Zenith Affinity

The night before the tournament, while the Adventuring Association was still open, Sky and Zedra had met with Ren and Baron Vane from the [Sword Souls]. They had power leveled all the way to the end of 24 and were both ready for their Ascension rituals.

“Do you think that he is a Baron in his background?” Sky asked as they walked to the ascension hall on the Association's sprawling campus.

“Technically, it’s his first name, but we have seen more and more silly names since coming back to the city,” Zedra replied.

“It’s a strange choice, Baron Vane,” Sky said, throwing up quotations around the word.

“Too bad there isn’t a vampire race, he would fit right in. Especially this early in the game, when customizing armor options is difficult. Did you see what class Ren is?”

“I think he was a Blade Dancer. A triton, and he requested water for his first ascension.”

“Ah, going with the [Flowing Blade], I think,” Zedra pulled his expansive knowledge of the game.

“Is that a skill?”

“It’s an evasive empowerment skill that is affinity-based and the main skill a Blade Dancer uses. Very strong for combat, lets him dodge while closing gaps, and while it's the main part of a Blade Dancer's kit, it's not everything.”

“So it increases damage, makes him untargetable, and gives a movement skill? Blade Dancer is so OP.”

“It’s the dev’s baby, of course, it’s OP. He will focus on speed and critical strikes. I have always wanted to play Blade Dancer.”

“Over Monk and Rogue?”

“Don’t get me wrong, there is no class that crits harder for single target damage than an endgame Rogue, but Blade Dancer is just cool in general. Spell sword type class, with insane mobility. What’s not to like about it?”

“That’s fair, but I still prefer full caster. Mage for the win!”

Zedra stopped short of the double doors into the Ascension Hall. “Do I have to open the doors for you now that you are female?”

“We have never met in person until we came here, so don’t act like you were doing it before,” Sky said, laughter in her tone. “And yes, you have to hold the door open for me.”

Zedra huffed a laugh as he held the door, allowing Sky to walk in while she laughed.

“Great! You guys made it!” Ren said, much more expressive than the last time they met.

“5 ritual discs, just as ordered!” Sky said, pulling the discs out of her inventory, “2 blood, 1 water, 1 music, and a single physical.”

“Perfect, thank you for delivering them,” Baron Vane said.

Ren made a trade window pop up with Sky, which was the only way things could be traded before this world became real.

“7,500 gold, right?” Ren asked.

Sky was slightly surprised, “How did you guys afford this anyway? Isn’t that a crazy amount?”

Ren laughed, “We sell anything that isn’t a sword, simple as that.”

Sky accepted the trade but planned on handing the gold back if they joined the guild, something that everyone agreed on, minus the resource cost of creating the items, of course. That was standard for Zenith Star, you provide the resources or the cash equivalent, and the guild creates the ritual disc, an at cost guild discount.

“Go, Ren! Thank them later! We gotta get moving!” Gabriel said, the celestial paladin in the [Sword Souls].

“Right! Thanks, angel!” Ren said, running for the ascension ritual chamber.

He wasted no time setting the disc down and activating the ascension. Similar to Kesa’s ascension ritual, he chose a water affinity, the difference being that he is a Blade Dancer, while Kesa is a Druid. The effects were obvious as water flowed around him as if in a pattern, giving the precise impression that if one were stupid enough to touch the water, they would be cut.

A manifestation of his Flowing Blade, the main skill for a Blade Dancer, seemed to circle him, leading the flying water in a path. It lasted a few minutes until the triton opened his eyes, and they glowed blue like the fantastical waters of Zenith World.

Immediately after Ren, Baron Vane entered the chamber with his blood affinity. He was a Duelist who specialized in rapiers. While Ren Tidecrest’s ascension was flowing and graceful, Baron Vane’s was explosive and sharp. Tines of blood shot out from his seated form, each one mimicking the piercing strikes from a rapier.

On the ascensions went, allowing for all of the [Sword Souls] to enter tier 2. Sky and Zedra followed them over to the administration office, and they learned that only 2 spots remained in the tier 2 tournament.

“Well, Ren, should be one of them without a doubt,” the goliath barbarian, ‘Crag Breaker,’ said.

“Obviously, but do we draw straws or something for the second spot?” Dabriel, the kambien bard and best friend to Gabriel, asked.

“Just give it to the Baron, you know he has been wanting to join more than any of us, even Ren,” Gabriel said.

Dabriel looked put out, but nodded, “Alright, good enough for me.”

“Fantastic, Ren Tidecrest, and Baron Vane of the [Sword Souls] are registered for the tournament,” The helpful receptionist said.

“Great! We will see you all tomorrow! Get ready to join the Zenith Star Guild!” Sky taunted with a smile.

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

The morning of the tournament was a beautiful sunny day, a slight breeze kept the Ostbury flags moving while people flooded into the massive stadium on the Adventuring Associations Campus. It was comparable to the Roman Coliseum on earth, if only more fantastical, with sections of floating islands over the top of the stadium.

The entire Zenith Star Guild filed into the stadium, each of them shocked by the size. A circle of blue awnings reached out from the highest points of the stadium, intending to cover much of the crowd from the coming noon sun. The first part of the tournament was for Tier 1 only. 64 fighters took turns going head-to-head after the introduction speech by some overly excited Association Member.

The tier 1 fights were entertaining, make no mistake, but even from the stands, it was obvious that they were very limited in what spells, abilities, and talents they could manifest to fight. Most were players, but nearly a third were NPCs.

“Not a single person is silent casting,” Sky said.

“It’s not surprising. None of us really knew how you were doing it since it wasn’t a thing in the game,” Zedra replied.

“I wonder if we will see it for higher-tier fighters, especially NPCs,” Dark Hero said.

“Are you guys ready for your fights?” Kesa asked.

Zedra nodded, and Sky smiled.

“I can’t wait. It’s the hardest part of anything…waiting for it to start,” Sky said.

Zedra agreed, “Same, but I am just honestly curious to see all who have made it to tier 2. It’s only been a few days, and people are already pushing beyond 25.”

“We are going to slow down again, once we hit 40,” Sky said.

Dark Hero looked confused for a moment, “Oh cause the flight to the other continent is going to take so long?”

“It should be about a week-long journey, but the sky whales look like they are well furnished. Oh! Did you end up hearing anything about the king?” Sky asked Zedra as she remembered what he had been looking into.

“I actually did,” He looked around as if worried people were listening. For the most part, they were surrounded by Zenith Star Guild members, but he still lowered his voice. “The GM from the guild ‘The Corinthians’ went to the Queen with evidence of the King’s slave ring. They somehow acquired a bunch of evidence and provided it to the Queen. She looked through it, only for the King to turn and try to destroy the evidence. All within the throne room.”

He continued, “But King Algrar is only tier 3, while Queen Anabelle is a tier 4 Mage. She put up a shield and launched him back off the dais. Apparently, the guards rushed the King in her defense. It’s her family line, her sworn protectors, so of course, they took her side. They arrested him, and he has since been removed…I don’t think it's called "impeached" in a monarchy, but whatever. They held a ceremony where the Queen divorced him, removed him from power, and apparently executed him all in one session of court."

"The players obviously knew where almost all of the trafficking warehouses were. They saved dozens of people, were recognized as a guild endorsed by the Queen herself, and have since exploded in numbers. They have the most players in their guild, and now sit at over 200. Not only that, but they were approved to get the Grand Guild hall here in Ostbury, WITH the help and approval of the Queen.”

“Holy shit,” Dark said.

“That’s crazy. Was that how the story was supposed to go? The expansion?” Kesa asked.

“No, not at all,” Sky replied. “It was nothing like that. Originally, it started with investigating disappearances, and you sort of work your way up the entire slave ring, and a whole mess of people die. The king was revealed at the very end as he threatened to unleash a magical plague in retaliation and the player has to put a stop to it in one huge fight. But that isn’t supposed to happen for a few years. Obviously, this GM from the Corinthians or whatever was able to find that the slave ring had been going on for a while. Even before the expansion was supposed to come out. We really need to think about that. If there are things that let us skip the most dangerous part of some stories, it's something we should take a look at.”

The conversation died down, and they began to pay more attention to the events in the arena down below. The fighting continued, taking a few hours to get through the tier 1 bracket. It culminated in a fight between a level 20 and a level 24 player.

The level 20 Blade Dancer seemed to be going with fire, judging by his burning blade. This wasn’t a weapon enchantment, but rather his ability, [Flaming Blade], which enabled the intimidating display.

Each Blade Dancer chooses an elemental attunement, and they spend skill points upgrading that ability. It's a fantastic class, but once a person knows how it works, it is very dependent on skill to make it effective. Timing, reflexes, and opponents all change how the class becomes the most efficient and effective.

Facing off against the Blade Dancer was the level 24 Witch. A fairly rare class on account of its lack of affinities aside from curse, blood, and darkness. They are fantastic and powerful affinities; it's just that choosing to use curses means that you are stuck using afflictions for the most part. Not that it’s bad or anything, but players usually have to know what they are getting into while playing it.

She had the tag ‘Selena Blackmore, Witch [Affliction]’ above her head. Signifying that she was in a party called [Affliction], but not yet in a guild.

“Is that witch part of that shirt brand that only sells at Hot Topic?” Dark Hero asked, holding back a laugh.

The rest of [Reality Check] and players within hearing range laughed at the reference.

“Isn’t she supposed to be a huge muscle dude that is kind of an ass and likes to start fights at bars or something?” Kesa asked through her laughter.

“I think so, maybe they screwed up in the gender and class screen,” Sky laughed.

The fight started, and for the witch, it was a game of keep away. Do not be touched by the sword. It was harder for the swordsman as the witches' first cast was some type of hex spell that slowed his movement speed. She sat there hurling curses at him and proc-ing them continuously. The only few swipes came when the Blade Dancer teleported in a flash of fire next to her, acquiring three strikes before she disengaged and sent some more curse spells at him.

“Ooooh, I think she has it,” Zedra said.

“Really?” Atticus asked. “Even with his flame teleportation?”

“Likely [Fire Flash], but yeah, it’s got a long cooldown unless he spec’d into it, and since he has only used it once, I don’t think he's put much into it. Probably just acquired the spell,” Zedra clarified.

“Spec’d?” Atticus asked.

“Specialized…like to put effort and skills into learning it. Gaming term for sure,” Dark interjected.

Just as Zedra called, the Blade Dancer, even with his burning sword, stumbled and fell to the ground, where the announcer made clear that Serena Blackmore had won the Tier 1 tournament.

“I think we should get her into our guild. A full Affliction party like that would be so perfect for world bosses and stuff like that,” Sky said.

“I agree, but no weird shirts in that ugly font,” Dark said.

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

The participating members of Zenith Star [★] were separated as they made their way down into the depths of the stadium. It seemed that while the bracket was already made and waiting, they wouldn’t be sharing it with the fighters. Perhaps a way to keep the fighters guessing as to who they fought.

Zedra, Mia, Zaria, and Sky were all on one side while the rest made their way to the other.

The announcer was going wild, causing the whole stadium to shake as he riled up the crowd. They couldn’t seem to wait for the fight to start, and without any warning, the first of them was called. It was someone they didn’t know, an NPC. They went out and seemingly lost as they were healed, and after about 5 minutes, made their way back in.

Next up was Zedra, and all of Zenith Star cheered on as he left the staging room, entering the loud coliseum.

The announcer's voice rang through, “We have all heard of the Corinthians, and the tremendous contribution to our city's safety. Please welcome the Vice Guild Master, Cairn Chronos!”

The cheering and stomping were insane as the heavily armored goliath entered the field across from Zedra.

“Don’t worry! Don’t any of you worry! I have procured information that a new and rising guild is out here as well! And wouldn’t you know it! Their own Vice Guild Master has come to play! Please welcome Zedra Stone, from the Zenith Star Guild!”

It would be a tough match-up for most rogues. Paladin was a strong class with spell casting that could counter a lot of rogue abilities, as well as heal.

Zedra wasn’t like most rogues.

“Fighters! Are you ready?! FIGHT!”

Cairn Chronos slammed his shield and sword together and began walking with purpose. His eyes were burning, and he said nothing.

Zedra started out in an arc, slowly approaching as he twirled his daggers. He wasn’t smiling, keeping his silver eyes right on the paladin, not letting him do anything without his notice.

As soon as they entered the 10-meter range, Cairn yelled out, [Force Charge]!”

It was a similar spell to Dark Hero’s [Dark Charger], and rocketed forward at Zedra. He was unfazed, choosing to [Evasive Vault] at an angle that would allow him to reach out to the paladin.

Sure enough, a single blade reached out and made a delightful ‘thwisk’ sound as it cut deep into the left leg of Cairn. The paladin grunted, immediately healing the damage, only for his eyes to go wide. [Shadow Poison] had taken hold, causing a small tick of damage, but he was afflicted by it, and he didn’t know what it did.

Cairn turned, now slightly limping, only to find nothing.

He spun again, only for Zedra to appear from the other direction, driving a dagger deep into a kidney. That would be a kill shot, but these were tier 2 beings, with advanced vitality and strength. It took nearly a quarter of his life away, the physical damage increased by [Shadow Poison]. Unfortunately, despite limping, it wasn’t enough for [Opportunity Strike] to activate, not counting as being CC’d.

While Cairn grunted, he still managed to yell out, “[Rending Strike]!”

It was clear that he had put more skill points into it than Dark Hero had, because it instantly made a perfect circle around him, like the afterimage of his sword, dealing damage to anything it touched.

But Zedra had already disengaged, easily dodging the attack. He activated [Veil of Shadows] and quickly went invisible, though Cairn saw where it happened.

The huge goliath sprinted forward, “[Divine Strike]!”

Only for Zedra to quickly appear, “[Shadow Powder]!”

The cone of dust hit perfectly in Cairn's eyes, causing [Blindness]. That was the CC trigger Zedra was hoping for. He silently activated [Opportunity Strike], and with the three other skill points that he put into it, that ability was his strongest by far. Zedra teleported behind Cairn, sinking both daggers into his neck at a downward angle.

Cairn screamed in pain as his health went from 75% to 7%.

Zedra kept attacking after that. