Morgan lay on the trunk of the toppled tree. He stared at the stars, contemplating where he was now mentally, or more accurately, psychologically. He would have never imagined he would end up killing ten people in his life, let alone in two days. His justifications about them being ‘bad’ would have sat hollow in his mind if he had not seen and heard what they were doing.
The stars held no answers and no judgment.
Around 2:30, some of the residents, about 30, came out and sat or stood on the lawn. Everyone whispered in hushed anticipation. At 2:45, the expected light show started. It began with a huge golden firework in the shape of a capital letter I. Followed by another large explosion of lights in a glittering and sparkling I beside it. Stepping from the space between the two letters, the giant puppetman gestured with his hands like he was pumping up a crowd in applause. He wore the black tuxedo and tophat like before.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I announce the completion of phase one. There are currently 52% of the initial inhabitants remaining.” The figure made a large, overly expressive smile, showing large square teeth, and gave two thumbs up. “It is with much fanfare that I am also able to announce that because of your absolutely miraculous performance thus far, phase two will only be four days long. It was a stunning exhibition of ingenuity.” The puppetman held out a hand, palm up. In his palm, a large yellow exclamation mark appeared. “Be warned, the monsters you face in phase two will be much stronger and more numerous.”
The puppetman pulled out a tablet and turned it to face the watchers, and the image zoomed in on the screen. “Here are some exemplary examples of your race.” A face appeared in the sky, a teenage Asian boy with a close-shaved head appeared, smiling down at everyone. Beside his face, words appeared.
Wan Qigang, Guangdong province, China, Rank 1. Most creature kills, first to level 10…
The list of his accomplishments then trailed off the screen. His picture was followed by another, ranked two, from Russia. The images and lists of accomplishments went from rank one to rank ten.
Surprisingly, to his greatest horror, rank ten was a picture of Morgan.
Morgan Ward, Georgia, USA, Rank 10. Most unique skills, world first invader kill, world first goblin kill, most skill points spent…
Morgan glanced around, his face feeling hot. More than a few glances and some stares met him as he tried to shrink into himself.
The puppetman’s face came back into view, his eyes turning into dollar signs. “These ten individuals are the highest pinnacle of your assessment so far. You will most likely owe your survival to them in the future. As promised, everyone in the top 10% will receive an award. However, these ten will also receive an amazing ability. This will hopefully further set them apart and ensure your species’ survival. Prepare yourselves! What you have witnessed so far is merely the weakest of the creatures you will now face. Phase two begins soon.” With that final announcement, the puppetman pulled out a huge hourglass and pressed it forward, disappearing behind it.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
As the hourglass trickled slowly away, a new message appeared.
::Phase Two commencing. Monster spawns increased. Monster difficulty increased.::
::Skill Granted - Soul-bound Weapon::
::Item Received - Spatial Artifact - Common::
Morgan now held a small pouch, which was dark leather and shaped like a fanny pack.
Examine
::Spacial Pouch - Epic - Material: Worg Leather - Weight: .5lbs. Properties: Holds up to three cubic feet of inorganic materials and items.::
Morgan asked Sophia.
“
Morgan concentrated on the bag, closing his eyes tightly. He immediately saw a large cube, three feet on each side. There was a small pricking feeling on his palm, and the interior of the bag flashed.
Morgan thought, his eyes lighting up. He wouldn’t need to carry around his pack anymore. Maybe he could give it to Frank or Mara.
Sophia said joyously. Sophia continued quickly, her excitement bursting forth in her hurried speech.
Morgan asked hopefully.
Nodding to himself, Morgan wrapped the straps for the pouch tightly around his waist. Then, with a thought, he transferred all the cores he was carrying into the pouch. He then transferred his swords and their sheaths into the pouch. This was going to be an amazing item.
Some of the crowd came over to congratulate Morgan on his placing in the top ten. He shook the man’s hand, who had a viselike grip. The force literally broke bones in Morgan’s hand. With a snarl of pain, Morgan pulled his hand away. The man, to his credit, looked absolutely terrified and started stammering his apologies. He was not used to being so strong. Morgan shook his hand once and held it up, flexing the fingers.
“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting it. You’re right, we have a lot of adjusting we need to do.”
With a look of relief but fear still making his face pale, the man let his friends lead him away.
Morgan made his way into the Academy to check and see if anyone was awake. Katherine was asleep at her desk, a small pile of reports and papers cushioning her face at an awkward angle. Frank was snoring in his room. Shrugging, Morgan wrote a short note letting Frank know he was going out hunting and then set off from the Academy, following an arrow on his disc to the Northwest.
