Chapter 1: 1. Error

“Hey you! Worm! Get over here!”

Rhys looked at the grubby old mage with a vacant expression. The man pointed at him with a crooked finger and a nasty grin on his face that revealed the yellow teeth that filled his mouth. Rhys’ feet moved on their own as soon as the enthrallment spell kicked in.

The bare skin on the soles of his feet scraped across the rough ground of the cave as he reached his master. Why is it always me? Rhys thought as he held his left arm out to the mage called Grennell. For the past two years, since the cult had abducted him, his master had drawn blood from him regularly.

Rhys’ face remained emotionless when Grennell cut his arm using the jagged blade in his left hand. He grimaced inside from the pain, but the spell prevented it from showing on his face. A spotless vial slipped under his outright arm to catch the blood, accompanied by a heartless chuckle.

“Good, good! Let’s see if you’re ready for harvesting, hmm?” Grennell said as he waved Rhys away back into the corner.

Rhys could only watch as his master mixed some purplish fluid to his blood before giving it a methodical stir. A small groan from the other corner of the room told Rhys that Zena had woken up from their master’s latest experiment on her. She’s the last one left. Rhys thought with some sadness as he remembered the eleven other kids.

Over time, each one had died or sent away for harvesting. Until only the two of them remained. Rhys was unsure which fate was worse. Since he did not know what harvesting entailed. But from his master’s ramblings about raising the dead, he guessed it was nothing good.

Zena raised her body into a kneeling position as her dark hair fell across her shoulders. Rhys remembered that her hair had been a nice golden colour, but the years of dirt had hidden it from view. He wished he could say something to her, but Grennell only allowed them to speak to him. Even that was only when he needed to know how they felt during an experiment.

“Grennell, have you had any success?”

A woman in her early thirties asked as she stepped into the room. She glanced around the room with mild interest, but a look of disgust appeared on her face when her eyes landed on Rhys.

Rhys stared back at her with his usual blank expression. He took in the sight of her unhealthy complexion contrasting against her black robes. Rage flared in his mind whenever he saw her. He would like nothing more than to wrap his hands around her throat and throttle her to death!

The woman was, of course, the one who had snuck into his bedroom two years ago and carried him off to this hell he was living! At that moment, his master laughed! That sound made a chill run down Rhys’ spine.

“Look at this Merida! The boy is ready to be harvested!”

“Oh! Well, isn’t that good news!” Merida said as she shot a smirk in Rhys’ direction. “That leaves only the girl and then you can join the inner circle.”

Grennell was so pleased with himself he almost choked from laughing too much. Rhys became disappointed when his master breathed normally again and regained his composure. Just my luck. He thought as he watched Merida study the vial that contained his blood.

The concoction had turned an azure colour, which was the sign Grennell had been waiting for. The pair fixed their eyes on Rhys and he knew his faint hopes of being rescued were over.

“I’ll take it from here, Grennell. I’m sure you’ll be eager to get on with your other project.” Merida said as a faint smile played upon her lips while her eyes moved towards Zena. “I’ll make sure they bring your reward to you as soon as the ritual is over.”

“Thank you Merida, you are most generous!” Grennell said as he bowed his head.

“You! Come with me!”

Rhys groaned inside as Merida beckoned for him to follow her. He wanted nothing more than to run away, but the spell forced him to follow her. The sounds of other mages and their slaves drifted out from the rooms they passed as Merida led him through the damp tunnels.

A blinding headache assaulted Rhys from nowhere! What the hell is happening? He thought while being grateful that he could not stop or show the pain he was in on his face.

 

System Log:

Time dilation halted.

Prepping AI for Player interaction.

Autonomous Quest System Activated.

Error in asset “Rhys”.

Initiating workaround.

Removing “Enthralled” Status.

Activating permissions.

Asset responsive to changes.

Workaround successful.

Initiating handshake with Dreamsphere consoles.

Handshake successful.

Launching Nexus Beta Test.

 

As suddenly as it appeared, the headache was gone. Strange images floated in front of Rhys’ eyes as he rubbed his temples. He knitted his brows tightly together as he tried to make sense of what had happened.

Wait! I’m rubbing my head with no orders! Rhys panicked as he quickly lowered his arms before Merida or anyone else noticed. How is this possible? His eyes focused on the red bar that had appeared at the bottom left of his vision. As soon as he did that, a fresh box floated in front of his vision.

 

Name: Rhys

Status: Normal

Race: Eldraen

Class: N/A

Gender: Male

Age: 16

You are reading story The Source://Error at novel35.com

 

Health: 10/10

Power: N/A

Rank: N/A

Next Rank: Be subjected to an Empowered Force.

