“Ok, let’s talk.” I said to the man who claimed to be the embodiment of Pestilence and sat at a corner booth that was still in one piece. The pallid looking man slid smoothly into the booth opposite of me while my party and Keeg’s group eyed the man suspiciously. I mean, he did just kind of appear all of a sudden, and I know we barred the door behind us so it’s not like he could get in easily. I took a moment to really look at the man that sat across from me as he began his spiel.

Pestilence was not what I expected. I expected another of the undead, only much glibber. Other than his rather pale skin, he didn’t really stand out as much of a threat to me. He was skinny, too skinny, though some would call it wiry. He had a sharp nose and black eyes with slightly yellowed sclera, shoulder length black hair was slicked back behind his head and had a kind of dirty tinge to it. He was dressed rather smartly, as if he were headed to a day at the office, or the used car lot. Simple yet fashionable gray slacks with a matching gray jacket and a plain white shirt with a black tie. Department store black oxfords adorned his feet and the entire ensemble made him look as if he should be canvasing the neighborhood to tell you about Jesus.

“Not what you were expecting, Reaper?” He asked me with a toothy smile. “I looked into your peoples' mythologies regarding my person, I don’t have a horse, or wear a black cloak and ring bells for some imaginary deity. I’m simply the embodiment of poison and disease.”

“Ok, so, you’re not the one of the harbingers of the end times, what are you really then?” I asked rapping my fingers across the table in front of me.

He looked at the motion of my fingers then returned to his explanation, “I am what you might consider... a tribulation. Moreover, I am an agent of the System, it uses me when it needs to, and several incidents in the region have spurred the System to call on me again.”

“Hmmm, and just what do you think has caught the System’s attention?” As if the question really needs to be asked, but I’m curious just how much this man knows.

He smiled that sickly looking smile and chuckled a bit, considering the dim light, the visage was seriously off-putting. “Karl, you know why I’m here. It’s because of you. And probably a couple of the people you’ve gathered around you. The First Challenger, Alyssa Nightraven, another challenger and refugee, the dwarf named Gregor. Your conquest of Northern Arizona. Your direct interaction with the Administrator. You’re very, very rare class.”

“Yeah, yeah, I kinda figured, but that doesn’t explain why you are here.” I retorted, the slight hint of irritation tingeing my voice.

“I’m here to test you, Karl. You aren’t the only anomaly the System is interested in on your planet, though you are the most prolific. So, I’ve been sent to test your will, your strength, your worth.” He smiled wider as he spoke. Then his face soured a little. “Before you speak, know I’ve been where you are now.”

I was about to say something, his last comment stopped me and I cocked an eye in curiosity. “Go on.”

“Before we get to the real business, let me tell you a brief story. Consider it a lesson on the way the System works, and what you can expect if you make even the slightest misstep.” He paused and summoned a shot glass, full of what I assumed to be whiskey, with just a snap of his fingers. He looked at me and another appeared in front of my constantly drumming fingers. I hesitated for a second then took up the glass and downed the contents in one gulp. I was surprised to taste the familiar burn of Jack Daniels washing down the back of my throat.

When he was satisfied I was ready to listen, he continued, “I’ll make this short; I was once a Reaper too. The Vengeful Reaper of the Slow Death. I had mastered the magic of curses, hexes, poisons, and diseases early on. I didn’t become a Reaper until my Master Class advancement. Needless to say, I was proud, though I won’t delve too deep into the details. They’re not important. This next part is the important part. You see, I was working on my Heroic Class advancement, it had taken nearly three centuries for me to get that far. The final quest was for me to slay an elemental creature using only my abilities.

You see, I didn’t really have the skillset to fight an elemental creature that was immune to all of the things I specialized in. I was defeated and died at the feet of a creature I would have easily killed if I had not been restricted to only use my abilities. The first moral of this little story of mine is a bit moot considering your diverse skill and ability set. But I’ll say it all the same, don’t be afraid to generalize a little, the System doesn’t hard lock you on skills or abilities, so get as many as you can. You never know what tool a job will need. I suppose my second bit of advice on the subject would be, know when to retreat and fight another day. You see, in hindsight, I could have run from the fight and spent time training up new skills and abilities to properly face the task given to me.”

He summoned another pair of shot glasses and we downed another round of shots, this time I didn’t recognize the drink, though it was still whiskey.

“So, if you died, how are we talking?”

“Ah, yeah, here’s the kicker young man, that quest I failed? That quest that killed me? Well, it had a clause attached to it. One that bound my soul to the service of the System for however so long as it is required.”

“The fuck?” I exclaimed in irritation.

