence Nodes remaining: 2 / 16.

Congratulations, you are the first player in Sector 52 to acquire a tier 4 Essence! For your achievement, you have earned: 3 Essence Points. 

You have acquired a new Creche task!

Creche Task 06: Become a Runelord

Due to your current mix of skills and Essences, you have been awarded the following task: become a runelord.

Main Objective: Find and complete the dungeon, What Has Been Lost, located in Sector 52 to obtain the runelord Class Stone. Note, this Class requires four Nodes to install.

Rewards: +8 ranks in Rune.

Additional requirements: Must be achieved before exiting Sector 52.

“Dace?” Beth called, tugging at my hand. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said absently. Waving her off, I recalled Night into me before turning to Adi. “What happened?”

“The administrative order 52-24 tried to take an action that violated the Law. The System intervened on your behalf and gave me the power to override further attempts.”

Not that I wasn’t grateful, but my thoughts were floundering by my rapid and repeated turns of fortune, and I was still struggling to catch up. “And what does that mean?”

“I have been upgraded from a level one administrator to a level three administrator—the same level as the sector administrator who initiated directive 52-24. I still remain constrained by the Law, but I have been permitted a greater degree of autonomy.” She paused. “I may now volunteer information and advise you in a limited fashion. I still cannot reveal anything about other creatures or entities. Most importantly though, of my own volition, I can act to stop hostile actions by other administrators.”

“Hostile actions,” I mused. “Why would the sector administrator act against me?”

“I now have full access to administrative order 52-24,” replied Adi. “It is a general directive applicable to all residents of the sector, and not targeted against you specifically. While the wording of the order is somewhat cryptic—which I suspect was necessitated by the need to subvert the Law—its primary objective appears to be inhibiting knowledge of the Rune Essence.”

Adi’s explanation gave me a lot to chew on. “So the sector administrator knows Rune Essences exist and is actively preventing human players from acquiring them?” I asked eventually.

“Correct, Dace,” Adi said. “Order 52-24 also suppresses all knowledge of Rune Essences amongst the sector’s level one and two administrators.”

Night joined the conversation. “But why would the sector administrator act so? An administrator’s core purpose is to uphold the Law. What would cause this one to try and violate the Law?”

Adi hesitated before replying. “It is true that all administrators are constrained to always act within tenets of the Law. Yet both sector administrators and divisional ones have an equally important imperative—obeying their assigned entities.”

“And who is the Sector 52 administrator assigned to?” I asked.

“The current Proving Grounds owner’s representative. In this case, Suzerain Al-Takor.”

“The Simians,” I spat.

“Correct, Dace.”

“Who are the Simians?” asked Night in confusion.

“The alien race responsible for humanity’s presence in the Proving Grounds,” I replied distractedly. My thoughts were racing again. Why would the Simians seek to stop humans from gaining the Rune Essence?

As a tier four Essence, it was certainly powerful. Perhaps too powerful for the Simians’ taste? But every aspect of the Proving Grounds seemed geared toward making humanity stronger. 

Why would they put us in the Proving Grounds in the first place if they didn’t want us to get stronger?

The Simians obviously wanted something from humanity, but what? I shook my head to clear it. I wasn’t going to figure out the mystery right now. 

“We’ll discuss this later,” I said to Night and Adi. “But by now, the Paragons must be growing anxious, and I’m already going to have a hard time explaining my behavior so far.”

“What about your new task?” Night asked.

“That especially we must discuss later,” I said. Who or what was a runelord? I was certainly curious to find out, but further investigations in that direction would have to wait. “Adi, for now, reserve all my remaining Nodes for the Class.”

“Done, Dace.” 

Turning my focus outwards, I found all the Paragons watching me with concern and no little measure of interest.

“I’m finished here,” I said as casually as I could. “What about you guys? All done?” I didn’t ask them what the System had rewarded them with, not wanting to invite the self-same question in return.

“What did you get?” Jorge asked curiously.

I shifted uncomfortably. “I’d rather not say,” I said, deciding to be blunt.

Jorge opened his mouth, but Bayan waved him to silence. “That’s understandable,” the Paragon guildmaster said equably. “None of us would want to share the nature of our own rewards either.” He turned to the others. “Now let’s get out of here.”

Dropping in line behind the others, I followed them up the stairway leading out of the dungeon. 

✵ ✵ ✵

We emerged in the bright sunlight of the world above. Glancing upwards, I saw the sun was still high in the sky. 

The day was still young.

Bayan turned to me. “Well, Dace,” he said gruffly. “Thank you for your help. The Paragons are in your debt, doubly so for the penalties you suffered on our behalf in the dungeon.”

I inclined my head. “I won’t lie, I think I benefited as much as your guild did.” If not more. “But you’re welcome.”

“Speaking of penalties,” Lauren interjected. “Does anyone know how exactly the System penalized us?”

