Entrance, The Emperor’s Ascent - 8:20 AM

  The doors leading into the Empire State building were open but led into a black void. Despite this, no one hesitated to walk inside. This was the path we were directed to take and the odds of the administrators deciding to kill us outright were slim. Not zero because they were always actively plotting against us, but slim nonetheless.

  Once I stepped through the inky black portal, I was struck by a sight of pure beauty. A large mountain of gray stone with patches of green trees lorded over the landscape. Stairs and buildings wound all the way to the top. The sky above it was filled with more stars than the night sky normally held, though the constellations pertaining to the Zodiac were easily seen even when an Aurora Borealis covered some of them.

  I walked through the evergreen trees, enjoying the slight breeze. There was evidence that my team had come through here with footsteps on the sandy trail and ash from Corwin. It helped that there was only one path forward, I just followed it. While it may have had some twists and turns to make it seem natural, it still clearly led to the mountain.

  <<<>>>

  [[Patron Quest: Safe Zone Operator!]]

  Okay, Ant. It’s nearly time. I’ve got three quests a day, and I’m ready to use them when I see the opportunity to dish out the highest paying ones. Here’s the first one that takes over the first part of the scenario.

  Aries, the Ram. The first of the Zodiac signs you’ll encounter on the Emperor’s Ascent. Like every other section, this one contains eight floors. The first seven are jumbled up, but the last one is always the boss floor.

  Your goal is to clear the first section faster than the other thirteen teams. By doing so, you can take over the first safe zone on the mountain. Then we’ll be able to collect taxes on all goods bought and sold on the Emperor’s Ascent which will help offset the cost of entry. The Zodiac aren’t expecting much from you all yet, but they’ll see soon enough what bringing Sol Ligatus to any scenario means for the competition.

  This is the first step towards total domination. I believe in you all.

  Objective: Clear the Boss Floor before any other faction, securing the safe zone.

  Reward: 40,000 points, upgraded doomed socks.

  <<<>>>

  While I walked, I skimmed through Sara’s quest. All the way until I reached the end and saw the rewards she was offering.

  Then, I stumbled. Not at the points; getting a safe zone the others were forced to use was a huge get. That made sense.

  I focused on the other reward.

  Upgraded doomed socks.

  “Did you find a pair of slightly doomed socks for me?” I exclaimed, looking up at the sky in excitement.

  Back in Etson, I normally would have gone to an auction run by a treasure hunter named Kex Delver. It was held in the mall near the center of our city, and it was a big event that I only missed because I went to Stanley to find Jeff for Kayla.

  Worth it, honestly.

  Kex Delver was a purveyor of slightly cursed items. Everything he sold had some small issue with them. A scepter that created clouds but also caused your body to glow pink, an outrageously powerful sword you had to pump up like an inflatable toy, or a monocle that let you see other people’s stats but also allowed others to see yours. Useful, with just a little bit of a quirk.

  None of the items were really why I went, but I used it as an opportunity to network with Kex and get on his list of customers. Something I hadn’t needed since the Dealer was working with me. To get his attention, I still needed to purchase something. That something was the Wool Socks of Doom.

  The Wool Socks of Doom were a pair of black crew socks that, once you put them on, they could only come off after you were dead. There were certain items, abilities, or skills that overrode the curse, but there was no reason to take them off after you put them on. They came with Comfort Plus, the best thing the system created since Sara.

  No matter what state they were in, they were perfectly clean and comfortable. In sock form, it was like your feet were constantly encased in the most delightful fabric known to man. Not too hot, not too cold, never wet or smelly, and always pristine.

  <<<>>>

  [[Patron Message]]

  Wow, you’re really happy about that, aren’t you? Seeing you so excited is a real treat. They were worth bargaining for.

  And it’s very unlikely that they’re the same pair you would have bought in Etson but, yes, I do have a pair of doomed socks for you. There’s plenty of Patrons here that are willing to trade for this or that. When I saw that they were being offered, I knew I had to get them for you.

