Book 1 Chapter 11: Offers, and the group of the damned

Zac informed Jack that there was a bounty board to hunt things, this also included people looking for others with specific skills or abilities to go take on a portal or quest.

When he was asked about what the portals were mostly like, Zak had a dismal look in his eye, "It's…fucked up…" He didn't say much more than that and changed the topic just as fast, so jack didn't push him on it.

"They got all types of stuff…I have seen people with high tech rifles, people who can shape shift, others who can summon things…its crazy. I mean powers and magic were one thing, but some of this stuff seems like it's right out of a book or some shit" Zak drank back the rest of his beer and washed the glass.

"Yeah? Shape shift huh…where would I get that?" Jack was curious what he meant.

"Listen…it changes you on a fundamental level, litterly changes your genes and its horrendously painful…but you also come out pretty damned powerful too."

"You seem to know what it's like, you get one?" Jack swirled his drink and looked over Zac.

"It ain't that obvious, I got the genes of a tiger. They nicknamed me the Tiger demon" Zac took his shirt and jacket off, showing his bulging muscles and several scars that crossed his body. Jack wasn't estranged to the scarred body of another man as he had fought quite a few.

However, Jack set his drink down when he saw Zac's skin bulge. Hairs started to break out from his skin as it fell off in sheets, black and orange stripes covered his body as the hair took over.

Even his palms grew wider, with thick blade like claws protruding from where his fingertips were previously. His face squared up, and thick fangs came out from his mouth as his nose pushed forward. The most stunning thing was how his iris thinned out vertically into that of a cat.

"wHOOwhoo! You weren't lyin!" Jack couldn't say much more than that, his eye brows raised and his brain reeled. He now understood what he meant by it. True Transformation!

A deep voice resonated from Zac's throat, "Just like here, in another place there is a god called Genome…he is more of a mad scientist in my opinion. He can change the composition of your body, add genes to you, hell…make you a demon for all and tense and purposes. You can upgrade your attributes there too…I have a strength of 78 personally…I left the place though because people were starting to act like animals…"

Jack wanted to laugh, but as he looked at Zac stare at his palms he realized it might not be a joke.

"I will keep that in mind…where is this place?" Jack couldn't help but ask.

"Here…give me your watch" Zac's hand reached forward and by the time it reached his wrist a human hand touched his watch. It was that quick. Zac touched his own watch, and then moved it near Jack's. Jack flicked up his display, and a map appeared detailing a long drawn out path across the city. It wasn't all the way on the other side, but it was in the south section of the city. To be exact the south eastern side.

"Thanks…ill pay you back for this" Jack flipped the map away and shook his hand.

"Don't mention it…if you go there, be careful. Mages are a lot nicer here then the people there…if we have mage faction here, then they have tribes down there"

"I was wondering, what is amongst the list for gene splicing?" Jack couldn't help but be curious seeing Zac transform into a weretiger.

"A lot, and then mixes of those a lot's. Demon genes, angel genes, animal genes, beast genes, and if you have an affinity then you can have quite the powerful transformation…I knew a guy with an affinity for fire, and when he took the genes of the Fire snake from that mountain range like what…300 miles from the city? He could breathe fire like a fucking dragon…it was insane"

"Wow…that does sound insane" Jack tried picturing a lizard looking guy with scales breathing fire, and couldn't help but shake his head, "Damn…"

"Yeah…you are here, got some affinity?" Zac couldn't help but ask his own question.

"Yeah…wind, or rather air" Jack said waving his hand and casting a breeze against Zac.

"Damn man…let me remember…they got some for avian like bird genes down there, hawks, eagles, you name it. Those might fit you the best."

"I was actually thinking a wolf…werewolf in fact" Jack smiled.

"Wind wolf…they have those out in the wild, go for that. It has your affinity as well."

Wind wolves like people shared an affinity for an element, as some animals did. They shared an affinity for air, and hunted amongst a forest in the far north. They were swift, silent, and deadly. The world apart from strange occurrences was full of deadly beasts and creatures. Even dragons weren't unheard of, just never seen. So the creatures of 'ancient' times were more of myth now adays.

