Jason, or M3rlin as he decided to be called ingame, was dumbstruck. He had only been playing Dreamscape online for a few hours since it came out and he was already in love with this game. He was playing as an arcane wizard, a class that specialized in arcane spells. Sure, he could throw a few elemental spells like the fireball he had just killed this panther with, but arcane magic was preferable for it’s more utilitarian aspect. He could manipulate the forces of mana to create special effects. Right now all he could do was make things go boom, but soon he could access spells like force push, concussive blast, or even something as complex as mage hand. That was in the future however, and right now he had partied with some paladin-type dude so he could increase his levels. The guy was a bit of a dick though and now he was dumbstruck because apparently the game agreed with him.

Notice: You have been marked as a Nemesis!

Due to your brutal and callous behavior towards another creature, it has developed an intense enough hatred towards you to desire vengeance.

Effect: +10% pain sensation when hit with attacks from your Nemesis. Current pain setting is at 0%

Effect: Always aware of your Nemesis’s location as he is aware of yours.

Duration: Until either you or your Nemesis dies or your Nemesis no longer seeks justice.

That’s what the message displayed by ‘Datazz1337’ said. Seriously though, what the fuck is with his stupid ass name? M3rlin decided that he needed to ask the all important question, since he doubted that a player with a name that dumb is gonna think of it without help. “Damn that’s… interesting? Wait that says you can always sense where your nemesis is. Can you tell?” Datazz spins around in a circle before pointing in a direction. “He is over there. Wait, feels like he is… really close.” When Datazz first points M3rlin couldn’t help but look in that direction, expecting an attack at any moment. When he doesn’t see anything his gaze wanders downwards until it locks onto the panther’s still present body and his eyes widen in realization. “Holy shit! Dude! You pissed off the panther! THAT’S who your nemesis is!” M3rlin looks back at Datazz only to see a disgusting grin on his face. God he looks like a classic school bully. “Ha! That piece of shit? Dude let me handle the next spawn! I’ll just crush his skull the second he shows his ugly mug.” M3rlin couldn’t help but frown at those words. The panther seemed to respond to Datazz1337’s disrespect towards it, which is only a sign of intelligence. “Are you sure? The fact that he is a nemesis might change things.” Datazz sneers at M3rlin. “Dude! Just stay out of it! I can take care of this sac of shit myself. I’ve been one shotting him since the beginning, remember?” M3rlin rolls his eyes at the dismissive remark of the stupid pally. “alright, suit yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” M3rlin then turns around to finish what he had started and looted the panther’s corpse.

After a few seconds, the corpse fades away and M3rlin turns and walks towards the edge of the clearing. The clearing isn’t all that big, just about 40 or so feet and the sky is still blocked from sight by the thick canopy above them. “I’ll just stand here, out of the way. I’m not gonna help you so if you die it’s your own damn fault.” Datazz glares at M3rlin clearly mad at him for idiotic reasons but unable to voice any of them without sounding like a dumbass since M3rlin hasn’t done anything wrong… yet. Instead he settles for the classical response anyone with a lack of maturity and comebacks would say. “Whatever. I’m probably gonna be the first player to defeat a nemesis. I’ll bet there is some sort of achievement.”

With that final exchange the two players settle into an uncomfortable silence, waiting the 10 minutes for their target’s demise. The fact that they both wanted the demise of two different targets was never voiced. M3rlin made sure to make himself comfortable by sitting with his back to a nearby tree to enjoy the show. Don’t disappoint me Mr. Panther.

When the 10 minutes was about to expire, Datazz1337 stood right in front of the panther’s spawn point and readied a strike at where the panther’s head would be. No sooner had he raised his arm, there was a flash of light and the panther was spawned. Unfortunately, Datazz had started his swing as soon as the light showed up. M3rlin grimaced because he knew what would happen next, only to be surprised when the panther lunged forward right at Datazz. This put the panther inside the reach of Datazz’s attack. The mace still hit the large cat’s side, but it was only a glancing blow. Datazz was much worse off. He raised his shield to block the attack as the panther lunged for his face, claws extended, but Datazz made a fatal mistake. He never set his feet to take an attack from a 400 pound panther. The cat charged straight at the raised shield and knocked Datazz flat on his back with the round shield covering his face and upper body. The panther started to reach around the shield to claw at his face while keeping the paladin pinned underneath his own shield but Datazz wouldn’t have any of that as he used the mace in his free hand to bash awkwardly at the animal’s side. It wasn’t any of the heavy blows from before since he couldn’t put the same force into the swing when laying on his back, but it was enough to frustrate the panther.

