EC - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

“The Grand Record” from Han-Koryo, “The Journey” of the Uzbek Emirate, “Pathfinders” in Chipewyan Confederation’s Oral Tradition, “Amazonian Accords” by the Peruvian Freestate, “The Dragon Kings’ Chronicles” from the Kingdom of Bhutan, and many others compiled during the Age of Chaos, after the fall of civilization, all stated that there’d been an abundance of timber. It was said that well before the fall, nations across the planet went on a massive reforestation effort. These forests were later cut down to use as fuel and raw material to stave off the inevitable collapse of their lifestyles due to the Auroras. This caused a major chain reaction, causing farmland to erode, desertification advanced unimpeded, flood and drought became more common, the formation of deadly storms started, the loss of animal habitats -especially those of pollinators and zoochory species- and other natural disasters led to deaths at an unprecedented scale measured in the billions. This led to extreme protective measures for resource management enacted by various governments as geopolitical powers stabilized during the Age of Recovery, measures that are still active to this day as wood remains the sole primary fuel necessary to produce any and all metal products on the planet. [T/N: Zoochory is the spread of seed via animals] Ever since timber became a restricted commodity, all glass, metal, and ceramic products became luxury items. Advances in the reinvention of science were slow and deliberate, with special attention toward energy production and electronics followed by medicine, agriculture and engineering. Smiths and artisans were rare as raw materials were rarer still, but the few that were able to become smiths were highly praised and sought after as they were often the best of the best, specializing in their chosen field since wastage is unacceptable. This became the cornerstone of all subsequent manufacturing industries all the way to the present, where every product is still handcrafted by skilled workers. Following the Age of Recovery came the Age of Sail, where countries had claimed stakes in most parts of the world. Since there were often conflicts on land, trade via ships became ever more enticing. Due to the sheer amount of resources necessary to construct the ships, treaties forbidding naval warfare became common place within various regions of the world. Like with wood, resource management policies regarding marine environments were extremely protective, even at the expense of human lives. Relying on sails, ships reconnected the world. Different cultures met and occasionally clashed, but knowledge was shared and descendants of lost civilizations discovered one another. These individuals were tasked with preserving and guarding relics or knowledge passed down from their ancestors from before the Age of Chaos. Many of these descendants would eventually secretly meet with one another, trying to rediscover their past, their families’ inherited destiny, to quench their curiosity, among a myriad of other reasons. The richer ones among them would provide funds for others, forming one of many independent research groups. These groups would unwittingly end the Age of Sail, with the world being none the wiser. The first major breakthrough was the solar cell, although it was extremely inefficient, it eliminated the need for wood as fuel for lighting. The researchers who discovered this technology shared it with the rest of the world, seeing a more prosperous tomorrow due to it. They were both right and wrong. The technology would eventually lower the value of otherwise prohibitively costly wood, allowing more products to be produced across the board. This, of course, meant that governments started to construct massive amounts of siege engines, trying to take over other countries and fight for resources. The first to move was the Alman Theocracy who tried to launch a surprise attack 20 years ago against the Republic of California and the Pacific Nomocratic Federation. Fortunately, the Saska Confederacy warned the PNF via its trade channels, who in turn warned RoC, about the imminent danger. Similar events unfolded in Asia, Africa, and Europe. [T/N: Alman Theocracy owns most of the modern day US midwest, PNF consisting of the Pacific Northwest and Yukon, Saska Confederacy owns US northern states, Canadian prairie provinces, NWT + Nunavut. The map is so very rough, I am not sure if I'll bother remaking it.] Naval warfare happened for the first time when a certain nation secretly created a naval fleet numbering in the hundreds, it claimed that it was a trading fleet while others have claimed it was a combat fleet. Various nations surrounded this island nation in the Indian Ocean with their vessels and defeated its fleet after a savage, month-long war of attrition. It was later confirmed that the fleet was to be used for transporting troops and had plated hulls. Had the ships been properly manned, the coalition would have likely been defeated. Despite the ongoing wars, the world prospered. Food become more abundant due to trade, simple medicines that were never in certain locations became available, the exchange of ideas brought forth many innovations. But having learned from the lesson on sharing technology, governments and independent groups alike became secretive. * * * * * A lanky, black-haired, middle-aged man wearing a lab coat is walking briskly down a white hallway, numerous workers in similar outfits move to the side as he walks past, nodding towards him in acknowledgement. This man is well known as someone who doesn’t care for formality. Turning a corner, the man abruptly opens a door marked “Chief Executive Office”, marching into the room and approaches the second door, ignoring the protesting secretary. *BAN* The man slams the door open as he enters the personal office of the company’s CEO. “Sir! Madam Yu made a breakthrough!” An older man with sharp features, slightly sunken eyes, and gray, receding hair snaps his head up at the intruder. Before turning back toward the small camera mounted