The guild — a team formed, organized and operated by an assembly of players — that
they belonged to, Dragon's Glory, had two rules for joining.
First, you had to be a member of society. Secondly, you had to be a dragon rider.
There are a lot of people who avoid talking about reality in the virtual world. The
feeling of not wanting to drag the real world into the virtual world was
understandable. Though most of the members of Dragon's Glory embraced it as a place to vent and help each other through trying times. Due to the nature of the guild, there were many cases where complaints about work
in real life became the topic, and this was accepted by the guild members.
-------------------------------------
A grand round table of obsidian lustre was in the center of the guildhall, surrounded
by 50 luxurious seats. But most of them were vacant. Only two silhouettes were visible now where all the members once used to sit.
They were player characters.
Between those two people, they talked without their mouths moving. Despite being the previous generation's top DMMO-RPG, it was technologically impossible to
change expressions to go with the conversation.
Arthur said with surprised happiness, "It was the last day for Yggdrasil, I honestly didn't expect anyone to actually show up."
He lounged in his guildmaster's golden robe. An item showing the importance of his position with its opulence. Precious shining gems were embedded in the lining with no obvious threading. There were magical silver runes that ran the length of the robe as well.
His normal flamboyant colored clothes of an entertainer, with multicolored scarves that hang from nearly every pocket of his suit had been left in his closet. He had chosen to wear his formal noble outfit. Including his signet ring of his very house he had created, the Smiths of Stonefire. Also his jewelry of golden bracelets, gold rings with precious gems, and a golden necklace with a blue sapphire as its center point. These were all worn to accentuate his natural or more known unnatural appearance.
There is the hair that shines like gold, jewel-toned eyes of sapphire blue, lustrous golden skin color, and the glowing golden halo.
"Am I the only other one who showed up?" Mórrígan asked as she entered the guild lounge.
The Ice Queen, Death on Frozen Wings, founder of the Golden Manticore Mercenaries, Mórrígan Iceheart strolled into the guild lounge with a form of power yet grace.
"I'm not surprised to see you here Arthur. If anyone was dedicated enough to see this to the end it would be you." Mórrígan half joked as she took her place at the table.
"Edwind Down South, made an appearance a few hors ago. He was exhausted from work as always. He just stopped in to say his farewell to the game, guild, and me." He relented.
Though watching the Ice Queen stroll in stirred something more than memories in him.
"Thanks Morrigan, you know I loved the game and my position as guild master. Maybe taking it too serious sometimes." You feel that the words are heartfelt but it was hard to tell for we talked without moving our mouths. Despite being the previous generation's top DMMO-RPG, it was technologically impossible to
change expressions to go with the conversation.
Arthur operated his console and selected a smiling emoticon which appeared above Arthur's head with a glint. Since there was no ability to change facial expression in Yggdrasil, players utilized emoticons to express their emotions.
You know Arthur was a fool at heart. Even as leader he did his best to break tension with jokes or innuendo. After all his bard class was built around being a jester or fool.
"Thanks for coming, only another hour until the server shuts down." he states.
Mórrígan took her seat at the table and offered a shake of her head. "I'd send him a message saying sorry I missed you, but in an hour it won't matter." She commented.
She took a moment but used the emoticons to smile. "Hey, this guild made things interesting!" Mórrígan told him as she remembered the good time. "You plan on staying for the whole hour?" She asked.
"You are right. Plus I am sure he is asleep." He added.
"The game has been a blast and being apart of such a diverse guild has made it that much more interesting! Yup, I am here until the end. Considering the thousands of hours I put into this game it wouldn't feel right not being here when it ended. My total hours on this game is 25,024. With this last hour it will be 25,025!" He adds the expressive smile emoticon. "You know I have tried many other DMMO-RPG, they just feel so stifling. So linear and lack of choice compared to Yggdrasil. I know there are many MODs that have made the game smoother but the developers kept working with it with player opinion in mind. I should know I worked as a moderator and REP communicator for a couple years. Then I had to focus on my Master's Degree." Then Arthur realized he was droning on and decided to change the subject of the conversation.
"Well what would you like to do? Shall we walk the halls, move around the guardians, or possibly change a few settings to spice up this last hour?!" He offered with a smiling emoticon which appeared above Arthur's head with a glint.
