End of an Era (Project Chrysalis Book 2), John Gold [ebook reader online txt] 📗

the trial. Thirteen of the best Hunters on the continent had gathered to fulfil the order, though its latest addition was troubling. Even the group gathered there would have a tough time with raid bosses that strong.

***

For the second week in a row, work was underway in Airis Castle. The whole thing was being turned into one big factory. Leon had invested mountains of cash into Project Chrysalis, creating a squad of machines capable of standing up to their enemies. The undead still held the cities and castles under siege, their positions outside the reach of the weapons mounted on the walls.

A messenger from the dwarf king had arrived the day before. They were also under siege, and he was there to request aid. Three of the young gods in Congul received similar messages, only theirs were from the elves of Spring Forest. Leon got the hardest and most large-scale request. Without the requisite forces, he turned to the League of Hunters. If they could not pull it off, nobody could.

The goal was to kill all the undead commanders in the foothills of No Man’s Land. The reward was the chance to build temples to Leon in the dwarf cities, while also unlocking the dwarf races for wanderers. The most important part was opening the temples. The dwarves only bowed to the old gods of the large pantheon. Completing the quest would secure Leon the key to the divine upper circle, and Leon would have paid anything to get his hands on a source of prana like that.

Information about the quest and the reward spread widely. The players were happy they could finally join the dwarf race, what with their bonuses for heavy armor, stamina, and strength. Dwarves were some of the best close-combat fighters in the world. Elves countered them with their magic abilities, while humans and their lack of in-born talent and proclivities lagged behind. The real world was abuzz with the news and anticipation of new adventures.

Right then, Leon’s intuition was screaming at him that the quest was hiding something. Why were the dwarves calling for aid? Their forces averaged Level 500, a good 120 levels higher than the rest of the world. And why were the conditions so fuzzy? What else was going on?

***

The teleport takes us back to the amphitheater where we all first met, though there are only about fifty of us left alive. Femida and I are among that number.

“What happens now, Fem?”

“Stop calling me Fem! Not even my parents call me that.”

“Should I skip straight to Goddess of Justice? No, I think we’ll stick with Fem.”

“Screw you, Sag–” I clap a hand over her mouth before it’s too late.

“You probably didn’t realize this, so let me explain it to you. You’re never going to call me by my name, at least until the end of the trial. And I forbid you to tell anyone about what I can do with magic. I’d rather kill you and tear up all my plans than have someone else find out what I can do in battle, okay?”

“…okay… Are you hiding from someone?”

“…no, it’s just that people are probably wondering how two kids made it through. Nobody will find out our names until we go on the attack, and that works for me.” Lying on the fly is hard. I can’t exactly tell her that there are two gods out looking for me.

“Got it.”

Ah, those sly glances of hers. As usual, she understands a lot more than she’s letting on. She’s really smart for a kid her age, and her ability to analyze information defies belief. I would call it her deep understanding of the situation versus my streams of consciousness. We have different ways of pushing our mental resources to the limit. Obviously, she’s already picked up on the fact that I can cast spells really quickly, and that my mana is immeasurably beyond what a normal mage would have.

Yesterday’s administrator steps out.

“Everyone besides the fourth group can go. Come back to this bar a week from now to get your instructions ahead of the final trial.”

The other participants tramp out to leave just five of us in the room. Those are some scary-looking people. I’ve already come across their style of clothing and manner of movement. Professional killers!

“My good friends, the final part of your trial begins today. Over the next week, you need to kill all the undead commanders in the foothills, all the raid bosses and whoever is behind them. If you are successful, you will become Hunters.”

Are you kidding me? Fifty people would have a hard time with the bosses, and there are just five of us.

“Sir, what happens if we die during the trial? Is it for the group or individual?”

“For the group. If you die, young miss,” the administrator laughs, “your companions will still be able to complete the mission. All surviving team members will be made Hunters.”

“Do we have to work together, or can we separate?”

“That’s up to you, though you aren’t permitted to leave this room until the operation begins. You can’t tell the other participants what’s going on either. If you die, you will respawn here, and you’ll spend the rest of the trial here, as well.”

“Thanks.”

“If there are no more questions, you’re on your own. One of the judges will be in the administrator room, so head there when you’re ready to leave.”

Okay, I need to talk with Fem. Where’s the team chat?

“Fem, there are two options: we can head over to the field now, find a quiet spot, and rest, or rest here before heading in to battle.”

“You’re right, we need to rest. Let’s do it here. That way we won’t risk having raid bosses pop up next to us when we log into the game. On the other hand, there are these