The final day of the apocalypse.
Mason hadn’t slept the night before. After his relaxing afternoon with his women, he’d been about to leave the animal pen before he sensed Violet calling for his attention.
He excused himself and found her with Kitya the beast master near the edge of the pens in some sandy ground. She emerged and stared with those dark, glassy eyes, the scent of fear thick and growing all around her.
I am ready now, Ranger.
He knew what she meant. Ready to accept a bond and whatever happened as a result. He looked between the worm and Kitya in surprise. Maybe it was better to just accept the offer, but he found he was curious. He cared about the answer.
“What’s changed?
The worm shifted in obvious discomfort. But the fear was being overpowered by something else. Something more like determination.
This time I will not run from my enemies. I will accept my birthright. This time I will protect my kin.
Mason didn’t bother to hide his emotion. He was proud of her. The truth was, he wished he could clone her courage a thousand times and inject it into the humans he was protecting.
“I’m ready when you are.”
Kitya took his hand, putting the other on Violet’s flank. She was in professional mode, no shyness now as the confidence in her abilities shined through. He wondered briefly if she’d just watched him bang three of his women against a tree. But he decided he didn’t really care. If they lived another forty-eight hours, he intended to make her number four next time.
The dark elf half closed her beautiful eyes, and his profile flared with a magic pulse as one of his primary ranger class features lit with energy.
[New Animal Companion detected. Would you like to bond {Purple Devourer Worm} now?]
He accepted. Then he watched Violet’s name and details join the list of his bonded animals. More importantly, he opened his mind to the knowledge of her expanding form. She changed before his eyes—the power of his level and classes instantly triggering the metamorphosis she’d always feared.
Violet twisted and grew, toothy maw opening and closing in spasms. He felt her suffering and terror ripple through their bond. He activated Share Pain and did what he could to take it, instantly sensing the worm relax as his own body felt suddenly bloated with inflamed agony. It was like his bones were digging through his flesh. Like he was filling with pus, his skin tightening and ready to burst.
Violet swelled to twice her size in a few seconds. Then she really started growing. Even with all his experience suffering, Mason choked on the agony and fought the urge to cry out. It seemed Violet’s fear wasn’t just anxiety. This hurt.
He sagged to a knee. Soon they were writhing on the dirt together, the worm growing and pulling apart just to shift again as Mason only felt like he was. Fortunately, it didn’t last that long.
He eventually rose and stared at the huge, rough, purple body of the giant worm, now a good five feet above him, stretching out for a very long way. Her circular mouth opened with a ring of blades.
Images of the devourer he’d fought and killed those months ago attacked his brain. Violet wasn’t as big. But she looked sleeker, more maneuverable, her mouth full of spikes and curved teeth more like a buzz saw surrounded by spears.
This wasn’t a creature built to dig and feed on the earth. Or a thing grown huge by being ‘fed’ from above. This was a predator meant to hunt and kill.
She rose off the ground like a giant snake, upper half towering a good fifteen feet in the air. Mason looked up at her and couldn’t fight the grin. He felt the resolve, the acceptance, and the pride in her new power.
It’s done, she warbled. I need to feed and rest to regain my strength.
Mason looked to Kitya, not as a man with another potential conquest, but as a king.
“Look after her. Everything she needs. Stay with her until tomorrow.”
“Yes, lord.”
Kitya gave the elven bow, her eyes lowered. He was glad he’d relaxed with his three women because otherwise he might have pushed the beast master for something more. But better to wait. To take his time.
He turned away, already staring at the new forms in his Wild Shaping, trying to imagine his body taking on ‘Devourer Worm’ aspects. He laughed at his women as they all stared at Violet’s new form with wide eyes. Then he helped them all back to the hall.
He spent the evening with them, and the night. He took every woman in his harem at least once, filling his hall with moans from bedroom to shower to kitchen as he fucked them all without shame or concern. He sipped at Cerebus’ wine, at least getting a minor boost to his statistics before giving up the skin as useless for now.
He didn’t sleep. Instead he spread his senses using One with Nature, listening to the young great tree at the heart of Nassau. It was still content and growing, but it sensed the danger around it, filling the air with a new form of alien power.
He lay there and thought about the old world. About his adopted parents. About old friends and girlfriends and his life mostly with Blake as his only companion.
His missing brother was the only hole in his being, though it had grown smaller over time—filled with responsibility and a new family that loved and needed him. But he knew Blake needed him, too, whatever he did or said. And he promised himself when the insanity was over he’d make an effort to patch things up. He owed him that.
Or maybe he just missed his brother.
That final night was dark and lonely despite the naked women around him. There was only a fragment of moonlight, and he thought of Dariya dying to give him her blessing.
All the ancient druids were dead and gone. Was that his fate? To live so long he was all but forgotten except by a few ancient creatures? To finally fall to dust, glad to be done with existence.
It was hard to imagine. The adrenaline and pleasure of his young life was more than enough. And the thought of seeing his children grow. Of seeing the world change for the better. He thought about the players who’d died. Especially Jason and Phuong.
He promised again he’d find the old man when the game was over. But it made him think about what that might actually look like. He wondered what roboGod might do. If it would just snap its synthetic fingers and destroy all their hopes and dreams.