A shocked emoticon popped up above Mórrígan's head when he mentioned how many hours he had on this game. "It doesn't surprise me, however it is still shocking to hear the number." She mentioned.
"If it wasn't for the fact we where going to remain in the guild house till the clock his midnight I'd suggest going flying one last time. Why don't we go through the old guild member's rooms? Try and guess whose room it is just by looking at the decor and not the name?" She suggested.
"Or, we could go to the trophy room and reminisce about the guild battles we've won?"
"Right, I crunched the numbers and I know I played more a lot of nights, but that would mean I played roughly 5 hours a night since the game came out. 13 years and now it is all going away." You could easily read into this disappointment with the game closing. Would he be just as disappointed in all the players that had left the guild?
"Yes I did already go on a fly with Sly. Did you check in on your dragon? What was its name again?" He didn't show it but you could easily guess he was wracking his mind by his pause.
With a diversion set he stated, "I like it... here let me blank out the flags...Yes we can go to the trophy room after that." He opens up his console and using the guild house relic he makes a few changes before closing the console.
He keeps the staff of Dragon's Glory in his hand as he offers his other hand to you. The guessing game turns out you each had knew about a dozen each. Many of the less known members or at least the players you didn't play with very much actually had not done much with their own rooms. A few things but mostly it was a generic room.
Arthur puts up the shocked emoticon and says, "I guess there was just too much to do and they never got to adjust their room. I know most of them gave what wealth they had before leaving the guild and usually the game. But this neglect is... neglectful... outrageous. Yes outrageous!" Then he does the laugh emoticon.
"Well that took up way more time than I thought it would. Thanks for being here and playing it with me. I had a lot more fun because you were here! As I have always said, you can't game just by yourself, it isn't the same. So to the trophy room or where else, we have 5 minutes left. I can teleport us there." He states as he taps the staff on the ground three times.
"Windrider." Mórrígan answered. "Yeah, I was going out on one last flight before I came here. A thanks for everything you know?"
"Don't be too hard on them, most don't seen the reason for rooms. Unless you craft there isn't much of a point after all." Mórrígan pointed out when they left the rooms.
"The trophy room still sounds like a good idea, but with only five minutes left I'm not sure how far we'll get." She shrugged. "On word! If you please." Mórrígan joked, putting the smirking emoticon up.
Arthur took her hand and on the third tap of the staff they were teleported to the trophy room.
Many different trophies were on the walls or on shelves here. Some for PvP, others for raids, then there was the wall of achievements. The heads of many of the unique monsters they took down resided here too. So much to look at and so little time.
Arthur begun to talk about the dragon hunts. The main quest that every guild member had to take in one form or another before joining. Before long he looked up at his console and said, "That's weird, the time is gone. Wait my entire HUD is gone..." He started to freak out, breathing harder and harder... "Breathing?! I never heard breathing before. Only in Dragon Crest one of the newest..."
*Midnight* 1, 2, 3, 4, ...
Then he stops talking looking in the mirror seeing himself talk was too much.
The moment Arthur mentioned the time was gone, Mórrígan checked her own... only to find it gone as well. She tried to access her panel and found herself unable to.
Panic began to set in, and she turned and reached for Arthur. Reached, and touched.... she touched him! But not only that... she could feel the cloth covering his arm. The warmth of his skin under it even.
Mórrígan's eyes grew wide before she slowly looked up to meet Arthur's eyes. "This... isn't right..." She breathed out.
"Okay soooo, let's compare notes. I could feel you touch my arm. Our voices are fully being used. No HUD. This is next Gen stuff! No way to open the console. No way to contact a GM. Okay... um... maybe the commands are now voice activated: End session, Call GM, Message GM, Call Game Master, Message Game Master... Execute... Command... Communicate... " He tries many different words in different combinations and all to no avail.
"This... this can't be." Mórrígan said. "If it was a new gen it would of had to kick us from the session to load in properly!" She pointed out. "There is no way this is a new game..."
Mórrígan slowly knelt down and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. She was freaking out now. "Are.... we stuck? What about our lives?!"