The cat decided to change things up a bit and attacked the hand that beat it. M3rlin was surprised to hear Datazz1337 scream in pain when before, the only sound of pain he had heard the paladin make was an occasional grunt. Is 10% more pain that bad, or is he just a wimp? Datazz’s grip on the mace loosened and the cat took the chance and clamped down on the mace with his jaws, wrenching it from the guy’s hand. With a toss of his head, the panther threw the mace a few feet away from where they both struggled. It wasn’t that far, but in Datazz’s case, it might as well be on the next continent for all the good it would do him. He got rid of the weapon! Holy shit! Since when could a mob do that?! M3rlin looked at the panther’s face and he couldn’t help but think that he was 100% sure the panther had the most bloodthirsty smile he had ever seen. I could totally imagine him laughing like an evil super villain right now. I’ll bet if he could talk he would be doing an evil monologue.

Now that his victim was no longer able to fight back effectively, the panther used its claws to grip the edge of the shield and pull it to the side and pin it to the ground leaving Datazz totally exposed. Now that the shield wasn’t in the way, M3rlin could see the look of utter terror written all over Datazz’s face. As if sensing his stare Datazz turned to look at me, his eyes begging for help. The cat, noticing his stare, stares at me as well. As if to say ‘What? You want me to kill you to?’. M3rlin raised his hands to show that they were empty, his staff lay on the ground next to him. “Hey, don’t mind me. The dumbass told me not to interfere no matter what. As far as I’m concerned, the asshole dug his own damn grave.”

There is a moment of silence as predator and prey digest the current situation. Seconds later, the silence is broken as the clearing is filled with the sound of screams and ripping flesh. M3rlin shivers at the brutality of the scene when it’s all over. “Shit man, I know you hated the guy, but did you really have rip him limb from limb?” At M3rlin’s words the panther stops brutalizing the now dead Datazz and gives a look as if to say: ‘Well, what did you expect?’ “Right. Sorry, your a giant fucking predator. It’s kinda what you do… Hey, do you really understand me, or am I going crazy?” M3rlin didn’t really expect an answer but he prefered the sound of his own voice over the nauseating crunch of bone as the panther ate its fill. However, M3rlin was speechless when the panther nodded yes to his question. “Holy shit! That’s fucking amazing! Hey! Wanna be my pet? We could totally kick ass all over the place!” The panther froze for a moment before walking towards M3rlin. Holy shit! I’m about to get a kick ass pet! When the panther was close enough to touch it lifted its left paw and slapped M3rlin in the side of the head. He fell to the side, dizzy and there was a ringing sound in his skull. He wasn’t dead, but that still wasn’t a pleasant sensation. “Hey! What the fuck was that for?! I was just sitting here the whole time!” The panther growled at him and used its other paw to hook the M3rlin’s magic staff from off the ground and throw it towards him so it landed in front of his prone position. “Oh. Right. I DID kill you with fire… um. Sorry? I guess it must have really hurt.”

The panther stared at M3rlin intently for a moment. The gaze was very intimidating for him since it’s muzzle was covered in the blood of someone that was just his party member not 5 minutes ago. After a few more seconds though, the cat turns without another sound and leaves the clearing. When it finally disappears, M3rlin felt a huge amount of tension in his body that he wasn’t aware of suddenly vanish. M3rlin had never been so scared in his entire life. Wasn’t this just a fucking game? Since when were videogames this intense?! M3rlin started to feel another ache on his face and when he touched his face where the ache was coming from, he realized why he face was so sore. He had a smile so big it hurt. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but holy fuck this game is amazing!”

Ahhhh, the wonderful feeling of a job well done. I have never been so satisfied with brutally murdering someone. Not that it’s something I have done before, but it was so fun to turn that dumb brat’s gloating shouts to screams of pain and terror. I am currently walking through the forest, listening to the sounds of nature around me. You might ask me, ‘Hey, where are you going?’ and I would then tell you… I have no fucking idea. If I had a damned map, I could probably at least decide on a direction. I don’t though, so the best I can do is pick a direction and walk. Odd thing though is my choice of direction has at least SOME logical thinking behind it. While I was walking I noticed that, after a while, I got the vague impression which direction the center of this forest was. Was it some sort of natural kitty instincts? Possibly, but I’m not complaining. I at least know that I need to walk north-ish if I want to get to the edge of the forest to enact my plan. The fact that I’m 99% sure that whatever is in the center of the forest could probably step on me without even noticing me certainly didn’t influence my decision. Nope, I did not see an intimidating monster in that direction that scared me shitless. I am entirely manly and not filled with utter terror at the thought of going towards the center of this forest. I just REALLY need to go the exact opposite direction.

