Lord Of The Lost

"There's something seriously wrong with Border Town!" the Forum Master declared, his tone carrying a weight of urgency.

He had discovered something unsettling, something that didn't quite add up. "Think about it," he continued. "How could a town like this, once thriving, be brought to its knees by a ragtag bunch of thieves?"

That struck a chord. It was strange. The thieves terrorizing Border Town were formidable, sure, but they were no army. At most, a few thousand, scattered across different factions. Some came from the infamous Shadow Castle, others from far-flung regions. But a force of that size should never be enough to cripple a town.

And yet, here they were; Border Town struggling, its people desperate, unable to hold their ground.

"A few years ago," the Forum Master explained, "every village under Border Town's rule had real defenses. Hunters, guards, patrolmen, warriors, knights, these were standard professions. It was a well-defended region. But now? I'm not even sure how to describe the change."

He paused, reflecting on the past. "Today, each village barely scrapes by with a skeleton crew. At best, you'll find one guard, one patroller, and maybe a hunter. Where have the warriors gone? Where are the knights?"

This question hung in the air, unsettling those who listened. It was a mystery, one that seemed impossible to ignore.

"Players who've followed the main storyline might remember," he continued, "there was a riot in the Black Forest a decade ago. The king sent cavalry to crush it. But long before that, the knights and warriors from Border Town simply... disappeared. No one noticed at the time, but now it's obvious."

His tone grew more intense as he laid out the facts. "Border Town 'has' an academy. Players can go there, switch jobs, and become knights or warriors. So naturally, the locals should be able to as well. But where are they?"

The unsettling truth was clear. "There are none. Not a single knight or warrior left in Border Town."

The Forum Master had dug deeper, seeking answers. "I asked the mayor what it would take to protect the town. He told me, 'With just ten real knights, the thieves wouldn't dare approach. Even if thousands of them gathered, they'd be too terrified to cross the border.'"

The weight of this revelation was staggering. He continued, "Knights have that kind of power. Even the sneaky werewolves and other dark creatures lurking around would flee at the sight of them. But where have they gone?"

The Forum Master's investigation had led him to an even darker truth. "Generations of talented young people from Border Town trained to become knights and warriors, but none of them stayed. They all left, heading to places further than even Blizzard Fortress."

They had gone to a place the locals called 'the Frontier'.

"The Frontier?" players echoed, their curiosity piqued.

The Forum Master paused, letting the significance sink in. Then, with deliberate keystrokes, he typed out the final word: 'War.'

The truth behind Border Town's decline was war; an endless, grinding war on the frontier. For years, Border Town had been silently sending its best and brightest to the front lines. Each generation, a new crop of knights and warriors would leave, full of promise, only to never return.

The town had become a bloodline for the kingdom's war effort, draining away its strength year after year. The villagers saw it as a grim reality, but the players were just now beginning to piece it all together. The Forum Master had figured it out first, but he wasn't inclined to give away all the secrets he'd uncovered for free.

He closed his message, thinking carefully. Some of this information was meant for the public, it would help players connect the dots as they continued to explore the game. But he wasn't about to hand out everything on a silver platter. After all, he had earned this knowledge through effort and risk. For those willing to follow him, he might share a bit more.

In the end, though, power lay in understanding what to reveal and what to keep to himself.

'This town, without proper defenses, watching thieves run rampant... it was strange enough to make anyone suspicious,' he thought. 'But sooner or later, other players will start talking to the locals and figure out the bigger picture.'

And the bigger picture? War.

The magical kingdoms were locked in a brutal, prolonged conflict. Border Town, with all its history, had become a sacrificial lamb, supplying endless troops to the front. Each wave of young recruits was sent to the Frontier, never to be seen again.

As the Forum Master signed off, a sense of foreboding settled over the forums. What started as a simple quest to hunt thieves was now revealing a much darker reality. Border Town wasn't just fighting off a few bandits; it was being drained from within, its people sent to fight a distant war with no end in sight.

No one ever came back from the Frontier.

"There's another issue with Border Town," the Forum Master continued. "And it's not just the thieves, it's the people. The demographic structure here is crumbling."

The players listened intently, still wrapping their heads around the revelations about the town.

"The number of young people with real potential is shrinking," he explained. "It's as if the town's future is slowly fading away. There's no new talent staying here. They're all gone."

This revelation hit hard. Many players hadn't noticed the gradual decline, but hearing it laid out like this shook them. William, too, felt a ripple of surprise. Under his breath, he muttered, "The front line?"

He couldn't shake the image that now lingered in his mind; a fine iron spear, polished day after day, waiting to be taken to the front. The idea of young warriors dreaming of battle, hoping to fight on the front lines, echoed within him. It seemed heroic at first glance, but the reality was far more troubling.

After all, for players, the 'main quest' had always revolved around the Black Forest and Border Town. The war itself, who the kingdom was actually fighting; didn't really concern them. It was background noise, far removed from the immediate gameplay. But now, William was beginning to understand the Forum Master's larger point.

'The situation here was worse than anyone had realized.'

"You can't count on me to fix this," William thought, a hint of disbelief in his mind. 'The main combat force in Border Town is this weak?' They were always on the defensive when dealing with thieves, never able to take the fight to them. The people here weren't fighters anymore. They had become passive, waiting for someone else to save them.

Many players had noticed something odd about Border Town's situation, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. Now, after the Forum Master's revelation, everything started to make sense.

William half-expected someone like Metatron to pop into the discussion with a few comments. He was always the type to chime in with sharp insights. But oddly enough, he remained silent, absent from the conversation. After lurking in the forum thread for a while, he vanished without a word.

