A diplomatic communication from the Ambassador of the Sathari Commune, Member Planet of the 4th Wave

We greet you Holy Irsorth, Primus of Arrenth of the 2nd, and beseech you for aid. As you are no doubt aware, the Judicators destroyed our once protectors, Fortitude, for the actions of Rigor so many decades ago. Our territories are now being infringed upon by other civilizations that seek to capitalize on their absence. We of the Commune understand your desire for peace and share it. Please grant us the Skills we seek so that we may serve you in keeping the Peace.

Each day, the dying star rises in the eastern sky and makes its arduous journey through the sky At the end of the long day, it’s task complete, it sets, receding beyond the western horizon.

The pattern repeats, following the path that was created millions of years before, and it will continue with no regard for this particular day. It repeats and repeats and repeats and repeats.

It does not care for the troubles of those on Helldarvin. It does not think about the struggles and tribulations that the short lived beings go through. Their existence is nothing but a millisecond in the life of a star.

The movements of the planets are nothing but annoyances to the grand majesty that is the sun. Helldarvin may have moved across the solar system but the sun does not care.

I watch as the sun rises over the eastern horizon, beams of light breaking through the trees and illuminating the world around me. Purple pine needles coat the ground beneath me, clustering together in clumps that mask the brown dirt beneath them, and the tall coniferous trees sway gently in the wind. Small marks of my presence coat them, ranging from burn marks to missing branches to bullet holes, but their beauty is not marred in any significant way. To me they are more beautiful for their flaws, their steadfast presence a gentle solace that continues no matter what I throw at them.

Most important among them is the tree at the center of the clearing, reaching high towards the sky with large branches that spread out and provide shade beneath. Standing at nearly two stories high, it dwarfs its surrounding siblings. It has been my home for nearly all of my time spent on Helldarvin; the safe area that always welcomes me back with the comforting silence of nothing but wind, branches, and the occasional howl from a Hunter in the distance.

I stand at the base of the tree and emotions well in my throat. It may not be a person, but this tree has housed me for the past fourteen months. In a way, it has become my sanctum from the tribulations of Helldarvin and the constant battles that have followed me since I arrived.

I kneel, reaching down into the dirt and dig a small hole until a small, thin root is finally exposed. An inch in diameter, it is a deep purple with a few brown streaks, creating an interesting pattern that mimics the bark of the base mixing with the dirt that provides its life. I conjure up a miniscule Mana Blade and slice off one of the root’s branching extremities, needing some type of keepsake to remember my temporary home. It is only a few inches long but I put it into my pack and a sense of satisfaction flows into me. I don’t know if it is possible to grow a tree from nothing but a root, but I plan on trying my best once I return to Earth. It is the least I can do to thank it for the comfort and safety it has provided me.

Filling the hole back up with dirt, I whisper my thanks to the tree and begin to walk towards the Zone of Rolarch the Gluttonous.

It has been six months since I completed my training with Albasalas and I’ve spent the entirety of that time improving my Skills and working on creating new ones. I may not have gained any levels, since Rolarch was the only creature left in the Zones that Albasalas said I had a hope of surviving in, but I was able to obtain over 500 Way Points during that time. I initially planned on investing all of the points as soon as I received them, but the past six months have given me a level of confidence that I sorely lacked.. Better to wait and see what Ways I unlock upon my return to Earth, as I am sure that I won’t need them to defeat Rolarch.

Unfortunately, my time is running out and I only have a week or so left to meet the requirements for my return to Earth. With no intention of remaining on Helldarvin for the rest of my life, I set out to take down my third and final Zone Leader.

Following the path that Albasalas had told me about so long ago, I watch as the forest begins to thin out as I make the journey to my destination. The trees become sparser until they are almost entirely gone, with only a few strays punctuating the otherwise empty landscape. The familiar pine needles that have crunched beneath my feet for the past six months no longer covering the ground. The path takes me out of the novice zone, through Albasalas’s fungi infested lands, and finally into the mountainous region that hosts my final opponent. It takes me several hours, but I maintain a steady gait, determined to finish my requirements and finally return home.

Tall, jagged mountains rise up all around me cliffs and rock faces take the place of the trees, fungi, and grassland of the other zones I’ve experienced. Each Zone seems to contain its own small microclimate, this particular one being slightly colder than the others, as well as their own specific geology. I spare no thought for the implications, however, as I spot what appears to be droppings just a few feet away from me. Strange Helldarvin versions of flies circle around them and they appear to be quite fresh, a distinction I’m now able to identify after spending so much time around beasts.

With the suspicion that the Zone Leader is close, I raise my hand and firea Fireball into the distance. The level gains have increased the explosive force of the Skill but, more importantly, they’ve increased the size of the projectile which causes it to scream through the air. It lands a few hundred feet away from me and the concussive blast of the detonation rocks the ground underneath my feet. The shaking causes a few of the smaller rocks dotting the mountainside to tumble downhill, creating even more noise.

It doesn’t take long for the Zone Leader to mount his response, a deep bellow shaking the air around me as he roars in response from far away. It takes him several minutes to become visible but he finally appears far below me, getting hit by one of the small tumbling rocks and letting loose another air shaking roar. Above his head appear the words Rolarch the Gluttonous [Lvl 59].

His body is covered in a dark green hide, strangely out of place in the gray and brown mountainous region. Four thick legs extend out of his bulbous and rotund torso. He is easily fifteen feet long and half as thick, his body shaking the ground slightly with each step. His head juts out of his body and two unintelligent eyes dot it, accompanied by two tiny ears that almost uselessly droop down the sides. The truly dangerous part of him is his mouth, his roar exposing gigantic jaws and thick tusks that protrude from below. The roar ends and he snaps the jaws shut, a snapping sound clacking through the air as they collide together with enough force to rip through stone.

Six months ago I would have been terrified if I had confronted him without hours of preparation and several well placed traps, but I have spent that time refining my Skills into a cohesive combat style that I am beginning to master.

Already within Effortless Presence, I quickly cast Fleet Feet of Air, significantly speeding up my movements, and jump ten feet into the air. Rolarch begins to lumber towards me but I have no intention of getting within the range of his lethal mouth. From within my Field of Mana, I simultaneously conjure four separate Mana Bullets, finally rid of my crutch of using my finger, and fire them towards the lumbering hulk. Falling back towards the ground, the air around my feet slowing my descent, I watch as the Bullets make contact and rip through his hide. Without the increased piercing power of the upgrade they probably wouldn’t have managed to break through, but with it they are able to elicit a pained roar from Rolarch.

Before the Bullets have made contact, I begin preparing my next assault by conjuring one of my new Skills, Flawed Lightning Strike. The casting process takes five seconds, requiring me to use Fire Mana to heat up Air while simultaneously using Motion to amplify the energy created by the process. A stray thought during a rare storm had given me the idea and I’d spent months working out the way to replicate lightning with the Skills I had available. The final product wasn’t perfect, probably due to the lack of more synergistic Higher Energies, but it worked and that was all I needed.

I let the attack loose just as Rolarch begins to close his mouth from the pained yell. The lightning crackles through the air, illuminating the battlefield in a brief flash of blinding light, and instantly makes contact with his open mouth. One second the battlefield is filled with nothing but the roar of my opponent and then, in an instant, it is filled with overwhelming light as the lightning appears and crackles forward at a speed beyond comprehension.

The lightning strike creates an overwhelming concussive blast that throws Rolarch backwards, his body tumbling head over heels, and forces him further down the mountainside where he lands and forms a crater upon impact. A gasp releases from my body as I stumble back onto the ground. The casting process is excruciating, perhaps due to the Flawed nature of the Skill, and always seems to result in a serious headache. I quickly check my Mana Well and see that I’ve used a little over half. Better to end this fight quickly.

I’m surprised when I hear another roar, albeit much weaker and quieter. Rolarch shambles out of the crater and begins to stumble towards me. The bottom half of his jaw has been almost completely destroyed and char marks coat his mouth, blood leaking out of the open cuts. Despite these debilitating wounds, he continues his march towards me, albeit at an extremely slow pace, and his eyes seem filled with a hatred that had not previously existed.

I’d hoped to finish this off in a single series of attacks, but evidently Rolarch doesn’t give a damn about my plans. A smile breaks out on my face as I decide to try out another series of attacks that I’ve been working on. Using this series is almost idiotic given Rolarch’s strong close quarters strength, but if it works then I won’t get close enough for him to react.

Running towards him with my speed massively improved by Fleet Feet of Air, I manage to close the gap in a few seconds, surprise from my speed shown by the widening of Rolarch’s eyes as his body stumbles to brace against my mad dash. Just as I’m about to make contact, I activate Mana Infusion and jump right over him. I’d managed to improve Mana Infusion so that the health cost was negligible, dropping down to 3% per second, while the increases in Dexterity and Strength were still enormous. With my body moving so fast that the air begins to cry out around me, I conjure up 4 Mana Blades and will two towards his brain and two towards where his heart would be if he were a creature from Earth.

It takes a while to describe these actions but they occur within a few blinks of an eye. Rolarch is unable to my extreme speed, and I land on the ground twenty feet behind him. Instantly deactivating Mana Infusion, I grimace in pain as my body screams at me for that last attack. While it is possible to achieve almost blinding speed with Mana Skills, my body doesn’t have the necessary innate physical Attributes and always feels pained afterwards.

None of it matters, however, as I’m greeted by a notification that lets me know Rolarch is dead. A quick glance at his body shows that the Mana Blades, achieved by conjuring Condensed Mana into a sword shape and using Motion Mana to vibrate the edges, sliced through his skull and completely destroyed the stem of his brain. I guess the other two were just overkill.

You have defeated Rolarch the Gluttonous [Lvl 59]!

You have reached Lvl 44, 45, 46, 47!

Task Updated: Defeat Zone Leaders [3/3]

Congratulations! You have satisfied the return requirement, “Defeat Three Zone Leaders”.

Time elapsed since arrival

Local time: 475.25 days (Remaining: 24.75 days)

Earth time: 15.33 days

Reward for satisfying any one requirement: +10 to all Attributes

Reward for satisfying any two requirements: +20 to all Attributes, New Skill

Reward for satisfying all three requirements: +30 to all Attributes, New Skill, Item

Requirements satisfied: 2

Would you like to return to Earth? [Verbal Assent Required]

I feel a swelling of emotion in my chest. For all its flaws, Helldarvin has been my home for the past 475 days. I came to this place a child, a boy with no knowledge of the struggles of life, and I leave an adult, a man with the will to push past the obstacles of life to achieve my goals.

Relief, excitement, nervousness, hope, and fear mix together as I whisper, “Yes”.