Be warned, in 30 days humans will not be the only sentient race vying for power on this planet, nor the only species able to defeat and claim a Dungeon. Use the next thirty days wisely, your action or inaction will heavily impact the future of mankind and its place among the sentient races.
Garath was intrigued by the whole idea of these ‘Dungeons’ - and similarly confused by the differentiation of dungeon and Dungeon. The ability provided by the Fountain of Tabisama, having a basic town portal spell, could be a massive boon! Curious about the idea of a real life Dungeon, and without additional prompts to distract him from the pain and puke-inducing odors wafting into his nose and mouth, Garath once again opened his MENU panels and willed his World Map into existence, filling the left side of his vision with a 3D globe that panned over North America, then zoomed to his position in the Pacific Northwest. The Band of the Hawk, depicted by green dots where each Raid member stood, were in a crowded circle around his own location. To the south, right where Seattle had been, was a glowing red overlay surrounding exactly what Garath was looking for: the purple icon of a Dungeon. The icon looked like a twisted, evil version of something that everyone in the PNW recognized as the tourist trap they would have to show visiting relatives that came to visit: The Space Needle.
When he focused on the icon, more information was displayed on the previously empty, right-side panel.
Dungeon Name: Tower of Vy'thishrak
Maximum Party Size: 10
Disappointed by the less-than-illuminating information provided but still stoked that one of the ten Dungeons was nearby, the fluffy Necrologist felt a hint of life enter the dormant Ice Drake. The powerful beat of Aldrasyl's heart once again pushed oxygen and nutrients through his veins. The Dragon opened his mouth and inhaled sharply, releasing his death-clamp on the tiny creature stuck between his teeth like yesterday's lunch.
With profound relief that the wait was finally over, Garath struggled to remove his injured body from the toothy guillotine. He rolled his broken form out of Aldrasyl's mouth to land with a wet schlap on the ice-covered asphalt.
Finally out of the smelly, organic iron-maiden, Garath squinted to adjust to the morning light pouring over the mountains from the east. He and Aldrasyl were surrounded by some kind of protective barrier. The shield itself was a blue, crystalline shell that began to slowly dissolve as Aldrasyl's mind was returned to his body. A timer with a small blue icon appeared in Garath's vision, counting down from five. As the seconds ticked down, small gaps appeared across the protective shell, growing in width until, at zero, the entire shell was gone.
As the first light of day had breached the mountains to the east and sent rays of warmth and light across the burning landscape, Garath returned to his natural form. Still lying on the unnaturally frozen ground, he was reminded again of his improved sense of smell. The rest of the Raid was surrounding the injured human and waking Dragon, and they had been sweating from stress, anxiety, and fighting for twenty-four brutal hours. The myriad of individual body odors stung his nostrils, causing him to crinkle his face in disgust. All 143 of them just stared past their injured Raid leader at Aldrasyl, unmoving and frozen with fear.
The Necrologist summoned the Health Potion from his Items panel and downed the rejuvenating liquid. The worst of the pain was quelled as a rush of healing relief washed over him and his Health bar filled by 10% instantly, then continued to rise steadily.
Despite all that had happened, despite all that he didn't understand, Garath was never more sure of who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a hero of Earth, and the hero Earth needed was a gamer. Someone who could defeat a Dungeon and usher in a new era for mankind.
‘A gamer,’ he thought to himself, ’me.’
The Necrologist got to his feet and smiled weakly before saying the only thing that came to mind. "Who’s coming with me to the Dungeon?!"
Part Two: Aftermath
Chapter 24
Your Egg is a What??
Every one of the human survivors experienced the aftermath of The Culling differently. For most it was a time of mourning, everyone had lost loved ones. For some, it was a time of religious contemplation, not a single theology held up in light of the devastating event. Others still considered it a time worthy of celebration, despite the near genocide, they had survived. For some fewer still, it was like fucking Christmas. They were actually living out their dream of living in a magical world with endless possibilities. For Garath though, it was a time of experimentation and exploration.
The twenty-nine-year-old Necrologist hadn't been alone in his search for greater knowledge concerning this new Earth. The World panel, only days after the near genocide of the human race, was quickly filling up with information on the forums. There wasn't a wiki for the changes that had taken place on Earth but gamers across the globe had been putting in the work with the same passion they always had when exploring new games. They tested and collaborated in typical elitist fashion, mapping the Skill trees of each Class and debating the best allocation of Skill and Attribute Points. There were hundreds of forums with discussion and speculation covering everything from stat breakdowns and diminishing returns to the theological and scientific implications of the event that had changed the world.
Though combing through the information in the forums and even providing his own speculation here