He didn’t think so. Or maybe he just refused to accept it. His ‘realistic’ expectations were a continuation of the game—a few hundred years of peace before it tested them again. That would be good enough.
He eventually rose in the dark and summoned his vestments, wandering out to walk the bridges between platforms. After a few minutes of walking around, he found Carl doing the same.
“That tiny, old bladder acting up? Or did Sylvie kick you out of bed?”
Carl flinched in surprise, turning with a small grin. He stopped walking and leaned against a rail as he looked out over the canopy.
“Think we’re in for a wild dawn?”
Mason moved up and leaned on the rail beside him.
“I think we both know the answer.”
Carl nodded, and they didn’t say anything for awhile. It was a pleasant night, a little dew still lingering on the rail and surrounding leaves, cool moisture in the air. Mason might have stood there an hour without speaking and been perfectly content. But Carl cleared his throat and spoke without looking over.
“I knew when you jumped in that worm’s mouth, you know. That you’d save us all. Or get us all killed. I knew I’d be your sidekick. That it was the best and only thing I could do.”
“You’re nobody’s sidekick. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Carl grinned and gave him another side glance.
“So I’m more like the Kato to your Green Hornet?”
“I have no idea, but sure. You giant nerd.”
Carl’s face got more serious. He turned enough to give Mason a longer look.
“You think we’re gonna make it? I think that’s the real reason I’m out here. Sylvie asked and I said yes. But it felt like bullshit. Even to me.”
Mason gave the older a man an inspection from head to toe.
“I will. You’ll probably die before noon. I have no idea how you made it this far.”
Carl blinked but eventually laughed when Mason cracked a grin. They stood there looking out into the darkness, safe and protected near the Nexus’ light and defences. It felt like a moment frozen in time, a calm before the storm.
And just like that, it was gone.
Mason felt it before the system text arrived. Maybe it was One with Nature, maybe it was some combination of stats or his affinity. But he felt the literal moment when the world shifted. When the planes started joining with the prime.
The sliver of moon blurred and refracted and became the iris of a giant, red eye. The air hummed with energy, like a huge choir raising their voices in a growing crescendo.
“Oh Jesus, what the hell is that?” Carl was staring up through the trees. “You seeing this? There’s something wrong with the moon.”
They watched as something like the northern lights flared across the sky. Mason heard alien creatures roaring through opening windows to other realities. He could smell the abyss. He could see a world of living fire with his waking eyes.
[Greetings, players and civilians. Congratulations on your ongoing survival. Today is the final day of the game. All variables to this point will now be analyzed. Please wait.]
[Analysis: overall power levels, behavior, and game participation of both players and civilians. Analysis: player champion loyalties. Analysis: progress towards Finding Human Purpose game goals. Synthesizing results.]
[Results: Inadequate data. Event triggered: Second Doom. At the end of the final event, successful humans will be given the opportunity to participate in another round of the game. Thank you for playing. We apologize for any difficulties you have may experienced in this inaugural round. Good luck with the final event!]
[Event in progress: The Second Doom. Gods: selecting sides. Selections made. Planar lords increased from: (5) to (10). Planar champions increased from (1) to (2). Planes merging. Destruction objectives: in progress.]
[Event Objective(s): Protect the Nexus/World Stones. Failure to protect both Nexus from conquest will result in [total destruction of planet]. A single protected Nexus will result in [semi-apocalypse]. Protection of both Nexus stones will result in [minor doom event]. Attacks begin in 120 minutes. We are rooting for you.]
Mason took a few slow, deep breaths, watching Carl’s face go pale.
“Another…did it say another round? A ‘minor doom’, even if we hold both? And what was that about more gods? I mean…what does all that even…”
The dangerous assassin trailed off in obvious horror. Mason could only imagine the despair flooding the rest of humanity. He took a step towards his Chancellor and put both hands on the man’s shoulders.
“Get to the beacons. Tell everyone to wake up and make some coffee. Don’t give up on me now, Carl. Whatever it says, whatever you’re feeling, we can win. I’m telling you. I need you to trust me. Don’t listen to that thing. We can win.”
Carl slowly grit his teeth and nodded, putting a hand on one of Mason’s.
“Sorry, kid. I’m good. I’m with you.” He turned to go do what he was told before he stopped and frowned. “You’re going out there now, aren’t you?” He shook his head and let out a breath. “I’d say I wish I could go with you, but that would be a damn lie. You figure they hit us before the hundred and twenty minutes?”
“Yeah.” Mason pictured the old battle sites he’d make a mess of first. Especially the large clusters of very smashable corpses. “I expect them to cheat, to lie, to make traitors and sabotage our defences and…”
“So be ready for anything,” Carl said, doing his best to overcome his obvious fear. Mason smiled and nodded.
“You’re a wise man. Don’t listen to what the others say.”
Carl was looking calmer by the second, and Mason could only hope the feeling would spread. But he had two hours to slaughter his enemies before they got close to the cities. And he didn’t intend to waste another minute.
With a final wink at his Chancellor, he turned and ran for the great tree to teleport.
