As the silvery words formed in my vision, I slumped to the ground in relief. That was a scary fight, but the heat of the moment had carried me through it. My hand holding the knife, which had survived the death… if that was the right word… of the zombie woman intact, was shaking violently, and I felt drained of all strength.

“Wow, that was… I don’t know what I was thinking…” I scolded myself. I had told myself I didn’t want to risk my life, and then when the time came and my life was definitely on the line, I did the stupid thing and fought. It worked out, and I had even managed to level up again, but if it had of gone wrong…

“You have impressed me.” Exposition-san said, standing in front of me. “In extreme circumstances you displayed surprising nerve and combat prowess. If you continue to do so, then a future as an Astral Emperor may not be out of your reach. Perhaps your world can still be saved.”

“I think I’d rather play it safe.” I muttered. “I thought I had a chance there, but if I was mistaken… I think the safest way is to build up my power slowly…” I pulled myself to my feet and collected the ether the zombie woman had left behind, before taking up the orange Etherite and extracting the ether from that as well. Now the glow around me was very bright, and as the final orbs of ether joined my orbit more silvery letters flared into my vision.

Your initial Territory Anchor will cost 1000 ether. You currently possess 1021 ether. You can construct your Territory Anchor in any Territory you control.

“I have enough… man that was hard.” I let loose a long whistle of exhaustion.

“It appears as if this was a zombie who was feasting upon others to try and break through its limits. No doubt the high mana density and quantity of Etherite ore is related to that. Should it have continued for longer it could have evolved to a leader class, able to use aether consciously. In that case I fear all that awaited you would have been annihilation.”

“I guess luck was on my side then.” I said wearily. “Still, relying on luck is not the way to go, as eventually it always runs out. Any gambler knows that, and my life is a bit too much to gamble with. If I decide to continue this fight, I’ll definitely make sure I stack everything in my favour wherever I can. No more leaving things to chance.” This reminds me too much of facing that dog when I was younger. I was wounded then too… still, that time I had no choice, or else…

“Maintaining safely is of course a prudent decision.” Exposition-san advised. “However there are times to take risks. For example, those who build up a powerful Territory and let their armies fight for them will be inferior in personal power, while those who neglect their Territory will face other obstacles. Balance is the key.”

“Yeah, risk and reward. I get it.” I wrenched the iron railing out of the ground using both arms, as it had really sunk in under the effect of my increased weight attack. “Time to go and place my Anchor… Wait a minute…” looking out into the blackness I could see another red glow in the distance. Another Etherite. Now that the elite zombie woman is dealt with, I can hopefully snatch it up for a quick ether boost.

“I’m just going to grab that Etherite quick.” I advised Exposition-san. “After all, in an RTS, resources are king.”

“I am not sure what this ‘RTS’ you speak of is, however I cannot disagree that more ether is always welcome. However, do not tarry too long, your need to establish the Anchor soon…”

“I know, I know.” I cut Exposition-san off, moving swiftly towards the red glow deeper into the centre of the graveyard. As I approached the glow was brighter, the ground around it red. It was perched in the roots of a huge tree, one much larger than I remembered being in this cemetery in the Material world. It would have been an impressive sight if not for the eerie red glow that stained it, as if it was dripping blood.

As I approached the large tree, eager to obtain the Etherite, the air lit up with hundreds of red spots, small but bright. Somehow I doubted that they were all Etherite ores. On closer inspection I could see they were the ruby-red eyes of a series of large crows that had been sitting in perfect silence, their black feathers blending into the inky shadows. They turned to stare at me, beaks stained red in the glow of their eyes, like bloody daggers, their unblinking eyes very eerie.

“I think… I’ll go set my Anchor now.” I said, backing away slowly under the stare of the flock of crows. Each of them was massive, the size of a small cat, so I definitely didn’t fancy my chances of fighting them off.

“A wise decision. Establishing your Territory is a priority, once that is complete you will have gained many benefits and can consider other challenges.”

********

“Here we go then…” I said to myself as I stood at the centre of my room. I had returned to my fledging Territory, only pausing along the way to take out another zombie and drain the few lesser spirits that crossed my path. The fatigue I was feeling earlier was increasing slowly, and I could feel my aether slowly fading away, the warmth within decreasing. I had taken a small amount of ether from the newly slain zombie and turned it to aether, but even so my stockpile was shrinking.

“You should make haste. Your nodes and silver cord are not developed enough to sustain this level of strain, the aether usage for remaining in the Boundary will scale rapidly as time progresses. In deeper places such as the lower Astral you will expend aether at an even faster rate. As such, training your abilities is paramount. But not for today.”

I nodded. Concentrating on the nebula of ether I had so painstakingly collected, I willed the construction of the Anchor. The circling ether flowed from me and melded all together into a glowing silver rod, which then pierced into the ground in front of me.

