Appearing as though some massive giant maw had taken a bite out of the very fabric of reality, a colossal dimensional rupture hovered over the Boston skyline. The rift—easily the size of a football stadium—understandably drew the attention of the inhabitants of the city below.
Before my very eyes, I saw the colossal rift grow, and expand. It took just a moment for my focus to wander and notice the numerous smaller rifts snapping into existence within the sky. The sight shook me to my core. This couldn't be happening, but it was. It took every fiber of my being to not cry out in terror at the implications of these ominous sky-bound fissures.
These fissures... these... rifts. They were familiar. The parallels to Holy Arc Online only continued to grow, and this latest manifestation did not bode well. At all.
Within Holy Arc, the opening of an empyrean-dwelling portal signified the beginning bouts of an invasion. They typically trended towards smaller demonic employments... but a rift of the size I was seeing before my eyes? Well, that implied the coming of a Demon Lord, or at the very least, several Champions.
I hoped to God himself that everything that had happened until now was purely coincidental, a gross happenstance. Yet, in the back of my head, I knew otherwise. There was no possible way to dismiss the one glaring fact: the game was becoming a reality.
Kevin turned to look at me. As we made eye contact, I noted the absence of the previous glimmer in his eyes—he had clearly realized the same thing I had. In its stead, his worrisome eyes widened, his entire body tensed up, and his face froze with his mouth hanging half agape like a yawning chasm.
"Thomas…" Kevin trembled out like a frightened sheep, "we need to run".
The look scared the hell out of me. But, I couldn't agree more.
"Five minutes, and we're out of this apartment, now!" I frantically yelled out, as I turned to rifle through my desk.
Kevin hurried towards the Kitchen, leaving behind an addled Rachel. With rapid breaths, she exclaimed, "what's going on Thomas!?" she fidgeted and bit her lip.
I clipped on an unearthed watch and then turned to hastily respond, "Rachel, listen. You're going to have to trust both Kevin and me on this. Everything that's happening is tied to the game Kevin and I have been playing for the past several years, and that!" I blurted as I pointed out the window towards the massive fissures in the sky, "is something that's very bad news, and if we don't get out of here and as far away from those rifts as we can, we won't be making it out of here alive." I sternly replied, pausing to look into her eyes.
Rachel's body stiffened, as she returned my gaze, searchingly. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded, "okay, I'll trust you."
I forced a smile, "good, now, grab what you can and go help Kevin in the kitchen. We need to get out of here, and we probably won't be coming back. So if you can't part with it, take it."
Nodding, Rachel grabbed her laptop, threw some spare clothes in her bag, and joined Kevin scrounging in the kitchen.
As soon as I was left alone in the room, I drifted a hand to my forehead, kneading my temples. "Okay..." I mumbled to myself, "think... what else needs to be done?" I paused, and then glanced over to my wall, eyes riveted to the metal ornament hanging there. Stupid... but my options are rather... limited. I breathed out in exasperation.
I stepped over to the wall adjacent to my powered-off computer. I hesitated and glanced at the now dormant contraption—the source of every problem imaginable. A flicker of memories flashed through my mind. The thousands of hours I had spent online, gaming over the years. The friends I had made, the virtual challenges I had overcome... Now, it meant nothing. I had wasted so much of my life. Worked a dead-end job, and just barely got an M.A. degree... It wasn't even marketable. I huffed, It was useless to dwell on the past.
I reached my hand out past the defunct computer and grabbed the metal sword that had been nailed to the wooden stand behind it. The metal blade had been some lame antique I had gotten for just a hundred dollars at a shop down in Bridgeport just a few summers back—before I had met Rachel. It was an acquisition that was the unfortunate result of a date that had stood me up, and a conniving elder brother's encouragement. It was destined to be a useless piece of scrap metal, but, it did look fancy. Maybe, just maybe, it would hold long enough to be useful.
With the sword in hand, I sauntered over to my closet, pulling out a five-foot-long black case. It was a gift from my father, back when I was younger and much more adventurous. I heaved the case onto my bed, and unclasped the locks, prying the case open. What greeted my eyes was a traditional fifty-four-inch bow, made of carbon fiber, and with a forty-pound draw weight. It had been at least a year or two since I had even touched it, and I only hoped that the string was still taut.
I removed the bow from its case and slung the quiver holding a dozen arrows over my shoulder.
With some basic weaponry secured, I grabbed my backpack from under the bed and turned it upside down, dumping all of my old school supplies. I kept the laptop and charger in there though, no matter how nonsensical it may have seemed. I wasn't planning on going full-medieval.
I stuffed some durable clothes into the bag and threw on a pair of sturdy hiking boots. Once finished, I took one last glance around the room. My eyes grew misty, but I shook my head and wiped the tears on my sleeve. I couldn't afford to be sentimental.
