We spent nearly an hour spiraling down. Incredibly, the walls never showed any signs of decay. There were regular mage lights so that we never lost our sight, which was rather nice of the developers. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, we found ourselves in an ancient cavern. There were benches carved into the sides, and several glyphs in a strange arrangement around a hole in the ground, that had a shimmering field capping it. I immediately got a popup that did wonders to explain things.

Congratulations!

You have discovered an ancient mana well. Long ago, when the magics in the air were far more abundant, war descended upon the planet. As ancient magi used power beyond even the most powerful archmages of this age, the forces unleashed threatened to rip apart the very fabric of reality. Sacrificing themselves, an ancient civilization whose name has been lost to the ravages of time, risked everything to seal several of the mana wells across the world. The ley lines that were supplied by these wells dried up, and the ambient mana levels drastically fell. It now falls to you, adventurer. Will you unseal the well? Or leave it and pray that no others manage to find what you found.

Where’s the button to unseal the well? Where is, THERE IT IS. MASH IT, MASH YES, YES I WILL UNSEAL IT!

You have chosen to unseal the well.

Prepare yourself, and once you are ready seat yourself in the sunburst seal. Be warned, this process will take three days. The chamber you are currently in will fill with mana, and it will seep into whatever is not protected from it. The mana will also sustain your body. You will require no food or sleep. You are free to log out, and can set your body simple directives to keep it occupied. Mana regeneration will also be infinite for the duration. At the end of the three days, you will be transported back to your home city before the seal is broken.

. . MY. . . GOD! Unlimited mana for three days? It will be flowing through anything in this chamber? “My friend, did you get the notices?” At his nod yes, I continued, “Well, I am going to unseal this. You are free to stay or go, the choice is yours. Will you stay?” He nodded yes. “Ok, well I am going to start unloading my inventory, then we can get started.”

I had a lot of stuff that I had somehow acquired. I kept any of the food that was already cooked, as I didn’t think rations would benefit from being exposed to mana for that long. On second thought, I might just be wrong about that. Let’s risk half of them. I still had quite a bit of carapaces from the crayclaws, those can sit by one of the benches. Let’s stack the loose scrap metal bits underneath the bench, and the metallic ingots that I got from the smithy on top. I placed my hammerscythe on top of the mithril ingots, and leaned the crossbow against the exposed side of the bench. Following the room around clockwise, I piled up the ores that were waiting to be smelted, but kept the books hidden in my inventory. I even pulled out the shadow infused stone that the old ley line had ran through, figuring adding a good bit more concentrated mana might end up changing it even further.

“Whoah, this takes me back.” I muttered, as I pulled out a crystal flower from my inventory. “Damn, this is from when I killed that crystal alpha, barely over a week into the game.” I went to set it on its side on a bench, when the base of it actually bent and attached itself to the stone. “HOLY CRAP, ITS STILL ALIVE!” I yelped. Pointing it out to my skeletal friend, “Do not touch this. I have no idea how it is still alive after all this time, but we are keeping it, got it?” When the last bit of my inventory had finally emptied, I sat down on a bench to plan out what I was going to do for the next three days.

Practice magic? I just didn’t know enough. Plus, what I did know was rather detrimental to stone. Now that I think about it, I didn’t really have many skills that weren’t combat skills. Sure, I had alchemy and sculpting, but I wasn’t that creative and spending three days sculpting would drive me bonkers. As I was sitting there, twirling one of the few mana stones I had left, inspiration struck. I could try and make a mana stone. They were nothing but condensed mana anyway, and I would have three days of infinite mana to work with. Plan set, I sat cross legged on the sunburst rune and agreed to the prompt when it asked if I wanted to start the process of unsealing the mana well. When it asked what kind of mana I wanted to use, I selected shadow mana. If my feelings were right, I would probably come out of this with a crazy attunement to that type of mana, and it would be a great asset for setting ambushes.

Once everything was selected, a tiny ray of deep blackness shot out of the center of the seal. It flowed along the top and sides of the chamber, before everything was eventually covered. Despite the darkness, if anything my darkvision seemed to be enhanced just by using it. Shrugging, I looked and saw that my mana bar had turned the same black color, and was outlined in flashing silver. Assuming that it had started, I began cycling my mana down my arms and into a sphere in my hand.

An hour later, and I wasn’t making much progress. I kept at it, the sphere of mana I was holding had condensed from the size of an apple to the size of a grape. I could see it roiling within, and it almost seemed as if I had gotten it down to a liquid stage. Wait, what’s the difference between solids and liquids? Phoebe always pointed out that magic got an excellent boost from mental images, something I had been lacking up til now. Instead of simply trying to condense it with willpower, I imagined a latticework of mana, well let’s call them mana units. Each unit is a sphere, at the corner of a cube. Connecting to its neighbors, they are locked into position. They can shake and vibrate, maybe even move slightly back and forth along the bonds, but that’s it. No bending allowed, no other movement. I spent the next half hour focusing on that, and that image only. At some point I had even closed my eyes, and when I opened them after hearing a soft pop sound, I found there was a mana crystal the size of a grain of salt floating where the liquid used to be.

Smiling, I changed my image slightly. Now my crystal was growing, adding more and more mana units around it. Growing in a repeating pattern, no mistakes allowed. This crystal will be perfect. No voids, no shifts, nothing to mar the perfection. I kept that up for several hours, before realizing it was getting to the point where I needed to log out for the night. Selecting the prompt to continue growing the crystal, I logged out and headed to the café.

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

“You all right there Marty? You look a little exhausted.” Jon pointed out as I stumbled by some chairs at the café.

“Brain is dead. Give caffeine. Lace it with sugar.” As I was fumbling with the menu, Phoebe slid a fresh soda in front of me. “Oh, sweet nectar of life, thank you Phoebe.” I mumbled as I chugged half the drink in one go. “Ah, that’s better.”

“So, maybe a little explanation is in order?” Phoebe prodded.

“Sure, sure. No Derrick yet?” I asked.

“He went to bed early. I guess he was wanting to do another night raid on a large group of bandits. Most of the smaller outfits have started consolidating as he has been wiping them out.”

“Ok. Well, we can fill him in tomorrow. Something big ‘s going to go down in three days, you guys should find some way to keep training magic.”

“What do you know?” Phoebe asked, always interested in magic.

“Ever heard of a mana well?”

“Sure, all good mages have. They are the source of ley lines, and usually guarded by incredibly strong creatures. As in, dragons tend to plop their hoards on top of them.”

“Well, I’m in the process of unsealing one. So any guesses as to what’s gonna happen?”

“Un. . .seal?” Phoebe hesitated, eyes going wide.

“I think you see it. Wonder how it’s going to affect everyone?”

“Marty, it’s going to cause chaos.”

“Human sacrifice? Dogs and cats living together? Mass hysteria?”

“Nice one Venkman. All jokes aside, yes. This is going to throw magic usage into absolute chaos. I’m really looking forward to it. Three days you said?”

“Yep. Probably around midday.”

“So, have you been doing puzzles or something to break the seal?”

“No, just have to go and sit there for three days. I’ve been doing some endlessly repetitive task that requires a lot of mental imagery.”

“Ouch, those are the worst.” Jon commiserated, before launching into a story of how the most boring job he ever had was working on a line in a factory. All poor high school Jon had to do was pack boxes in the same direction as fast as he could go. We lost the thread there, commiserating over all the stupid things we had done in high school. Eventually I called it an early night, and set an alarm to make sure I was in the game as early as I could be.

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

Three days later

I could feel it. The seal was on its last legs, spider webbed with cracks throughout. The small pieces near the original column that had broken through were starting to disintegrate. I had made a lot of progress on my kobold made mana stone. The auto function of my avatar could do a decent job, but I still thought I did better when I was running it, which had led to 14 hour days in the game and a jet black crystal that was slightly smaller than my torso. It was a faceted sphere, and I could only imagine what I could do with it. Hell, I could probably run the magical needs of a small country off it.

Unsealing complete.

Hopefully your three days have been well spent. You will now have five minutes to remove everything you wish to take with you before you will be forcibly teleported to your home city.

“Oh, oh god it hurts.” I groaned, as I straightened out my knees after three days of sitting idle. Once I had spent a minute stretching and getting feeling back, I started madly packing everything. I didn’t even look at a lot of the notifications, just frantic stuffing things into my inventory. I could have sworn I had left more metal on that bench, but oh well. All of the ingots were streaked with blackness, but that’s all the time I could spare.

“Where is it?” I looked at my skeletal friend, who was now also shrouded in darkness. Even the flames within his chest and eyes had turned black. “Where’s the crystal flower?” I practically shouted, knowing we had less than two minutes to find it and get ready. He pointed to the bench, and I saw several crystal petals on the seat, though they now started out as pink and had veins of darkness encroaching from the edges. I swept them into the inventory, and looked at the stalk of the former flower. There at the end was a massive seed compared to the original flower, almost the size of a racquetball. I picked it and shoved it in before making one last sweep of the room.