However, like the fire snake he just mentioned the proof was there that it was possible.

Solomon walked over and patted Jack, who nodded and waved to Zac he would be back.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jaeger was looking at a bounty board posted on a wall for a low level quest, "In our currency section of our watches…we are all broke. You earn currency by gathering certain things for people, the temple, working for a business detailed as a city job. Like this tavern, that guy you talked to gets payed to work as a bar tender by the gods. I learned you can make money working in these places, but not as much as 'Adventuring' for it. Although this way is far… far safer."

Jack nodded and looked over the bounty board.

Alexandra pointed to one she was looking at, "This one is set not that far away…it says to bring back the materials of a beast in a certain portal, it's issued by a mage. I heard from a mage in the tavern there are quests like this all the time, as certain spells need certain materials for crafting an item. Or bringing it to the craftsmen of this sanctuary to make something…I hear there are lists for what materials are needed. There is a 'God of craft', Imp, and small temples of each of the ten prime gods in every sanctuary. Although…each city details a major god, like here the god of magic."

"That would make sense…to have to travel far and back just to reach your god would be tiresome." Malcom sighed.

"They also said…that if you bestow yourself to a certain god, wherever you can find their shrine or small temple you can transport back to their major city" Alexandra had made note of this, as if they chose here…then even if they crossed the city they could come back here without having to journey back.

Jaeger thought very well of this, it was highly useful to anyone.

Ana was thinking over something, "In each city they have a hall for healers too…doctors, people who make potions through alchemy to heal people. I have a power involved with healing, I am sure they would offer me quite the sum to work for them. What do you think Solomon?"

"Not a bad idea while were here…although, you are pretty useful on the road" He smirked at her, and she slapped him upside the head.

"Ow…" He laughed.

Jaeger had a serious expression though, "He's right though. We have quite the knowledge on several things, but not the potential of them. If I go see this god of magic, want me to ask what certain things would look like for you, Alex, or Jack? I overheard you say you wanted the wolf gene, and this goes for everyone else…we have to start thinking about just what kind of 'Player' we want to be"

Everyone nodded, they didn't know just what kind of skills, powers, abilities, or items were out there in the world but if they had a thought in mind for what to pursue it make their decisions later on a lot easier.

Alexandra looked out the tavern window to the tall mage building and its entrance across the way. "I want to be a mage, a pyromancer and get into spells from a distance and close combat" Jaeger wasn't surprised in the least with this.

Malcom spoke up as well, "I want to get into magic too…specifically Conjuration if can, hidden weapons, maybe even a summoning ability or something as well as upgrade my ocular powers in some way"

"Honestly not a bad idea" Jack laughed, "I want to become a beast honestly…yeah the wolf genes, and from what I hear I can do I want the wind wolf transformation, and then I will pursue air affinity related abilities…buffs…whatever works with it, and become a real killing machine tank. Zac said your senses become heightened in certain ways, and it also boosts your attributes so…that will do for me"

Jaeger couldn't shove the idea away; it fit a brick shit house of a man like him quite well.

Solomon turned to Ana, "I alsooo….overheard him say Angel genes…that doesn't sound bad…I want skills that help buff people or help my healing power. Support type I guess?" Solomon wrapped his arm around her waist, "Then I'll always need you with me"

Jaeger was tapping his arm in thought, "What about you Sol?"

"Isn't it obvious? I can't upgrade my power, and I don't have a magical affinity because of my power…unlike Mal who has an ability like yours that is half magic in some ways or related…I want an armor, one that helps out the flaw in my power and then from their I want to train to use it better."

Jaeger sighed, "Should I go see this Mage god first before we take up a bounty?"