You have constructed a Territory Anchor. 1000 ether has been consumed in this process. This Anchor will solidify your Territory, giving you a stronger claim over the area. This process will take some time. Anchor Construction 0/24 hours.

As I watched a radiant silver glow, yet one threaded with a myriad of colours, flashed from the Anchor and diffused into the air. As it spread I could feel it, as if my senses were somehow… linked… to the very area itself. It was quite a discomforting feeling. Twenty-Four hours? It already feels like I’ve been out here for half a day or so… I know he said time flows differently… but I am exhausted…

“You have done well.” Exposition-san approved. “Though it takes a period of time to solidify, as long as you can hold your Anchor secure from threats for the next period, your Territory will be formed and promoted. Remain vigilant until it is completed, then your time here is done for now, and my tasks with it. All that remains is to decide whether you will continue to challenge the Astral, for the right to be an Astral Emperor? Will you stand up and defend your world?”

“Honestly I don’t know.” I thought back to what I had accomplished. The strangeness of it all was the clearest thing, as if being conscious in a dream. But the highs of living through my own RPG was something I would probably always remember. Still, the lows were there too, especially the fear of death that pressured me when the zombie woman came so close to stabbing my vital areas. “I think I need to have a think about it when I return to the real… err the Material world. It’s too hard to think here, watching this.” Besides, there wasn’t just me to consider…

“I understand. Your body will naturally accumulate aether through your silver cord and nodes, and after some time you will find yourself able to enter the Boundary again. Use this time wisely, to think and decide. Should you enter once more, I will be gone. However as you have managed to reach beyond your zero status, and consolidate a Territory, you have the basic platform needed for growth.”

As the liquid metal glow spread out further I decided to go outside and see if there were any lesser spirits to hunt. Once I left the apartment I could see the walls shimmering with a faint glow. It was quite the sight. Still, there was no time to admire it, as I could feel heat slowly draining from my body.

“Time to restock.” I muttered, leaving the makeshift railing-club lying against the outer wall. I would make do with the kitchen knife I had obtained. Lesser spirits were coming, seemingly drawn to the waves of energy my Territory formation was giving out. Moving towards them quickly, they were helpless as I absorbed their ether, turning it into aether to keep stocked up. Behind me the silvery glow was intensifying, vivid flashes of red, orange and yellow shining out, with rarer ripples of green, blue and purple piercing the darkness. The sense of presence I could feel was growing, my Territory seeming more solid, more real, not only in the Boundary, but inside my mind.

For hour after hour I fought, draining the lesser spirits that flocked towards my Territory. Luckily there seemed to be no end to them, wave after wave drawn in from the wider area. My arms and legs felt leaden, and the drain of energy was intensifying, a lesser spirit only enough to keep my energy topped up for a few minutes now. I had no way of telling the time other than by checking the progress of my Anchor. Anchor Construction 22/24 Hours.

“It shouldn’t be much longer.” Exposition-san said quietly, with a trace of respect in its tone. At least I imagined I could hear such. “If you have any final questions for me, then now is the time to ask.”

“So, there will be others, right? Other candidates to be Astral Emperors, ready to defend the World?”

“Indeed. I myself am far from the only one to be sent out to this newly opened world. My eight kin have also come to choose their candidates, and other camps will likewise be selecting them. They will not be common, but in this nation alone there will be a few thousand chosen. Though not all will succeed, and many others will decline the honour. Still, for those that triumph, the benefits in both worlds will be legion. Remember that, if naught else from this time. But also beware. Not everyone with the power to save will use it for that purpose. There will be some candidates who seek ruin, to destroy the world, either because they have joined a faction of wickedness, or simply for the pleasure of it.”

I understood the allure. Even just looking at the bonuses from my statistics alone, if they carried over to the Material world, they would be a huge boon to me. Imagine if one was to gain ten, or twenty, or even more levels? They would be a superhero in truth. That was before whatever benefits a Territory granted were factored in. It was a tempting forbidden fruit indeed. One could be a hero of great virtue, or a villain of deep depravity. Still, I couldn’t truly decide what to do right now. I needed to think about it carefully after the adrenaline of this strange experience had died down. ‘Decide in haste, repent in leisure’ as my mom used to say.

Turning back to ask another question I caught a hint of movement from behind another nearby building. There was a flash of light and suddenly I was struck with a flare of cold pain across my cheek. There was a thud, and behind me sticking out of a wooden post was a quivering arrow, the fletching smeared with scattered blood. Staggering backwards I could see a figure lifting up his bow and fitting another arrow to it, but what I could see defied belief. It looked like some sort of giant rodent, some five feet tall, with beady yellow eyes and fur matted with dirt. As it stretched back the bow its tail was lashing around, and its lips curled into a manic grin, exposing curved, jagged teeth.

With a croaking laugh I could hear even at a distance it loosed its arrow, which flew towards me, metal head glowing in the light of my forming Territory…