  For motivation, see. You only get them if you’re the first to the safe zone, got it? You better be, otherwise I’m going to give them to Skuld so Kayla can have them. She already has that Comfort Plus bra, so I know she’s someone who can appreciate it.

  <<<>>>

  “Don’t you dare,” I whispered, giving the sky a quick look. “We’re going to make it to the safe zone first. Mark my words.

  <<<>>>

  [[Patron Message]]

  Then you’ve better get going. 8:30 sharp is just a few minutes away.

  <<<>>>

  At her words, I started rushing down the path until I came to a clearing. I was met with a campsite with a fire pit, plenty of logs to sit on, and a large television that was showing Baltastasia’s speech. My guild members were sitting around, eating hot dogs and burgers from a grill that was set up so that even the cook could watch what was happening. Even Corwin was getting a rare treat of people food.

  “Our great leader returns!” Jeff announced, throwing an arm out.

  “Yes, I’m here, and I need…” I trailed off, looking at the confused looks I got for stopping. With a smile, I nodded towards the grill. “A burger. Only got a few minutes, and we’re going in hard and fast, right?”

  “Yeah!” Jeff and Mercury yelled.

  I put my burger together with telekinesis as I walked to the campfire. While I could try to rush the guild through the first section, breaking every record I had done myself in previous runs, they deserved better than that. If it looked like we were going to have problems, then I’d push harder for sure, but I trusted them to go through it efficiently.

  It wasn’t hard to hide my eagerness behind my food after Pulling the completed burger to me. It was big, juicy, and cooked just right. I took a moment to calm down, and then another moment because the first one hadn’t worked. My eyes kept turning to the mountain, waiting for the game to start.

  I needed those socks.

  “Did you all enjoy the show?” I asked, nodding towards the television when I managed to calm myself.

  The administrator was still talking, but someone had muted it before I arrived. There were captions on the bottom, though, because of course Baltastasia wouldn’t allow herself to be completely silenced by everyone. She continued to speak in an animated manner.

  “The host is kind of disappointing,” Kayla said. “Something about the way she talks about how everything bad is someone else’s fault.”

  “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting some kind of idol as the one in charge. Normally I’d be pretty excited about that, but, eh,” Mercury said with a shrug. “I saw the guy running Pittsburgh once early on, and he looked nothing like her. The administrators are pretty varied, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” I replied. “Sometimes ones in the same area will take on the same characteristics, like Frastina and Benedict Merder, but from what I’ve seen they’re capable of taking on all kinds of shapes and sizes. Not all of them are humanoid, either, though having thumbs is generally better than not having thumbs.”

  “I kind of expected you to tell more of your secrets out there,” Jamie added. “But I suppose the whole point was to get more eyes on us. Promising that we’ve got secrets is one way to do that.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “We’ve all got secrets, we’re just much more interesting than everyone else is,” I insisted.

  “And whose shitty standards are you basing that off of?” Ash scoffed.

  “Everyone’s,” I answered, gesturing towards her with the remains of my burger. “Do you not find what you do interesting? The Monstersmith, she who crafts with monster parts, boring? How could you possibly be when you’re one of the greatest workers in the world?”

  “Don’t you butter me up, psychic boy,” she spat back. Her eyes narrowed as she pointed back at me. “And don’t you use me to mix up some fucking drama or whatever.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said with a smile, taking another bite of my burger.

  The Monstersmith rolled her eyes and turned away from me. I quickly scarfed down the rest before walking towards the stairs leading at the foot of the mountain. They were smooth and uniform with railings on either side leading up to the first building, which looked like it had been carved out of a cliff face. A warning popped up when I got close.

  <<<>>>

  [[Notice]]

  The Emperor’s Ascent has not started yet. You will not be allowed to climb the stairs until it has.