Alexandra looked at him and scrunched her lips, "What do youuu want to be when you grow up"

"Pff…I like my guns…I want to just upgrade my attributes evenly over all, and maybe if this mage god tells me I can…upgrade my affinity for metal and lightning as those are my favorites. I can take on almost any roll, earth for tank, air for agility, fire for power; water for… water doesn't really do much. Rubber for dexterity… but I like metal and lightning the most honestly. So I will train myself in those like Solomon his power. Maybe I can upgrade old froggo?"

Everyone shrugged, his guess was as good as theirs. A lot of doors were open; they would figure it out as they went along.

"So? Should I see him first?"

Solomon patted his shoulder, "If he just happens to give you a new power, would you be prepared for whatever came with it? You know your dysfunction for now; master what you have yet to know before you change hands. Ya dig?" These were actually really good words, Jaeger really hadn't truly practiced with his newest power and thus should get a feel before being offered a different meal. Take a bite, enjoy it or hate it, move on to the next thing if it didn't work out.

"I dig" Jaeger smiled.

"GoooOOD….now, I was thinking about this one." Solomon pointed to a large framed quest on a bounty board 'Survive the onslaught' this was a strange quest to say the least. It unlike going through one portal as they were told was one that could be constantly challenged and remembered those that went through it to continue from where they left off. In fact, the portal was amongst several in the main grounds of the sanctuaries public area.

"Rack up points by surviving the onslaught? It says its true death training, how can you train and yet die from it?" Jaeger couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Jack and Solomon smiled, while Jack was the first to speak "It's because…when you dance on the edge of death, it is the truest form of training. When you whack an opponent lightly, because you wish not to kill him when will you actually grow? If you fought to the death, you'd realize just how weak you can be sometimes…and powerful in other ways."

The more Jack spoke, the more he felt that man was a treasure trove of stories.

Alexandra looked at them both, "So? You pussies going to wait up or skedaddle over?" She didn't say it in a condescending tone, but the laced sarcasm was just the right mix to win her 6 birds from all three of them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An old mage looked out from a window near to the sky, even from this height he could see the face of the boy he had come to know as 'Jaeger'.

"You're lordship indeed he has great potential…what do you think he shall trade? He has many options; his many affinities allow him the combination into almost anything"

"I yet to know…some with affinity for water and fire ask for an affinity for flame water…just because he has those, doesn't mean he will mix them through combinance….no, he seems like the type to ask for something higher than that and I think I will just happen to give it to him…for the right trade of equivalence, and to work with me."

"Your lordship…don't you mean work for you?"

"No…no…he has the aura of…someone I used to be myself. He won't be my equal, but I feel he may come to be a son. A bright one at that."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group left the tavern and asked around until they were pointed over to a fountain that layed at the cross roads of the Y near the end of the sanctuary. Some people were gathered around it waiting for something.

Alexandra walked up to a random person and asked what everyone was waiting on.

"You don't know... wait you must be new…you must be here for the survival portal. Be wary, it's easy on first timers but when you get to the level of those inside right now, you could die as easily as a flick of the finger."

"Levels?" Ana poked her head out from behind Alexandra.

"Yeah…you see when you enter it. You only have to survive one day, doesn't sound bad right? Then it turns into a week, then a month, then 3 months, 9 months…up to a year. Past the year mark, which is already beyond reason you gain quite the rewards. However, when you enter, you have to go as long as possible…or so we hear from the high rankers. Everyday past a year becomes more difficult. You are given one week to prepare against a creature, spirit…deadly things. You have to defeat it to move onto the next. This happens 7 times. If you go a second past the 'return' choice at the year mark, then it begins and there is no going back. You either sealed your fate, or chose to go through each trial."

"What are the rewards?" Jaeger asked looking at the fountain that glimmered like star light.

"Supposedly…each of those bosses gives you the choice of several things. It could be a legendary magical item, a spell related to that…thing. One of its skills or buffs…or something else. Nobody has ever defeated the second creature, how do we know this? See the streams of water coming out of the top, there are 6 streams. If the water turns red, everyone died. If there is one stream, one person is still alive."

"How many do you go in with?" Jack asked following jaeger's question to the point.

