Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

"Zoey, do you see anything up there? I hope there is some visual indicator, or we're all forked."

Perched atop the crumbling ruins, Zoey wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, her keen eyes scanning the shadowed streets ahead. The battle with the undead giant had taken its toll on all of them, but there was no time to rest. They had mere minutes before the dark magic sustaining these abominations would reanimate them, and the only way to stop it was to find and destroy the event pillar.

From her vantage point, Zoey's sharp eyes caught a faint glimmer in the distance, a pulse of light that flickered like a dying star against the darkness. She squinted, focusing on the source. It was several blocks away, half-obscured by the remnants of ruined businesses and houses, but it was unmistakable. A steady, ominous glow emanating from what could only be the event pillar.

"I see it!" she called down. "There's a light about four or five blocks up. That's got to be it."

Xander's eyes followed where she pointed, though, from the ground, he could see nothing beyond the shadows and the ruins that lay ahead. He didn't need to see it to believe her as Cabbot had shimmered into visibility in the middle of the road facing the same direction Zoey had pointed. Zoey's word alone would have been enough for him, but now he was certain.

"Good work, Zoey," Xander said. He turned to the rest of the group, their faces weary but resolute. "We've got no time to waste. Harvey can handle his group. We've got to make sure that we don't have to do a groundhogs day on this event."

The group took off at a brisk pace, moving through the narrow, debris-strewn streets with the urgency of a hunted pack. Zoey moved with them, agile as an acrobat as she descended from her perch and took her place at the rear, her bow nocked and ready for any threats that might appear.

The surrounding city was a maze of ruins and shadows, each corner and alleyway potentially hiding danger. Thankfully, Cabbot would reappear further down the road each time they closed the distance with her. She was leading them right toward the light Zoey had seen. Every second that ticked by brought them closer to the resurrection of the undead horde, and they poured every ounce of stamina into reaching it in time.

As they neared the location, the faint glow Zoey had spotted earlier grew stronger, casting an eerie light over the surrounding rubble. The air grew colder, the unnatural chill prickling against their skin. Xander felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as they turned a last corner and came face-to-face with their target.

The event pillar stood in the center of a desolate square, its surface a twisted mass of dark stone and glowing runes. It was as if the stone was alive, light from the runes pulsing like a malignant beating heart in the dead city. The pillar radiated a sinister energy that set Xander's teeth on edge, its power suffusing the very air with a sense of imminent doom.

But the pillar was not unguarded.

Standing before it, like silent sentinels of death, were two skeletal knights, their armor blackened and corroded. These were no ordinary undead. These were elite warriors, their eyes burning with crimson light, their skeletal hands gripping massive two-handed swords that crackled with dark energy. They stood perfectly still, like statues waiting to spring to life, their hollow gaze fixed on the intruders who dared approach the pillar.

Xander held up a hand, signaling the others to halt. The group stopped, their breath coming in short, controlled bursts as they took in the scene before them. The skeletal knights exuded a palpable dread, the dark magic that animated them pulsing in time with the pillar's glow.

[Analyze] Skeletal Royal Guard | Level: 8 Elite | Status: Hostile | Class: Fighter
[Analyze] Skeletal Royal Guard | Level: 8 Elite | Status: Hostile | Class: Fighter

"Dammit, this almost isn't fair. If I didn't believe it before, I do now. The Simulation is a sadist," Xander almost whined, his voice low but carrying to the rest of the group.

Squaring himself up, Xander continued, "Alright, no time for a pity party. We came here to beat the knights, destroy that pillar, and chew bubblegum."

"...and you're all out of bubblegum," Jo responded, completing the almost cliche joke with a chuckle. "Terrible joke."

"That's why you pretend to love me," he responded, smiling. It was a typical exchange in their relationship. He would make her laugh with some lame joke, she'd call him out on it, and then respond that his lame jokes were why she was even with him.

"I love you very much, you know that," she said, delivering the expected response. There were still issues to work out between them, horrors each of them had seen at the start of the Simulation that they hadn't yet confided, but even in these trying times, moments like this made it clear they were a perfect match for each other.

"Get a room later, you two. Clock's ticking," hissed Ford.

"Yep, you're right. Nothing fancy, bum rush on three," Xander said, gripping his spear watch as the knights stood immobile, waiting, their empty eyes glowing with a deadly promise.

"Three…" He said, breaking off into a run.

