Chapter 64

I took the object. It was…a stone. Unremarkable, like something fished from the stream back in the Komo village. But I felt something within it, as Kassandra left. I added it to my hotbar, and activated it, Miggy appearing before me.

But it wasn’t him. It was…a projection. Shimmering, the way Alpha had all the way back in the starter zone. And he looked different. Older, older than I was, perhaps. He was taller, broader, and he was dressed so similarly to the way Kaleo had been… my eyes were wet, and I wiped them.

‘If you’re seeing this, then it means you’re alive.’ It was him, alright. I could recognise that voice from anywhere. ‘Reave. I don’t know why you went through the Gate. I don’t know why you left.’

‘I did it to protect you,’ I said urgently, desperately. He had to know, he had to understand. ‘I did it for you.’

‘I have spent the last ten years protecting this place,’ Miggy went on, ‘and trying to understand the Doomsday Trials. I found Kaleo’s research, and I continued. The developer zone, I’ve mastered it.’ He smiled. ‘You’d be proud, Reave.’

‘I am proud,’ I whispered, ‘I was always proud of you.’

‘It’s advanced tech. I would need a dozen lifetimes over to understand it, but there is one thing I know.’ His eyes hardened. ‘This is real. It isn’t a simulation. The Disputed Lands, wherever you are now. This is real history. What you do, what we all do, the consequences last.’

His image flickered. ‘Time is running out. This thing has limited storage space, so I’ll just say this. I’ve compacted what I know of the developer zone into this stone. You can use it once, it’ll help you find a way back. For me and…’ His words faltered. ‘Larry misses you. And others. So do I, Reave. I hope this finds you. I hope you know what you meant to all of us.’

The image disappeared, and I collapsed to the ground. My eyes filled with tears. Ten years older. For me, it had been moments. My feet hitting the ground of the fallen city. For Miggy, for the others, a decade had passed. A lifetime.

No. It wasn’t over. I could find a way back. Just like Kaleo had. I’d find a way back to Ayla and the others.

This is real. That’s what Miggy had said. Miggy, the best of us, the smartest of all the avatars. Smarter even than Kaleo. He was right, of that I had no doubt.

Which meant the Drenched were real. Which meant if we couldn’t find these relics, save the seeds of humanity, then it was over.

The end of civilisation. The end of humanity.

Ironclad could wait. This was bigger than all of us now.

The night had been restless. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt. Not good, obviously, but seeing Miggy a man now, the Warlord he had become…

But he had said it himself. The Trials, the technology behind it was incomprehensible. That it would have taken him ten lifetimes to have it figured out, which meant he didn’t fully comprehend it. No one did.

All I knew is that Ironclad and Kaleo had advanced through the Stone Gate, and both had found their way back. Which meant so could I. I would return to that moment I left. I would kill Ironclad, end his threat forever, and then my life could begin.

I had even checked the party function, desperate even to speak to Ironclad to confirm my theory, but the party had been disbanded. Guess he’d kept it going long enough to fuck with me, but not so long it would be any use to me when I actually needed it.

Ayla and I, Larry sleeping by our feet, founding Kaleas, the tiny village that would become a mythical city. Miggy the Warlord, leader of a new, better Disputed Lands. It was everything to fight for. And it started here.

The Labyrinth awaited us.

This time I went to find Kassandra immediately. She appeared on my mini-map, in the taverna across the city, which was clearly her residence. There had been a letter waiting for me at the bar, addressed from Damon, but I hadn’t even bothered to take it. Copper merchants and owed money suddenly didn’t seem so important.

She could sense something different in me. Then again, a starter zone wolf mob could have sensed that. She gathered her own gear, leather armour, spear and shield, and followed me. Only her helm was different. I thought it would be rude to examine her, so I didn’t, but I could tell it was either epic or legendary loot. It was copper, but with horns and darker than the regular metal.

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[The Labyrinth – The island of Crete welcomes you. A monster lurks here, and the Minoan King calls for a champion. He who lurks and stalks the land. Become the champion, free the island from its tyrant, and inherit the First of the Relics. Be swift. The Drenched rise, and all stand in the shadow of the ocean god, Tiamat.]

[Become the champion of Crete] [Free the island from the monster] [Claim the First Relic]

[Quest updated. The Labyrinth stands before you, and deep within lies the tyrant of Minos. Enter and slay the beast.]

[Warning – Once entered, you will not be able to leave until quest completion. Please ensure you have completed all other quests.]

[Warning – You do not currently meet the required level, Bronze four. You will not be able to leave once the quest has begun. Would you like to proceed?]

Bronze four. I was spitting distance to the required level, but just shy. Kassandra told me she was Bronze four, which amazed me slightly. Then again, she understood something of the system. She had held onto the stone of Kaleas for gods knew how long.