The guild meeting hall was alive with energy as Fi and I walked in, still feeling the lingering warmth of the hot springs. The buzz of conversation filled the room, pyers gathered around the rge glowing map projected on the center table. At the head of it all, Kaelion was gesturing animatedly, his voice carrying over the chatter as he id out their next objective.
Mason was the first to spot us. His grin widened as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Well, look who finally decided to show up. How was your spa day, dies?”
Fi smirked, not missing a beat. “Steamy, rexing, and very productive. Thanks for asking.”
Mason leaned closer. “Yeah? Productive how?”
Fi tapped his nose with her finger. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I shook my head, trying to ignore the heat creeping into my cheeks as I approached the table. Devon immediately pulled out a chair for me, his protective energy as tangible as ever. Selene was already seated nearby, her eyes flicking to me as I slid into the spot between them.
“You were gone a while,” Devon said, his tone low but firm. “Everything okay?”
I nodded quickly, keeping my voice casual. “Yeah. Just needed some time to unwind.”
“Good,” Selene said, her tone soft but her gaze piercing. Her hand brushed against mine under the table before slipping into my grasp. Devon’s hand also found mine on the other side, his grip steady and grounding.
I gnced between them, my heart heavy with unspoken words. Soon. I’ll tell them soon.
Kaelion cpped his hands together, calling the room to order. “Alright, everyone. Now that we’re all here”—his eyes briefly flicked to Fi and me with a teasing grin—“let’s get down to business.”
The glowing map shifted, zooming in on a sprawling region marked by jagged bck lines and pulsing red markers. Text appeared beside it, reading:
[Zone: Obsidian Wastes] Status: High Corruption Detected Threat Level: Extreme Warnings: Glitched Systems, Data Vulnerabilities, Anomaly Activity
“Our next target is the Obsidian Wastes,” Kaelion said, pointing to the map. “It’s a high-level zone with multiple glitched systems and anomalies. Something big is causing these glitches, affecting everything from NPC behavior to pyer data integrity.”
“Pyer data integrity?” I asked.
Kaelion nodded. “Yeah. People who’ve gone into this zone have reported some disturbing things. Their data gets corrupted, locking them out of the game. They can’t log back in, and sometimes, they’ve been hacked. It’s not just gamepy—this is messing with real-world accounts.”
A ripple of unease spread through the room. Lyra leaned forward, spinning her dagger idly. “So basically, we’re entering a zone that can fry our data. Fun.”
“Exactly,” Kaelion said, his grin undeterred. “But that’s why we’re going in as a team. We’ve got the numbers and the skills to handle this. If we stick to the pn, we’ll be fine.”
Devon frowned, his arms crossed. “What’s the pn?”
Kaelion gestured to the map. “We’ll divide into two groups. One group will work on stabilizing the glitched systems by clearing corrupted nodes. These are scattered throughout the zone and are marked by these red markers.” He tapped a glowing spot on the map, and a tooltip appeared.
[Corrupted Node Detected] Status: Active Glitch Effects: Disrupted Terrain, Hostile NPC Spawns, Pyer Data Vulnerability
“The second group,” Kaelion continued, “will track the anomaly at the center of the zone. It’s the source of the corruption, and if we can figure out what’s causing it, we might be able to stop it from spreading.”
“And how do we deal with the anomaly once we find it?” Selene asked.
Kaelion shrugged. “Depends on what it is. If it’s a boss, we fight. If it’s a system glitch, we stabilize it. Either way, we’ve got options.”
“And if things go wrong?” Devon pressed, his voice low.
Kaelion’s grin faded slightly, his tone turning serious. “Then we retreat. No loot is worth losing your data over.”
The meeting continued with assignments being handed out. Kaelion assigned Devon and Mason to lead the first group tasked with clearing corrupted nodes, while Selene and I were pced in the second group to track the anomaly. Fi and Ethan were split between the groups, acting as support.
As the pn solidified, my mind wandered. Glitched systems. Corrupted data. Anomalies. I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the fragments in my inventory—the secret pieces of binary code that I hadn’t shared with anyone. Could they be connected to all of this? And if they were, was it even safe for me to enter a zone like this?
“Alright,” Kaelion said, cpping his hands together again. “That’s it for tonight. Rest up, get your gear ready, and we'll move out when you log back in tomorrow.”
The pyers around the table began to disperse, chatting quietly as they made their way to the barracks or logged out for the night. Devon lingered near the map, speaking with Mason about strategy, while Selene quietly polished her daggers at the table.
Fi caught my eye as she passed, her smirk mischievous. “How’s it feel sitting between your two biggest fans?”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t suppress a small smile. “Goodnight, Fi.”
She winked. “Night, boss.”
As the room emptied, Selene leaned over slightly, her voice soft. “You’re still quiet.”
“Just... thinking,” I said, forcing a smile.
