You have defeated the Rift Keeper Elemental Sentinel!

You have gained 1213 experience points. (-20% Party Penalty).

You have reached level 14!

“Glad that’s finally over,” Bane groaned, picking up his swords from a little mound of dust.

“Did we get anything?” asked Lilly.

Looking around, Drake saw two items. One of them he recognized as a similar sort of artifact to the one he had found underneath Still Manor: a small, crystal cube that lit up the moment he picked it up.

Acquired Keystone of the Elemental Sanctum(Unique) – A strange artifact retrieved from the Elemental Sanctum dungeon.

Acquired Elemental Lens(Enchanted) – A focusing lens that can be used to transform raw mana into one of its elemental states.

He shrugged and passed the items on to Vala so she could store them in their Guild Vault. “Some sort of crafting item and another one of these Keystones. I left the other one I found with master Roy. He said he’d try to find out more about it, but I haven’t gotten the chance to ask him how that’s going.”

“Okay,” said Vala, “if that’s settled, we should talk about those two players.”

“Yeah,” Lilly huffed, knitting her brow. “Who even were those jokers?”

“No idea,” said Bane, scratching his head, “but as far as I know, you can’t access a dungeon when there’s already someone else inside of it.”

“So, NPCs then?” Vala asked.

“Definitely not,” replied Drake. “They had player frames above their heads. Level 14 and 17.”

Hearing his words, Bane’s eyes lost a bit of their spark. “Well, shit. If we butt into them again, we’ll be in trouble… I mean, they ripped through Vala’s shield with a single shot.”

“Then let’s just focus on the quest at hand,” said the taur. “Find those villagers and then get the hell out.”

They all nodded, leaving the platform and walking around the lake as they headed for the other side of the chamber. Cautiously, Drake and Vala approached the tunnel, ready to jump back at a moment’s notice. But only emptiness awaited them.

Not wanting to give up their position so readily, Mia conjured another dim orb of golden light, so that they could all at least see a few feet in front of them. They walked on for what seemed like miles through the featureless passageway, before finally reaching another circular chamber.

This one, however, appeared to be a copy of the room underneath Still Manor where Drake had found the first World Gate. And just like that chamber, the instant they crossed its threshold, the practically nonexistent gaps between the square tiles lit up, illuminating the chamber. A web of gem-like veins glistened across the three pillars that comprised the Gate. And as they approached, the pillars pulsed with energy, as if in sync with some unseen heart.

You have discovered a World Gate. Constructed ages ago by the mysterious Architects, this powerful structure allows the user and their party to Fast Travel once a day between World Gates that they have already discovered.

Available Fast Travel Network locations:

Stills Manor Mage’s Vault (Alissey)

“Amazing,” Mia whispered as she approached the Gate. Stepping on top of the slightly raised platform, she gasped when light rippled out from her, racing through both the tiles and the pillar’s crystalline veins.

“Be careful,” Lilly warned, hesitantly raising her hand. “Last thing we want is for you to end up on the other side of the kingdom…”

Walking next to Mia, Drake chuckled. “Unless you find another Gate, that’s not really a concern. Though I am kind of curious about something else…”

Would you and your party like to travel to another previously discovered World Gate by using Enoa’s Fast Travel Network?

Party Members:

Banefang (Ready) Lilly (Ready) Mia (Ready) Valara (Ready)

YesNo

Seeing the notification in front of him, Drake frowned, recalling his master’s worries. “Yeah,” he sighed, “these things will definitely be a problem later.”

“How so?” Vala asked.

“It’s already asking me if I want to teleport to another World Gate,” he explained as he stepped off the platform. “And it just confirmed that I’m allowed to take you all with me.”

“Oh, awesome!” exclaimed Bane. “So, we can teleport to that other dungeon you cleared?”

“Yup,” he replied. “That and any other Gate I’ve visited. Including the Guild’s highly guarded, hidden Vault.”

“As cool as that might be,” the lycan smiled, “I get the feeling that us showing up there unannounced might go down rather poorly.”