With a roar that echoed off the crumbling walls, Xander and his team charged the skeletal knights. The knights sprang to life, their rusted armor clanking as they raised their swords to meet the oncoming assault. The air crackled with dark energy as the knights moved with the unnatural speed and strength of the undead, their hollow eyes glowing like burning coals in the dim light.

Kane had overtaken Xander in the charge and was the first to engage, his shield slamming into the nearest knight as he engaged it head-on. He delivered a follow-on attack with his sword, striking with all the power he could muster, his blade clashing against the knight's darkened sword in a shower of sparks. The knight was strong, and it met Kane's ferocious attacks with efficiency, each of its movements a perfect counter to his assault. Kane snarled in frustration, pressing harder, his sword flashing in a deadly dance as he sought to find an opening in the knight's defense.

Xander was right behind him, his spear cutting through the air as he clashed with the second knight. The knight's blade, wreathed in dark flame that absorbed the divine energy from Xander's spear, made each strike feel like a battle between light and darkness. Xander gritted his teeth as he parried a vicious overhead strike, the force of the blow staggering him momentarily.

"You cannot stop the General's will. We are but the first of many," one knight intoned, its voice cutting through the battle with an unnatural resonance that sent a chill down their spines, a harbinger of the darkness yet to come.

Jo moved to support Kane, her own sword raised as she rushed in to block a blow aimed at his side. The impact of the knight's sword against hers sent a jolt through her arm, but she held firm, allowing Kane a moment to regroup. "Two on one, we got this!" she shouted, her voice laced with determination. Kane nodded, sweat pouring down his face as he ducked under another swing from the knight and retaliated with a slash aimed at its exposed ribs.

Zoey circled the battlefield, her bowstring taut as she loosed arrows at the knights, punctuating the sound of battle with a constant zip of her arrow flying to strike their target. The arrows struck with force, but while the knight's armor may have looked worn out and weathered, it still deflected most of her shots. Still, she persisted, targeting the joints and exposed areas with icy precision. One arrow struck a gap in the knight's armor, freezing the joint for a moment, but the knight barely flinched, its relentless advance unbroken.

Ford cast several holy bolts toward the knights, but Ford's eyes were constantly flicking to his brother, whose movements were becoming more desperate as the knight bore down on him with a fury that seemed almost personal. Then Kane's foot slipped on a loose stone in a moment of distraction. It was all the knight needed. With a powerful sweep of its blade, the knight slashed across Kane's torso, the dark energy of the weapon searing through armor and flesh alike. Kane cried out in pain, blood pouring from the grievous wound as he staggered back, his sword slipping from his grasp.

"Kane!" Xander's shout of alarm cut through the chaos, but he was too far away, locked in his own deadly duel to reach his fallen friend.

"Our General has risen, and with him, death marches unrelenting," the knight bellowed.

Jo was at Kane's side instantly, her sword raised defensively as she stood over him, protecting him from the knight's attacks. "Stay with me, Kane! Ford, I need you!" she yelled, her voice strained as she struggled to protect Kane from the knight's relentless assault.

Ford rushed to their side, his hands glowing with healing light as he knelt beside Kane, dragging him back away from the deadly fight raging above him. "Hold on, Kane, I've got you. Don't die on me, dammit. Mom would be pissed if you did," he muttered, pouring divine energy into the wound. But the damage was severe, and though Ford's magic slowed the bleeding and eased Kane's pain, it was clear he was out of the fight.

Stolen story; please report.

With Kane down, the battle grew even more desperate. Xander fought with renewed fury, his spear a blazing arc as he pushed the knight back, but the dark magic empowering these skeletal warriors made them nearly unstoppable. Zoey fired arrow after arrow, her breath coming in quick gasps as she tried to find any weakness in the knights' defenses.

Then, just as the timer in the corner of their vision ticked perilously close to zero, a shadowy figure appeared atop the event pillar. Cabbot materialized out of the gloom, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light as she stared down at the battlefield. Her appearance drew the attention of the knight Xander was fighting, its empty eyes locking onto her with a sudden, furious intensity.

"No!" Xander shouted, realizing what was about to happen, but it was too late.

The knight turned from Xander, its sword raised high as it charged toward the pillar, intent on striking down the spectral cat. Cabbot stared at the approaching knight, her form flickering with ethereal energy as she waited until the last possible moment. Then, just as the knight's blade descended, she vanished, dissolving into mist like she had never been there.