“Yeap, you see, my whole existence, as dictated by the System, is to act as a level appropriate challenge to new races who have just joined the greater Universal Community. Essentially, the System spawns me onto a new planet whenever that planets people have some mythology resembling my particular skillset. I am then adjusted to the appropriate level as deemed by the System and set loose on the populace. Erstwhile adventurers like your troupe then stumble upon me, face my challenges, then kill me... again. Then I disappear until the System needs me again.” He leaned back and summoned another shot for himself and drank it down in a single gulp.

“Well, that’s some fucking shit right there.”

“Indeed, so after some experimenting with the parameters of my existence in the past, I’ve determined that all the adventurers needed to do was defeat my challenges. They never needed to defeat me directly. Which brings me to the real reason we are talking, I have a proposition for you.” He leaned forward with that sickly smile again and cocked his head.

“Ooooookay? Just what exactly do you have in mind?” I asked skeptically.

“Oh, just that you defeat the five challenges I have laid out for you, when you do that, you allow me to run this city in your name.” He leaned forward with an even wider and more terrifying grin on his face and steepled his hands in anticipation.

“What if we just kill you right here? Right now?” Henry spat from across the bar, the anger obvious on his face. While Pestilence had been speaking directly to me, everyone had been listening to his tale. It’s not like we were trying to be secretive.

He shifted to look at the man with a sour look, “Then... I go back in the box... so to speak, until I am needed again. And the challenges remain. The city stays a haven for the dead.”

“What happens if Karl makes you the administrator once we take the core?” Courtney asked from beside Stephen. “Will it still be filled with undead?”

“No, the surrounding region will remain as it has been designated by the System, though the city will become a bastion against that darkness, a sanctuary within the madness of the frontier.”

“Keeg, your thoughts?” I asked with my eyes locked on Pestilence’s.

“I was born well after my people were inducted into the System; I know only of the old legends. They speak of the Trials, but don’t detail them. Regardless, I can advise that what he describes is completely possible by the System. It holds complete sway over life and death, I see no reason why it couldn’t keep a copy of someone it finds useful and summon them when needed.”

Pestilence summoned several more shots while we deliberated his offer. I leaned back and sighed as was my habit when I really didn’t like the options before me. “Alright, I’m going to think on your offer, what are your challenges?”

He frowned a bit, leaned back and with a flourish of his hand notifications rolled into my vision. “All pretty standard stuff, though, you all should gain quite a few levels when you’ve completed these tasks. I think you will need them in the days that come.”

[Quest Chain has been discovered; The 5 Challenges of Pestilence... complete the tasks Pestilence has set before you and he has agreed to serve as the City of Show Low’s Administrator. Or you can complete the Challenges and then defeat him as well.]

[Quest Chain Link discovered; The Horror of Fool Hollow Lake... Something has taken up residence within Fool Hollow Lake, draw it out and kill it. Rewards: 2.5 million XP, 250,000 UMC, Loot.]

[Quest Chain Link discovered; Take Flight!... Harpies have invaded the Show Low Airport, now known as the Aerie. Defeat the Harpy Queen or make other arrangements. Rewards: 2.5 million XP, 250,000 UMC, Loot.]

[Quest Chain Link discovered; You Must Be Bluffing!... A Dungeon run by the Skeleton King has formed near Show Low Bluff, defeat it and claim the core to prevent the King from returning. Rewards: 2.5 million XP, 250,000 UMC, Loot.]

[Quest Chain Link discovered; Home Improvement... Demons have been spotted around the Show Low Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Walmart, remove these vile creatures to ensure the security of the city. Rewards: 2.5 million XP, 250,000 UMC, Loot.]

[Quest Chain Link discovered; Lich It and Stick It... A lich has taken up residence in the Show Low City Hall. He guards the core and is the primary source of the undead that plague the once vibrant city. Defeat him, claim the core, and eradicate the undead scourge once and for all. Rewards: 2.5 million XP, 250,000 UMC, Loot.]

Everyone else gathered whistled at the deluge of quests and the massive amount of experience offered. Then they frowned a bit. There was a reason Junipher only gained three levels in the last month, her experience needs were massive, your Basic class was essentially the tutorial of any modern video game. Now things took work. Lots of work. I was currently on the edge of level four, but it had taken nearly five million XP to get there, the next level was looking at around 6.5 million XP if what Veep had told me was correct.

“Ok Veep, mark ‘em.” I commanded the little Virtual Assistant.

“On it!” She chirped happily.

The quest markers appeared in my vision and I considered the locations and the distance to the quests. “I don’t know if we have the time to hit all these before we march for Phoenix.”

“We could start with the demons and work our way up.” Stephen offered from across the room. The Home Improvement quest was in the South. If we started there, we could wrap up to the Bluff, then the Aerie, across to the Lake, then back down to the City Hall.

“Might work, though, either way we will be fighting non-stop to each location. You three in?” I asked Keeg and the two yokels. They looked at each other for a moment, then Henry and Albert nodded to Keeg.