Time is up. Transporting.

A cocoon of darkness spun itself around me and the skeleton, and when it unfurled I was in the middle of the barracks training grounds, being stared at by Khaliss and several trainees. They immediately lowered their spears and started advancing on the skeleton. “WAIT! HE’S WITH ME!” I shouted, and they stopped. Before I could explain further, the entire city was shaken by a massive quake. As we all regained our footing, there was an incredibly loud trumpet fanfare, complete with confetti shooting out of the corners of a world wide notification.

World Event Initiated!

Heroes of this world, heed the call! Player Angus MacG has unsealed one of the ancient mana wells, unleashing a new source of shadow mana upon us. For the next seven days, be prepared for magical chaos! Effects will vary as the forces of magic fight to reach a new equilibrium. Spells may be cast for free, they may cost 3x as much. Some will experience the addition of shadow mana to their spells, creating new ones. Astute mages may even be able to recreate these spells! Warriors and rogues, you may also experience this with your own skills. Pay attention, for other creatures in this world will also experience this shift.

For unleashing a magical chaos, you gain +10,000 fame with every faction. Whether the factions treat you as a hero or a villain is dependent upon many factors.

Global Calling!

Grab your staves and wands, apprentices and magi the world over! The magic council has offered several quests for the magical upheaval, as well as spell bounties.

Quests

Any mage who learns a new spell in the coming week may turn it in for a bounty. Rewards depend upon spell tier and personal mastery. Extra rewards will be provided for those who can create spell books and scrolls.

Map out the distubances! Areas of highly concentrated dark mana will emerge. The mages guild will provide sensitive probes to measure the ambient mana. Protect these probes in the concentrated areas for a reward.

Global Culling!

To arms, adventurers! Any who can swing a sword or fire an arrow, the adventurers guild requests your assistance. The mana fluctuations have given rise to new variants of aggressive monsters. Slaughter them, and bring proof to the guild for your rewards.

Quests

Rewards for the first person or group to return with the body of an unknown variant.

Rewards for high level variant kills, bring the body back as proof. Special spatial bags have been developed for this.

Several field type dungeons have sprouted. Clear them for rewards.

Global Collecting!

The alchemists guild is placing a standing order for any and all shadow warped variants caused by the fluctuating magical fields. This is for both animal, vegetable, and mineral variants.

Quests

Collect shadow warped variants. Rewards based on rarity.

Bonus rewards for collecting and cultivating seeds for plants, or for breeding and raising animals.

Prospectors, stop by the guild before exploring. You will be given a claim stake, that will hold your ore vein claims for 24 hours. Return within that time with a sample of the ore and the guild will finance a teleport back to your vein to determine your rewards.

“So Angus, been up to anything interesting recently?” Khaliss chuckled.

“Saw those notifications, did you Khaliss?”

“Indeed. Now, perhaps you should take care of your skeleton friend. There are several people eyeing him with worry. SHRIK! GODAN! Escort Angus and his friend wherever they need to be.”

“SIR, YES SIR!” Shrik and Godan shouted and saluted, before falling in slightly behind my skeleton companion.

“Ok, I guess we should head to the temple of Thanatos first, then I need to check out my evolution options.” I said, more to myself than anyone else. We made swift time to the temple, as people seemed to be reacting to me a lot more than usual.

“Welcome back brother, you’ve been rather busy.” The high priest said as we walked in.

“Thank you brother. I have several things to take care of, but first this. My friend here”

“Say no more, brother. Our Lord has filled me in on the situation. Say your goodbyes, and when your friend follows me I will open a portal back to his heaven. Simply walk through it, and your heavenly body will reform around your bones to ensure your rest isn’t disturbed again.”

“Thank you brother, and thank you Thanatos.” I said, bowing to both the priest and the altar before turning back to the skeleton and offering him my hand. “Thank you again for all your help, I truly appreciate it. I’ll miss you, but you have earned your rest. Return and enjoy it, my friend.” He pulled me into a hug, before turning and following the high priest. As I watched them go, I walked up to the altar.

“Lord Thanatos, I have slain the necromancer with the dagger, but ask that you delay the rewards until after I have evolved. At that time, I will also advance my ranking within the church, if that is acceptable.” I felt a slightly cool breeze run across my back, and assumed that was fine with him. Following Shrik and Godan back to the training grounds, I looked over several of my notifications.

