End Online: Volume 6 Read online

  End Online

  Volume 6

  Copyright

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to characters, names, locations or incidents are purely coincidental.

  Copyright © D. Wolfin 2016

  First Edition

  Ebook Edition © 2016 ISBN: 978-0-9942421-7-4

  By making the purchase of this book you have been granted non-exclusive, non-transferable, right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced in any way without the explicit permission of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 36: Kano City

  Chapter 37 – Ruminu Forgotten Temple

  Chapter 38 – University

  Chapter 39 – Separate Paths

  Chapter 40 – Temple Trap

  Chapter 41 – For Survival

  Chapter 42 – Escalating Challenge

  Chapter 43 – Possession Chase

  Chapter 43.5 – Stalwart Troubles

  A Few Words from the Author

  I would like to thank our two new editors who have recently joined during the production of this book, Dyngari and Orang. I would also like to thank the three other editors who have put in a lot of time and effort in this as well: genericIntent, Templar and Jack Vanatis.

  There has been a large gap between volume 5 and volume 6 being released. This is for a very simple reason. Half way through writing this book, I started to feel like I had lost my way in the story, undecided as to where it should be heading. I’m sure some of you noticed this too.

  I took the break to completely focus on Chronicle of the Eternal, my second series, which I had a much better grasp on. Even after finishing that book, there were some large gaps in the time I was writing as I searched for that missing motivation I felt in my story.

  It’s safe to say, I believe I have found it. I found a direction for the story to head in, and motivation for not only the plot, but many characters as well.

  I’m quite proud of the latter half of this volume, and truly enjoyed writing it. I hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I did in creating it!

  Regards, D. Wolfin

  Chapter 36: Kano City

  -Lost-

  Grey mist completely surrounds me upon entering the teleportation circle in Grael’s Lair. It gradually begins to clear, revealing a bustling square within a city of timber and stone houses no more than two or three stories tall. The sounds of players bartering and forming parties fill the air, along with what seems to be several flocks of birds cawing in the distance.

  I’m surrounded by other players and NPCs; most of them have perky cat ears atop their heads and tails that sway as they walk. The remaining players are mainly humans, but I occasionally see a few other races.

  ‘There are some differences in the cat traits among players,’ I muse to myself, staring at the different colored and shaped ears and tails. ‘I never got an option to customize my looks upon becoming an ‘Eternal Draconian’, could it just be random?’

  Aside from inspecting the different colored cat ears, tails of differing fur thickness, and even the variety of cats-eyes, I try to get a better look at the city. Over the roofs of the buildings around me, I can see a large cathedral that stands taller than every other building in the immediate area, eclipsed only by the central castle itself.

  The central castle is oddly constructed. Rather than a single large building, it appears to be made of dozens of towers connected to one another by arching stone bridges.

  “It’s completely different from any other city I have seen,” Mason says while constantly turning his head around to inspect everything. “It is almost underdeveloped. Is it because the nekomata are a beast race?”

  He has a point. Kano City is completely different from the cities in the central continent in that it is much more rustic. The city construction is indeed grand, but not to the same standard as Iceridge, Grenton, or Swordbreak. The city of Sphynx was more ancient than Kano City, but its grandeur also outclassed this.

  “It is just the game designers,” Sir Laurence responds bluntly, lecherously staring at all the girls with cat ears.

  “What will the other main city on this continent, Koga City, be like?” I ask curiously, and get a response from Verde immediately.

  “I hear it’s not a great deal different than Kano City. The main difference is that it is within a forest, instead of next to the ocean.”

  CaptainGordon’s eyes light up when he hears the city is connected to the ocean. He has been depressed ever since his ship was abandoned at the southern continent. Excitably, he exclaims, “Can we go past the docks first? I really want to see what ships people have made!”

  “It hasn’t been very long since the expansion and players are unlikely to have sailed across the ocean here just yet. We will go do Verde’s race change first, and then we can go past the docks. You can go now and meet us later if you like?” I suggest to the pirate.

  Dejectedly, CaptainGordon chooses to follow us as we walk toward the strange castle in the center of the city. By this point, several people are attracted by my appearance and begin to whisper among themselves.

  “Who is that? Those white scales are awesome. Does anyone know what race he is?”

  “It must be a hidden race, like the Elves, Dwarves, and recently discovered Phoenix Clan.”

  “Some sort of reptilian race. Could it be a dragon race?!”

  “It can’t be. Only that famous player, Lupis, has recently discovered and become a demi-dragon. The appearance is completely different than this.”

  “It must be a type of white snake clan. I wonder which continent it is on?”

  “What about that girl hanging off his arm? She’s so hot! Why can’t I get a girl like that?”

  “She looks familiar!”

  “You wish you knew her. I would be satisfied with my life if she just talked to me.”

  “That other girl in the group is much more my type! I wonder if she will let me follow her?”

  “Tch, who was the creep that said that?”