  <<<>>>

  “Wasn’t going to. I’m just looking,” I muttered at the text box as I swiped it away.

  “Almost time, right?” Kayla asked as she and Jeff approached. Corwin came with them, and he pushed his head against my hand.

  “Almost time,” I confirmed as I pet the Evolution Hound. His tail started wagging as I turned around, switching hands so he wasn’t without pets. “Alright, everyone, gather ‘round.”

  Those still eating put the food in their inventories with Ashley grabbing what was left on the grill for later. Bethany was the first to run over, calling Corwin with a clap of her hands. He trotted over to her, and she climbed back on top of him, scratching his neck all the while. The dog’s tongue hung out of the side of his mouth, happy with the attention.

  Ash, Jamie, and Mercury joined us, and I put my hands on my hips. “Alright, so I’ve got a quest from my Patron that we’re to be the first one to clear the Aries floors,” I said, not letting my excitement over the upgraded Wool Socks of Doom take over my tone. “Now, I’m all for blowing through these floors as much as anyone, but we’ve got Ash and Bethany here with us, so we’re going for safety just as much as we are efficiency.”

  “How are we supposed to compete with all the regular factions that have a hundred people in them?” Mercury asked.

  “By being the best at what we do,” Jamie answered for me. “I’m more surprised that there’s a crossdressing Orc that’s all on their own.”

  “That’s Ross, he’s a magical girl,” I said. “And he’s going to be just fine. The guy’s a literal super hero, so, he’s going to do as well as one. As for actually answering Mercury’s question… Jamie did a fine job. They’re probably also going to tone things down so those of us without a few platoons worth of bodies don’t get trampled first thing.”

  “Boss, do you really think it’s safe to assume those kinds of things considering you’re the Warmonger and all that?” Jeff asked.

  “Safe? Definitely not. But no matter what’s in these buildings, we’re going to deal with it whether it’s meant for a hundred people or seven people and a dog,” I said. Corwin walked back up to me, and I started petting him. He knew I was talking about him now that he could understand me. That was one of the great things to come out of grabbing the third item of the Warmongering Mystic set.

  <<<>>>

  [[Notice]]

  You are wearing multiple Items from the Warmongering Mystic set. You will receive the following set bonus.

  Two Items: Increase your Mental Point pool by 50.

  Three Items: You can comprehend the speech of any creature with some level of intelligence even if you don’t speak the language, and they are able to understand you in return. This ability does not work through a medium.

  <<<>>>

  “Because you can clear floors all on your own, can’t you, Corwin?” I cooed, rubbing his face with both hands. “Are you looking forward to evolving into your next form soon? Are you gonna get even bigger so more people can pet you?”

  The dog’s wagging tail became so intense that Bethany, who was still riding him, had to lean forward to stay stable. Based on her smile, though, it didn’t concern her much.

  “We’re all very excited to see what his next evolution’s going to look like,” Jeff said, his tone matching his words.

  Evolution Hounds like Corwin lived up to their name by eating skill books. Once they became powerful enough, which was usually after their owners reached a certain threshold, they could evolve their forms as well. Right now, the yellow labradoodle was in a form called a Black Dog, which was similar to a Church Grim.

  The end goal was to turn him into a Cerberus, which was two forms away, with the next step being a Hell Hound. I knew that the Dealer had already procured what Jeff needed to make sure his dog evolved the way we wanted him to, and it was nearly time for it to happen. Just a few more mobs and a boss or three should get him to where we needed him to be.

  I was just about to speak again when the moment we were waiting for arrived.

  <<<>>>

  [[Emperor’s Ascent Quest 2 Complete]]

  Congrats, you followed instructions again. Enjoy your 100 points.

  Reward: 100 points.

  [[Emperor’s Ascent Master Quest]]

  The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here, and the Emperor’s Ascent is finally beginning!

