Galmi tumbled head over heel as he fell down the crevice, his hands reaching out desperately for any purchase. Instead the sharp rocks tore at his fingers and did little to slow his descent. By the time he struck the bottom he’d managed to somehow hit every protruding rock on the way down.

While he had descended the light had dimmed, and at the bottom of the crevice Galmi found there to be none at all. No sounds came from above either, as though he’d arrived in a separate reality.

He pushed against the warm ground and stood up. Various cuts and scrapes throbbed in pain, but Galmi ignored that and instead focused on activating his Mind’s Eye skill. The imposing darkness about him became pointless, and he slowly gained an understanding of where exactly he was.

“Oh, come on!”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“We have some rope right?” Marcus asked, his one hand clamped tightly onto Selene’s shoulder.

Nika opened up her inventory and scrolled through it. “I don’t think I brought any, maybe the knights?”

“We don’t have rope, no,” Maxwell replied.

“How are we going to get him out of there?” Selene asked as she hugged Scarlet even tighter.

“It’s going to be alright,” Marcus told her, “don’t forget he can always just respawn if he gets stuck. I’m more worried about his pet, I don’t know if they teleport to the owner or not.”

A man that Marcus couldn’t recognize ran past some of the rubble, energetically waving a hand at their group. “Captain Maxwell!” the man yelled out as he got closer.

“My apologies,” Maxwell said to Marcus and the others, before taking a few steps toward the new person, “give me a report Franke.”

“Yes, sir!” Franke saluted him. “We have full control of the four gates. Prince Colbert reinforced the men at the Divine Fountain. The north-eastern and north-western areas are controlled by cultists.”

“Head to the east gate, have them shut it down and then send all the men there to the north-eastern area.” Maxwell turned and bowed to Ariana. “My lady, I shall escort you to the south gate. I have need to send my men to the north-west.”

Ariana looked at Marcus and Nika. “But what of them?”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at that question, surprised that an NPC would have even cared about their existence. “We’ll be fine,” he said, “if anything us standing around and doing nothing here isn’t going to help anyone.”

“Very well, but promise you two will be careful.”

Nika let out a loud laugh. “Don’t worry about us, we can deal with these cultists!”

Ariana smiled at the boisterous woman, and then turned to Maxwell. “Captain, please escort me.”

Without a word the group of knights began to leave the vicinity of the crack, while Franke ran off to the north-east. Though there was a distant sound of conflict, as players and NPCs fought against the cultists, an odd silence fell around the trio.

“I think we should move on and lend a hand,” Marcus said, “this seems to be a pretty unique event happening after all.”

“Maybe we can climb down and help him?” Selene murmured as she continued to stare at the crack.

Nika wrapped one arm around Selene’s shoulders and started to pull her away from the hole. “Look, he’s fine. If he needs to get out the system has ways to help him,” she said, “and how about this? I promise that we’ll take him on an adventure with us.”

“Yeah, but he’s stuck down there and that’s, y’know?” Selene said, attempting to find the right words for her feelings.

Nika’s hand tightened a bit. “I know, but come on it’s a game. Let’s go enjoy it!”

As the two women slowly walked away from the crack, Marcus lingered for a moment. He stared at the crack, out of which he’d witnessed basilisk emerge. It was clearly a creation caused by the event, yet it had remained silent since the first spawning.

“Hurry up!” Nika called out, snapping Marcus back to reality.

He turned from the crack and hurried after the pair. “So where should we go first?”

“The fountain is out, that Colbert guy is going to steal all the kills,” Nika said, “so how about the north-western area?”

“But that means we’ll need to pass through the fountain area.”

“Not if we go north then loop west.”

The group walked through the remains of an alley, with rubble on one side and a damaged building on the other. With all of the damaged buildings around Marcus kept his eye on Nika, concerned for her, and ended up blindly emerging in front of a cultist.

The robed figure noticed him first and shouted, his voice carrying easily through the shattered landscape. More cultists appeared as though by magic, their hands holding curved daggers.

Marcus hefted his shield and leapt at the nearest one, not wishing to allow it to attack the girls. “Come at me!” he bellowed at them even as a sword materialized in his hand.

Marcus’ taunt worked and the cultist lunged at him with a dagger. Marcus didn’t even use his shield to block the attack, and instead allowed his torso armor to take the brunt of it. The damage was so minimal that the red gauge barely moved.

A shadow flitted over Marcus, and Nika landed in front of him. Her twin swords lashed out in quick slashes, each blade finding one of the cultists with unerring accuracy. Their cloth armor did little to dissuade the weapons and so they all crumpled, a burst of white particles occurring with each death.

