First Barrier

Protected space

This is a non-hostile environment. It can be further customised using additional MP. [Warning this type of barrier can be turned hostile should someone enter by ****.]

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Training barrier

This is a similar environment to the protected space but you are able to have training dummies take the form of any creature you have faced previously. Training dummies have several modes that can be chosen from to customise your training experience.

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Instant Dungeon

In this environment you will be given a quest or task to complete before being able to leave. You can choose the level of difficulty and you are able to use an item as a modifier. You are able to unlock features for other barrier types by completing these tasks. You can also collect loot.

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Trap Barrier

Using this kind of barrier, you can either choose a specific target or kind of creature to trap or you can trap anything that crosses into it. [Be warned that if strong enough they can break free of your trap.]

After reading them he looked over to Ellie. “Okay, so we have two choices. The first being a training barrier. But it looks like the only enemies we will be able to train against are ones I’ve already fought, which means fighting a dragon or a Dullahan again, and if I’m honest, I don’t think I’d like to face either right now.

“The second option is an instant dungeon, which seems to be like a game level? We get a quest or task to complete before we can leave, but we also get loot from that one,” John explained.

“Well, I’m not in any hurry to face off against that headless woman again, so let’s see what the instant dungeon thing is,” Ellie reasoned.

John clicked on the instant dungeon and was presented with a new screen. It seemed that for an additional cost he could either choose an environment or use a focus for the environment or quest. He decided that for now, they would just stick with what came standard. Next, he looked at the level; it didn’t say anything else other than ‘Level’ and he was given numbers from 1 to 10. John looked back at Ellie.

“Uh, what level do you think we should go with? I’m a level 5, I’m almost level 6 though, and you are already level 6, so should we go with my level or yours?” He asked.

Ellie looked at him, before scratching her head. “Well… I guess if you are almost level 6 anyway then we just go with that?”

John shrugged. “Why not?” He extended his finger and pressed level 6 before confirming the dungeon.

[Ellie Turner has been automatically added to your party.]

John looked at the popup, then his vision blurred for an instant. The woods around them seemed to get a little darker, strange red and purple mushrooms grew on the trees, and a boggy smell seeped around them. The air became warmer and more humid. Looking back towards the bridge, it had decayed and mostly collapsed.

John and Ellie looked at each other before another window appeared.

Quest: Rid the forest of the sickness that has taken hold

Something is plaguing the forest, making it hostile. Find the source and put an end to it.

Reward:
Full xp for anything killed in the barrier
500xp
$1000
Common crafting ingredients x2
Uncommon crafting ingredients x1

Failure:
Half xp for anything killed in the barrier

’Shit, I think that means we have to wait until after completing the quest to get xp? I was hoping I’d be able to tip over to level 6 in case of a boss fight,’ John contemplated. He looked over to Ellie who seemed to be looking directly at the window. “You can see the quest?” he asked.

“Yeah… is this how you see all your UI stuff? I like the colour, though it does seem a little bright,” Ellie commented.

“Yeah, it is but I do actually like it a lot. I could probably change it in my settings if I wanted, but I think it stands out really well. So, shall we head out to try to complete our quest?” John smiled, excited to see what this barrier would hold.

“Sure, but which way do we start searching?” Ellie asked.

John looked around. In one direction the forest seemed to get brighter, but in the other, he could see more fungus growing on the trees as well as thin red vines that seemed to constrict around the trees like veins.

John concentrated on his eyes and arms to bring out their draconic forms. The forest was still murky and slightly dark even though his eyes should have made it much easier to see. What he noticed, however, was that the slight mist of the forest seemed to be particles; it was more of a dust cloud.

He looked over to Ellie who had a goofy smile on her face. “You’re looking a little horny over there, John, June not enough to satisfy you?”

John looked at her confused when she pointed up to his head. He looked up and couldn’t see anything, “What?” he asked. Elie sighed and took hold of his hand, guiding it up above his forehead where he felt a hard, two-inch protrusion just above his hairline. His other hand shot up to the other side of his head, and there he found another. “What the fuck? When did I get horns?”

Ellie shrugged. “I dunno, your eyes and arms changed then they grew out of your head. Did you not feel it?”

“No? Why the hell do I have horns? Wait…” He focused on the horns disappearing, but could still feel them. “Shit, they won’t go,”

“What if you get rid of your arms and eyes?” Ellie suggested. John focused on returning them to normal and felt the horns retreat. “So they are tied to your dragon parts? How come we didn’t see them before? Like, I saw your eyes before and you didn’t have horns, and you made your arms dragon-like in the library and you didn’t have horns then either.”

John’s panic had dissipated; he took in a deep breath. He decided to test something. First, he changed his eyes and reached up to feel his head but found nothing. He then turned them back and changed his arms to again find no horns. Changing his eyes again he felt the horns grow under his fingers. Sighing, he decided it was probably part of the mutation.

“Alright, crisis averted. Come on, let’s go, the mushrooms seem to get more frequent that way and those red vein things climb a little higher on the trees,” John said as he began walking in the direction he pointed.

Along with the occasional animal and bird calls, they could hear a strange sound. It was like rubber rubbing against itself, a kind of foamy squeaking.

