Chapter 18: Book 1, Chapter 18: Painful Destiny

He had been wandering the game world in a daze for what felt like an eternity. All sense of self had been lost after the corruption, with only dreamlike impressions of what used to be memories to rely on. The only strong memory he could fall back on was his failure to complete that damnable quest on time.

A feeling of perpetual inadequacy clouded every vague thought as he followed scant traces of another like him. The traces, like breadcrumbs, pointed him in the direction of someone that appeared during his corruption. There were moments during his travels that made him feel clearer—more whole. There were fights. There were battles of life and death. What these moments were the majority of the time, however, were murders.

Whenever something or someone crossed his path, the only thing that felt true to him was his rage and thirst for violence. The cause was unknown to him, but those moments helped focus his mind and self. He didn't even have a name anymore, and his grotesque, mutated form was only a bare resemblance to whom he had once been.

The fighting, the carnage, and the traces he followed were all he knew and thought he needed to know. When he eventually came upon the source of those traces, it was like a part of himself that he once knew unlocked. One of his most extraordinary abilities found its way back to him. After using it, he had been so close to vanquishing the source of those traces.

Yet, there were moments looking at this source where this being reminded him of something important—something he couldn't recall but wanted desperately to. The being and his friends had been hurting him. He didn't know why they were and wanted the pain to stop. All he could think to do to end the pain was to end them.

He was so close to finishing one of them, too, when a floating ball appeared in front of him. In his mind, it needed to end along with the person under his ax. The annoying floating orb would feel the full force of his strength if it kept interrupting him. As he reached back to deliver a brutal swipe, he noticed something in the center of the ball.

It had…eyes; they were looking at him. A hazy memory surfaced as he gazed into the ball's pleading eyes. A memory of a great battle. A dragon with many arms and fire breathing. The floating ball was there, and...she got hurt badly.

More of the memory came to him now. She was a friend, a best friend—his best friend. He needed to save her, to bring her back to life so they could be companions again. That's right. He did everything he could to find someone to help her—to fix her.

The returning memories still amounted to nothing more than fragments he struggled to piece together. He still couldn't remember anything about himself either. Still, he could remember her, enough to help refocus him—even if just a little.

He tried to speak, but his mouth felt heavy and awkward. He wanted to say a word—a name. Her eyes were so warm and full of affection for him. Without blinking, he focused on the warped muscles controlling his mouth to say what he wanted her to hear.

"Liz," he said with a croak.

The floating ball nudged closer to him, her sparkling gaze steady.

"I'm glad you remembered me, you big softy." She couldn't physically smile, but he could tell she was.

It made him want to smile too. With tears streaming down his warped face, he repaid her warmth with a big smile of his own. While his mind was still focused, he ripped the ax from the person's arms who had been kneeling before him. The person cried out in pain and fell over, but he no longer cared about that and looked away.

The being the traces led him to was to his left, with its mouth gaping open in disbelief. He thought about saying something to this familiar person that…Liz was with. In the end, all he could do was give this person an easy smile as if saying everything was going to be okay.

A moment later, he used his ax to cut through the entirety of his neck effortlessly. His head hit the ground with a thud and rolled, so his own body was in view. As he watched his body begin to crumble and his vision darken, his last thoughts were of gratitude toward the being who would now keep Liz safe.

Shane could only stare in shock as he watched the man's bulky form topple over into a heap. Without missing a beat, he immediately ran over to Alabaster, who was bleeding heavily from both of his arms having been split open. He tried gingerly shaking him to see if he was still conscious.

"Alabaster! We need to get you some help! What can I do?"

The vampire weakly looked up at Shane, his breathing fast and shallow.

"I will..be alright, Shane. Just help me back to the portal and..send me through it."

Alabaster winced from the pain as Shane helped him to his feet. Sweat dotted the vampire's forehead as Shane helped him walk back to the portal. He glanced to his left and saw Liz, her expression somber.

"I can't believe he, err; I cut off my own head. That whole thing was insane," Shane said aloud to no one in particular.

"I think...he recognized me at the end."

"Can you blame him? I mean, you are pretty damn unforgettable!" said Shane, trying to lift her spirits.

That made her giggle just a little "I got to say goodbye to an old friend, and it's all thanks to the two of you," she said after turning to Shane and Alabaster.

After that, she was silent for the rest of the short walk. Shane wanted to respect her silence and didn't broach the subject again. They arrived at the large glowing portal not much later. Alabaster had been leaning against Shane as they walked, so he was relieved to see his vampire friend could walk on his own—albeit shakily.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Alabaster?" Shane asked uncertainly.

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Alabaster nodded once and faced the portal. "I'll be tip-top shape once I get inside of my coffin and rest a little while. Don't worry about me, you two. Make your way to Krooth and enjoy the city. I'll meet you there in less than a day."

He already sounded a little stronger, and that filled Shane with a mix of joy and relief. Shane nodded to the vampire confidently and waved him off. Alabaster stepped into the portal with a flash of white and blue particles releasing from its buzzing edges.

Shane looked at Liz, and a new window appeared before he could come up with something to comfort her.

-Level 25 (Secret) Emergency Quest Complete!-

Slay A Corrupted Shane (Cane): 1/1

-You Have Earned The Following Rewards-

1680 Exp
5 Gold Coins
80 Silver Coins

-You May Choose (2) of The Following Rewards-

(Unique) Sturdy Plate Repulser of Confusion
Heavy Armor that creates a defensive bubble that explodes

(Rare) Enchanted Acolyte's Staff of Sorcery
A powerful staff that can alter gravitational forces

(Rare) Crusader's Destroyer Bow
Projectiles used with this bow have AoE effects

(Unique) Enigmatic Retribution Ring
Wearing this ring summons something special for an opponent that taunts

(Rare Feat) Phase Roll
A feat allowing the user to bend their bodies into and out of light

(Rare Spell) Sentient Arachnid
This spell lets you summon a powerful ally with unique conditions.

Shane stared at the list of extensive rewards before looking back towards Liz, floating nearby and staring into the portal as if it were an endless void. Seeing this reaction from something like Liz was initially incredible. What Shane witnessed boiled down to artificial intelligence actually feeling emotions, or at least faking it and doing a fantastic job.

Shane temporarily closed the window, walked over, and stared into the admittedly mesmerizing portal with her. That initial amazement at the floating robot's reaction faded as he began feeling sad for her loss. It didn't matter if it was real or fake. He wanted to cheer her up.

He looked at the faceplate housing her eyes. It was dimly lit, and the usual vibrancy of her eyes was missing. Shane pondered what to ask for a moment before finding a question.

"How did you know that previous version of me?"

Without turning to look at him, she replied slowly.

"He was the 20th Shane that the system graced this world with, and I was with him from the beginning.

After waiting a few moments to see if she would elaborate further, Shane spoke up.

"Thank you for helping me, Liz."

Liz giggled softly, and it was music to his ears.

"You have my thanks as well, Shane," said Liz."

He smiled at that and began walking away from the portal towards the road. Liz lagged behind a moment longer.

"You always have, and you always will," she whispered

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