Marcus stepped in to guard her side, and the duo made quick work of the remaining cultists. Through it all Selene watched on with Scarlet grasped in her arms, though Marcus wasn’t sure if her inaction was due to confidence in them or something else.

“I hope we can find some more of those lizards,” Nika said, “they’re at least a bit more durable than these chumps.”

Before Marcus could respond to her the ground shuddered and buckled. A loud crack resounded across the entire city, the noise enough that Marcus had to cover his ears. Near them the remaining buildings that stood crumbled, rubble strewn out amongst the street they were on.

Scarlet started to bark, though her cries were barely audible over the cacaphony. Selene tightened her hold on the puppy, closed her eyes, and lowered herself to the ground.

Nika leaned into Marcus, her face buried into his chest, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. A stranger might have thought something of that action, but Marcus knew full well the real reason behind it.

“It’ll be over in a second!” Marcus attempted to yell, but his voice was drowned out by another loud crack.

After thirty seconds of continual rumbling and noise the activity faltered, and then came to an end. Once the ground stopped moving Nika detached herself from Marcus, her face pale as she looked around them.

“Nicole, you alright?” Selene asked as she stood back up.

“I’m fine,” Nika replied, “but do they have to make that so realistic?”

“I suppos-” Marcus started to say, but then the world around him exploded.

The street they’d been walking on shattered and rose upward, while the nearby buildings were thrown into the air. As Marcus tumbled he caught a glimpse of something massive moving beneath them.

When Marcus hit the ground he found himself partially buried by rubble. He shoved it off as quickly as he could, his eyes seeking out the other two. As he stood up he found them, not too far off and in the middle of getting back up themselves.

“I really hope this event didn’t sour her to this game,” Marcus muttered, “but wha-”

Marcus’ mouth hung open as he noticed why the street had been destroyed. He tilted his head back more and more, his eyes moving up the full length of the serpent that towered far above them all.

Event Evolution

Legendary Boss Encounter

Wyrmfang

With the damage done to Freedon, the Grand Serpent Wyrmfang has awoken from his slumber. He has a millennia of hunger and rage to make up for, and will devour everything in his path.

It will require the effort of everyone in order to put a stop to this monster. All players who partake in this event will gain contribution points, with rewards based on points accrued. Damage is not the only way to get points.

Current Target: Freedon(70% destroyed)

Next Target: Faeriver(0% destroyed)

“That’s not fair,” Marcus muttered as he stared up at the gigantic snake.

Wyrmfang was easily a hundred feet tall, and that didn’t include the partially submerged length of his full body. A long tongue slipped out to taste the air, while pure black eyes stared down at the town..

The giant snake shook his head slowly, and spheres flew free as a viper hood unfurled. One of the spheres hit the ground near Marcus, the impact of it cracking the ground.

The head of a basilisk forced itself out of the giant egg and hissed at them. Marcus didn’t waste time, as he leapt at the half-exposed creature and slammed his shield into it.

Marcus shoved with his shield, pushing the head of the basilisk upward, and thrust his sword into the exposed neck. Out came the sword, and into the neck he thrust again. Again and again he struck, using his shield to keep the mouth and eyes of the basilisk away.

When the monster finally vanished into white particles the egg disappeared as well. With his enemy defeated Marcus turned to check on the others, who had already engaged with their own basilisks.

The creatures were imposing as they ripped free from the eggs, but from what Marcus could tell they were still manageable for single players. Both Selene and Nika had already killed a few of them, proven by the whirlpool of white particles around them.

The other basilisk were easy enough for the trio to dispatch and soon the area was clear of them. Off in the distance they could hear others shouting, the sounds of combat still fresh, but Marcus had no urge to go help strangers at that moment.

“So now we have to beat up this big snake?” Nika asked as she walked over to Marcus.

“Looks like. I guess we can poke his tail?”

Selene hugged Scarlet to her chest as she looked dubiously at Wyrmfang. “I can use my magic on him?”

“That’s great, and I think I have a bow in my inventory,” Nika said, as she summoned her inventory list again.

Marcus in the meantime had studied Wyrmfang, his eyes probing for any visible weak point. It was common in games for that sort of thing, an off colored portion of scales or a glowing sphere. That was when he noticed something at the very top of the serpent.

“What’s that?” Marcus asked the others, as he pointed up at the distant object.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Galmi peered down from atop Wyrmfang, one hand lifted up to shield his eyes from the sun. With his enhanced sight he could easily see the others on the ground, but that did little to encourage him. The distance was enough that if he jumped there was likely to be only one result.

Beneath him the head swayed as Wyrmfang shifted, and Galmi swallowed deeply. He buried the mounting panic as best he could and backed away from the edge. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of the situation, but none of his skills seemed adequate.