I closed the door to my bedroom and walked into the kitchen, catching the tail-end of Kevin and Rachel's packing. They had managed to collect a handful of non-perishables, water bottles, and few knives in the small space afforded by our backpacks. I noted, with some amusement, that the only canned goods I had were corn and beans. Not exactly tasteful unless heated, but would undeniably be useful if we were unable to procure food elsewhere. Which, unfortunately, may end up being the likely scenario should things drastically deteriorate.
The sound of sirens blaring across the city reached my ears for the first time. The noise had been prevalent for the past several minutes, but only now did I acknowledge them. They likely indicated first responders attempting to handle the tenuous situation. Panic filled the streets, despite the rifts having yet to open. Understandable. After all, the ominous volant chasms bore rather sinister implications.
But, it was all pointless. As soon as those rifts opened, the streets would turn to mayhem before the tide of the invasion. Even if every police officer in the city reacted, they'd still be hewn down like wheat during the harvest before the torrent of demonic pawns and warriors. Even with the help of modern weaponry, they would only hold for so long, after all, the pawns were just fodder.
Once the higher-leveled demons arrived, things would surely deteriorate. A bullet could only do so much. If everything turned out to be like Holy Arc Online, then the higher-tiered demons would inevitably possess a host of physical resistances, most only being susceptible to high-tiered magical attacks, or the most brutal of physical strikes.
At the very least, the police would hold them off long enough for the three of us to make our escape. I felt ashamed for even thinking the thought, but staying in the Boston area was a death sentence.
I inwardly sighed. Modern cities were woefully unprepared for an attack of this scale.
As Kevin and Rachel finished packing, I took a moment to examine my skills. Knowing the tools that were at my disposal was imperative—they'd make all the difference in a fight.
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Basic Mana Manipulation (Passive) T1 - Level 1: This skill, renowned for its importance as the first step towards magical mastery, grants the wielder finer control over their mana usage, allowing smoother casting of basic elemental spells, while also decreasing mana usage of Tier 1 spells (This increases per skill level).
Racial Note: Basic Mana Manipulation is inherently possessed by all High-Humans.
Effects: 5% reduction in the mana cost of Tier 1 spells. Unlocks skill selection of Tier 1 basic elemental spells.
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The [Basic Mana Manipulation] skill was exactly as it appeared in-game. Except for the Racial Note... Which would explain why I had gained access to a skill that was coveted by every single player and known to be rather difficult to obtain. While one could cast spells without the basic mana manipulation skill, it was more cumbersome.
[Paragon's Influence] was the mystery skill. It was also Tier 3. Having a skill of that level right now was a ludicrous improbability. But, if it was anything like my Paragon Title, I was sure it was bound to be quite the boon.
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Paragon's Influence (Passive & Active Effects) T3 - Level 1: Grants the ability to bestow the High-Human racial evolution on one Human individual who has met the requirements for race advancement. Experience acquisition is provided based on the leveling of those under the effects of the [Paragon's influence]. Active effects of [Paragon's influence] include granting a short-range attribute buff [Paragon's Charge] to all High-Humans & Humans in the vicinity of the Paragon activating the skill. Abilities increase proportionally to skill level.
Grants:
Passive Effects: [Paragon's Tether ] ties all High-Human individuals with the Paragon of their race. Their success becomes his success. Their power becomes his power.
Active Effects: [Paragon's Charge ] upon activation, all High-Human and Human individuals within the vicinity will receive an attribute buff proportional to a 10% increase for a 60-second duration. 60 Minute Cooldown timer.
[Paragon's Bestowal] in direct tandem with the level of [ Paragon's Influence], the bestowal allows for the racial promotion of a Human to a High-Human. The Human must have displayed characteristics of unyielding loyalty to the Paragon to qualify for racial advancement.
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It was an impressive deluge of information. While a skill possessing both passive and active effects wasn't unheard of within Holy Arc Online, those types of skills tended to be underwhelming compared to skills that specialized in either a passive or active effect. [Paragon's Tether] was extremely vague and would need to be explored further.
[Paragon's Charge] was a powerful buffing skill. It didn't give a hard increase to an individual's attributes, it gave a percentage. Percentage increasing attribute skills were incredibly rare, and a 10% increase could do wonders in changing the course of any battle, particularly when used on higher-leveled individuals.
[Paragon's Bestowal] on the other hand was a skill that did something I had never seen before in Holy Arc Online.
A skill that allowed an individual to go through a direct racial evolution? Unheard of. Nothing like that had ever even been discussed on the Holy Arc Online forums. Which, considering our current predicament, would likely be the most important catalog of information in the world. Avid players such as myself and Kevin, while few, were still substantial, and it showed as they had come together on the Holy Arc forums. It could be useful information in the future if we ended up making it out of this.
With skill information aside, the next step to consider was our plan. Boston was no longer safe. There was no question about that. I could only hope that the worse of what was to come would only affect us here, and that elsewhere would be safer. Or in the case that this was happening globally... That the Demon Lord's and Champions would only focus on the major populated cities and not on the countryside.
