Copyright © 2020 by Craig Kobayashi
www.craigkobayashi.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Edited by Joshua Mason, Bebuka Book Services
Seattle, WA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One - Friends
Chapter Two - Nameology
Chapter Three – I’m Not a Monster, You’re a Monster
Chapter Four – Emissary
Chapter Five – Manifest Destiny
Chapter Six – Let it Go
Chapter Seven – Bird Brain
Chapter Eight – Rolling in the Deep
Chapter Nine – The Archmage
Chapter Ten – Always a Bigger Fish
Chapter Eleven – Hatch, Bloom, Birth?
Chapter Twelve – Joyous Reunion… ish
Chapter Thirteen – Warrion
Chapter Fourteen – It’s Time to D-D-D-D-Duel!
Chapter Fifteen – Things are Coming Together
Chapter Sixteen – The Not-So-Selfless Atlas
Chapter Seventeen – MGP
Chapter Eighteen – Tryouts
Chapter Nineteen – Draft Day
Chapter Twenty – Pay Attention in Class
Chapter Twenty-One – A Cuddly Demon?
Chapter Twenty-Two – Crikey, Mate!
Chapter Twenty-Three – The Place Where the Forgotten Stay
Chapter Twenty-Four – Peril’s Pitfall
Chapter Twenty-Five – Hello, My Name is ____
Chapter Twenty-Six – The Mysterious Lore Keeper
Chapter Twenty-Seven – One Small Step for Man
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Decisions, Decisions
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Anime Beach Episode!
Chapter Thirty – Si’am Whimstick
Chapter Thirty-One – Why Is He Cooking?
Chapter Thirty-Two – Extra Credit Is for Overachievers
Chapter Thirty-Three – I’d Like to See What Happens Next
Prologue
A new Harbinger has been added to the Assembly
Name: Garath
Level: 23
Territory: Vy’thishrak
Elric: Welcome, Garath!
Ghenji: Welcome to the club, my dude. Vy’thishrak territory, I see. Alice will be excited.
Garath: Hey thanks. Idk what this Assembly is all about yet. but I’m happy to be here, I think. Who’s Alice?
Fuzzy: You all realize that sending messages here is like a reply:all email, right? Like everyone deemed a lucky bitch (leader of man) by this ‘system’ (that is responsible for the most ludicrous massacre in the history of … history) gets a notification every time you send a message here? So, yeah. Welcome, Garath. Or go fuck yourself. I don’t care. Just stop using this channel.
Elric: Whoa there, angry pants. Everyone, look at Fuzzy McBigballs, talking shit with a name like Fuzzy.
Alice(LK): Fuzzy is correct, there is a sticky thread for welcoming new members. Ghenji, I do not get excited. Garath, read my sticky thread on Vy’thishrak. Send me a PM afterward.
- Alice
Garath swiped the conversation away with a thought and willed his MENU panels into existence before him. Lo and behold, a new panel option appeared—‘Harbinger’s Assembly’— and he opened it. A new screen appeared in the left third of his vision. It looked similar to the forum panel, but with a few subtle differences.
For one, the standard forum panel that everyone had access to did not have ‘sticky threads’. Garath wondered who would have the authority to run a system-provided forum specifically for those designated as Earth’s leaders. Now that he thought about it, who would have the authority to grant that authority in the first place? There was a sticky thread for each of the ten territories designated by the system.
Far as Garath could tell, the territories were defined by the nearest Dungeon. He opened the thread for Vy’thishrak Territory. Comments had been disabled, and the original post was, as expected, from ‘Alice(LK)’.
Post by Alice(LK):
The Tower of Vy’thishrak is one of the most important Dungeons for mankind to conquer based on its available resources and strategic location.
To date, I have accompanied two Parties in their attempt to do so and have documented my observations to assist subsequent groups in succeeding where others have failed. I can accompany a Party as a spectator, and will not occupy a Party slot. In so doing, I am able to advise and direct Parties in an attempt to complete and claim the Dungeon for humanity.
Based on my observations, I have compiled a list of requirements for any Party hoping to take advantage of my knowledge concerning The Tower. Before you contact me, please ensure your Party meets the following requirements:
All Party members at or above Level 30. No exceptions.
All Party members must be wearing Class-appropriate items in all ten Raiment Slots. No exceptions.
Each prospective Party must consist of (at least) one designated tank and two designated healers - exceptions considered on a group-by-group basis
Each prospective Party must have no less than five damage-dealing Classes and no more than two support Classes.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to meeting the group that will claim The Tower of Vy’thishrak.
- Alice
Garath’s brows drew together as he finished reading the thread. He had a long way to go before he’d be ready to take on The Tower. He didn’t have a group together yet, let alone one that was anywhere near the requirements listed by this ‘Alice’, who apparently had the system-provided authority to create something akin to a ‘sticky’ thread within the Harbinger’s Assembly.
The fact that she’d already been to the Dungeon twice was an advantage that Garath couldn’t ignore. Without some kind of Wiki to get the information he’d need to put together a viable group, her experience was the next best thing. With an overly dramatic sigh, Garath closed the panel and sent a friend request and an introductory PM to this Alice person.
What he really needed now was a training montage.
Chapter One - Friends
Murder plagued Garath's dreams. He slept fitfully on a log overlooking the ocean and dreamt that he was truly powerful. A god among men.
He shifted in
