The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel was like an unwanted flashbang.
Darian stepped out of the portal warily while blinking at the sudden brightness, his blade held in his left hand, and his eyes scanning for any other sort of weirdness like what he’d already experienced. In the stories, the portal always, always ended in something terrible. No slavering den of hellish hordes greeted him, shockingly, but the sun did, and it was horribly bright after the throne room.
A moment of further adjustment kept him blinking, and he tried to look around to find his bearings. He’d come out of the portal onto a rolling plain, lit by the sun at an unknown time of day. There appeared to be some sort of forest immediately to his right, and a distant silhouette of a wall to his left.
The moment he noted both, his vision was filled with multiple notifications.
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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<td>
Achievement Earned: My First Steps
Congratulations, Traveler, and welcome to the world of Eternus!
Your adventure awaits you within a dynamic, living world of infinite possibility. Your actions alone dictate your destiny from this moment on.
Will you be the conquering hero? An enterprising merchant? A storied archmage? There are no set or standard Paths to Power in Eternus Online. Your only limitation is your own ambition!
We look forward to seeing where your adventure leads, and wish you the very best of luck!
Eternus Entertainment
</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
“I wonder if that was delayed by what happened with Lilith…” he murmured to himself in thought. He’d always found speaking his problems or questions out loud more soothing, since it broke the at-times uncomfortable silence of isolation. “Should’ve gotten that way sooner, otherwise. I’ll have to ask her about it.” Darian resolved as he swiped away the notification to view the next one in line.
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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<td>
You have yet to select your name in Eternus, and your name has been defaulted to ‘Darian’.
Would you like to change this name now?
WARNING: You may only have 1 name change!
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<td style="text-align: center">
YES
</td>
<td style="text-align: center">
NO
</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
</td>
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</table>
He stared at the follow-up alert in consideration, and frowned to himself.
A new name? That was a difficult choice. He didn’t mind playing as himself, but then again, there was no telling how utterly insane people would get in the game. It could very well be the same issue some famous early VRMMO legends faced, where they were hounded by fans. They had even been sent death threats, and had to deal with stalkers and worse.
Darian frowned to himself and then nodded slightly at his own reasoning.
A new name would be a good cloak with which to shield himself. He’d probably need a mask, too, or some sort of appearance change to ensure he wasn’t easily identifiable purely based on his features. He hadn’t exactly made himself that distinct.
Decision made, he lifted his right hand and tapped ‘YES’.
Almost instantly, a new window appeared, showing a blank box, a keyboard symbol, and a microphone symbol for his use. Either he could input the name manually, or he could speak it. That was useful and showed good judgement on the part of the developers, too. Accessibility was great.
Darian fell into quiet consideration thereafter while he pondered what to name himself. He usually went for names like ‘Lightseeker’, ‘Sunblade’, and other such fanciful and righteous monikers. He’d exhausted every combination of ‘Dawn’ and variations of ‘Sword’ in one game, after being perma-killed repeatedly by player-killing guilds. He hesitated, though, for obvious reasons, and a wry glance down at his new runeblade reminded him that such a name would be ironic at best, and very likely wholly idiotic.
Lilith wanted him to build her something. Lilith reminded him of an Olympian.
Olympus. Greece. He hesitated, and then shook his head.
“Not going to call myself Achilles, what sort of asshole would do that?”
His lips downturned, and he pondered further.
He had always been fascinated by the evolution of the Olympian Faith and its spread to Rome, as well as how the Republic and later the Empire had integrated the pantheon. He wasn’t a scholar, but he certainly had a mix of functional and fantastical understanding about Rome. More than that, the Liber Nox was Lilith’s symbol of power—and he hadn’t missed the pseudo-Latin in the item’s name.
A slight grin split his lips, and he could already hear watching people—assuming he ever streamed—complaining about ‘yet another Romeaboo’.
Darian couldn’t have given less of a shit.
His hand raised, and he quickly tapped the keyboard icon to make his input.
After he was done, he hit the ‘Confirm’ button.
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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<td>
Achievement Earned: What’s in a name?
Your name has been successfully changed to ‘Romulus’.
Welcome to Eternus, Romulus.
Your legend awaits.
</td>
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</table>
Romulus, as he was now known and would need to think of himself, smiled in satisfaction. He’d always liked the old ‘legend’ of the founding of Rome, and it held good parallels for what it was Lilith had tasked him with doing. Romulus. It had a great ring to it. Just as he raised his hand to dismiss the screen, something stopped him, and he looked down to the sword still clutched by the sheath in his left hand.
A sensation akin to need echoed into his mind from the blade, and he raised his eyebrows. Surprised and intrigued, Romulus instinctively pulled the sword from its scabbard and stared at the dark steel of the weapon.
Immediately, that sense of need pulsed again and Romulus frowned at the runeblade in perplexion.
It seemed to want something from him, though he couldn’t tell what it was.