“No shit,” Drake sighed as he took out his Link Sphere. “I’ve got to tell Arthur that master Roy was right. These things are going to be a massive headache for them…”

****

Tapping his fingers against the chair’s arm, Tom glanced again at the wall-clock hung above the ten VR capsules. The only thing that surpassed the damn thing’s incessant ticking, was the gratingly rhythmic beeping of the screens monitoring the vitals of two of his men.

“Colonel Rigsby, sir!” came a voice from Tom’s side.

He turned his head only to see a short, pudgy man saluting him as he walked through the near silent, sliding doors of the Deployment Center. “At ease, Phil,” Tom nodded, noting how tightly the man’s lab coat stretched across his belly. “How much longer?”

“They should be out soon,” the man replied, stopping in front of the two screens to jot something down on a small clipboard that he had produced out of one of his coat’s pockets.

Just as Tom’s eyes darted back towards the clock, the capsules hissed and opened. The mechanisms inside whirred, bringing the two soldiers close to a sitting position. One by one, they took off their Visors and got out of the capsules. They stretched for a moment before noticing his presence.

“Sir!” they saluted in unison, tensing up and straightening their backs as he waved them down.

“So, let’s hear it,” he said, standing up to get a better look at the two.

“Breach attempt was unsuccessful, sir,” the man to his left reported.

“Scenario details?” Tom asked as he glanced at Phil.

“Triggering a partial Rift through mana injection, followed by an attempt to establish contact before the dungeon had a chance to stabilize itself,” the man answered, stuffing the clipboard back into his lab coat’s pocket.

“I see. And post-dungeon stabilization?”

“We didn’t get the chance to test it out, sir,” said the soldier to his right. “A party of five walked into the chamber before the Rift could stabilize.”

“Civilians?” Tom frowned. “Right in the middle of the mission?”

“Yes, sir. Sergeant Pole fired two warning shots so that we could retreat.”

“Understood,” he nodded as he checked the time again. “Alright, sergeants, you’re both dismissed.”

The two men saluted again before hurrying out of the Center, the sliding doors melding almost seamlessly into one another as they left.

“That’s the third time this week, sir,” Phil sighed. “Ten scenarios, three of which had to be aborted because of civilian interference.”

“I see,” Tom said, heading towards the door himself. “Have the detailed report on my desk as soon as possible.”

He didn’t even stop to look at the man as he stepped outside, his thoughts wandering to the three groups of players. Once or twice, you could maybe chalk it up to luck, or in this case, bad luck. But three? Now, that was starting to look like a pattern. A pattern he didn’t particularly care for.

****

As the light within the Link Sphere subsided, the small orb disappeared into Drake’s inventory. “Done,” he said, taking another look around the World Gate’s chamber.

“So?” Bane asked. “What did Arthur say?”

“He wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. All it takes is a single player getting near one of the more problematic Gates… and then all bets are off as to when you’ll eventually get an entire raid barging in.”

Raising an eyebrow, Vala glanced at the three monolithic pillars framing the Gate’s platform. “How many of these things are there, then?”

“No idea,” said Drake. “But one or two more Gates like the one in the Guild’s Vault and that’s enough for it to be a problem.”

The taur nodded, silence befalling all of them for a brief moment before Mia spoke up.

“What now?”

“Now we look for those villagers,” Vala answered as she headed towards the back of the chamber. “There’s another corridor behind the gate.”

They all followed her, ducking their heads as they entered yet another cramped tunnel, barely wide enough for a single person. The path continued to turn right for a while, up until they came across a flight of stairs that was just as narrow. Flickering lights marked the end of the stairs as they exited into a wide terrace overlooking the cavern where they had fought the Sentinel.

But before they could even get a good look, a short gasp left Lilly. Hand shaking, she pointed towards the balcony’s corner.

Glancing in that direction, Drake froze as he was met with the sight of several piles of bodies. Behind him, he heard Bane gagging and Mia whimpering. Vala on the other hand, simply made her way towards the corpses, stopping at the edge of the pool of blood that still seeped slowly out of Elten’s former inhabitants.

“The hell?” the taur muttered as she crouched down to take a closer look.