on the computer in front of him. “I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, something important just came up. If you are interested in doing business with us, you can contact my secretary here with your proposals. Good day.” “Wait, we were prom-” The man gets up from his chair after disconnecting from the conference call, using the the edge of his large mahogany desk to push himself up. He walks briskly toward the waiting man at the door with a sharp look in his eyes. “Which lab is she in now?” “Lab 2 in the 3rd building, I already got a car waiting for us downstairs.” The older man walks past the first man. “I’m sorry, sir! I tried to stop him. He just barged in and-” A flustered looking woman in her 30s tries to explain herself. The older man massage his brows with his thumb and index finger, “are you new here? You don’t stop any of our researchers that tries to enter my office, got it? Get HR to book training for yourself. Which idiot brought you in here without basic training?” The woman opens and closes her mouth in quick succession trying to respond, the CEO ignores her by walking out the room with the man in labcoat following right behind. “Good work, what’s the breakthrough?” “She managed to get a new interface working, but that isn’t why I came to get you.” “Then what did you come and get me for?” “She recovered some records, one of them happens to be A/V to be exact.” “So a video then?” The two men turn a different corner from whence the researcher came from and board an elevator. “Yes, the team is trying to decompress it into a higher quality state as we speak.” “And the other records?” “Never seen before topological reference, weather patterns, land surveys, nautical charts, bestiary entries.” Silence reigns as the older man digests the new information. He makes a stoic face as he walks out the elevator after it stops. “So you are saying, there’s cartographic information of new lands.” Pressing his fingers onto his temples to massage them, he *fuuu* out a long sigh before heading to the waiting white, 4 seat, open-air buggy with a windshield in the front and numerous solar panels on the sides and top. The buggy waits silently in the front of the building, one of many 6-story tall stone buildings using the latest architectural engineering inside the company’s compound. [T/N: I’m assuming it’s something like a golf cart] [ED: Sounds more like a Lunar Rover] “Yes, it appears we’ve confirmation that Zrewheig is only one of several continents on Amoatlz.” “I see…” The older man makes a grim expression as he boards the buggy at the back, holding his hand up to block the sun that’s glaring down at them from the cloudless blue sky. He moves onto the seat further in to make space for his companion. “What’s the coverage rate of Zrewheig itself?” The researcher boards the buggy as well, taking his seat before *tan tan* on the side of the buggy to get the driver’s attention. “3rd building.” The driver turns back toward him while holding up 3 fingers, to which the researcher nods to. The driver soundlessly starts the vehicle, driving onto the small path dedicated to this type of vehicle. “According to the latest survey, about 32% of the continent is explored.” “It has been over two years now… why is the progress so slow even with our market penetration?” “It seems users are comfortable where they are, and there are areas that are difficult to explore as well. There are dedicated raiding guilds, but most of them have been fighting over the 2 conquered dungeons.” The middle-aged man kneads his brows in concentration. “There are a few exploration guilds as well, but they are primarily being funded by the merchant guilds. The issue seems to be survivability.” “Wasn’t there a group that’s working on a Compensated Weapon Proficiency system?” “There’s a snag, quite a few of these masters are refusing to cooperate.” “Didn’t I say to use everything possible to get their help?” “We tried giving them massive amounts of money, even tried luring them via their family and disciples, but few of them were moved by it. *fuuuuuuuuuuu* The CEO breathes out a long sigh. “They are masters, Alan. They wouldn’t be masters if they could be tempted by material goods. Invite them to one of our facilities, bring a mobile unit to them if we have to. Have them experience it firsthand, most of these people are old men, they will be ecstatic to put into practice their polished arts with a body in its prime.” *pa* The researcher hammers one hand into the other’s palm. “Right! Damn it! How did I miss that?!” “I know I told you to keep a low profile, but get a few marketers and PR guys to help you out if you need to. We are researchers, we are not made for HR.” “Yes, I should do that. What should we do with the current data though?” “Release it into the TIES system, it’s not like the users can reach the level of masters overnight.” “Got it. Also, various governments are requesting some of our R&D techs… hell, I think 2 of them are willing to declare war to get them from us.” “Which governments?” “Alman Theocracy in North America and the Zulu Stratocracy in Africa.” *ahahaha* “Both of them will take weeks to get here by ships! Come on, Alan, there are some jokes that don’t need to be said.” The older man takes a deep breath before resuming. “Have the Pacific Nomocratic Federation and the Republic of California keep an eye out for the Almans, give them some of the newer farming techs for the help. As for the Zulu, have our branches in the region keep an eye on them. Those sail ships of theirs can’t hope to outmatch our outboard motors.” The duo continues their back and forth until their arrival at the Leviathan research building number 3, in the research district where different facilities are onsite: solar, hydro, and steam turbine power plants, farms, water treatment, basic manufacture, different types of storage facilities, and multiple redundancy systems, the site can operate for 6 months in complete isolation on supplies alone. * * * * *“Madam. Madam? Madam!” A bespectacled middle-aged woman jumps in surprise. “Sorry, give me a moment, I’ll be