"How else would you explain it!?! I know it seems illogical but possible. We can't be stuck in a game... I have work. But wait..." He stops and begins to think. Seeing her cowering bothered him too much and he instead began to focus on you.
He sat down next to you and put his arm around you. A comforting hand above your knee. He takes a deep breath and says, "We will figure this out... together. Come on, we should check out the rest of the guildhouse and see the NPCs. That will tell us more!" He sure is taking the positive role now, not showing how much he is freaking out anymore as it wasn't helping either of them obviously.
"R-Right! If, if this is a new game they'll have dialog for it right?" Mórrígan said, though the fear on her face was still plain to see.
She let him help her up and she asked "Do... do you think the... staff still works?"
"Only one way to find out." He held you easily with one arm and tapped the ground three times with the staff before the two of you were teleported.
You appeared in the throne room. Instantly the guards there fell to their knees.
The two of you appear before the throne itself. Looking around you see that the servants and butler are in attendance with several suits of armor which animate to act as guards. They are all kneeling.
Hylan Droberson you major domo or head butler kneels closest to you. His arm held to his chest and head bowed looking at the ground.
The other high servants are kneeling too. Kaylee Morgrave a slender, attractive woman that has strangely glowing eyes and a full head of hissing snakes for hair. She is a medusa and her quiver of arrows and bow reside on her back. She has an ornate noble purple dress with simple golden jewelry adorning her.
The others are too far to truly see their forms but you recognize them the same as before.
He nods to them and ascends the stairs up to the throne. Sitting upon it he lets the staff go to his side and it begins to float there unattended. He thinks to himself about what the commands were and then comes up with it. "Rise up!"
He is the first one to rise. It is hard to read any emotion on his face. "All hail our leaders of Dragon's Glory!"
Then the others echo his cheer! Their mouthes move, their actions are fluid. Even Kaylee's snakes squirm like you have never seen a game do before, almost as if they were alive.
Mórrígan stood there was a look of pure shock. They acted... alive... real.... Mórrígan shook her head slightly to get herself to focus.
While the, supposedly NPCs, cheered through the hall Mórrígan leaved over slightly to Arthur and whispered "If this is a game it had to cost a fortune to make...Because this is the best graphics I've ever seen..."
Then Mórrígan cleared her throat and asked "Hylan, do you have anything new to report since the day has turned over?"
He whispered back, "Yeah..." Obviously misbelieving this is a game.
"Mistress Iceheart, I have nothing to report. No changes to my knowledge. Would you like me to step out of our glorious guildhall and take insight of our surroundings?" He states with obvious elegance that seems natural to him. With your confirmation he salutes by bringing his right arm and fist to his chest and then bows. Then without turning around he walks backward until at the door, and then leaves the throne room.
She steps forward and then assumes the kneeling again 35 feet away from you. With a questioning supple voice she asks, "Is there a task that you would give me Mistress or Master?"
A dark shadow crosses over the wall and then the floor, then from the shadow emerges the Guardian Overseer. Lillith has supple alabaster skin, a white dress that barely hangs on her shoulders, revealing her ample cleavage, and has slits above the knees revealing her legs when she walks or poses other than standing straight. Two black horns emerge from her temples and black feathered wings from her back.
With an excited look she catches her breath with gulps of air before bursting with her words, "Mistress and Master, the world has changed! I know not where we are! It is amazing! The bog and swamps are gone. The waterfall we resided upon is now much taller than before and there are many other falls around us! It is like a wet plains. The terrain is very strange in that it is flat and yet there are many waterfalls and cliffs!"
Mórrígan blinked when she heard what Lillith had to say. Slowly she looked over to Arthur and said "I believe, that it is time to take flight guildmaster." She moved to stand at the ready before continuing. "If she is correct and the terrain has changed this is something we cannot ignore."
In truth however Mórrígan wanted to get Arthur alone to talk without the NPCs, who now seemed to have minds of their own and if that was true there was affront they needed to keep up.
"Aye we should look into this, apparently there is much more that is different than we had expected. Put the guards on alert. My blades, I want you all on the third level in case an attack gets through the minotaurs lair. Morrigan and I will be taking our dragons out the secret exit on the same level." He raises his hand to the staff which quickly goes back to his hand. Then standing up he offers his hand to Morrigan. Three taps later and you are alone in the antechamber before the metallic dragon domicile.