“What is it?” Drake asked, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

“Doesn’t this one look like the village’s elder?” she asked, using her poleaxe’s spearhead to move a bloodied hand off of the face of an old man’s body.

“Shit,” Drake whispered, staring at Harwi’s stiff, unblinking expression. “When the fuck did they even have the time to kill and drag his body here?”

“Look closer,” said Vala. “He’s been dead for at least a few hours, just like the others.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he replied, stepping back and frowning.

From behind him, a nervous laughter escaped Bane. “Now, that makes even less sense! If he really was dead, then who the hell was that back at the village?”

“Who indeed?”

A voice that wasn’t immediately familiar made them all jerk around, drawing their weapons. In front of the corridor’s entrance was Harwi the elder, alive and well.

With her poleaxe aimed towards the old man’s chest, Vala spoke, her voice cold and threatening. “Mind giving us an explanation? Or do you expect us to believe that you have a twin brother that looks and dresses exactly the same as you?”

“Ah, yes,” the man sighed, staring dejectedly at the bodies piled on top of one another. “Where to even begin? I might as well start by saying that despite the strange nature of our encounter, I don’t mean you harm. In fact, my aim is quite the opposite of that.”

Drake frowned. “Then why send us on a wild goose chase to try and save some villagers that were already dead the moment we met you? And who the hell even are you?”

“I had actually hoped that you would get to them in time,” Harwi answered, tilting his head to get a better look at the mangled mess of flesh, his expression growing more sorrowful. “I didn’t know that they had already been killed… As to the question of who I am, I’m afraid that I can’t really give you a straight answer. But you can just call me Harwi.”

“Well,” said Lilly, her bolter’s barrel aimed right at the man’s head, “is there anything that you can tell us? Since up until now, you haven’t exactly given us anything that we can actually work with, you know? Like for starters, who’s this they supposed to be?”

“Sorry,” Harwi whispered, the sadness in his eyes unchanged, despite the faint smile gracing his lips. “Words were never really my forte, but I suppose I should start by saying that I’m not an NPC.”

It took a while for Drake to register the man’s words, but upon hearing this, Bane’s follow-up was remarkably swift. “So, you’re telling us that a player can just give out quests?”

“In a way,” the old man nodded.

“That still doesn’t make any sense,” the lycan continued. “Not unless you’re some sort of admin for the game.”

“Quite right,” Harwi agreed. “Though with that said, I do hope that you’ll all keep our discussion here between us. If word of my interference were to get out… let’s just say that a disciplinary committee would be the least of my worries.”

“Wow,” said Lilly as Harwi bowed his head. “Isn’t this just a tiny bit extreme? I mean, say you’re telling the truth. Why on Earth would you do something this risky?”

“Because there is so much more at stake than I could possibly explain right now,” the old man sighed. “And most importantly, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Lilly’s ponytail brushed against her shoulder as she tilted her head forward, her knuckles whitening around the bolter’s grip. “Still not much of an answer.”

“And unfortunately, I don’t think I can give you one right now. At least not one that would be enough to fully convince you. All I can do is hope that you’ll decide to help me.”

“Okay,” said Bane, “then let’s start small. Why do you need our help? And why should we help you?”

“Let me answer your question with one of my own. Given everything you’ve experienced thus far, do you really believe that Prism is nothing more than a game? Granted, a complex one at that. But do you truly think that all the NPCs you’ve met up until this point have been just that?”

Drake’s gaze fell to the floor as Roy’s words echoed inside his mind. ‘Look into their eyes. And should you find them lacking in humanity, then, by all means, strike…’

No one said a word.

“There’s far more to Prism than meets the eye,” the old man continued, his staff disappearing as he paced around the balcony. “For example, let’s start with those two players that you stumbled over just before your fight with the Rift Keeper. How many people would you think are capable of blowing a hole like that through your friend’s shield?”

“We couldn’t tell you,” Vala replied as she stared him down. “But since apparently you were somehow watching, I take it you know?”

“The exact number isn’t relevant,” said Harwi, ignoring the taur’s accusation. “Just that it’s exceedingly small. Which brings me to their intentions, and the fact that they are also capable of artificially creating dungeons like the one we’re currently in.”

