"Finally, we've done it" he muttered as the air left his lungs, the worries went with it. The incoming merger of worlds be damned, he had accomplished something most never did.

Every strategy, decision and experience led to this moment. The weight of his adventure settled upon him. He was about to become a real leader. Someone with a place to call home, and someone that stood for something.

Throughout these long years, he would often wonder if it was all worth it. The death of his friends and family. The mourning of yet another person he held close dying for a cause some people got gifted

Although the price was heavy, he could with confidence look down upon his interface

They would be proud. 

Name: Keel Arden

Age: 27

Level: 472

Race: Human (4th evolution, Prince)

Class: Builder

Title: The Ruler To be

Current Zone: Aasgaard

Current Objective, ranked "SSS+": Survive the assassination attempt

'Huh, still no change. 3 months later and there still has been no attempt on my life, my people love me, my enemies fear me. Just who is this assassin?'

Preparing to hold his speech Keel took a deep breath and looked out upon 40 of his advisors, best friends, compatriots and trusted allies

Weirdly only these 40 had shown. What was supposed to be a group of 200, had been sliced in 6 (Tldr: You expected half huh?) Readjusting himself Keel started his speech...

"Over the course of 7 years, we've fought. Fought against ourselves and our enemies. In just 4 years we've transformed into elites. Feared by friends and foes alike. Now standing toe to toe, we can finally hold our heads high!

Keel glanced towards his most steadfast ally and subordinate Lysander Scorn, he wore his usual calm smile nudging him to go on. Next to him stood Tyse

'God only knows how many times he saved me over the years. Not long ago when we thought of all this as a simple game, dying had no consequence. But our attitudes slowly shifted as we figured out more and more about the merger.'

The merger started 3 years in, towns went missing. Family members disappeared and panic ensued. 

'3 years in, as death became permanent, I almost died numerous times. Tyse was there and he kept me safe through it all.' Keel's thoughts drifting back to the times of old

As Keel continued to look around the room he saw glimpses of coldness in the eyes of those who'd never shown him anything, but reverence.

'Have I said something wrong?' But the suspicion was mistakenly pushed to the back of his head as his thoughts went to the reassuring smile on Lysander's face.

"They no longer think of us as dust, on the contrary just yesterday I was begged for an alliance" Keel continued on, not even trying to hide his scorn. 

"They wanted us to bow, but now... it is our time!" Keel screamed expecting thunderous applause.

Three slow claps echoed in the giant room, each one more hollow than the other. The irony almost tangible on his face.

"You always had a way with words" Lysander said with a sneer.

"What do you mean Lysander?" Keel asked, not fully understanding the consequences of what was about to happen. 

"You really thought we could just grow and grow, without anyone giving a shit about the ecosystem of the entire fucking world? How delusional can you be?" Lysander's deep breaths echoed of the walls, his voice filled with a fury like nothing Keel had ever encountered

"You stand there all high and mighty, talking about how we are on the same level as them? We have been slaving for YEARS! For what? One half of a territory? They offered me a city, do not blame me, for you have done more for less" he continued, now his voice eerily calm as if accepting his actions.

As his world was crumbling down Keel refused to believe what was happening. Each word uttered by his most valued comrade, felt like small knives, each cutting deeper than the last. 

"What is the meaning of this Lysander, after all we've been through! You've never questioned my ways before? So what if we are not there yet? We are catching up!" Keel expression a mixture of anger and disbelief

Shock, sadness, confusion. As Keel stared into Lysander's eyes, this couldn't be all he continued: 

"Without that damn dragon always saving you..." 

"Be very careful with your words Lysander, Tyse is no mere dragon. Stronger than you and stronger than me. He has helped our cause majorly!" Keel wheezed through gritted teeth, getting more worked up at the mere mention of his companion getting drawn into this.

"What are you! Without that beast always coming to your rescue? Who are you if he is not there to help you?" Lysander said, his eyes flickering with excitement and madness.

Keel watched on in horror as his guild members drew their weapons. Tyse roared in agony as spears, swords and arrows tinted in green penetrated his skin. As Keel stumbled towards him, instinctively reaching out, his voice cracked; "No!" the desperation evident in his voice.

As Tyse tried to stand up, you could clearly see the green venom spreading throughout his body like wildfire.

As Tyse fell, Keel could not help but exclaim "Please, no" the memories of their first meeting filled his otherwise empty mind.

-------------

Days after his first visit to this world, everything had been a novelty or a joke. That was until he first saw Tyse, he was captured by some lowly slavers who had apparently hit the jackpot without knowing.

They had capured a dragon and would have no doubt kept him more secure had they known. 'That was lucky for me I guess, and it definitely worked in my favor. For the first time I felt my hearth ache. His weak body, beaten and bruised'

Keel felt pity for this tiny creature. Which is when he got his first objective.

[Save Tyse the dragon]

Reward List:

Eternal Loyalty

Punishment upon failure:

Death - 3 player levels.

The shock he felt upon learning that Tyse was a dragon was indescribable.

'I have not failed him since, how could I fail him now?' Keel thought silently to himself.

--------------

As he was about to reach Tyse a sharp piercing pain tore through him. Keel gasped and looked down upon the dagger pierced through his chest. Blood seeping through his robes, and dripping upon the cold hard floor. As he fell his eyes met the wielder of the knife

"What! Are you too, one of them, my love? (Julius Caesar´s famous last words, changed "My son - My love")

"Blinded by love, Keel. Trust made you weak. And that weakness will follow you to the afterlife with the rest of those idiots we killed before meeting you here today." Lysara uttered beneath her breath, the words cold and empty, as if mocking his very existence. 

"Watch on as the guild you created with your own hands, fall apart at the mere whistle of the true overlords." 

'Why? How could I not see it coming?' As his vision grew darker, his thoughts quickly become a sea of confusion, anger and regret. Each feeling more painful than the other, worse than the knife stuck in his chest.

If he could do this all over again and get revenge on those who betrayed him and murdered his brothers he would. For no man, woman or otherwise crosses him without paying the price.

As his HP bar was supposed to hit zero. He felt a force pulling him with such force that nothing could stand in his way. And as he took his last breath he glimpsed towards something that looked like a huge vessel flying high above in the skies. And when he closed his eyes for the last time, the world froze. 

Keel felt the pulling force once more and now he looked down upon his dying body, the dagger unmistakably piercing his hearth.

Lysara with an evil grin plastered across her face whilst looking towards Lysander.

Tyse mouth wide open trying to exert the last of his strength before it leaves his body.

Filled with regret Keel started to weep, surely this madness was just a fragment of his imagination forcing him to suffer through his last moments.

That's when he heard it. A voice like thunder, breaking through the void, in a mocking yet amused tone:

"Broken, betrayed and dying. You do not regret dying, you regret not seeing it coming. It is quite amusing. If given the chance to change everything, would you go back and right your wrongs? Would you Keel Arden start all over again?" 

Before Keel managed to acknowledge the question and the almost amused tone in its voice a sudden notification popped up in his vision.

Unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It was pitch black, with a pattern so beautiful and intricately carved that it would've been impossible for this to have been crafted by the human hand

[The god of Nexus has taken an interest in you.]

Do you accept his offer?

[Yes] [No]

You have 3 seconds to respond

What in the world is goin

2

g on here, is this all some sort of twisted jo

1

"Of course I'll take it! If only I could go back, I'd destroy them all. I would conquer everything"

And as his finger pressed, everything went dark.