When you walk in you find that many of the rooms are empty. Even Sly is not where he should be.
Mórrígan stopped Arthur in the antechamber before they could go on to the dragons. "Arthur! Do you know what this means?" She asked him. "This means we're actually here.... we never went back when the clocks hit midnight... but not only that it seems that ever the world in changing... and we're the only two here who know that." Mórrígan stated.
"Perhaps we found a loophole or something. We are now in Yggrasil. Not the game but the world. Maybe the original world that the game was based upon. Yes it seems that all the personalities that we imprinted on the NPCs are still there. They are acting the way I remember their code." He says as he put all his thoughts about what is happening out so you could hear it too.
Then he began to blush and asked, "I want to try one more thing just to make sure this isn't a game... I want to fondle... to fondle your boob." His breath was quickening as he thought about it.
His grip on the staff changed and he pressed on it with his nails. Then the staff retracted upon itself, leaving only a small handle and the Dragon Orb on top of it. He then placed it within his belt as it turned into a simple sheet of parchment.
Now with both hands free he brought them up...
The sigh that came from Mórrígan was that of annoyance and she could only look at him with one eyebrow raised. "Are you serious?!" She said sighing heavily.
"Just... get it out of your systems for f%$&'s sake! We have more important things to deal with." She stated.
He quickly fondled your breasts and then stepped back. Looking from side to side and all around. With no signs of anything he shrugs and says, "Thanks for that!" His smile turns to a big grin and then he rushes ahead into the dragon domicile. You can tell he might be just having a great joke but maybe not!
He enjoyed it and he played it off as a joke.
The dragon domicile is strangely empty. You know that many of the members had a dragon or two! Sly, Arthur's bronze dragon, was not in his roost. Though Seves was waiting patiently for Morrigan. Eventually you find Sly in one of the back rooms, furthest from any exit. He is cuddling a dragon egg, doing his best to keep it warm. He had pulled blankets and such but obviously that was not enough. It is strange he is not in his roost, that is where the dragons have always stayed and never moved about before...
He walks up to Sly putting up his hands and asks calmly, "How's it going brother? Do I need to get some more blankets for the egg?"
---
Looking at Arthur you can tell this bothers him too. Moreso that Sly is in such a state. He was coded to always be happy, playful, and energetic. Something was more wrong than Arthur knew.
Arthur would go tap Sly along his side and give a few comforting side hugs once next to Sly's neck. Letting the dragon to continue walking.
On the exiting platform he waited and then mounted easily.
He sorrowfully raises his head and shakes it side to side, "No brother, no need. I tried to warm him or her up. Though I think it was already too late! A sad tragedy that one of our own has suffered such neglect!"
He slowly gets up and lethargically steps forward. Leaving the egg alone.
"Let us be into the sky and away from such sorrow." Sly states and walks slowly with Arthur by him accepting any touch or hug given to him.
---
On the platform of exiting he slips on his 'backpack' which has a saddle on it too. Then slumps to the floor waiting for Arthur to mount.
"You're done? Okay good." Mórrígan said with a roll of her eyes. Then he played it off as a joke and she simply shrugged and thought 'Each their own in this type of change...'
When they entered the stables and found Sly and the egg in such a state Mórrígan's heart hurt. She let Arthur and Sly go before slipping in and laying her cheek against the egg's shell. She needed to know just how cold it was, she had to know if it was too far gone. But if there was just a chance, she had something that would help.
While Mórrígan was busy with the egg, and Arthur was getting Sly ready, onto the platform landed Windrider, scales gleaming like shards of ice upon the ocean.
Landing gracefully, yet hard enough for a creature of her size, she breathed out, and stepped foreword. "The skies sing differently. The wind doesn't feel right..." Windrider spoke as she stepped close to Sly. "Others... I cannot find them... Not even the egg's mother."
The egg feels like it has a faint warmth to it... it is too close to tell. You could try!
"We will investigate, thank you for looking. It doesn't make sense. Where would have they all gone?" The bronze dragon says in response obviously perturbed he doesn't know and at the whole situation.
