71 Chapter Seventy-One

"Someone like that actually exists?" Edward gasped.

"He holds the highest position on the leaderboard," Mrs. Snow nodded, "Plus, he's killed the most monsters. It's unfortunate that he's a solo player, though. We don't know much about him, other than his status."

"Where is he relative to my location?" Edward asked. As he heard more about this Clockwork player, he desperately wanted to meet him. What sort of person was capable of freezing time?

"It's not a good idea, Edward. If you two met and didn't like each other, there's a chance you could die without even realizing it," Mrs. Snow told him, "For now, just play like you always do. You'll end up meeting each other eventually."

Edward nodded before relaxing against his chair, "What about the others? Would be alright to meet with them?"

"Oh, go ahead. I'll even tell you where they are if you'd act as my proxy. Luckily, they all come from English-speaking countries, so you won't need a translator to converse with them," Mrs. Snow nodded, "Which would you like to know about, first?"

"Just go up the list," Edward told her. Mrs. Snow nodded and poured herself some champagne. As she held up her drink, she crossed a leg over her knee and smiled.

"Well then, I'll do that," She smiled, "First is the Mind Mender, an Australian player. As far as I'm concerned, he got the short end of the stick. His abilities don't help him in combat unless he's fighting humanoids. He's capable of hypnotism and more advanced mind control. In a way, he's similar to another of the blood Origins, Marionettist. I'm not sure why he's called the Mind 'Mender', however, as his abilities end up doing the opposite of that. At the moment, he's located in the southern port city of Valas."

"Next, the Prodigy of the Forge, an English player. She's the only one among the fifteen that doesn't have a single combat skill. Most of her skills are Knowledge skills that have advanced her skill as a smith. She's not far from your location. You only need to walk a few weeks west of Pathe until you arrive in the capital of Ironhold."

"The Column of Stone, an American player like yourself, is located in the far north. He's only been seen once since the game began, so I believe he's still in the dungeon where he found his Origin. We only know he even exists because he left his dungeon just after he gained his Origin before heading back inside. Even now, we can't see any information about him."

"The Alice of the Fallen Flowers is a Canadian player. She's the only player in the game who holds a nobility position alongside other NPCs. We don't know how she did this, considering Avalon is a real place, but we suspect it has something to do with her Origin. She's capable of creating separate dimensions, each like a dollhouse, where she holds complete authority. You'll find her near the center of Avalon, a month north of Pathe."

"The Saint of the Dead, an Irish player, is a necromancer located in the far eastern cities of Avalon. He's been using his undead summons to do most of his leveling for him- so his avatar is still very weak. The last time he was seen, his undead army had grown to house ten skeletons. We expect him to have more very soon."

"The Man on the Moon is the only player that's found an Origin that wasn't on Avalon. At the bottom of the dungeon he was teleported to, this player found a teleport rune that brought him up to the moon, where his Origin was waiting for him. He's capable of manipulating space itself. He can teleport, manipulate the distance between targets, or use his abilities to mimic telekinesis. His magic doesn't seem to work if a living being is within the area of control, but his teleportation ability has proven invaluable in battle. He's from New Zealand. He teleports often, though, so his location is never predictable. One second he might be near you, the next he'll be halfway across the continent."

"The Marionettist, an English player, is kind of similar to the Mind Mender, but he cuts out the middle man- the brain- and directly controls the bodies of his opponents. We've found that he loves to dress in suits and tophats, possibly an influence of his Origin. His main weapons are dolls contained in his suit- he just uses his abilities to influence them as if they're real summons. If you look for you, you might find him in the southwest."

"The Empress of the Sea is a Norwegian player with the ability to control the sea itself. She's the only player that actively avoids the continent of Avalon- instead preferring the underwater races to humans."

"Finally, there's Glitch, one of the most powerful of the fifteen. Other than you and Clockwork, she can defeat anybody else on the list with ease simply by using her overpowered stats. Her ability to manipulate her status screen allows her to copy any ability she actively sees, though the MP cost will be insane for her to do so. If she copied your abilities, you'd only manage to win simply because she'd run out of MP first. Luckily, she seems to be one of the nicer players around- often helping newbies across the continent using a makeshift teleportation ability. If you ever meet her, I believe you'll hit it off pretty quickly. Naturally, though, we can never keep track of her."

Edward listened closely to everything Mrs. Snow told him as he mentally noted any of the thirteen he would like to meet.

"Who do you suggest I meet first?" Edward asked.

"If you can manage it: Glitch. The Prodigy and Alice are both close to you, but only the Prodigy is a priority. If we can convince her to come to Desert Industries, she may be able to help us prepare for the upcoming mania."

"By making equipment?" Edward guessed. Mrs. Snow nodded and put the champagne down.

"Yes. She's the top priority. If you can't find Glitch, please find the Prodigy first."