“Beats me,” I said, with a shrug. “But it couldn’t have—”

I broke off as a System message appeared.

Congratulations, Paragons + 1, your party is the first to have cleared dungeon 1050-C! You have earned no reward for this achievement. The first clearance bonus has been revoked by the second attempt adjustments. 

Around me the Paragons groaned. “You just had to go and open your mouth, didn’t you Lauren,” Gavin complained.

The blonde-haired woman scowled. “It wasn’t my fault!”

“What do you think we lost out on?” Jorge asked wistfully. “Another rebirth token?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Bayan said with a shake of his head. “Done is done. And we will get more rebirth tokens once we pass through the exit portal.” He turned to me. “In fact, we plan on heading straight there, Dace. Are you heading back to town?”

I hesitated. I had originally planned on returning to town once our dungeon dive was completed in order to visit the amphitheater vendors and fill up my empty Essence Nodes, but now…? 

Now, going back to town makes little sense. 

I had only four Nodes available and with a potential tier four class to fill them with, there was no way I was going to use those slots for tier one Essences.

I also had a whole host of items that still needed selling—I couldn’t take them through the portal with me—but how much could I really get for them? I doubted they would add much to the fortune I was already carrying.

And while there were possibly further tasks to be found in the Creche, how long would finding them take? Considering how dangerous the cobbled highway had reportedly become it made more sense for me to leave the Creche now with the Paragons.

“If it’s all the same to you,” I said, “I’d just as well accompany you guys. That okay?”

Bayan nodded. “It’s the least we can do for you.” He turned to the others. “Alright, people, let’s head out. And keep your wits about you. There is no telling—”

Another System message opened before my eyes, interrupting the Paragon leader.

Creche Notice 1050-04

Attention all residents of Creche 1050. It is noon of day 6 in Creche 1050. Creche evolution B: Greater Dissolution has been initiated. The wards around Town 1050-A have been lifted. Town 1050-A is no longer a protected zone. Warning: Final Dissolution approaching. 

Now, that isn’t good, I thought after scanning the message. I turned to the others and found them staring sightlessly into space, too.

Bayan’s eyes cleared first. “That isn’t good,” he said, unconsciously echoing my own thoughts. “It’s all the more important now that we reach the exit portal as soon as we can. Let’s move out.”

I nodded, agreeing with the Paragon leader’s sentiment. I only hoped that those in town acted with similar urgency.

“Dace, there is something I must tell you,” Adi said.

“What is it, Adi?” I asked as I fell into step beside Beth.

“It is likely that with its protective barriers down, Town 1050-A will be attacked. In fact, it is more than probable that the assault has already begun.”

My steps slowed. “What do you mean, attacked?”

“Creche dissolutions follow a similar pattern everywhere,” Adi answered. “Prior to removing the barrier around the town, the System would have ‘encouraged’ the hordes of monsters hiding within the Creche to converge on it.” Adi paused. “Do you remember the ratkin that were spotted near the road?”

I nodded.

“They were likely massing to attack the town.”

I drew to halt.

“Something wrong?” Beth asked, stopping too. The other Paragons turned around and looked at us questioningly.

“I’m not sure yet,” I said to her. “Bayan, can you give me a minute please?” I asked. “There is something I have to clarify with my administrator.”

The Paragon leader didn’t look happy, but he consented to my request with a curt nod, nevertheless.

I turned my attention inwards again. “What sort of numbers are we talking about here, Adi?”

“A few hundred at least, thousands more likely.”

I closed my eyes. How would the players in town repel such an attack? With the Crows dead—by my hand—and the Wardens out dungeon diving—again my doing—who was left to defend the town?

“What would be the point of the assault?” I asked.

Adi took her time answering. “The Proving Grounds is a training arena, Dace. It is one of the System’s primary directives to always keep its players challenged.”

I blew out a disgusted breath. “So, you’re saying the System has no compunctions about massacring us if it advances our training?”

“Yes.”

I swore viciously. Day by day, I was learning to hate the System and its Creators more.

“I am sorry, Dace,” Adi said.

I waved off her apology. “It’s not your fault.” I took a calming breath. “Can the players in town be saved?”

“No challenge in the Proving Grounds is designed to be insurmountable.”

“I’ll take that to mean yes,” I said. I bowed my head, thinking furiously. “What happens when the Final Dissolution arrives?”

“Everything still inside the Creche—player and monster alike—will be destroyed.”

“How long do we have?”

“I can’t say for certain, Dace. It could be anything from a day to a week before the Final Dissolution occurs.”

I blew out a troubled breath. Nothing about this was easy. Could I save the town? I glanced at the Paragons waiting patiently. Could we save the town?

I can’t walk away without trying at least. 

I turned to the Paragon leader. “Bayan, there is something we must discuss.”