  Fen and Verde attract a lot of lusty stares from the men and envious glances from several women. Fen is relentless as she clings to me, pressing her twin peaks against my arm and causing me to feel embarrassed. Verde is closely followed by Sir Laurence, a princess appearing to be leading her knight in shining armor.

  I don’t turn my head but my eyes move from side to side, glancing toward the piercing stares. The rest of the party is also uncomfortable, with the exception of Fen who seems to be in her own world and doesn’t notice their existence.

  The onlookers don’t follow us through the city, going back to their business once we have passed by. Despite the attention, only two people approach me to ask about my race on the way to the castle. I simply tell them I do not wish to speak of it, rejecting their persistent questions before moving on. The attention I’d get if they found out about the ‘Eternal Draconian’ race would never end. Dragons are admired by an enormous amount of people. As soon as news of a draconian race breaks, I will never escape.

  Eventually reaching the city’s castle, which I learned is simply called Kano Castle, two nekomata guards with nervous expressions cross their weapons at the gate and address me. “Halt, what’s your business here?”

  Considering I am the one who sent all the party invites to everyone, I am automatically considered the party leader.

  “Good morning. One of my party members would like to hand over a ‘Compact Soul Gem’ and change race.”

  The guards hastily step aside and say, “Of course. Forgive us, it is our duty to halt strangers… Please proceed inside.”


  You have intimidated the royal guard of Kano Castle.

  Word has spread among the guards of your intimidation.

  Infamy + 20

  Total Infamy: 39

  Seeing the notification screen appear before me, I stifle a choking sound and silently curse. ‘I did nothing wrong! I have been dealing with player merchants for so long and not NPCs that I had completely forgotten to not talk to them! Damn it!’

  I have told Verde and Sir Laurence about this problem before, and upon seeing my current expression, the corners of their lips twitch as they try to refrain from laughing.

  With my anger slowly turning into depression, we all walk through the gates and into an enormous garden of rock ponds, sand fields and miniature trees. Stone paved paths create a walkway around the area and lead into a forest of pillars that appear to pierce the sky.

  “Do you know where we need to go from here?” I ask Verde, who nods her head and leads the way to the nearest tower.

  Inside the tower, NPCs are everywhere, so I do my best to make myself scarce and appear to not be a part of the group. I have gained infamy just being nearby before, and I do not plan on getting more. I had nearly eliminated all of my infamy in the Swordbreak colosseum, but I seem to gain it much more easily than I lose it.

  From what feels like a safe distance, I watch Verde step away from the others and approach a Nekomata that is walking around supervising and giving orders to what appear to be the equivalent of office workers. I sneak behind several pillars with Fen in tow until I am close enough that I can hear their conversation.

  “-change to the Nekomata race.”

  “Yes, I would like to become a part of the city and the Nekomata race.”

  “Are you aware of the responsibilities in becoming a part of our race? I can explain them for you if you like.”

  “Please explain them to me.”

  “To be a part of our race, there are several conditions to agree to. First, no matter where you came from, this will become your new home city. Second, you may never betray this city or its interests. Third, you will be summoned and are required to partake in the defense of this city if a monster horde approaches our walls. Fourth, in the event of a war, you may be conscripted to take part as a defender or attacker. Condition four is optional, but refusal will result in infamy and the chance of a monetary penalty. Do you accept these conditions?”

  “Yes, I accept them.”

  “Good. Please follow me to the Nekomata Soul Pond.”

  ‘Soul pond?’ I am puzzled by what he means by that. I will look up what that is on the internet later when I log out.

  Verde and the supervisor Nekomata leave the room through a large door at the rear. At this point, I approach the rest of the party to wait.

  Twenty minutes later, Verde returns with an entirely new look. Her hair, which normally has a glamorous wave in it and extends down to her chest, has become thicker and slightly wilder. On top of her head, a pair of auburn cat ears stands upright, twitching slightly in embarrassment as we stare. A bushy tail, as thick as any of the others I have seen, extends behind her. As she is facing us, I can only see it when it sways from one side to another.

  Evidently having enough of our gazes, she stomps over grumpily. “Would you guys stop staring?! You have already seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cat people on the way to the castle!”

  “Yes, but we haven’t seen you as one,” Mason replies wittily with a small smirk on his face.

  I make sure to stare and constantly get closer until her face turns completely red before saying, “You guys have had so much amusement at my expense, I think it is time for a little payb- Ouch!”

  Before I can finish mocking Verde, Fen sharply grabs my hip and digs her fingers in, causing physical pain akin to being bitten by a wild animal. Grabbing her arm, I quickly drag her off somewhere the others won’t hear us.

  “Fen, I have told you before, you can’t do things that cause actual pain. If knowledge of something like that gets out… No, let’s not worry about that. Just remember that you cannot do it.”

  The wolf girl stares at me with upset yet angry eyes. “You were… getting too… close.”

  “Doesn’t mean you need to do that.”

  “She’s a… succubus.”