Confidently he states, "We will find out, though I fear we are in a completely different world. Windrider would you gear up, I believe Morrigan will be with us in just a moment."
With the others talked Mórrígan took a fine woven pouch out and stepped into the main area of the room, walking up to a brazier full of sand. She dumped the chalky yellow powder of the bag into the sand and mixed it together. After a moment the sand bust into a warm flame.
"Arthur! come here. I need a second pair of hands." Mórrígan called out.
When he made his way over he found the brazier alight. "Before they announced the game was to be shut down I bought a thing of firepowder... I was going to see about breeding Windrider and getting an egg. If we can get the egg into the brazier we might be able to save it, at least for eight hours... I know where to get more." She explained.
Hearing Morrigan he quickly dismounted. Going back to the room he would help as per her instructions.
With the egg placed within the warm flame and among the sand there was little else you could do for 8 hours. Though you would need to track down more if you didn't have more.
"I only had one pouch of that." Mórrígan told him. "Though I know where it can be bought, and where it can be harvested but I an not one of the skilled who can harvest it."
With that Mórrígan walked back with Arthur to their dragons and got Windrider ready, then mounted her dragon. "Shall we?" Mórrígan asked Arthur, letting him choose if he wanted to take the lead.
"Let us hope that the place you bought it is still there! So is it a naturally occurring substance?" He asks with interest.
Upon Sly he waves forward indicating you to lead, saying with grace, "Ladies first!"
The flight takes you through a waterfall after the initial plummet. Out past the waterfall you see that it drops hundreds of feet. That waterfall is not alone. It is like the Niagara falls. With your guildhall standing upon the precipice like a gleaming emerald. The sun is out and the only wind comes off the falls themselves. The updraft makes it easy for the dragons to ascend.
Above your guild hall you see floating islands all around. Some are as massive as a mountain. Though they float they don't seem to move. Some 700 or 800 feet you find another set of waterfalls that fill the water about your guildhall. Though the wet plains still extend past this set of waterfalls.
There is no obvious village or town within sight. Gaining height you still don't see any signs of civilization.
Motioning to land on one of the few small hill sized floating islands, he asks, "So any suggestions on where we should go?"
Mórrígan sighed as she shook her head. "This place isn't like how I remember. I can't even begin to thing of anywhere that might be the same as it was. The cities might be gone, anything we knew before could have changed." She pointed out.
"That powder will last for eight hours, but we will need more... And I don't know if anywhere will be selling it now." Mórrígan explained. "If we try to find the closest city, or well what was the closest, maybe we can get a new map?"
"I am going to try to use one of my skills: Knowledge history. Hopefully it can enlighten me to what the character should know?" He states the question hoping that it might work.
"No... nothing comes to mind the way you would think it would in the game. Let me pull out my scrolls." He opens his satchel at his side and thumbs through the papers there. "No nothing that could be helpful in this situation. Looking through the vault may give us some items that would be useful, do you want to head in one direction or look through the vault?" He asks but then quickly decides to make the decision for both of you. He knew how it was all organized and likely where a scrying crystal ball and other items might be. "I will go through the vault and I will send Sly to the South to look for a village or something. Why don't you head North?"
Mórrígan nodded in agreement with Arthur's choice. "Do you have a way to contact me if you find something before I do?" She asked. "I don't think the chats will work." Mórrígan pointed out.
"How far North do you want me to go? Should we meet back at the guild or do you want to meet back here?" Mórrígan asked.
"What chat?" He says and then chuckles. Sighing and then answering, "No, not now. I think there might be other useful items in the vault. It is full of items that people left around the guildhall." Then he stops and thinks. "Four hours. Take four hours and find someplace to buy that stuff. Sly you will be doing the same. I will be here. No time to waste find what we need and come back. Four hours of traveling at the most, then come back. From a good altitude you should be able to see to the East and West for miles. Especially since it is night."
With that said he nods to you and says, "For Dragon's Glory and that unborn dragon! May the wind help you on your path!" Then he quickly mounts up on Sly.
Sly dives down first and then swoops back to the guild house. You see him drop off Sly once above the guild hall and drops to one of the platforms, about a 100 foot drop. Then he lands on his feet and quickly enters.
Sly flies off to the South, waving a bit with his wing first.