  While most of you are chomping at the bit to throw yourselves headlong into danger, there are a few rules you need to know. That’s what this Master Quest screen is for. You’re going to get a quest for every floor, but you can come back to this screen to get the general gist of everything, including a breakdown of each section.

  The constellations you’ll be traveling through are in this order:

  Aries

  Taurus

  Gemini

  Cancer

  Leo

  Virgo

  Libra

  Scorpio

  Sagittarius

  Capricorn

  Aquarius

  Pisces

  As you travel ever upwards towards the top of the mountain, you’ll come across several rooms. Every constellation is randomized, except that the boss floor is going to be the last one in every section. These are the different rooms that you can expect.

  Puzzle Room: This room can be completed by simply solving the puzzle within. The complexity varies based on the Zodiac whose section you’re in, as they had a big hand in creating them. Difficulty varies greatly.

  Stealth Room: To succeed, simply reach the end of the area or accomplish a goal without the alarm being raised. How you do this will be up to you, as there are traditional means of stealth and then there’s leaving no survivors to be alerted. If you are caught, the room resets. If you are caught three times, then you are left to deal with the consequences.

  Monster Room: Between 3 to 7 waves of monsters will be thrown at you, culminating in a boss fight at the end. Corpses cannot be looted, but points will be gained as normal.

  Gatherer’s

  Room: The largest of the rooms, there will be several mobs small and large as well as neutral animals and creatures in the area. These will be determined by the current constellation, and each one will have thematic Roaming Bosses on the prowl as well as a Field Boss. You will always know where the exit is, but once you leave you may not return. Make sure there’s no loot left behind or it shall be lost forever.

  Cooperative Room: Team up with another faction to complete a thematic task. Aggressive actions cannot be taken by either party except towards enemies. The quest is over once the task is complete.

  Competitive Room: Compete against another faction in a battle decided by the Zodiac Patron. This could be to complete jobs faster than others, race through courses, or simply to fight. This comes with a safety feature, but it may be turned off when certain circumstances are met.

  Co-op and PvP Extra Rule: Both of these require two participating factions. If one team is ready when the other isn’t, they won’t have to wait until the other comes across the door naturally. If you come across either of these rooms, the Emperor’s Ascent will automatically turn the second faction’s next room into a copy of yours. This prevents long waits, and will work between constellations.

  Story Room: There are so many tales on your planet, and these rooms hold reenactments of fictitious events close to the theme of the constellation. Complete the stories either by their original means or by shaking things up.

  Boss Room: The final room of every constellation, this holds a Scenario Boss. Every Zodiac Patron has a choice to either make this boss Dormant or Awakened at their discretion. Tampering on this level comes with different rewards, whether it’s in time saved, loot, or increased points, and you’ll know at the doorway ahead of time.

  Sol Ligatus Rule: Our newest faction has taken on the role of the sun! All players in whichever faction belongs to the constellation Sol Ligatus is currently in gains a 10% bonus to all stats. This buff starts when they enter the first room and continues until the boss is slain in the eighth.

  Now, I know that’s a lot of information, but just keep climbing and everything will be fine. Not everyone is a combatant, and not everyone needs to join every room. After Aries, there will be a listed minimum and a maximum for every challenge while others can wait in the safe zone.

  There are three tiers of safe zones to look forward to, spread out between the constellations. I’ll talk more about that once you’ve cleared the first section.

  Good luck, now.

  Objective: Climb to the top of the mountain.

  Reward: Variable.

  <<<>>>

  “That’s… a lot of text,” Jeff said slowly.

  “Read it while you climb,” I said, already on my way up.

  “I have trouble reading normally, now you want me to do it on the stairs?” Jeff asked with a chuckle, but followed me along with everyone else.

  Squinting, I looked at the first door we’d be coming across. Absolute Awareness gave me vision ten times better than the normal person, and I could easily make out the patterns I was looking for.

  “Monster room first, folks!” I announced. “Get ready for combat!”