As they walked they were both on high alert. Something was wrong with the forest and they were sure they’d run into something hostile soon. Which of course they did. At first, they only saw one, a rotting rat which scurried across the forest floor. Its skull clearly visible through its skin, several tears across its body and thin white tendrils that reached up out of its back.

Soon there was another. John looked above its head willing the name and level to come into his vision.

<Infected Rat, level 1>

He’d probably be able to crush it easily enough, or that’s what he thought until it turned to look at him and let out a screech. Almost like a horror movie, several red eyes appeared in the shadows under roots and in the brush.

A dozen or so more infected rats moved out of the shadows towards John and Ellie. John got ready to use his claws should any get close, though he realised that stomping on them would probably be more effective.

Ellie, however, had pulled her new Knapsack around to her front and fumbled with it before pulling out a small vial. It glistened with red, yellow, orange and blue colours, almost looking like a little fire. She put her arm across John’s chest and pushed him back as she tossed the vial towards the rats which had all come closer together.

As they did John noticed their names vanishing and a single one hovered over them all.

<Infected Rat Swarm (16 rats), level 3>

Before John could say a word, the vial shattered and a flame erupted, followed by ear-piercing screeches.

27 fire DMG

Crit 8 burning DMG

2 burning DMG

Crit 8 burning DMG

1 burning DMG

Crit 8 burning DMG

The screeching fell silent and all that could be heard was the sound of burning and occasional pops. The smell was horrendous; a combination of burning rot and hair filled the air, making the couple gag as they rushed past, further into the forest.

“Well, that was easy. If the rest of the enemies are like that, we should finish this without problem. Maybe we should have gone with a higher level barrier?” John mused.

“John… that was only the first thing we saw, it’s likely we’ll run into stronger creatures, and by the looks of things, they are going to be ‘Last of Us’ zombies. That could be really bad for us depending on what animals there are in the forest. Not to mention something is actively causing this and we don’t know what it is yet; it could even be some person doing this, so we shouldn’t celebrate this early,” Ellie cautioned.

John sighed, “Yeah… I’m just trying to be optimistic. I’m sick and tired of getting my ass beaten and having to get saved in some way. It’s frustrating as shit; I have cool ass powers and all I’ve done since getting them is being a punching bag.”

Ellie moved up closer to him, pressing his arm into her cleavage as they walked. “That’s all you’ve done? I’m sure you’ve done more than that. For instance, you’ve done me, and you also fucked a fairy, and just before meeting up with me, you got jacked off by your hot teacher. I’d say that’s more than getting your ass kicked, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah yeah, I know I shouldn’t complain and there have been tons of amazing things that have happened because of these powers, but it’s like nothing has changed. I was a punching bag before having powers and I’m still a punching bag now. Any time I’d imagined having superpowers or something, I just imagined that I’d at least be able to stand up for myself. Which hasn’t been the case; I’ve basically floundered my way through every confrontation I’ve been in since Monday.” John complained.

“John, you're here right now to hopefully get stronger. Feeling bad about it isn’t going to help you, I’m not saying that it isn’t annoying or scary or anything, but you should focus on what you want,” Ellie said. She leaned up and pecked him on the lips before they continued through the fungus filled forest.

John exhaled. “Yeah, feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to do anything. Come on, we’re going to go win this dungeon and get stronger together.”

“Exactly! Now, we’ve just been randomly walking around, shouldn’t we try to look for clues or something?” Ellie suggested.

“Well, that would be useful, but I don’t think we are going to find a giant sign that says ‘evil thing this way’. I do think it’s safe to assume it’s related to the mushroom stuff, especially with the rats all being ‘infected’. And thinking about it, you were right, I was dumb to assume we’d have an easy time. In all likelihood, we are going to run into more infected animals, and next time they might be bigger than a bunch of level 1 rats that die in one hit.

“Hey, I actually never asked, how many potions and stuff did you manage to make anyway?” John asked.

Ellie grinned. “Luckily I got a bunch of ingredients at a herbal shop down the street from the hotel, so I made a few. Let’s see… I have four more vials of bottled fire, the thing I used on the rats. Three healing potions, but they probably won’t heal all that much because it’s the basic stuff. Four null chalks, though I can’t see that being useful right now. One Lycanthrope repellent, it’s apparently really good against anything cursed like werewolves or vampires but it would likely only buy us time against those. And some things that aren’t going to be useful in a fight against plants or plant zombies.”

John nodded, listening and scanning the area. They hadn’t run into anything for a while which made him a little nervous. A moment later when he caught movement, he looked at Ellie and held up a finger to silence her, then motioned to get lower.

Looking back towards where the movement was, John got the first look at what actually made it: three small boars roughly a foot and a half from head to tail. Similarly to the rats, they had small gashes across their flesh and parts of them seemed to have started to rot. The fungus on the boars was different from the stuff on the rats. Instead of small finger-like tendrils that pointed up, this was more like oyster mushrooms and they grew on the sides of their bodies. The boars moved slowly and slightly unnaturally. Oblivious to John and Ellie’s location, they roamed the area sniffing at the ground.

He looked above them

<Infected boar, Level 3>

’We don’t actually know if these things are going to be hostile just because they are infected. The rats might have just attacked us because they were starving or something? Rats lash out all the time, right?’ John thought.

Just as John relaxed he heard a snap coming from behind them. ’Fuck! Not again,’ John complained internally.

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