"Depends…there are different points to start from, one is a forest with a cabin, another is a flat land, another is the top of a fort which is set onto a hill surrounded by swamps, another is…fuck what was it… a desert, an ocean, and a city. Usually most people choose the city or the fort, and the people who went in just now chose the fort."

"Below a year what are the rewards?" Jaeger asked his question again, albeit a different direction.

"Well…currency, but there are also things you can find inside. They seem to be real places, except a demi plane. It resets when people die or leave. However, it remembers where you left off too…You can explore it below a year, and have to complete the quests that come along with surviving. It would be too easy if you just hunkered down in the fort, it forces you to go out and retrieve things…just to get the fort started up? You have to go find a generator, or a magical generator, and plug it into the compound. You then have to find the control switches to operate the fort with the power you gave it, and from there you have several options to choose from…I'm not crazy enough to go in there, nor are my friends over there. We just don't have the balls to."

"You think someone can give us a list to go off of?" Malcom asked jingling some coin in his hand.

"Hahaha…currency of the old city don't do shit here unless you need gold and silver for an item, usually you can go rob an old shop or bank for that…don't worry, there are a group of merchants over there you specifically gather the knowledge of players who go into the inside. Ask them for it."

"Why are you all gathered though? You can't see them right?" Malcom was used to WATCHING an underground arena fight, not hearing it over the radio.

"Hahaha…that's the best part, you CAN watch it. Pull up your watches, and flick your wrist out to the fountain."

Only the wielder could see the screen of their watch, so of course they didn't see a collage of screens. It made sense now.

"Can you choose for people not to watch?" Jaeger couldn't help but ask as he flicked his finger off his watch.

"Of course…except these guys want people to see them go the farthest, for those that try for it they always let people watch just in case they die. The merchants record it as well to analyze. Even if you aren't the one, people will always want to see what is at the end of the black rainbow"

"Hmm…"

As the screens pulled up, everyone watched as an endless hoarde of undead was shot down by spells and skills from the outside area of the fort. It was first person as well! It was like watching some video game. One man was super strong, and with a swing to the ground caused earth to fly up and shred if not obliterate the undead. From another's point of view he waved his hands and lances of ice cascaded from the sky piercing creatures together.

Intermixed with the undead were demon-looking creatures that weaved shadows and the aura of death. As they layed onto the players within, a woman stood forth and waved her hand casting a great wall of light to protect them.

The man chimed in to the people watching intently, "These are some of the best mages this place has to offer…if anyone has a chance, they do. She specializes in abjuration magic and defensive buffs, the big man has an affinity for earth, that other guy obviously has an affinity for ice a variant of water, powerful too, because he had a natural disposition to the cold and it came easier to train. You haven't seen them yet because they are preparing, but there is the captain who wields swords and all his buffs and skills are related around the sword. There is a priest who is uncommon…but specializes in enchantment magic against the dead and spirits as well as support buffs…they are the perfect duo and are brothers."

"The 6th?" Jack looked up at the man.

"He is a specialist in mage and mortal engineering, so he is at the controls of the fort and is taking care of the systems."

"How many went in at the beginning?" Jack asked feeling something amiss.

"Over 20 people, they were all a group or clan, and the system doesn't say no to this…but it increases the difficulty with the more people that go in, or how far they have to go for the equipment for the fort. It up's the difficulty slightly, but after a year even if only one man went through the whole thing…you are allowed to bring people into it one time to challenge the bosses. The difficulty bumps up several grades though. The cost is that if they die…you die"

"Fuck" Jack felt like he shouldn't have asked.

This meant that already, 14 people had disappeared or died. Only 6 streams were up, so only 6 were alive then!

Jaeger switched over views, and through the eyes of a man he could see he was sharpening two swords. He was a duel wielder, which wasn't surprising. To his left was the engineer who was running his hands over screens and wires constantly to keep power distributed during the fighting outside so that the walls wouldn't cave in. This seemed to be the advantage of a magical system and not an electrical system.