 

Strength: 1

Physique: 1

Speed: 1

Will: 1

Luck: 1

 

Information flooded Rhys’ brain, giving him an innate understanding of what was happening. A rage greater than anything he had ever felt washed over him as his whole body trembled. I’m just some character in a video game! He had never heard the term before, but he knew what it meant.

He was just a plaything for the people who would play Nexus. His life meant nothing to them or to those who had created his world! His eyes narrowed to small slits as he sorted through the information in his brain.

This world is bigger than I thought. He had just come across the information detailing what kind of game Nexus was. The game was sorted into uncounted worlds called Realms, and the Aether connected all of them.

He had been living in the realm called Vald. Which was one of the five starting realms for new players. It featured a medieval world that hosted three of the five playable Empowered classes. Enhancers, Predators and Mages.

The other two classes, Tinker and Mutant, were unavailable here. However, at some point, the ability to traverse the Aether and explore other realms would become available. If possible, I should try to become an Enhancer. That class seems like it would be the easiest. Rhys thought as he glanced at the condition stated in the Next Rank section of his stats.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Merida said, as she drew the words out in a long hiss.

It was then Rhys realised he had stopped moving, and from the look on Merida’s face, it happened some time ago. Before he could think of what to do next, a dangerous feeling assaulted his mind.

An azure light appeared in Merida’s hand and as she pointed it towards him, a streak of lightning leapt forth and struck his chest! Rhys struck the ground as he lost control of his body. Spasms accompanied fits of pain as he helplessly grit his teeth as his health bar dropped by half!

 

System message: You have been subjected to Mage Force. Unlocking Empowered Body. You have gained +4 Strength, +9 Physique, +4 Speed, +14 Will, +4 Luck.

79 points of Force leftover from Body Nourishment. Adding Force Points to Force Accumulated.

You have become a Mage! You have gained +10 Will and +5 Luck!

 

A dark puddle spread beneath Rhys as he lost control of his bladder. A sneer appeared on Merida’s face as she watched that sight unfold.

“Ugh, disgusting! Get up Worm!”

Rhys struggled to gain control of his body from the spasm still afflicting him. I can’t let her know the spell has been removed! He fell a few times as he attempted to get up. The sound of Merida tapping her foot against the rocky ground grew more intense by the minute.

Eventually Rhys got to his feet and fixed a blank stare on his face. I better not get distracted for the time being. He thought as he kept his eyes on Merida, who let out a low grunt. She turned and headed deeper into the many passages that snaked their way underground.

Rhys stuck close to her while trying to find signs of which passage would lead outside. However, he could see nothing that would show which passage he would have to take! How do they even get around down here?

“Quick! Everyone to the surface! An enormous group of unprotected people have appeared nearby!” A rough voice shouted excitedly as their voice echoed off the walls.

“You wait here!” Merida said, as her voice rose a few octaves.

Rhys could hear a stampede of footsteps coming from every direction as mages in robes flooded the tunnels. Most of them raced past him, paying him no attention as they disappeared into a tunnel on his right. However, one of them close to the end shoved him into one of the side rooms with a sneer on his face. Unwilling to go around the filthy slave.

Rhys waited with his face in the dirt until he could no longer hear anyone else nearby. Now’s my chance! He glanced around the room as he got back on his feet, hoping to find some cleaner clothes he could take with him.

The room was much better than Grennell’s one, which made Rhys suspect it belonged to someone more important within the cult. There were a few old books on the table next to the rickety bed by one wall, and a rough wardrobe made from odd pieces of wood against another.

There was no time to waste, so Rhys rushed to the wardrobe first and tugged at the door. His eyes went wide as he ripped it from its hinges! At first, he thought it must have resulted from it being poorly put together. But then he wondered if it resulted from his strength stat.

I’ll think about it later. He tossed the door away and studied the contents of the wardrobe. There were a few tattered black robes with hoods, two greyish shirts, a pair of brown trousers and a pair of leather boots inside. Rhys stripped the smelly rags off his body and pulled on the trousers and a shirt first. Followed by the boots.

I should wear the robes. If anyone spots me, they might mistake me for one of their members. Rhys thought as he looked at the robes with disgust. The rough fabric itched at his skin as he pulled it over the shirt. He left it open at the front as he drew the hood over his head. Rhys nodded once he was happy his appearance matched that of the cult members he had seen.

There’s nothing else here I can use. Rhys sighed as he took a last look around the room. However, a small box of text appeared when his eyes lingered on the books.

Spell: Drain Force

Spell: Raise Lesser Undead

Spell: Creeping Lightning

Rhys’ eyes narrowed at that discovery. I should look at them. Maybe I can learn something! Greed shone in his eyes as he approached the table where they sat. His hand trembled as he touched the cover of the first book. As if he were afraid it would crumble at any moment. He took a deep breath, as he opened it to the first page.

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