The Shadow

Round Seventeen There were those in the Town of Beginnings who had never left. They had never ventured outside the walls, nor had they climbed the teleport platform. While it may seem crazy, remaining in one place for so many years, they preferred it to the risk of death. They had, perhaps foolishly, believed that they might seek eternal safety within the safe zone. As such, they had never expected that their first foe might be a black ooze, rising from the floor itself, and pooling beneath their feet. On the fourth floor, great chunks of the glaciers had calved away, toppling into t

Round Sixteen It would not be long now. Somehow, that understanding was shared among the survivors. In what felt like seconds, the sea of shadows had consumed the entire meadow, and ninety percent of those who had gathered there. Of the handful who remained, only a couple were NPCs, their eyes wide, their lack of understanding clear on their faces. When had they stopped computing what was truly happening? Had they ever fully understood, or had they simply run due to some programmed flee function? Truth be told, the mingled shock and confusion also lingered on the faces of most player

Round Fifteen Around him, the gathered players and NPCs shifted. For the slightest, most hopeful moment, Benovault thought that he had finally reached them. Perhaps they were gathering their things, and once more trudging forward, even begrudgingly. Instead, when he turned to address them once more, he came face to face with the angriest woman he had ever seen. No, anger was hardly the word for it. To call the expression she wore anger might be to call the Pacific Ocean a puddle. It did nothing to capture the magnitude, nor the depth, of the fury rolling off of her in waves. Benovault tho

Round Fourteen It wasn't working. No matter how loudly he shouted, no matter how desperately he pleaded, the people simply would not move. Beneath his gilded armor, crafted by his own expert hand, Benovault shook like the leaves on the trees. "Please," he begged again, placing a gauntleted hand on an NPC's shoulder. The other man appeared to also be in his late twenties, giving Benovault hope that they might find some common ground. Perhaps he could connect with the man, then convince him. "We need to rest," countered the NPC, shrugging his shoulder to rid it of the player's hand. "

Round Thirteen Those who were unfamiliar with the seventh floor found themselves surprised to round a corner and see a wide, sprawling meadow. A spattering of tall trees lined the opposite end, hiding the varied paths that continued up the mountains. Those who knew the floor well, however, found some relief in knowing they had reached the Engoran Flat. Groups that had traveled in tight formation up the narrow mountain path instinctively spread out. Despite the sea of shadows that still steadily rose behind them, the wide-open space had an oddly calming effect. The speed in which the NPCs

Round Twelve The shrieks of panicked birds drove the sense of urgency higher, doing nothing to alleviate the mounting chaos as the creatures pinwheeled overhead. With each grenade-burst of light, their silhouettes cut eerie patterns in a sky entirely the wrong color. The sky was wrong, the storm was wrong, everything carried the stink of falseness. Was that why Dax's brain stutter-stepped every time he tried to rationalize it? Instead, he chose to focus on his team - or, what was left of it. Fighting down the sorrow that threatened to spill over, the NPC gathered the dangling leads on his

Round Eleven Like candles snuffed by a sudden wind, lights in Nimbus slowly winked out, one by one. The eerie sight harkened back to post-apocalyptical horror movies, complete with an ominous thunderstorm soundtrack. When lightning did fork through the sky, momentarily shattering the oppressive darkness, it illuminated hulking, nondescript ruins. The storm had consumed the heart of Nimbus, and the lives of those who had not fled. And that was only the beginning. Horror painted every line and curve of his face as Dax watched his precious team gallop toward the edge. Fortunately, a han

Round Ten In only an instant, Aincrad had become a Lovecraftian horror. Shadows birthed hellish creatures, their claws, teeth, and tentacles lashing out at the frantic lesser beings. While humans were clearly the main target, both players and NPCs alike, animals were not spared the nightmare. The birds who had not already taken flight did so now, spiraling upward into clouds that spiraled down to meet them, then consume them. Deer bounded by, appearing to also seek higher ground. Even a lone mountain lion loped by, more occupied with his own survival than the potential prey who also climb

It started within Nimbus. A sound rang out, filled with chatter and glee. The whispering laughter continues, echoing around the players seeming to come from all directions. For the first time, the shadows reveal how alive they really are. Figures form from the shadows, taking random forms from creatures to humans to monsters. Each make an almost a cackling noise before they surge forward. The Shadowlings begin to chase those that remained alive this long, only adding to the threat that they had to faced before. While these Shadowlings can be cut down with a blade, they only dissolve for

Cold wind ripped through the floor, cutting through clothing and even buildings. Those players that had survived this long would only find future hardships. While the storm hadn't taken much turn for the worse yet, several players already got to taste the threat for the very first time. As shadows took hold of them, it began to devour them whole. The light swallowed by the darkness. Those that managed to be freed from the grasp of the storm would notice that the areas that had been held down had begun to become eaten away, clothing and body. The dark rain continued to pour, pelting playe

The "rain" continued to pour down in sheets. The flood would only rise and while the temperature drop had significantly slowed it still fell at a steady pace. It was surely close to freezing temperatures. There was certainly much for the players to struggle through. At this point, Nimbus was hardly able to be resided in. The players that still may find themselves within it would be forced out or succumb to the storm shortly. Each of the buildings themselves had collapsed and fallen over. The rubble slowly being consumed by the storm; however, the rubble also would make a temporary bridge for a

The darkness showed no sign of relenting anytime soon, threatening to consume everything until nothing was left. The flood of the inky water rose high enough that it had begun to force people from the city of Nimbus and leaving those without a source of light... in the dark. Not light nor hope had any place in Aincrad. All that remained was the darkness that was to consume all, even its inhabitants. On slightly higher ground, the storm was manageable. Not quite as high, but it slowly rose. The situation within the city was dire as most buildings slowly crumbled. Those still found within

The storm showed no signs of relenting anytime soon. The air remained chilled and the waters slowly rose. It was the very definition of the apocalypse, the end. The sky by now was entirely blotted out, no light shone on the players. There was no light at the end of the tunnel for the players to stride for. Within Nimbus, the only source of light were the green crystals hanging on the walls. The number of these crystals were quickly diminishing as NPC's snatched them up for themselves. In the dark, the inky water was invisible. The only sign of it was the intense cold and the scent of what seem

The wind picked up even more, bringing with it the chill of winter. The temperature had already dropped well below the normal for the floor and threatened to soon drop below freezing. Within the city of Nimbus, the puddles that scattered the ground now formed together and covered the ground with a thin film of the dark inky liquid. Behaving unlike water, it slowly creeps up the bodies of still players and begins to climb upwards. Those however, that remain moving will find that it won't creep up onto them. The mixture of the howling wind continues to destroy the weak-structured buildings, forc

Round Three Amos had never been one for rushing. In fact, his neighbors could not be sure if they had ever seen him break into a jog. For all they knew, the man had never even power-walked. Instead, he preferred his standard, ambling gait. Granted, he did limp these days, but nearly a century of life had a way of taking a toll on the body. So did a life of farming. It was back-breaking work, both literally and figuratively, but Amos had come to love it. He worked with the sun as his clock, the seasons as his guide, and the crops to teach him lessons in patience. As such, Amos moved s

Round Two "Go, get inside the house!" Desiree commanded, shouting to be heard above the thundering rain and roaring wind. Black raindrops pelted her skin as she shoved Mara toward the front door. When the girl stood rooted to the spot, staring, transfixed, at the ink-stained sky, her mother simply scooped Mara into her arms. Together, the pair tumbled into their home seconds before the wind snatched the door and slammed it with all the force of an angry teenager. Though the sun's rays fought to permeate the darkness, clouds like columns of soot beat back the light. Thunder rolled, t

<<Storm of Shadows>> “Mamma, what’s that?” Desiree straightened, dragging the back of her dirty hand across her sweaty forehead. The hoe she had diligently worked the soil with rested against her arm, and she rolled her shoulders stiffly as she turned to her daughter. “What’s what, Mara?” The girl bounded up to Desiree, her curls bouncing like springs, and pointed at the sky. Dark clouds spread like massive wings across the once-blue canvas, a bird of prey that chased off the warmth and light. “Just a storm coming,” came the woman’s matter-of-fact reply. T