Wyrmfang let out a long hiss that made Galmi wince, the noise excessive for his enhanced ears. He crept toward the edge to see why the monster had reacted like that, and saw the beast was under attack from players.

Galmi pondered on that, and then pulled out his staff. “I guess I should help too!”

Galmi grasped the staff with both hands and lifted it up, then brought the weapon down against Wyrmfang’s head. The weapon made a solid thwack, but there was no reaction from the boss.

Halfway across the city part of Wyrmfang’s tail broke out of the ground. The coils of the serpent lifted up and swung, crushing buildings into pieces with ease. Even from afar he could hear the cries of everyone below, players and NPCs alike.

Galmi’s hands tightened on the staff as he watched the destruction, and then he started to move to the edge of Wyrmfang’s head. The top of the right eye was ahead of him, and so he lifted up the staff and brought it down. The staff smashed into it with a sickening noise and lodged into the sclera.

Wyrmfang hissed in pain, his massive head swinging back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the irritant. Galmi clung to the staff, thrashed about helplessly by the g-forces. By the time the head came to a stop Galmi was no longer on top of the head, but instead hung over the edge.

Galmi’s fingers tightened even more on the staff, to the point that they ached. He was stuck there, helpless, and all he could do was look down at the distant ground. For a moment he wondered if he could survive, after all he had fallen from a massive height on his arrival to the game.

But he could remember the pain when he’d fallen down the crack. He looked up from the ground, hoping to push away the thought of splattering on the cobblestone below. It was in that shifting of attention that he noticed the ring he wore.

For a moment he paused, his mind struggling to remember why he had a ring in the first place. Then he recalled what it was, and the properties of it, and so shouted out the activation, “God’s Wildcard!”

Activating God’s Wildcard

Currently deliberating.

Please wait, this may take up to thirty minutes.

“WHAT!” Galmi cried out.

Wyrmfang lifted up his head and let out a long hiss. The serpentine tongue slipped out, and seemed to reach for Galmi. Dangling there from his staff all Galmi could do was kick at it, a few curse words thrown in for good measure.

A brilliant light burst forth from the air ten feet to Galmi’s right. It was so bright that Wyrmfang bared his fangs and swayed away from it. When the light subsided a man adorned in armor, with a red cape, appeared in the middle of the air.

There was a moment of almost cartoon logic, as the man hung suspended in the air, and then gravity worked on him. He swore loudly as he fell, and then shouted, “Wings of the Goddess!”

White wings formed near the back of the man, and with a few flaps the stranger ascended back up to Galmi. He seemed to not notice, or care, about the giant serpent.

“You,” the man said, as he pointed at Galmi, “are you the idiot who brought me here?”

“Sorry?” Galmi apologized, as he flopped about against the side of Wyrmfang’s head, “I’m really sorry, but can you maybe help?”

The man paused at the question, his eyes finally looking to the serpent and the surrounding carnage. “That would appear prudent,” the man admitted and waved one hand at Galmi.

A pair of wings also formed near Galmi. A sense of weightlessness came over him, and so he released his hold on the staff. His body floated away from Wyrmfang, and he realized quickly enough that it was mentally controlled. “I’m Galmi, thanks for the help!”

“I am the guild leader of Serenity, Wulfram,” the armored man said, before he brandished his longsword, “now give me a moment.”

Wulfram lifted his sword up to the heavens and closed his eyes. A few words were muttered under his breath. As he spoke, Wyrmfang’s head slowly turned to face him.

“Maybe we should move?” Galmi asked, as he watched the long tongue slip out of Wyrmfang’s mouth.

“We’re fine,” Wulfram said, and then he glared up at the sky, “but we’d be even better if she’d respond.”

“Nah, you’ve got this,” came a soft voice, one that tickled at Galmi’s ears and made him look around for whoever had spoken.

“...Sylvia, if you don’t help me I’ll spank you when I get back,” Wulfram said in a serious tone.

There was a moment of silence, and then a rain of silver sparkles descended from the sky. As it fell upon Galmi he could feel his energy recharge, and a wave of power started to build within.

The sparkles fell upon the entire city and brought shouts of joy from numerous players. A few of the NPCs fell to their knees and made gesture Galmi couldn’t quite make out.

Wulfram nodded in satisfaction. “Good, now that everyone has that this shouldn’t be too hard.”

Yet as he had worked at buffing the city he’d failed to notice Wyrmfang’s actions. The snake had slowly opened his mouth and coiled itself like a spring. Then the snake snapped forward far quicker for his size than seemed possible.

“Look out!” Galmi shouted as he dove at Wulfram and shoved as hard as he could.

With a loud snap the jaws of Wyrmfang closed. The massive serpent swayed his head back once more, leaving behind only an untouched Wulfram.