I feel pretty good now that I think of it. I mean, sure that guy was a major asshole, and sure he really deserved all that shit, but I killed him. It was in such a disturbing fashion, yet I derived some sort of sadistic pleasure from it and I don’t feel an iota of guilt over the event. I stopped walking when that thought crossed my mind. Why don’t I feel bad about it? At the end, I even ripped out the guy’s throat with my mouth when I was done with him. I think this is something I should feel bad about but I’m getting more and more upset because the only emotions I can associate with the event is pleasure. I shudder in fear when another thought occurs to me. Am I even still human? I shake my head as to drop that line of thought. Thinking along those lines won’t get me anywhere, all I can do is move forward. I take in my surroundings hoping to spot some sort of distraction and I notice a blinking icon in the corner of my vision indicating I have pending notifications. I will them to open and a few windows appear in front of me.

Attention: You have acquired, and then bested a Nemesis. Due to this action, you have earned Monster Fame. Monster Fame is a reputation system for monsters. When a monster earns enough reputation, NPC’s will learn of your existence and depending on your actions may assign quests to hinder or help you.

+50 Fame

Attention: Due to the brutal way in which you defeated your Nemesis and the fact that there was a witness to your actions you have gained additional reputation.

+300 Fame

Warning: You have earned 100 Monster Fame. People are aware of something dangerous in your area.

Warning: You have earned 200 Monster Fame. Nearby towns and cities are aware of your existence and may send rangers to pinpoint your whereabouts

Warning: You have earned 300 Monster Fame. The populace in the area know what you are and the danger you represent.

Notice: You have earned enough notoriety to earn a Name. You only have one opportunity to name yourself, choose wisely!

My eyes widen as I read all the messages until I get to the last one. I didn’t think about it before, but I guess right now I am just a nameless mob. I find the idea of people thinking so little of me slightly disturbing so I decided to change that. I want my name to be Ebon Darkclaw!

Attention: The Name “Ebon Darkclaw” cannot be used. Please wait while an appropriate approximation is created… New Name generated.

Congratulations! You have acquired enough Monster Fame to earn your Name. Tremble before the might of “Ebony the Gory!”

What? Why do I have to have such a bloody name?! Can’t it just be Ebony? I don’t want the first thing people think when they see me is that I am some flesh crazed maniac!

Attention! Do you want to lose a part of your name? In order to lose the title “the Gory” you must spend 50 Monster Fame points. If your total fame drops below 300, you will lose your name until you gain enough notoriety to earn it back.

Spend 50 Monster Fame points? Y/N

Oh thank god! YES!

Attention: You have lost 50 Monster Fame. You have lost the title “the Gory”.

I let out a huge sigh of relief. I have seen those kind of titles on monsters in other games and I knew exactly what kind of thoughts those titles brought to mind. Sure, I wanted a name, but not at the cost of alienating myself from all of humanity. The chance may be microscopic, but moments like the one I had with that mage a while ago back in the clearing were clearly possible. Having a title that proves to people I am nothing but a blood thirsty monster makes that chance even smaller, and I need every opportunity I can get my hands… or, claws on.

So, now I am known as Ebony and I have enough fame for everyone to want to kill me. This might change things. Instead of just sitting there, I decided to keep walking while I pondered my dilemma. Fighting isn’t like things are in other games. There may be a health bar like with any other game, but fatal injuries are still fatal. You could have enough health to become a living fortress, but if someone cuts off your head all the healing magic in the world won’t do jack shit. You’re still gonna die. If that’s the case, then surprise attacks are truly devastating. I look down at my feet as I walk and notice the faint crackling of leaves as I step on them. If surprise is the way to go, then I need to work on that and improve my stealth. I step more carefully, crouching lower to the ground to use the extra length in my legs to step more gently while still maintaining my current speed. It works surprisingly well but my keen ear can still pick up the faintest of noise. My body seems to adjust of its own accord and suddenly everything seems to flow more naturally. As soon as I accommodate these odd instincts guiding me, I stop hearing the sound of my movements. I take a moment to admire my motions and can’t help but be impressed at how I easily I glide through the underbrush. I avoid the thicker bushes, it feels like it would be impossible to move through them without disturbing them. As I grow accustomed to the odd creeping movement, I slowly increase my pace until I am moving at a light jog. Before I realize it I am blinded by a bright light off to my right. I hiss in surprise and duck back into the bushes before my own brain even realized what was going on. I take in my surroundings and quickly figure out what the problem is, I have reached a rather large clearing about a couple hundred feet across. The light that had blinded me was the rising sun to the east. If I was human, I would probably be blushing furiously. Now my tail seems to twitch in agitation of its own accord but quickly settles down once I assure myself the danger had passed.

The clearing itself is actually rather beautiful. There is the occasional tree or 3 scattered in the area, but every bit of the area is covered in vivid green grass. There is a serene looking river flowing lazily along one edge of the clearing and there are scattered herbs and other helpful plants throughout this ideal landscape. What is most promising however is the fact that there are plenty of horned rabbits happily munching away the day all over the place, blissfully unaware of the lurking danger nearby. I release a feral grin from my hiding place. Well, I would certainly hate to disappoint them!