The knight's sword, now unchecked, slammed into the event pillar with a force that shook the ground. As the dark magic within unraveled, the stone cracked, a web of glowing fissures spreading across its surface. The pillar shuddered, its light flickering wildly as the runes that had pulsed with malevolent energy now sputtered and died.

"Even in death, we serve the General," the knights chanted in unison.

For a moment, everything was still. Then, with a final, resounding crack, the event pillar shattered into pieces, a burst of light and energy exploding outward in a shockwave that rippled through the square. The shockwave from the shattered pillar knocked the knights to the ground, their armor clattering as the dark magic animating them died.

Quest Update! Someone destroyed the event pillar. Defeat the remaining enemies to complete this event.

Xander stood amidst the aftermath, his eyes sweeping over the fallen knights and the shattered pillar. They had done it. Harvey's team would soon wrap up their end of the battle. Yet, as Xander's gaze settled on Kane, lying in Ford's arms, the victory felt undeniably bittersweet.

"Let's get Kane out of here," Zoey said quietly, her voice breaking the silence. "We need to get him back to caravan, where Ford can properly heal him."

"Do you think Cabbot…" Jo began, but the words caught in her throat. She didn't finish.

Xander didn't answer right away. He pulled up his character sheet, his eyes scanning the interface. Her name was still there as his bonded companion, but the entry flickered slightly, as if the Simulation itself wasn't sure what to make of her status.

"She's still listed," he said. "So, I'm going to hope for the best."

They kept walking, the broken city silent except for the crunch of gravel beneath their boots. For a moment, Xander let himself wonder what counted as 'alive' for something that had never really been alive to begin with. Cabbot wasn't made of flesh or bone, and she didn't move like anything natural. She was code given shape, a presence stitched into the Simulation like a rumor that refused to die. Did that make her less real? At the end of the day, she was a cat and even death itself thought cats made the world worth living in.

Maybe she was hiding, waiting for the threat to pass. Maybe the pillar's collapse had shorted out whatever tether held her in this world. Or maybe, like always, she'd show up when they needed her most or whenever she felt like it, acting like nothing had happened at all.

Either way, she'd saved them, and he hoped he hadn't lost her because of it.

Bonecrusher's Revenge
Quest Completion! Congratulations, you have successfully completed the event zone (or at least your cat did) and driven back the undead menace.
Rewards: Experience Points, 200 Gold, Ring of the Eternal Forge. The Ruins of Seymour will be a temporary safe zone for the next twelve hours.
Time remaining 11:59:30

The battle had ended, but its echoes still lingered in the weariness of Xander and his team as they trudged back to the caravan. Above, the endless canvas of the night sky, dotted with countless stars, stretched out while the crisp night air carried scents of earth and distant pine. The spine of the galaxy was a breathtaking ribbon of light, visible in all its glory without the interference of city lights. It was a sight that might have stirred awe in the hearts of the team, had they not been so drained from the day's events.

Kane limped alongside Xander, his arm over Ford's shoulder and his breaths shallow and strained. Though Ford had stabilized him, the wounds were deep, and he would need at least a day to recover fully, perhaps longer. He masked his usual bravado with a tight-lipped smile whenever anyone glanced his way, though pain made him grimace.

The caravan was coming toward them, rolling to a stop at the ruins of an old school building, its walls now crumbling under the weight of the apocalypse. Yet, despite the decay, the structure offered a semblance of safety.

The expedition quickly set up camp. They positioned the wagons to take advantage of the schoolhouse, quickly pitched the tents, and established the camp kitchen. The group settled around a modest fire, the flickering flames casting shadows on the ancient stone walls. With the area being declared a temporary safe zone, it was decided to build a larger fire for comfortable as opposed to the previous night, where security was the primary factor.

Xander, Gary, and Harvey gathered close, the warmth of the fire doing little to dispel the chill in the air. The crackling of the flames was the only sound for a moment as they stared into the night, each lost in their thoughts. It was Harvey who broke the silence first, his voice rough from exertion.

"Now that we've all had some time to come down from the battle, let's compare notes. Kane?"

"Kane's going to make it, but he's in rough shape," Xander began, pulling his gaze from the stars and back to his comrades. "He'll be out of commission for at least a day, maybe longer."

Harvey nodded, the lines on his face deepening as he absorbed the news. "I'm glad he'll make it, but let's keep him in a wagon for tomorrow," he said, his tone attempting reassurance, though there was a shadow in his eyes that betrayed his concern.