“Are you just wanting something to stab?” he asked, going for the obvious first.
A small pulse of agreement came from the weapon, but somehow he knew that was a general agreement more than a specific answer to its need. It still wanted something else. How he knew that, Romulus couldn’t even explain to himself, but know it he did.
“Okay well if you aren’t looking to stab people, what else could you want? You aren’t dirty, you’re definitely not lacking in the sharpness department…” he frowned as a thought slithered into his mind unbidden, and then he glanced up at the achievement he’d just gotten.
All good blades have names. He remembered from some book or another.
“Do you want a name?” Romulus asked and looked back down to the sword.
This time, the pulse of agreement was a powerful and clear affirmation.
“Hm… I’m not great with names. I normally choose heroic paladin ones…”
The blade pulsed its dissatisfaction and disgust, and Romulus smiled wryly.
“Yeah, that seems really inappropriate for something with the name ‘Revenant’.”
The sword pulsed in agreement.
“How about Darktooth?”
The sword pulsed heavily in discontentment.
“Okay, uh, what about Blightcaller?”
Another pulse of discontent, though this was lighter.
“Hm,” Romulus said with consideration. “We’re getting closer… Uh, Dawnkiller?”
A more neutral pulse followed the suggestion.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Definitely things to do with killing paladins and light users then, I suppose.”
The blade pulsed with enthusiastic agreement to both sentiments.
"Not sure what that means for me, but it’s not like Lilith hid the expectations,” Romulus said wryly.
The runeblade pulsed in tacit approval.
“Mm…” Romulus said with a hum of consideration. “Does it need to be one word?”
A negative pulse made his eyes brighten. He had some room to play, then.
“So it could even be, like, a primary word or name and then an extended title?”
A confirmation pulse rippled from the sword and Romulus nodded with growing enthusiasm, while a name percolated within his mind. It was edgy, ridiculous, and cheesy—but the late 1900s, early 2000s alt-rock fan in him urged him onward.
“I think I’ve got it.”
When he’d first drawn the sword, Romulus had realised that the sunlight seemed to very nearly slide away from the blade, as if it refused to be illuminated by it. The subtle aura of darkness, in fact, was palpable while he stared at it. The name of the sword would need to exemplify its nature, its purpose, and its origins.
Thankfully, a lifetime of Fantasy novels had prepared him well for that.
“I think we’re going to name you ‘Lightsbane, Retribution of the Dark Lady’.”
The sword pulsed once with fierce approval, and a flash of black fire covered it.
When the flames cleared, several scarlet runes blazed near the base of the dark steel of the blade proper, marching up from the crossguard. Even without knowing the language, Romulus could understand what they represented.
Lightsbane, Retribution of the Dark Lady.
“I guess that’s that, then. I’ll call you ‘Lightsbane’ or ‘Bane’ for short.”
Another hum of approval followed, and Romulus used [Examine].
Name: Lightsbane, Retribution of the Dark Lady
Type: Revenant Runeblade (Soulbound)
Rarity: Epic
Slot(s): Main Hand, Off-Hand, Two-Handed
Tier: 1
Description: Revenant Runeblades are one of the most feared and powerful creations in the history of Eternus. Once wielded by the Revenant-King and Death Knights of his Court, these storied blades brought fear and hope in equal measure to the peoples of Eternus.
Durability: 100 / 100
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 500">5 Strength</li>
<li style="font-weight: 500">5 Intelligence</li>
<li style="font-weight: 500">5 Vitality</li>
<li style="font-weight: 500">10% Spell Potency with Dark Mana</li>
</ul>
Special Effect(s): Revenant Runeblades evolve in power as they are fed Essence.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 500">Tier 1 (1/1 Essence): First Evolution — Attunement</li>
<li style="font-weight: 500">Tier 2 (0/10 Essence): Second Evolution — Potency</li>
</ul>
Romulus nodded to himself as he read over the sword’s stats. The moment he did, he also noticed the subtle dark aura vanished from the blade. For good measure, he took the time to properly belt the sheath around his waist afterward instead of carrying it, and adjusted it carefully so it wouldn’t impede him while running or walking.
Once he was satisfied, he jogged back and forth a little, and then nodded.
“Your sheath is pretty nice, though way more plain than I thought it’d be.”
Lightsbane pulsed indifference, though seeds of annoyance were present.
“Well, at least it stops the ominous shadows. It’s more subtle this way, rather than walking around with a menacing sword announcing my presence.”
Disagreement came from Lightsbane, and he snorted.
“Agree to disagree, then.”
A pulse of acceptance was returned and Romulus shook his head,
Satisfied with his choices for himself and the blade, he dismissed the alert with a swipe of his hand—and then looked at the final one remaining.
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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<td style="text-align: center">
Quest Complete: Fate of the Dark Lady
After meeting the Dark Lady in her prison, you were presented with the choice to free her and pursue the path of being her Autarch, or ignore her plight and doom her to Entropy.