  “Don’t say that, either. People don’t like to hear such things.” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at Fen referring to Verde as a monster in the game, and a succubus at that.

  “…Okay.”

  I don’t know how to explain it, but it seems like Fen has become slightly more proactive lately. Originally, her personality was as cold as ice. But lately, especially since the expansion and the new realms were released, I have begun to notice her emotional range broadening. As to whether this is a good thing or an unwelcome complication, only time will tell.

  After Fen agrees to quiet down and not say anything that I have designated as offensive or rude, we regroup and leave Kano Castle.

  Walking through the city, a familiar feeling appears in my mind. Following my intuition, I find a nearby park of lustrous pine trees that several Nekomata couples are strolling through. While others are enjoying the scenery of the game while dating, I disturb the foliage on the ground in several areas until I find what I am looking for: herbs.

  With Fen standing beside me, I appear to be on a date as well and don’t attract a great deal of attention, but I begin to harvest the herbs. Fen helps me, but I am forced to once again remind her not to pick them as she doesn’t have the appropriate skill for it. I have tried teaching her, except either she appears to be incapable of learning new skills, or I am incapable of teaching them to others.

  Everyone, including Fen, still helps me quickly collect them by uncovering them so I can easily pick them all. They are incredibly happy to do so as herbs are what I use to flavor my cooking. After half an hour, my supply of herbs increases dramatically. Counting them all, I lament that they are all low quality herbs.

  ~ 27 Green Medicinal Herbs

  ~ 2 Orange Medicinal Herbs

  ~ 13 Five Leaf Clovers

  ~ 42 Frost Lotuses

  ~ 14 Stems of Paralysis

  The most abundant herb I found is the new ‘Frost Lotus’; a small flower that can be consumed for a three percent temporary increase to cold resistance. The skill ‘Potion Production’ is only a single percent away from level 19, so I sit in a quiet section of the park and try a few random recipes with the ‘Frost Lotus’ until I finally create a new potion.

  As I have not tested the potion yet, I am unaware of the effects. The liquid is a pleasant ice-blue, but a disturbing purple mist swirls through it and corrupts the color. Everyone apart from CaptainGordon takes a few wary steps back, leaving the pirate confused. Even Fen quickly parts from me so as to not end up testing another one of my potions.

  Being the closest person, CaptainGordon has no qualms helping me test the potion. As soon as he drinks the potion, however, his face rapidly turns pale before becoming blue and green. His entire body starts shaking and he falls down on all fours with a sickly appearance. Finally, he starts convulsing and trying to throw up the potion, but the system prevents that from happening.

  The others look at him with pity while I happily inspect the revealed effects of the potion. It is called ‘Simple Ice Resistance Potion’, providing an incredible 27 percent increase to ice resistance for five minutes.

  ‘The ‘Potion Production’ skill really gives a wondrous increase to handmade potions even if they are made with low quality herbs. They still taste slightly bad, I wonder if they are missing something?’ I muse to myself while repeating the recipe to create more of these potions.

  After twenty more ‘Simple Ice Resistance Potions’, my class skill finally levels up. All my stats have increased by ten percent since becoming an ‘Eternal Draconian’, and the increased belief from killing dozens of low level players has levelled up my weapons and granted a new magic.

  Name: Lost(Desert Pilgrim)

&nbs
p; Health: 3140/3140

  Stamina: 932/932

  Mana: 2270/2270

  Lvl: 225

  Lvl Up: 13%

  Str: 69 +61

  Agi: 208 +90

  Dex: 76 +50

  Int: 33 + 23

  Mnd: 48

  Lck: 32

  Infamy: 39

  Alignment: -68

  God: Grael

  Belief: 136

  Equipped Skills:

  Class Skill: White Warrior (SLvl 27, 3%)

  [Unavailable]

  Potion Production (SLvl 19, 0%)

  Mining (SLvl 15, 15%)

  Smithing (SLvl 13, 12%)

  Grael's Essence (SLvl 12, 60%)

  Origin of Dire Flame (SLvl 12, 60%)

  Haunting (SLvl 5, 84%)

  [Empty]

  Reserve Skills:

  [Empty]

  ***************************************************

  Non-skill resistances and bonuses

  Cutting resistance: 5%

  Impact resistance: -5%

  Poison resistance: 12%

  Acid resistance: 6%

  Flame resistance: 14%

  Ice resistance 5%

  ~ +5% chance to completely resist all minor to intermediate poisons

  ***************************************************

  Skills

  Sacred Art Cost

  Triple Thrust 11 Stamina

  CrossX 19 Stamina

  Backstab 80 Stamina

  Pincer 100 Stamina

  Multi Mirage 175 Stamina

  Partial Draconic Trans. (Racial)

  Magic Cost

  Minor Dire Flame 800 Mana

  Dire Starburst 1500 Mana

  Twin Nightingale

  A twin set of swords formed from the power of draconic amber essence and infused with the power of a higher being.