Merrick returned to the game world of Dungeons Below but he entered without using a headset. Alex had given him strict rules about what he could and could not bring with him. Nothing modern, nothing networked, and nothing that would seem out of place in the game. His boss, the Wizard, had conjured a set of basic RPG clothes for him. Between that and the fact that Spell Stealer was his only gear, Merrick felt like he'd been de-leveled back to a starting character.
Once he met the strict rules, Merrick was put on a ferry and sent up to the district floating above the bay. People rarely talked about the floating hunk of metal and wires. The stories went that it was part of a failed "Space Elevator'' but there was not even much information on that. Merrick had already known that the district had something to do with the game, but now he learned a little bit of the reality behind it.
Port Brave was engineered to be the only point of access to the floating district. It was fully automated. Ferries, like the one that Merrick was on, floated into the port filled with various parts and pieces. Then drones working off sensors and rule sets unloaded the ferries before they floated off again. When Merrick arrived, a drone tried to grab him like he was cargo, but he quickly ducked away. The port was an eerie scene but it was easy to escape.
On the other side of the Port, the world started to blend. It reminded him of when he followed Alex, Molly, and Rat after clearing Xerxes' dungeon. Even though it had been recent, it felt like a lifetime ago that he had started this game. As he moved from area to area, the only help that Alex had been willing to give him started to work.
It looked like a smart watch but it did not tell the time directly. Alex had called it LCS, or "Limited System Control", and once Merrick had moved through a few areas of unused game assets, it lit up like a fully charged robot. There had not been many instructions that came along with it, but Merrick figured it out regardless.
Limited System Control referred to the ability to interact with the game world as if he was logged in like normal. It allowed him to open the menu, view his Knowledge Archive, and read his messages. Unfortunately, it did not allow him to summon the items that were directly tied to his avatar.
However it did create a field around him that translated all of his actions into a state that could be accepted by the System. It would let him see and interact with other Adventurers. Technically, he could even delve into Dungeons, fight monsters, and play Dungeons Below through the use of the device. Alex's warning though was that if he did that, he would be playing with his real body not the body of his avatar.
For that reason, Merrick followed the map built into the LCS to use the hidden paths and back alleys of the game to sneak past danger. He moved directly between areas like the Dark Forest Zone and the Open Field Zones on a path that would take him directly inside Als Atbor without facing a single monster.
He stepped out of a door that was just background noise for Adventurers. It was built into the walls of the city and when he was logged in, Merrick had found that the door was just a flat object, not a real door. However, since he was not his avatar, Merrick could pass through areas that were physical but did not exist in the game.
Fortunately, no one saw him arrive and no one watched him go. It only took a few minutes to get from the door to his Faction's Headquarters. While he was walking, Merrick started to wonder how the System was working around him. The time in Dungeons Below moved much faster than in the real world. However, the Adventurers and NPCs that he saw moving around him did not move four times faster than him. Alex had refused to answer that question and Merrick had no choice but to trust her on that.
As soon as Merrick walked into the headquarters of The Curious Glades, he walked into the middle of a party. There were tables upon tables full of festivities and food. The members of the Faction were dancing, singing, and playing games of all kinds. Fireworks went off and exploded in the sky, which was another reminder to Merrick that he was in the game world.
He knew the reason for the party and he skirted around the outside of it without anyone noticing him. While Merrick had been kicked from the game, his Faction still went into a Faction War with the former Number One Faction of Dungeons Below. They had not won the War, but according to the points tally, they had not lost either.
The Number One Faction fell to Number Three on the leaderboards and The Curious Glades had risen to Number Five. Shortly after the LCS had powered up, he had received a system notification that had gone out to all Adventurers in the game. All Faction Wars were being suspended as accolades and achievements were being counted.
It had a clear message in the subtext, the event was over. The Leaderboard could still change due to readjustment of points, Merrick assumed, but The Curious Glades had grabbed a spot on that coveted list of ten. More than that, if the list did not change, The Curious Glades had snuck into a spot in the top five. They would be granted access to the new game resources as a reward.
Merrick found his Faction Leader, Thom, in the hall leading to their offices. He was not alone. Thom was in the middle of an argument with another Faction Member that Merrick did not immediately recognize. Their class was clearly Master Assassin, Merrick recognized the Legendary gear that could only be gained as a member of that class. However, before Merrick was banned, he was sure they did not have a Master Assassin. They did not even have a regular Assassin.