The man with the swords got up and patted the engineer, before looking over to a priest with a book in his hands. He couldn't hear what they said, because his watch didn't have an upgrade for sound I guess. The priest nodded several times and Jaeger read his lips 'It's in your hands now…here it comes'.

'Here what comes?' Jaeger could only guess, but his answer was soon answered as a mist poured around the fort from the swamp below. The three people began to move back towards the forts entrance slowly as they watched the fog with hesitation. The priest walked out from the forts entrance with his brother in tow. The two stood side by side as the priest began to chant and golden scripture flowed out from his book onto his brother continually. The man with the swords looked down at his blades as they began to glow and give off holy light.

The fog that tried to swim up towards them stopped in its track as if some ethereal barrier was in place. It even dispersed as it tried to force its way closer.

The man gave a shout, and an aura poured out from his body. If the swords were golden lights, then his aura was like silver light pouring in all directions. His muscles bulged, and Jaeger could tell that these buffs must apply to his attributes and body. It was like he focused solely on becoming the best warrior, and it payed off as the aura released from him was probably his own.

The golden lights of the swords fluctuated, as the light began to extend upwards and past the blades themselves until the blades went from 2 feet to 10 feet. The abjurationist woman waved her hands, pouring out every spell she could until she was pale in the face to the sword wielding man. A golden armor covered his body from head to toe, and with the aura and blades he looked an angel without wings or a holy warrior selected by the god of light.

As he was increasing his power, Jaeger switched back over to his view and within his eyes that were increasing in ability most likely his perception attribute, he could see a woman amongst the mist in the distance.

The second jaeger gazed at her he felt a tremor in his body, he wasn't there and yet it felt like she had seen him. The second that Jaeger blinked the woman was gone, but something was rising from the mist. It was a monstrosity of gore, bone and blood. Screaming facing writhed from under its ghostly pale skin, it had no eyes on its face but didn't need them as several eyes, like tears in its skin, looked out from the inner abyss that was its core.

The thing was well over 20 meters tall, and the swamp shook as tree's swayed from its arrival. It has strange mutated limbs with blades fingers and writhing red tentacles that anyone could only assume was its blood which seemed to have a life of its own.

The creature roared casting the mist's away, and with the mist flew souls out from the undead and the demons. They swam into the air, and with looks of agony were sucked towards the eyes of the creature covering its grotesque body.

The man with power over ice climbed atop the fort, and with a flash his arms created strange patterns as the clouds converged over their heads. Rain felt down in a torrent, but somehow none of it fell upon the fort. As it permeated the surrounding terrain and area, pools of water appeared everywhere. The man slowly touched the last falling drop of water and as it flung off it changed into a drop of ice.

The second it touched the ground a coldness spread out like a tsunami mixed with a blizzard. The rain that had permeated the surroundings gave the ice fuel to freeze as pillars of ice shot up all over the place in waves. The very water in the air was soon frozen as flakes of frost began to fall out of thin air and dance upon the ground. The man didn't stop there, and as the surroundings out from the fort changed into a tundra he clapped the ground.

Those pillars of ice began to break, and yet not fall. They changed and shifted the shards that broke away, until over ten large golems of ice were created. As long as they stayed in the area of ice, they would not fail to regenerate. The monstrosity of a creature didn't look deterred though, it swung its bladed hand like lightning across the ground and severed several of the golems. As they split apart the ones behind them rushed forward and grabbed the large hand. They stuck themselves to the ground and froze in place. The ones that had been split slowly got up from the ground and latched onto their friends and froze in place as well.

The creature was too big though, and slowly it was heaving against the ice causing it to crack from the ground in sheets and chunks. The more it struggled the more the chill of the golems began to spread up its arm in however.

The man with the sword was standing next to the fort, and yet the next second appeared above the monstrosities arm and slashed his ten foot swords like an X splitting to pieces of the outer edge of the arms and severing the hand from the wrist.

The monstrosity bellowed in anger, everyone frowned as the spirits of the undead and the demons slowly swam out from the eyes towards where the hand was, it slowly became translucent like that of a ghost.