“It would seem we are in this together, I agree with young Stephen’s assessment, my magic will give us an edge against the demons and undead, and your teams talents I suspect will mesh well together.”

Pestilence, seeing we had chosen to take up his challenges stood and clapped his hands together in satisfaction, “I would suggest you face the Lich last, he’s quite a few levels higher than you all are currently. I will wait here for news of your success.”

We all rose from our spots to head out when a terrible tremor shook the building we stood in. Timbers creaked and supports cracked as the shaking intensified. I looked to Pestilence and saw he was just as confused as my people were. He saw my look and shrugged, clearly indicating this wasn’t his doing. Eventually the culprit was revealed by a System message.

Mana Oversaturation achieved!

Landscaping Protocols Commencing…..

Claimed Settelment areas excluded…..

Warning! Mana Oversaturation detected…..

All sapient beings are advised to seek the safety of any nearby settlement…..

All unclaimed land will now undergo advanced landscaping…..

“Oh?” Pestilence muttered in curiosity, “That was much sooner than expected, should not have happened for several more years.”

“You know what this is?”

“I’ve seen it before, yes. Mana flows through the Universe like the tides of an ocean. It thickens and thins and when it gets too thick, well, you get this. Which also means immigration may start sooner than you had expected, Sir Reaper.”

“Well, fuck.”

“Then I suggest we get to it, yes?” Keeg offered to spur the party into action.

“Yeah, let’s.” I looked at the two old timers as they checked their rifles and equipment, “You two have enough ammo for those rifles?”

Henry looked up, then to Albert who shook his head with a frown, “No, we need to hit the Gunshop down the street, it’s on the way. It’ll make a good place to recharge after clearing the horde, too.”

I looked at Keeg drawing my plasma pistol and hand cannon, “Well Keeg, show me what you got, you’re in front, I’ll be right next to you.” He summoned an ornate sword and shield combination and stepped up to the front door and kicked it off its hinges with a sharp battle cry. Then I was charging out the door behind him firing rapidly into the shambling undead. Carly and Stephen followed with Courtney in tow, Henry and Albert were last to appear and fanned out taking careful shots against dangerous targets deeper within the scrum.

The undead fell quickly to our assault and we were able to make good time, our momentum carrying us forward as Keeg and I cleared a path in front of us. The others kept us from getting overwhelmed on the sides. So caught up in the battle we were that we almost pushed past the Gun Shop, the empty click of Henry’s rifle caught my attention and reminded us of our first minor task, get them bullets. He indicated a storefront to our left and we redirected our assault in its direction.

We quickly entered the building and secured the door behind us; Henry and Albert slid behind the counters and went to rummaging through the unlocked shelves as if they had been here many times before. Considering they were hunting buddies before the System; I would assume they were intimately familiar with the establishment. I watched as they started tossing boxes of ammunition into their spatial inventories, then Albert stopped in front of a display case and his eyes shot wide.

Henry came over to see what had the quiet man excited and then brought the butt of his rifle down onto the glass, shattering it and knocking the stubborn shards away. Albert reached in and produced a Barrett M82A1 .50 Caliber Anti-Material rifle. I laughed as the old man smiled like he had just received a visit from his grandkids.

“Albert wanted an upgrade.” Henry explained for the man. Everyone chuckled and I definitely was approving of the upgrade. To his credit, Henry grabbed a .45-70 lever action off the display wall and shrugged when he caught me watching him with a smile, “No one else is going to use it now.”

When the two hunters were done gearing up, we charged back out into the horde and fought for almost an hour to reach the edge of the demon domain. There was a space of about a quarter mile where the undead stopped, apparently some untold demarcation where the undead territory ended, and the demon territory began. We stopped short of their territory to catch our breaths and survey the field.

“Well, I hate to say it, but this actually looks worse than I expected.” Carly said to my right.

“See the oily fronds, like in the nightmare dungeon?” Courtney asked, pointing out to the sea of black tentacles that stood nearly six feet in height. Keeg and I would be the only ones capable of navigating the field before us.

“Wait, do you hear that?” Henry called our attention to our ears and when I listened, I picked up the faint sound of people moaning in misery and despair. If my imagination were correct, I would assume some of the people of Show Low were still alive, barely, and being tortured within the obscured trio of mega stores.

“Remember what I said when we fought the inmates in the Nightmare Dungeon?”

“Yeah, deliver maximum violence.” Stephen responded with grim determination in his eyes.

“I think that philosophy applies quite well here.”

“I do not disagree, Karl, not one bit, this is where my people and I were separated.” Keeg stepped forward with a white-knuckle grip on his sword.

“Well, then, let’s find out, shall we?” And with that we pushed into the field of stalks.