As Bane opened his mouth to speak, the old man raised a finger. “I know you have questions. And I’ll try to answer as many of them as I can, but please allow me to sort through this mess of thoughts swirling inside my head,” Harwi sighed before walking over to the dead villagers. He knelt and reached out his hand, staining his fingers red as he then rubbed them and frowned.

“To put it simply,” he continued while staring at his crimson-smeared fingers, “we initially had a different vision for Prism. But as it’s to be expected, the company had its own agenda. An agenda doesn’t really mesh well with the interests of Enoa’s inhabitants,” he said, getting up and shifting his gaze towards Vala. “As you’ve already guessed, I’ve been keeping tabs on all of you. From the very beginning, actually.”

“Wait, what?” Lilly blurted. “How? And more importantly, why?”

“Plus, that’s not exactly reassuring,” said Drake, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, we’ve been collecting and analyzing decisional metadata related to player morality and empathy. All in the hope of finding players that would help us look out for Enoa’s best interests,” Harwi answered with a faded smile. “Players like you.”

Lilly tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Is that it? Or is there more you’re not telling us?”

A slight chuckle left the old man. “Not that much more. But think of it this way: even if we did want to collect as much information as possible, the sheer amount of processing power needed would be astronomical. As it stands, the company only screens data for the usual government watchlists, as per VR legislation. And then there’s me, combing through scraps of data along with a few like-minded colleagues.”

“Combing through how?” asked Lilly as Drake saw her eyes shifting constantly between Harwi and what had to be her interface.

“Well, we have been looked for decisional markers ever since you logged in. Starting with your interactions with Aida. In that regard,” Harwi grinned, staring straight at Drake, “you were one of the people that stood out in particular. That was what brought you to our attention in the first place. That, along with the elevated levels of stress you experienced when first interacting with the Conclave and that young mage initiate. Shortly after, the connection between you and your friends also became apparent to us.”

“Well now,” Drake mocked, sarcasm dripping off of every word, “that’s not disturbing in the slightest. Then again, I always assumed that was common practice for every company out there.”

The old man sighed. “We never intended for things to escalate up to this point. But our hands are tied, so we had to find other ways to try and protect Enoa. And once we factored in everyone within your group, we decided to guide you from a distance before eventually reaching out.”

“Guide us, you say,” Lilly noted, her eyes narrowing slightly at the words.

“Yes,” Harwi nodded, staring straight at her. “And while I do appreciate the thoroughness, I would at least hope that, for the time being, you will keep your notes to yourself, Mrs. Lilly.”

“How did you…”

“Just a guess,” he smiled. “While I can’t actually see what it is that you’re writing down, I can at least see the chat’s interface. As for when or how you will want to act on this information, I am at your mercy.”

“Okay,” said Vala, “you said you decided to guide us. How?”

“Shit…” Drake muttered, before raising his finger towards Harwi. “The quests! You were messing with them. That’s why some of them popped up so randomly!”

“Indeed,” said the old man. “The quest generation system is the only one that we can influence to a certain degree. And due to its nature, coupled with the sheer amount of output, small tweaks and changes are practically impossible to trace.

Balling his fist, Drake felt the ring he had gotten from Roy. “If it wasn’t for that quest, I don’t think I would’ve had anything to do with the Mages Guild. I wouldn’t have met Zeph either.” He smiled as a gray wisp flared to life above his shoulder. “And I guess we wouldn’t have been sent to Harkon either,” he said, shooting Lilly a glance and grinning. “Though the jury’s still out on whether or not that was worth it.”

“Well, fuck you too,” Lilly chuckled. “You’re no ray of sunshine either, y’know?”

A strong thud immediately quelled the conversation and drew their attention towards Vala, her poleaxe’s tip lodged firmly in the balcony’s uneven floor. “Let’s get back on track,” she said, her sight still trained on the old man. “You’ve left out the most crucial aspect. What are you trying to protect?”

A long, drawn-out sigh left Harwi’s lips as he looked them in the eye and spoke. “We’re trying to protect this world from the plans of the very people that ordered its creation, and from the inevitable genocide that their plans will usher in, should we fail to stop them.”