Whether wise or not, you chose to give your allegiance to She of the End, and are now on the path to becoming her Autarch on Eternus.
In the process, you have managed to make enemies of almost every other Power, major and minor, that dwells on Eternus. The Dark Lady has also sent out a summons to her most loyal, and they will begin to find their way to your location.
While now considered a Heretic and Harbinger of Doom in most parts of Eternus, you have also earned rewards for your actions on the Dark Lady’s behalf.
</td>
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Difficulty: S+
Success: Variable
Failure: N/A
Rewards: For freeing the Dark Lady, you have been awarded the following:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Experience: 10,000</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Effect: [Mark of the Dark Lady] (Passive Effect)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Skill: [Dark Mana Channelling] (Active Skill)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Skill: [Swordsmanship] (Active Skill)</li>
</ul>
</td>
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</table>
The moment Romulus finished reading the rewards, he felt something building—a visceral feeling like that which preceded a lightning bolt filled him, and Romulus felt goosebumps break out across his skin.
A second later, a tidal wave of energy erupted through his body.
Romulus arched his back and opened his mouth in a strangled scream, enveloped by dark flames that locked his muscles, immolated his nerves, and left him insensate in the middle of the grassy plain. Pure power saturated his body, roaring around and within him in tandem, while a mind-altering blend of pain and pleasure sent him into a state of near-overload.
After ten full seconds that felt like an eternity, it was over, and he staggered backwards with a heaving breath—panting for air despite the immediate fading of sensation, and haggardly noticing another screen that had popped up the second the energy surrounding his body dissipated.
With a feeling that mixed bewilderment and rage, Romulus read it.
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SYSTEM MESSAGE
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Achievement Earned: You’re gonna go far, kid!
Congratulations, Romulus! You have achieved what no other Traveler has ever managed!
Through providence, persecution, or perhaps both; you are the first to reach and pass level 10 on your first day!
While this alone may seem unimpressive, you have done so with less than 5 minutes of time in Eternus!
You now hold the record for time to level 10 at 00.01 Hours!
Congratulations, and keep up the great work!
</td>
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<td>
Rewards: For managing a hitherto unheard of rate of progression, you have earned:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Experience: 1,000</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Title: Prodigy</li>
</ul>
</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
Romulus stared at the alert, and then snorted out a mirthless laugh while dismissing it.
The moment he did, another surge of energy built within his body, though this time it was comparatively infinitesimal. Black flames of a far smaller quantity rolled across him in a wave, and Romulus felt his limbs tingling as energy suffused them. When it was done, he blinked and wiggled his fingers.
That had been much better. He’d barely felt a thing.
More than that, it had cleared his mind of his prior mild disorientation, and he could more clearly consider the implications of what had happened thus far.
He immediately realized that his suspicions about the Dark Lady’s event not counting as ‘arriving’ in Eternus, or potentially that she had done something to invalidate that playtime, had been accurate. That raised even more questions, such as how he was playing the game without technically playing the game during her encounter, and why the System could still send him alerts and prompts, but wasn’t counting it toward his ‘arrival’ time.
Eternus Online was Eternus Online.
It could be as simple as ‘continent’ counted as ‘start’, but if that was the case…
Romulus shook his head and sighed, looking up at the sky with another squint.
“I can fall into this rabbit hole later,” he muttered. “At least I got something out of it. It’s nice to start any game with a bit of a power boost.”
Lightsbane pulsed its agreement as well.
Romulus patted the sword and considered the screen again.
He had always liked hunting achievements in many of the games he’d played, and while Eternus Online seemed like an altogether different experience, he wasn’t about to complain about new milestones—even if the process of acquisition hurt like hell. Or, felt too good? There was a point where pain and pleasure became inseparable, and given Lilith seemed like exactly the kind of being to relish in that dichotomy… Well, he wasn’t going to think about that in too much detail, either.
“Alright, now I can—”
When the next screen popped up mid-sentence, he sighed in resignation.
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Quest Issued: Autarch of the Dark Lady
You have successfully freed the Dark Lady from her prison and been rewarded for your efforts. Now, however, you must take the next steps on your path.
She of the End has tasked you with finding the [Liber Nox], her holy book and the tome of scripture for the true Faith of the Dark Lady.
You must enter the Necropolis of the last Revenant-King, pass its trials, and retrieve the tome in order to gain the power of the Dark Lady’s Autarch.
WARNING: This quest cannot be refused. Failure of this quest will result in permanent death.
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Difficulty: C+
Success: Claim the [Liber Nox].
Failure: Die.
Rewards: Should you succeed, you will receive:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Item: [Liber Nox]</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Title: Autarch of the Dark Lady</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">[Hidden Reward]</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">[Hidden Reward]</li>
</ul>
</td>
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