Achievement

Requirements

Bonus

To next level

Group Discount II

Kill 5 groups of 3 or more with one attack

+3% AoE attack radius

Kill 10 groups of 3 or more with one attack

The More the Merrier II

Kill 5 groups of 5 or more with one attack

+3% AoE attack radius, +4% AoE attack damage

Kill 10 groups of 5 or more with one attack

New skill gained!

Mana manipulation

Grandmaster 10

You have spent three days doing nothing but manipulating your own mana. You even managed the amazing feat of condensing it into a solid state, and as such have completely mastered this skill.

Mana costs halved.

Mana regen doubled.

Darkvision mastered!

Skill level: Grandmaster 10

You have exposed your eyes to pure dark mana, and have mastered darkvision. You now realize that in this world, darkness has its own counter particle to light’s photon, and that is what grants darkvision. Your range is now limited to distances your eyes can see unassisted.

New weapon ability!

Your weapon has unlocked its level 40 ability: Voracious

When in prolonged contact with materials that may improve your weapon, it will consume them. Currently it has consumed the following: Shadow infused mithril.

Bonus: Increased damage and durability, can absorb magic attacks that are blocked or parried.

Achievement unlocked: Master of Magic

By reaching master or higher in mana manipulation, you have achieved the master of magic feat. Magic resistance cap increased by 10%

Wow, talk about fantastic! Now, let’s see about evolutions.

Congratulations, you are at maximum level.

You will not gain any experience in this avatar until you evolve to the next level. You have several path options due to the materials you have collected, would you like to evolve now?

Material

Rarity

Evolution

Description

Heart of ghostly flame

Rare

Lava Wyvernling

A cousin branch to the one that gave rise to the dragon, the lava wyvernling’s attunement to fire is second only to that of an elemental. Has the highest magical attack of the wyvernling variants.

Heart of the seas

Rare

Ocean Wyvernling

A cousin branch to the one that gave rise to the dragon, the ocean wyvernling’s attunement to water is second only to that of an elemental. Their power also waxes and wanes with the tides.

Heart of clear skies

Rare

Zephyr wyvernling

A cousin branch to the one that gave rise to the dragon, the zephyr wyvernling’s attunement to air is second only to that of an elemental. Their agility is the highest among the wyvernling variants.

Heart of the mountain

Rare

Diamond wyvernling

A cousin branch to the one that gave rise to the dragon, the diamond wyvernling’s attunement to earth is second only to that of an elemental. They also enjoy the strongest physical resistance of the wyvernling variants.

4 Hearts of the elements

Unique

Resplendent Wyvernling

This wyvernling variant is blessed by all the elements. They enjoy a +10% increase to the magical resistance cap.

Divine shadow mana stone

Divine

????

??????

Wait, what the fuck is that last one? Divine rarity? There is no divine rarity, it caps out at legendary. What is this divine shadow. . . what did I end up creating? Pulling the stone out of my inventory, I looked at its description.

Divine shadow mana stone

Created from pure shadow mana, there are no imperfections, occlusions, or flaws to mar this perfection of a crystal. Once it has been used, the divine tier rarity will be unlocked across the world.

Mana: 15 trillion/ 15 trillion

Durability: indestructible

By the gods, I was holding a stone with 15 TRILLION MANA IN IT! No wonder it took me three days of constant channeling to create the damn thing. Well, obviously I was going to choose the highest tier evolution material, even with the unknown end product. Once I chose it, my view went grey and a popup filled my vision.

Congratulations player!

You have chosen a divine tier evolution. Unfortunately, we haven’t finished the final coding of this type of evolution. As you are a beta tester for our long term immersion, we are altering your testing. After one minute, you will be logged out of both the game and VR immersion. The CEO and several high level corporate officers wish to have a meeting with you to discuss things. Due to health concerns, you will have to remain logged out of the game for at least a week. No harm will come to your character during this time. Thank you for your understanding.

Wait, what? I get to meet with the big wigs? Oh, this isn’t going to be fun. Before I could get too worked up, I heard once more the trumpeting fanfare I was starting to loathe.

World Event unlocked!

Player Angus MacG has become the first to use a divine tier artifact. The energies unleashed have awoken other artifacts across the world. Who else will find these artifacts? Will you or your guild have the wherewithal to hunt down and slay new divine and semidivine beasts? Craftsmen and women, do you have the skill required to turn divine tier reagents into a corresponding level of equipment?

Logging out in 3. . .2. . .1. . .