Enigmatic Crusade

After about an hour of watching the adventurer’s use their spells, Claire finally said, “Come on. Let’s go.” 

“But the Mezq-” Peter protested only to stop as it slowly walked out to the center of the yard. The Mezq was a ten foot tall sleek metal robot. It had a humanoid shape. Sleek metal interlocking plates like the scales of a dragon interconnected to make up the two legs and four arms of the construct. The face of the robot was blank. No eyes or ears or nose, just a smooth exterior. But somehow that face exuded a menacing glare as it walked towards the trio. 

“Finally,” Peter said. Though the Mezq construct wasn’t always used, it was a rare treat to see it out. A major boon to the Raging guild, the robot was looted from a Mezq dungeon over a decade ago. The robot was also one of the few training materials that actually gave experience. Members of Raging could use contribution points from raids or other expeditions to gain time with training against the construct. 

Behind the Mezq was a tall black man. He wore thick black armor and had a massive sword at his back that looked heavier than the three of them combined. More like a block of steel, Valen knew that the cost of the weapon was far more than he could earn in a hundred years. Not that he had a job to earn money anyway. 

The courtyard quieted as the Mezq set up at the center. Most stopping their own training to watch, the Mezq was a treat for a lot of people. Higher leveled guild members watched the training yard from a platform on the other side of the Training Yard. Obviously excited to see the Mezq in action. 

When the challenger stopped in front of the Mezq, the yard became a quiet hush. Not even the wind dared to blow as the human and robot faced one another. Then through some unseen signal they began their attack. The Mezq’s arms turned into spiked blades and the adventurer’s sword clanged against all four at once, showing his superior level. 

But the Mezq wasn’t done. Knocked back a step, its arms morphed into a dozen tentacles and grabbed at him. He disappeared with an almost lazy kick from his foot and appeared above the Mezq. Two of the arms grabbing onto him. The man slashed them away. The clang of metal on metal rang out in the yard and the fighters became a blurred mess as they moved faster than Valen could follow. 

Danger flaring in his mind he grabbed Claire and Peter and pulled them to the side. A loud resounding crash exploded as an invisible force struck the wall beside them. Knocked to the ground, Valen scrambled up, his eyes locked on the fight. The man’s sword had caused a shockwave with some sort of energy beam that had actually damaged the wall despite the fact that they were so far away. 

“We have to go,” Valen said. Claire didn’t fight him, practically in tears as the air in the hall became thick with power. Peter’s eyes were locked on the fight though. “Come on!” He hissed, pulling Peter by his arm. His friend fought for a moment but slowly acquiesced. 

Jasper’s eyes were locked on the fight, barely registering as they left from the side entrance. As soon as the door was shut Valen could breathe again. The power that everyone inside exuded had been immense. Only now that it was gone did he notice it had been there. Sweating profusely he wiped at his brow as Peter cursed. 

“Damn, what the hell level was he?!” He yelled at the closed door. “That was-I’ve never seen those kind of moves.”

Valen had to agree. Usually the Mezq was set at lower levels and people used it for target practice. It was hard to damage the Automaton, but the robot was able to heal itself so people would gain experience by challenging it. 

“I don’t want to know,” Claire said with a weak voice. Her eyes darted to the door as they heard muffled clangs from the Yard. Though the roof was open in the courtyard, the majority of sounds and energy inside were somehow blocked by the walls. Something Valen was happy for as he heard another loud crash against the wall. 

“Let’s go to the Square,” Valen said as he walked down the street. They knew the city like the back of their hands and since there were only so many places to go they took the quickest routes. 

Quiet as they walked, Valen took them down another alley. Crime wasn’t much of a concern in New Rapids. Taking alleys was as safe as taking streets. Since they had no money they were less enticing targets anyway. The only real danger they knew of were adventurers. People that went out into the world to challenge the great unknown of the still fairly new world. 

Each step away from the Training Yard made the near-death experience disappear. Adventurers broke out into fights in the street almost weekly. Getting too close to an arrow shot or stray sword strike wasn’t that rare and they pushed the fight out of their minds as they walked. 

Valen considered making a B-Line for the Town hall, but the fight with the Mezq was too fresh. The Town Hall was always busy with adventurers, the sight of the high level one they had just seen made him want to steer clear of them for the time being. Thus they quickly got to the Square. 

Not so much square as a cacophony of dozens of shops, the center of the town’s commerce happened in the general area. Blacksmiths, artificers, alchemists, and many other professionals loudly worked on their trade. As if showing off their skills would get them more customers the tradesmiths had their own corner of the Trade Square. 