right with you.” The woman looks at the monitor a little longer, in it are a man and a woman hooked up to IVs, laying still, as they had for the last 20 years. The woman strains her lips for a moment before turning it off and walks toward the young woman that was trying to get her attention earlier. “Madam, we artificially touched up the existing video, we think the data itself is corrupted, so this is the best we can do.” “Thanks, tell everyone to take a break after transferring the video to the conference room.” The woman turns and heads for the door to the hallway before stopping abruptly, touching her forehead with her fingers before turning back. “Let everyone know they did a great job, and that the drinks are on me. It’s in the usual spot.” She reaches into a side pocket of her labcoat before tossing a key at the young woman before leaving with a wink. * * * * *“I’m sorry, please take care of her.” I nod solemnly before bringing my sword down on my kneeling friend, cleanly severing his head with my sword. The head with a mess of brown hair rolls past my feet on the mossy, stone floor, with a tired, sad smile on its face. The body collapses forward afterward, twitching for a moment before staying still. “I’m sorry to have you do all this.” The aging man with graying hair gives the corpse a quick salute before readying himself, clasping an orb with a white light that doesn’t shine next to his heart with both hands. “It’s an honour, my liege.” I press my lips together as I hold back my tears. “By my blood, I renounce my rule. By my body, I renounce my legacy. By my soul, I renounce my essence. With the hands that snatched fate, I return it. With the blade that unites, I enforce it. With the shield that protects, I endure it. With my ash as the bond of the worlds, may the infinity be endless, may the cycles be free.” I thrust my sword through the orb and my king’s heart in one stroke. The man smiles softly before turning white and into the form of a dragon with its wings spread before scattering into particles of light in all directions. *poro poro* Tears flow from my eyes, dripping rhythmically on the ground. I wipe my face with my sleeve before picking up the head on the floor, muttering a quick apology. *ta... ta... ta...* I slowly walk out of the ruins, sword in one hand, head in another. Sunlight blinds me as I enter into the courtyard just outside the ruins. Was the sun ever that bright? “YOUR EMPEROR IS DEAD AS IS YOUR EMPIRE! I SHALL PERSONALLY DESTROY EVERY LAST STRONGHOLD, EVERY FORT THAT THE EMPIRE HOLDS! SHOULD THE DAY COME WHERE I FAIL TO UPHOLD MY WORDS, MAY I BE IMPALED BY A THOUSAND SPEARS, SUFFER THE CURSE OF PAIN UNIMAGINABLE, WITH MY ORIFICE BLEEDING, DEVOID OF ALL BUT AGONY.” *ziii* A large red brand encircles me before constricting itself into my body after my roar, I feel a small sensation like being lightly burnt before it fades away. The soldiers look at me in confusion, obviously having never seen the brand before. I throw the head up into the air before incinerating it with a «Fireball». *WWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* “YOU TRAITOR!” “FOR THE EMPIRE!” I ready my second sword as I prepare for the screaming soldiers’ onslaught. *sha.. sha… SHHHHHAAAAAAA* … … … The first person experience record ends as statics eat into it, the image and sound flickers a few times before being completely filled with static. The three people sitting around a conference table takes off their headsets and quietly set them onto the table. *DAAAAN!* “Damn! Another useless video!” The CEO hammers his right hand down onto the table. “No… there’s something there…” “Yeah, Xin Yue is right, there’s definitely something similar…” The lanky man kneads his brows before putting the headset back on. The other two close their eyes, going through the images in their head. “Wait! Here! Go to the part where he’s walking out of the ruins and a moment just before the sunlight hits.” The two quickly put their respective headsets on. “Okay, what am I looking for?” “On the fallen column on the left hand side, Hector.” “... those are just runes, no?” “Wait… damn, Alan, you’ve some crazy good eyes. Hector, they are runes alright. Runes that we really never got to see anywhere else, runes that were in the first video where they failed to log out.” The room becomes silent following those words. “Is that English…? EC... Is there even a word like that?” [T/N: EC is in English in the RAW, in case you are wondering] * * * * * Home » Forum » Discussion » Dungeon Topic: Barghest Dungeon Subject: CONQUERED! Greetings everyone! And of course oh leaderships of [Dawn’s Moonlight] and [Monochrome Blades]! We hope Keely a speedy recovery and that he had his kids already, and do avoid spicy food Tabeus! As most of you know, the two guilds that were fighting for the Barghest Dungeon disbanded due to unethical behaviours, ah screw being diplomatic, the leaders were assholes that sacrificed newbs just to skip a certain section of the dungeon! They were even keeping the regular guild members in the dark! Well boohoo you bastards, now EVERYONE knows. Um, right, this dungeon’s reward is a little different from the other two conquered ones! How so? Come join us at [Atonement] and find out! We had some help from a group of… very strange and powerful people the last time, but I’m sure we can do it on our own in the near future! If you are familiar with the NPCs in Feia or Sardon, you might have heard of them. The Little Witch, the Cat Amazon, the Fertility God and the Prince of Destruction, apparently they are running an Academy and they are accepting students. Anyhow, come join us and chase those bastards away from all the dungeons! Also, don’t worry about conquering the dungeon, we don’t care who controls it! I did say it’s different from the others! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:13 Subject: None You mean to say those two guilds failed after fighting for it for so long?! HA! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:14 Subject: None Suits those f***s right! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:16 …..