Xander continued, his voice steady but edged with unease. "There's something else. During the fight, two of the elite skeletons… they spoke."

Harvey's brow furrowed. "Spoke?"

"None of the undead have spoken before. At least none that I've heard of," Gary echoed, disbelief and curiosity mingling in his tone.

"Yeah. They mentioned a general. It said he has risen, and death marches with him. Sounds like this is the world event boss, or at least the boss for this region." Xander said.

Harvey grunted, rubbing a hand over a minor cut on his arm. "Well, that's a fun little factoid I wish I didn't know. Still, it doesn't sound like anything we can handle right now. For my side of the fight, with the giant out of the way, we could take the remaining patrol. Nothing too serious, but there were a lot of them. More than I expected. I got a few scratches. Nothing worth worrying about."

"Not going to lie though, I about pooped myself when I saw the notification about resurrection. We were trying to end our part of the battle and get to the pillar, but we just couldn't get ourselves disengaged without taking a beating," Harvey continued.

Gary's expression darkened as he listened. "I don't want to spoil the celebration, but while we handled the event, one of our engineers died," he said grimly. "He was in a ravine near where we stopped the caravan. Looks like a random monster attack, but…" He trailed off, his skepticism clear.

"But you don't think it was random," Xander finished for him, understanding the unspoken concern.

Gary shook his head slowly. "I don't like coincidences. First, the sabotage and murdered engineers back at Starlight, now this. It might've been bad luck, but something about it feels off."

The fire crackled as they fell into a contemplative silence, each man weighing the gravity of Gary's words. Above them, the night sky starkly contrasted with the turmoil below. The stars glittered like distant fires, a reminder of the vastness of the world and the countless dangers lurking in its shadows.

"Should we spread the word to keep an eye out for anyone acting weird?" Xander said after a moment.

"No, we should keep this to ourselves somewhat. Tell everyone what happened, but not that we suspect sabotage. People will either panic or go on a witch hunt. Neither is helpful," Harvey said.

"Well, at least we've got a roof over our heads tonight and Xander's snoring to keep the monsters at bay," Harvey said as he changed the subject and lightened the mood.

Xander chuckled softly, the sound easing some of the tension. "Let's hope his snoring doesn't bring the roof down."

Gary managed a smirk, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "If it does, I'll take that as a sign we're in worse trouble than we thought."

The laughter was subdued, but it was there. An acknowledgment of their shared burdens and the bond that held them together, even in the face of uncertainty. One by one, they broke away back toward their respective groups. Zoey and Jo had started a separate fire away from the group's main body. They were still within the perimeter of the main expedition, but their position would give them a bit of privacy.

Xander joined the pair for dinner and updated them on the discussion he'd had with Harvey and Gary. Everyone agreed: the engineer's death was too much of a coincidence.

As the night deepened and the temperature dropped as the trio talked into it, the fire burned lower, its light growing dimmer. The surrounding ruins seemed to close in, the shadows stretching and shifting as if alive. But the stars remained constant, a silent witness to the unfolding events.

"What did you get as the event reward?" Jo asked at one point in the conversation. "I got a nice ring with some good stat bonuses."

"I hadn't checked yet. Got caught up with the post-action debrief and dinner. Plus, I really wanted to spend some time with you," Xander said, taking the ring he had gotten out of his pocket.

Ring of the Eternal Forge
Quality: Rare
Enchantments: Forge Mastery, Flame's Blessing
Description: A silver ring inlaid with intricate designs that seem to shift and change under the light. Legend says a holy anvil's shattered remains forged this ring. Forge Master will grant the wearing +5 to blacksmithing. Flame's Blessing will ignite a weapon or object with divine fire, causing it to deal extra radiant damage for one hour.

"Hrm, it's a neat little ring that gives me a little boost to my Crusader class and blacksmithing," Xander said, slipping on the ring. "It will not be life-changing, but a nice little upgrade."

"Let's get some rest," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "While we only have about half a day to Mahomet, the actual work begins once we get to the museum. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be yet another exciting day in the apocalypse."

They broke away to rack out for the night, the weight of the day dragging them down. Xander lingered a moment longer, his eyes tracing the patterns of the stars, searching for answers that eluded him. With that, he turned in for the night.

The night was clear, the stars unwavering in their brilliance, and the spine of the galaxy arced across the sky like a promise of something greater. But beneath that celestial canopy, the ruins remained silent, the mysteries of the day left to linger in the night's stillness.