More than a few kids his age working in shops, Valen couldn’t help but become jealous of them. Children of friends of these people, they were able to secure Profession Levels for their kids early in their Inauguration. One of many things Valen couldn’t afford. Professions, classes, and even your own body had their own levels, skills, and stats thanks to the System. Empowering people with strength far easier than in the old world.  

Hoping to someday learn a profession they walked through the busy street. Claire quickly recovered, stopping at the glass front of a tailor’s shop. Inside was a dress displayed that looked like something a level 100 mage would wear. Intricate designs etched into the dress he could almost feel the extra stats the garment afforded someone. 

Unsure if it was made for a male or female he continued on. Peter and Valen practically dragged the girl away until she locked onto another window. This one was a blacksmith that specialized in armor for casters. The armor was a mix between chain mail and plate armor. Small green tinted metal plates lined the skirt. Valen could practically picture the dress/armor flowing with each movement during a fight. 

Looking at all the wares around them he wondered if the Old Earth had been like this. Shops stacked upon one another. People trading goods and money loudly. Uncaring if their next interaction would be their last because they pissed off the wrong person. 

Along with transporting all the humans to this new plane of existence, the System had given humans a new form of currency. Money was now called Aurous, which meant gold, or so Aunt Fiona said. The Aurous was split into different grades. The first and lowest was a Scrap. One Aurous Scrap was worth a loaf of bread, or bit of monster meat. Valen watched as someone exchanged the small currency with a barber. Pulling 5 Scraps from his status screen the small golden coin was one of many things the orphans didn’t have. 

After a Scrap was a Chip, which was worth about 20 Scraps. After a Chip was a Plate and Valen heard that after a Plate was a Deck, but he hadn’t seen much beyond a few Chips in his time. 

Their pockets empty, the men dragged the girl from one store for her to only stop at another. The sweet aroma from the alchemist’s shop drew them in, but when the shop owner saw that they had no money he shooed them away. 

When they made their way from the main Trade area they got to the lower quality trade square. Everything priced much closer to their budget, it was still far out of reach, but in this section no one sent them off. Kids their age ran around doing this or that. Valen had been lucky enough to get some minor work in the area back in the day. But those opportunities had dried up as he got older. 

It hadn’t been obvious to him at the time why that was, but Aunt Fiona soon explained it to him. Back in the old world there had been plenty of options to prevent pregnancies. When people were transferred to the new world though, they were only given their clothes on their back. No supplies given to them all of their contraceptives had been left behind on old Earth.

So as people did what they did, they had a few accidents. Many in fact. Causing an event that Fiona called a Baby Boom on this new world. There were far too many kids Valen’s age. Too many kids and not enough work to go around. More than a few homeless around, Valen was lucky to have a roof over his head for the time being as many people struggled to survive in the dog eat dog world. 

“Hup,” Peter barked, perking up. Valen wasn’t sure what he was on about but the bigger man moved across the street and picked up an aurous scrap someone had dropped. A smile on his face the trio moved on from the trade district and found a bakery. After using the scrap on day old sweet bread the three of them had wide smiles on their faces as they munched on the bread while walking. 

It was a rare treat to have any money. Though they didn’t have a status screen to store it in, they were allowed to hold the physical manifestations of the currency. Their few and far between finds of spare change often led to some rare treat. The orphanage kept them fed, but sugar was a rare commodity. And though being a Baker wasn’t a rare profession, it did offer levels, and the bread made by the baker actually made Valen feel stronger somehow. 

“This is it,” Claire said as they walked down the street. 

“What?” Valen asked. Their conversations had been sporadic. Comfortable with one another as they traversed their way through the town. 

“This is the last day we have. The last day to do…this,” Claire said, sobering their good mood. 

“Don’t say that,” Peter said with a frown. He looked sadly at the sweet bun as if he didn’t like the taste anymore. Thinking better on it though he took a big bite and the smile was back on his face. “We can still hang out.”

“Who knows what will happen tomorrow, though,” Claire said sadly. “We pick our classes. Get levels. Can join a guild. Everything changes tomorrow.” 

Valen frowned, aware that she wasn’t wrong. In this day and age, everyone joined a guild. Only older establishments like the orphanage didn’t pick sides in the city. But when a guild offered backing and protection, it was hard not to side with one. Each of these businesses were part of a guild providing benefits to its members. Raging owned a lot of them, their symbol of a red flame and sword inside was displayed in windows or on doors. People that were part of the guild would get discounts at those shops, and all of them paid into the guild to be a part of it. 