The only plan that stood out to me was to reach my family. I felt bad for both Kevin and Rachel. Kevin, because his family was on the West Coast, but he might be fine because he had actually decided to come out here and live with me. Rachel on the other hand was worse. She was only supposed to be here for the week, and then would have flown back to Vegas to be with her family.
Now that won't be happening, I sighed.
My brother and his wife lived out near Worcester, in Shrewsbury. My parents, having retired years ago, had moved out East and settled down with them. Conveniently, they now lived near each other.
Shrewsbury was thirty-six miles away. A walkable distance. Without a doubt, driving would be insane right now. Just imagining the congestion on the turnpike made me cringe. Walking might be our only option.
But, something else weighed on my mind. Worcester was quite a large city, and if my second theory proved correct, and portals were opening all across the globe... Well, the city might have a rift over it even now.
Fortunately, Shrewsbury was on the outskirts of Worcester and smaller to boot. It would be a better place to head towards right now.
Then, one final thought, my brother. We didn't have much time, and Alex needed to know what was happening.
I pulled out my phone and began to dial him. After several rings, my only answer was an automated message: "due to the high volume of calls, we are unable to complete your call right now. Please try again later. Goodbye!"
I roared out in frustration as I continued to dial again and again, only to be rewarded with the exact same message. After the fourth time, the call finally connected.
"Thomas! What the hell is going on!? Are you alright!?" Alex yelled through the phone.
"I'm fine! What are you seeing Alex?" I hastily countered.
"The sky is literally ripping itself apart if that's what you're talking about! It's all over the news!" he replied. "I've been trying to get ahold of everyone for the past few minutes, but nothing was going through, but then your call came through!"
"Alex," I said with a slight tremble in my voice, "what do you mean everyone? Who isn't with you right now!?"
"Kaitlyn and Dad. Mom's with me watching Ariel. I was out back when that hologram thing popped up, and then the portals started popping up all over Worcester! What's going on Thomas!?" he stammered in response, clearly unhinged.
"Alex, listen, whatever you do, don't go near those portals. You only have twenty minutes. Keep Mom and Ariel inside, aboard up the windows, turn off the lights, and get down into your basement. Keep trying to get ahold of Kaitlyn and Dad, we don't have much time." I paused, giving him a moment to take in what I said. "Look," I continued, "Kevin, Rachel, and I will make our way to Shrewsbury. It might be a few days. But you better still be alive when I get there."
"Wait, you think we might die!?" Alex frantically yelled back through the phone, "you can't seriously be telling me that those portals will kill us, are you!?"
I bit my tongue, it was crazy, and I'd probably come off as a lunatic, but, "think of War of the Worlds, Alex," I replied. "There is going to be a war, and those rifts up there are going to be the catalyst of it. Trust me, we don't have time for questions. I will explain once we get there. Just start moving whatever supplies you're going to need into the basement. When things get started, they're going to go downhill fast. And please Alex, for the love of God. Get Dad and your wife down there. Do whatever it takes," I finished.
Alex remained quiet on the other end of the line for a few moments, "Okay... I've got it. Stay safe, and I better be seeing you soon."
"I love you man," I said and hung up the phone.
As I looked up, Kevin and Rachel were looking towards me, indicating they were ready. Though Rachel hesitantly rubbed her hand along her arm. Despite being downright disoriented, she maintained her composure. She would have to. We couldn't afford a breakdown right now.
"Alright," I announced, "It's time to get out of here, and quickly. We only have..." I paused as I glanced down at my watch. Its bright screen flashing on. It was 2:49 pm. We had first noticed the rifts about six minutes ago. "We've got about 20 minutes before those rifts start opening up, and we need to be out of the city by then," I said as I walked towards the front door.
As I grasped the door handle, I glanced towards the full-length mirror that adjoined the door's surface—a necessary addition of Rachel's. Normally I would have snorted and gone into the bathroom to redo my hair and wash my face off. My dark brown hair had already broken through its thick layer of gel, and my hair was curling upward all over the place. Some of the hairs were plastered against my forehead, a result of the coating of sweat smeared on my face. My bluish-green eyes peered back at me, showing a hint of confidence that I surely did not feel. I tightened my lips, determined to see us through this alive.
My gaunt frame was ladened with a filled backpack and a quiver of arrows. In one hand I held an antique sword, and in the other, a bow.
I opened the door, leading us into the connecting stairwell.
I knew without a doubt that a mere half hour ago, this situation would have struck me as insane. If it wasn't for Kevin and Rachel. If I had been by myself... Well, I don't know what I would have done. But I had to adapt. If not for my sake, then for theirs.
If we were to make it out of anything alive, and If I were to ever see my family again. I was going to need to transform myself from the gawky nerd I was, into some semblance of a leader.
This was going to be one hell of a ride.