Devon approached, his protective gaze flicking between us. “You sure? You’ve seen... off.”
“I’m just tired,” I said quickly, though the warmth of their concern made my chest ache. They exchanged a look but didn’t press me. Instead, they stayed close, their presence steady and comforting.
As we logged out for the night.
?????°???°?????
As we ventured deeper into the Obsidian Wastes, my HUD flickered faintly, a stark reminder of the zone's instability. The faint hum of corrupted energy buzzed louder with every step, and the jagged terrain forced us to tread carefully. My Midnight Fang dagger rested in my grip, its shadowy bde pulsing softly with energy.
Before moving further, I quickly opened my Ability Menu to remind myself of my current skill set. The flickering instability of my HUD made it all the more urgent to stay prepared.
[Kiera – Level 22: Succubus Demon Lord]
Succubus Abilities:
Life Drain (Active): Absorb HP from a single target. Damage dealt converts to HP.Crimson Kiss (Active): Charm a target, weakening their resistance and lowering their defense by 15%.Essence Feast (Active): AoE life leech from enemies in a 10m radius, restoring HP for all party members. High mana cost.Shadow Embrace (Active): Immobilizes a single enemy with shadowy tendrils, dealing damage over time while leeching HP.Demon Lord Abilities:
Abyssal Maw (Active): Summon a shadowy void to devour enemies in a wide radius. Massive HP cost: 35%.Infernal Command (Active): Dominate lower-level enemies, forcing them to fight for you for 20 seconds. HP cost: 20%.Blood Pact (Active): Sacrifice 40% HP for a 30-second boost to attack damage and movement speed.Umbral Cataclysm (Ultimate): Release a catastrophic wave of shadow energy—massive AoE damage. HP cost: 50%.I also had my trusted Dire Wolf Hell Hound. He padded beside me, his glowing red eyes scanning the terrain for threats.
“Alright,” I muttered to myself, gripping the dagger tighter. “Let’s do this.”
The air around us shimmered with static energy as we approached the first corrupted node. The ground pulsed faintly, and tendrils of glitched light coiled upward like smoke. My HUD pinged with a new notification:
[Corrupted Node – Node 1/7] Status: Active Effects: Spawning Corrupted Beasts, Glitched Terrain Hazards. Stabilization Progress: 0%.
“Alright, Kiera,” Kaelion said, gripping his greatsword. “We’ve got to clear the area before we can stabilize it. Think you can handle yourself?”
“I’ve been handling myself just fine,” I shot back, stepping forward.
As if on cue, the ground cracked open, and a wave of corrupted beasts poured out. Their forms flickered with unstable energy, their snarls distorted as if from a broken speaker.
[Wave 1: Corrupted Beasts x5 – Level 25] Abilities:
Glitch Sm: AoE damage in a 5m radius.Data Drain: Steals 10% mana from the nearest pyer.Kaelion charged forward with a shout, his [Phoenix Strike] cleaving through two beasts in a single swing. Their health bars dropped sharply, but they didn’t go down without a fight. One of them reared back, smming the ground with a Glitch Sm. The shockwave rippled outward, forcing me to dodge-roll out of range.
I commanded the Dire Wolf Hell Hound into the fray. It lunged at one of the beasts, his fangs sinking into its flickering form. [Infernal Bite: 2,500 Damage.]
I darted to the side, activating Life Drain on a nearby beast. Tendrils of red energy wrapped around it, pulling its health into me as my own HP bar ticked upward. [+1,200 HP Restored.]
“Nice work, Kiera!” Selene called, vanishing into the shadows with Shadowstep before reappearing behind another beast. Her daggers fshed, nding a Critical Hit: 3,400 Damage.
As the first wave fell, the corrupted node pulsed again, releasing another surge of energy. The ground beneath us cracked open, and more creatures emerged—rger and more aggressive this time.
[Wave 2: Corrupted Guardians x3 – Level 28] Abilities:
Code Barrier: Reduces all incoming damage by 20%.Corruption Bst: AoE glitched energy attack.“These things don’t stop, do they?” Kaelion muttered, raising his greatsword.
“Stay sharp!” Selene called her voice tight. “These ones are stronger.”
I gnced at my mana bar—it was at 50%, enough to make a bold move. I activated Shadow Embrace on one of the guardians, shadowy tendrils wrapping around its body and holding it in pce. [Shadow Embrace: 1,800 Damage per second.]
“finish it off!” I commanded. My hellhound lunged at the immobilized guardian, tearing into it with savage precision. Its health bar dropped rapidly before it finally disintegrated into glitched fragments.
Final Wave: Corrupted Abomination – Level 30 HP: 12,000 Abilities:
Glitched Sm: High-damage AoE with a 10m radius.Corrupted Grasp: Pulls a pyer into melee range, dealing 2,000 damage.