Joining a guild had far too many perks to not do it. If you picked the right class you would get a bonus for joining. They would potentially help you level, and as long as you displayed their colors they would have your back. Inauguration day was often met with an influx of members, and Valen planned to join up as soon as he could. 

“It does change,” he said with a nod. “Hopefully…for the better.” His words trailed off and she grabbed his hand. Squeezing it he looked to Peter who looked sad once more. “But we have each other. We need to stick together. Try to help one another in the guild.”

“That sounds nice,” Claire said. Valen threw his arm over her shoulder. He turned to Peter. 

“You?” He asked his oldest friend.

“You know it,” he said and Valen threw his other arm over his shoulder. 

They had agreed to this practically once a week. Each of them had lost all relatives, forced to have strangers take care of them. But Valen saw them both as his true family, not one that was forced on him by blood, but a family he picked. He trusted them completely and planned to do whatever he could to help them. 

“Now which Class are you going to pick-” Valen said but stopped as a voice rang out in the street. 

“You are not welcome here, Faust!” A voice yelled. The noise startled everyone as it boomed and people instinctively ducked. 

As many ran away without question, Valen caught sight of a City Guard at one of the coffee shops behind him. The guard wore the tabard of Raging who handled all policing in the city. Valen knew the guard right away. He was the captain of the guard and people called him the Executioner. It wasn’t some baseless name either. Usually when someone was unable to buy their way out of trouble, he lopped off their heads after a short trial. A big man with a massive two-handed sword strapped to his back. His face was emotionless as a long scar rippled from beside his mouth to down his neck. 

Behind him was a squad of guards that peered nervously at a single man. He was sitting at a small table with a wooden cup in hand. Black robes covering his features, the stranger didn’t appear to be bothered by seeing the Executioner. 

“We gotta go,” Peter said, and began to slink away. Valen didn’t need to be told twice as they disappeared into the alley as many others did. But Valen found himself staying on the edge of the alley to watch the interaction. 

“I haven’t bothered anyone, I assure you,” the robed figure said lowly. Though practically a whisper the voice traveled in the quickly emptying street. A mix between a hiss and a rasp the man sounded tired, as if he said the words numerous times in the past.  

“That doesn’t matter, Faust,” the Executioner said. “All Rankers have to register in town.” 

“You small towns and your stupid rules,” the voice said. Still faceless from inside the hood of the robe. Slowly the form stood up and the guards drew weapons, ready to fight. 

“We need to go,” Claire said. “He’s a Ranker.” Valen knew she was right. It was a death trap to be near a Ranker. 

Rankers were the strongest people in the world. Soon after humans were given levels, the System that ran the world assigned the highest leveled people ranks. Judging them based on their levels it listed the names of the strongest 1,000,000 people in the world through a screen that people with levels could monitor. Valen had never seen the Ranking Ladder, but he had heard more than a few stories of the strongest people on it. Winston the Roaring Wind, Washington, Mustafa, and Pollack the richest man in the world were some of the most famous Rankers. 

“He said his name is Faust. Isn’t that the God of Death?” Peter asked. 

“Shit,” Valen said, recalling the name. His focus was brought back to the conversation in the street though. Unable to pull away as he saw his first confirmed Ranker. 

“You expect to cause me trouble?” Faust asked. A black mist-like substance exuding out of his robe. “Even your secluded City Lord couldn’t hope to scratch me.”

“That doesn’t-” The guard said, pointing his weapon at the man but was stopped as the black mist shot toward him. 

“Let’s go!” Peter yelled, grabbing Valen. Hardly needing the order Valen was already on his way. He heard a scream and then a huge torrent of power pushed him forward. As if he had been hit by a train Valen woke up instantly, ready to run. But his arms and legs weren’t working. Trying to shake the ringing from his ears the black mist blew away as he brought his hand to his face to rub a dripping liquid off. No hand came though. Just a stub where his arm had been met him.

Valen stared at the gone appendage for a long moment. Eyes blinking rapidly to try to reset his vision to reality, but it was true. His arm was gone. Looking down he noticed the leg on his left side was blown away as well. All he could see was blood and bone where his limb had been. 

His mind reeling his line of vision was brought upward. The black mist had turned into smoke above as the sun was blotted out and darkness enveloped everything around him. He knew the Ranker was in that smoke somewhere. Easily destroying the 16 hard years Valen had lived to get to this point in time. He had been so close to his own level. So close to all of his effort paying off, but in the end it was all for nought. There were too many strong people in the world. Too many super powered individuals that didn’t mind killing the innocents in their quest for power. Valen’s mind drifted as he thought this. Darkness growing thicker somehow as it all turned black.