The pieces came together as Merrick realized that the Master Assassin was Alric the Thief. A changed Class, a Faction Levy that caused Merrick to get banned, and an upset Faction Leader. Merrick knew what they were arguing about without listening in. Alric was the one who had been carrying out PvP-attacks after Thom warned everyone to stop.
When Thom saw Merrick approaching, his expression turned from anger to confusion. Merrick watched Thom use a Ranger Skill called Nature's Discernment to try and identify him. Thanks to the LCS the skill returned Merrick's player data. "What happened to-?"
Alric turned to look and his anger turned to shock.
Merrick smiled, "I've always been a bug character in people's eyes. There's no shock that I'm back in even though banned, right?"
Thom nodded and Alric turned ghostly. Merrick continued, "Thom, don't be too hard on him. This is a game after all. He was just sticking up for us when I wasn't able to."
"If that is how you want to handle it, I'll go along with it." Thom let out a sigh and found a smile, "Which is good because I've got a party to host and this was about to put a damper on that."
"Go host your party, we'll be out in a minute." Merrick smiled and gestured for Thom to pass him in the hall. "Congratulations on the tie, I look forward to reading the reports."
As Thom was passing, he stopped for a second, "Did you hear about the update?"
Merrick shook his head. He had not seen anything come through the messages about an update.
Thom explained quickly before passing, "I heard it directly from the War Officiant after the last Faction War ended. The new area has four Raids. Real Raids, not just big Dungeons. We're going to clear the first of them. I'll need you for that."
Merrick smiled, knowing that he might not be able to help, "That'll be fun."
Then it was just Merrick and Alric left in the hall. The Master Assassin shifted uncomfortably. Merrick kept his distance and said, "Congratulations on reaching the Veteran Class. You've grown a lot since almost dying in that Manticore fight."
"Thank you." Alric accepted the words but stayed wary.
"Now… Thom thinks I've let this go and I will, but first, I've got to know… Since you're a Master Assassin now, that means you've had Ambush Skills for a while. Was it you that attacked me in the Dark Forest Zone?"
Alric nodded.
"How did you pull it off?"
"It was a ranged ambush. By the time you were out of the carriage, we were gone. I tried to use the Bird Bandits to finish you off but when you leveled them with ease, I backed off."
"Alright…" Merrick nodded and then faster than Alric could react, he used a spell he borrowed from his boss. Horace Abernathy had called Merrick the Thief. Alex Drea had warned him not to treat this world like a game. Merrick took those bits of advice and while he was not able to take any gear with him, he had brought some knowledge from the Wizard's Tower into the game. Merrick spoke two words that started the spell and sealed Alric's fate.
"Binding Contract."
Ethereal chains appeared around Alric's wrists. While the Master Assassin was startled by their appearance, Merrick explained what they were. "A Wizard's spell that I stole. You can read the specifics in your Knowledge Archive but basically, if you try anything like that again, I'll know."
With that, Merrick turned to head back toward the party. A system notification popped up before he took a full step.
***System-Wide Notification***
The Faction War even has ended. An update will be applied at midnight tonight to clear out old data and implement new features. The Top Ten Factions will become the Official Game Factions in the next quarterly Update, until then the Factions have the freedom to design their new Headquarters and set up what type of Faction they will represent. More information will be sent to respective members of the Factions that placed in the Top Ten.
For those that did not finish in the Top Ten, rewards based on accolades and accomplishments will be sent to each Adventurer. Factions will be disbanded at the next Quarterly Update so all items must be allocated back to individual Adventurer's.
***System Notification to members of The Curious Glades***
Congratulations on placing as the Fifth Faction on the Leaderboard. Due to this placement, your Faction Headquarters will be moved to the new game area. There will be a four hour period where your access will be restricted to your Faction Headquarters. After that period, your Faction Headquarters will be located in the new game area. There will be a teleportation system to link Als Atbor and the new game area but it will not be operational until the next Quarterly Update. Until then, the Top Five Factions have exclusive access to the new game resources.
***
Merrick looked down at the LCS on his wrist. He could probably find his way around the restriction but instead, he remembered Alex's last words to him. Xerxes relinquished his rights to the Elemental Cage and instead staked a new Dungeon using his access. Alex could not find anything out about the new Dungeon except that it is located inside the new game area.