With a sigh, William closed the forum.

He leaned back in his computer chair, spinning around twice with his eyes closed, letting the thoughts settle in. After a brief moment, a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"These people," he mused, "they're pretty interesting."

---

Later that day, William headed to the buffet restaurant on the commercial street. It was one of those places that was always buzzing with people; perfect for getting lost in a crowd. William, never one to stand out too much in public, enjoyed the anonymity. He ate and drank for nearly two hours, filling up on everything the restaurant had to offer.

When he finally wiped his mouth and stood up to leave, he felt content. Returning home, he spent some time studying the intricacies of his [Piercing Attack], honing his skills before settling in for a peaceful night's sleep.

The next day, as soon as the time was right, William was ready. He logged back into the game.

---

The forum had already set the stage: William and the Forum Master had agreed on a time and place to meet. As soon as William arrived, he spotted a young man waiting; elegant, refined, with an air of dignity about him.

The Forum Master, in this world, appeared both handsome and commanding. His in-game avatar had been crafted to match the time period, with features that gave him a noble and gentle demeanor. Although the avatars in this game weren't exact replicas of real-life appearances, they were close enough.

"Usually," William thought, "if someone looks good in the game, they're not too bad in real life either."

He chuckled at his own observation, confident in the fact that, in both worlds, he considered himself quite the catch. Handsome in reality, energetic and charismatic in the game, William liked to think he was a one-in-a-million kind of guy.

As he approached, the Forum Master caught sight of him and immediately seemed taken aback. For a split second, a look of genuine surprise flickered across his face. His eyes widened in shock, as if he had just seen something unbelievable.

William raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "What's up?" he asked, curious about the reaction.

The Forum Master quickly composed himself, letting out a polite chuckle as he masked his earlier surprise with a warm smile. "Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "I just didn't expect you to be so young."

William smirked. "What, thought I'd be some old geezer behind the screen?"

The Forum Master laughed lightly, the two of them now falling into easy conversation. But deep down, the Forum Master was still processing what he'd just seen. He had expected a strong player, but not 'this'. William was younger and more impressive than he'd imagined, and that only made the prospect of their cooperation all the more interesting.

The meeting was just the beginning. There were battles ahead, and both of them knew it. But for now, the unexpected had sparked a new respect between them.

William chuckled softly, but he wasn't entirely convinced that the Forum Master's surprise was simply because of his age. After all, his name and his reputation; had been making the rounds on the forum for a while now. Players often referred to him as "Big Brother," but he himself didn't know how that title had stuck.

Maybe it was because he was just a young guy with a spear, dominating his enemies with an effortless flair.

The Forum Master smiled, reading his thoughts. "After meeting you in person, I'm even less worried about this mission."

"Oh? And what exactly did you see?" William grinned, leaning in a little, genuinely curious. The mention of the priest and Calcifer flashed through his mind, stirring a subtle unease. Could it be that the Forum Master, like them, had sensed something special about him?

Seeing William's curiosity, the Forum Master paused for a moment, as if weighing his words carefully. "There's something… different about you. Something beyond the ordinary."

William raised an eyebrow. "Did you figure that out with magic?"

The Forum Master's smile deepened. "No, not magic. It's my talent. If you're interested in trading secrets, I'll share mine with you."

William's curiosity piqued even more. He thought about it for a moment, then nodded with a chuckle, signaling his agreement.

The Forum Master didn't hesitate. "My talent is called '[Identify Everything].'"

---

Player ID: Forum Master

Serial Number: 033

Talent: '[Identify All Things]'

Effect: Allows the user to identify detailed information about any object or person based on subjective focus. The more mental energy invested, the more detailed the analysis, though it becomes less effective when identifying higher-level or more complex items.

---

"Now it's your turn," the Forum Master said, motioning for William to share.

William smiled, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "My talent is pretty straightforward. I 'kill to prove my truth.' The more I kill, the stronger I become."

The Forum Master's expression shifted in realization. "Ah, that explains why your attribute values are higher than most players at your level."

They both fell into a brief, thoughtful silence. Neither of them felt the need to elaborate further. The talents were powerful in their own right, but there was a sense of mutual respect in keeping certain things private, just enough information to build trust, but not too much to reveal vulnerabilities.

William, however, pondered what the Forum Master's talent could truly accomplish. Sure, it could reveal surface-level information, like someone's stats, but it seemed limited when it came to talents and more unique characteristics. He was confident his own abilities, or perhaps his deeper essence, remained shrouded from the Forum Master's view.

Still, William couldn't help but think about how the '[Identify Everything]' talent could be used for more than just appraisals.

He smirked to himself. "With a talent like that, you could make a killing in a place like a casino playing some poker," he thought. The Forum Master was playing it smart, but he could easily be using his talent to rake in fortunes.

Without wasting any more time, the Forum Master led William straight to the horse farm in Border Town. It was once a bustling place, full of life, but now it had an air of abandonment, a shadow of its former glory. The stables, which had once housed rows upon rows of magical horses, now seemed lonely and desolate. Only a dozen or so of the elegant creatures remained, scattered across the vast space.

The sight of the sparse stables was a stark reminder of Border Town's decline. This place had once been a symbol of strength and prosperity. Now, it seemed barely capable of keeping up appearances.

William's gaze swept over the horses, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. "This place used to be something special, didn't it?" he murmured.

The Forum Master nodded, his face unreadable. "It did. But times change. Now, we make do with what we have."

The mission loomed ahead of them, but for a brief moment, both men stood in silent reflection. The world around them was unraveling, but they still had their own goals to pursue, and they would see this through; whatever the cost.