Six Months Ago – The Fall of Moonbright
The great western city of Moonbright, jewel of the high elves, was three hours away from destruction. Grimmblade, alone but determined, prepared for another attempt at Loxrin the Destroyer, Coro?en’s world boss. His team was long gone, but last time he had gotten the dragon down to half health. This time, he would finish it.
The strangest part? None of the NPCs acted like anything was wrong. Potion prices hadn’t changed. The shopkeepers still smiled. The city went about its daily routines, oblivious. Previously they had been coded with dialog of worry and dread, previously they'd evacuate the city by now. There were signs the devs were getting lazy but this was just shoddy, maybe they expected the dragon to be defeated by now, either way, the only player standing to face it was him.
Grimmblade checked his gear, shouldered his shield, and headed toward the city gate. But then the sky darkened, wings blotted out the sun. Wyverns, griffins, every manner of flying mob descended, shadows spilling from their forms.
They crashed into towers, tore through roofs, rubble tumbling down as Moonbright’s destruction began hours early.
The gate collapsed. Thousands of corrupted mobs poured through, all wreathed in a black aura.
Grimmblade raised his shield as stones fell around him. He was unharmed, but there would be no reaching Loxrin without cutting his way through this endless tide.
He activated his aggro skill, downed a regeneration potion, and got to work. Experience points were meaningless, he’d been level 99 for weeks, but it felt good to carve through the corrupted beasts. For an hour the slaughter continued, the streets awash with shadows.
When the last mob fell, Grimmblade stood in the ruins of what was once a gleaming elven city. He caught his breath and popped more potions. That’s when he heard it, cracking earth, burning forest, the air thick with ash.
Loxrin was coming.
Grimmblade tightened his grip, deciding to wait. Maybe the uneven terrain of the destroyed city would give him some advantage against the kaiju-sized beast. (Thirty meters? A hundred feet? He’d messure it when it was dead on the city's cobblestone.)
The dragon emerged, crawling. Its wings were tattered. The black aura pulsed stronger than before. Once-golden scales were now rotted obsidian. Its name flickered in the air above it.
Loxrin the Destroyer was now The Ender
Grimmblade huffed. “Wow. That’s such a dumb name.” He summoned his sword it blazed in demonic fire. “But maybe that means they nerfed it.”
They did not nerf it.
---
Now – The Town of Starter
Panic erupted. The first corrupted mobs swooped down from the forest, owls, pigeons, doves, bats, blacking out the sky.
Grimmblade smirked. “Oh, this’ll be easy. We won’t even lose any HP taking these out.” He summoned his sword.
“NO! STOP!” Noobkitty shouted.
“Kitty, this isn’t the time for vegan ethics,” Fizzypop groaned.
“Actually, it is,” Skidmark said flatly. “If we level, our equipment loses potential.”
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Grimmblade unsummoned his sword frustrated. “Damn. It’s like I forgot why I ate all that awful brittle. What can we do? The mobs will destroy Starter before The Ender even gets here.”
Fizzypop hopped onto a table. “Oh, easy. PLAYERS, FOODIES, FANS! YOU ATE THE MEAL! NOW IT’S TIME TO PAY THE BILL! PROTECT THE TOWN!”
The crowd roared. Thousands of players with glowing multicolored aura weaponry magic and enchanted ranging in levels and strength all prepared to fight these black aura'd begginer mobs. The battle began with screams of excitement and violence.
Noobkitty’s stomach churned. She knew the mobs were corrupted, forced to attack. She knew they would respawn. She knew if Sweet Victory failed, they would all be deleted anyway. But still…
Magic users, crafters, even rogues with bows their attacks filled the skies with arrows and spells. Forest creatures screamed. Noobkitty’s heart ached.
She summoned her hammer, hesitating as ground mobs surged closer. Her body trembled as she witnessed the slaughter. She held her hammer tight, she didn't know what she would do but she was going to hit something, she had, had enough.
GYOAT blocked her path, planting his hooves firmly.
“It’s always violence, " her voice trembled. "They want violence, the worlds want violence, I…” She dropped her hammer. It vanished back into her inventory.
GYOAT: ????
“But how can we stop this?” Noobkitty asked, desperate. The screams echoing throughout the small town.
GYOAT: ??????????
Her eyes widened. “No… you didn’t. Would that work? You were supposed to eat food that would protect you."
GYOAT chuffed and stomped, drawing every eye. Players paused drawn to the yak, the mobs dove toward him angry screaming ready to destroy, then they froze mid-flight. The black corruption faded. The animals calmed. The third landed chirping happily around the friendly yak, the bats found places to hang and relax in the safe feeling of the yak's aura.
Fizzypop gawked. “What the flox is happening?”
.ex laughed. “GYOAT likes pies.”
“Okay, but why does that give him pop idol powers?” the mage demanded.
.ex shared the data:
Apple Pie Lv76
"Everyone loves pie."
+80% Charisma boost for six hours.
Fizzypop pinched the bridge of their nose. “End-of-the-world burger plus four pies… he’s more charismatic than Aphrodite. Got it. Noobkitty literally broke this game. With burgers and pies."
Players stopped mid-battle as they watched GYOAT and Noobkitty stroll through town, pacifying mobs left and right, an aura of charisma emanating from the best.
Players laughed, amused at the sight as their combat focus faded away and the yak's charisma even affected them, giving them a feeling of friendship and good will. Laughing they cheered, "GYOAT! GYOAT! GYOAT!”
GYOAT: ??????????
Relief washed over Noobkitty. She knew this wouldn’t work on The Ender, an admin-launched kill program couldn’t be pacified. But thanks to one silly yak ignoring instructions, the forest mobs didn’t need to die yet. They could still fail but for now there was happy forest creatures and players enjoying a party once more.
“Thank you, GYOAT. You are the greatest,” Noobkitty said, hugging him.
Mobs landed, calm, joining players at the feast. Woodland creatures ate snacks, drank with adventurers, and played among them.
For another hour, Coro?en felt like a world worth saving.
---
That time too passed.
The earth cracked. Smoke and fire rolled in.
The Ender was coming.
.ex kissed Noobkitty. “Make it back to me. We have a wedding to cook for.”
“I will,” Noobkitty whispered, burying the thought that even if she failed, she’d respawn in town, just in time to be deleted with .ex.
The group was nervous. For so many, it was no longer a game.
This was the one shot. One fight. To stop the devs’ final program. What they left behind to destroy a world they gutted for profit
The world had bent rules, patched food, and cheated to give them every chance. It was on their side.
Noobkitty’s vision narrowed. Her hammer, her snacks, her enchantments, junk food as weapons.
They walked out of town.
The people, the animals were safe. For now.
---
In the net, two streamers were glued to their seats. Kale chips and fruit drinks were plentiful as they nervously munched (It was terrible content) they sat in silence, watching as their sister and her little family walked toward either salvation or death.
---
Two moms, who had explicitly told their son to avoid being on stream, watched from home. They saw him marching in step with his team into the forest. Then, suddenly, he vanished, buffed stats and maxed-out stealth made him impossible to follow. The moms laughed. They had told him not to be on stream, but this wasn’t quite what they meant.
---
Across the net, players, viewers, fans, all watched.
---
Coro?en watched as well, unable to intervene further. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t look away. Engagement surged. Viewership spiked. A number kept climbing higher and higher: Data Allowance.
It was approaching the same peak it had reached months ago, at its absolute highest. With this much data, so much could be done, so much potential. A whole new world could be forged, if only the stream’s momentum held.
Sweet Victory just had to win.
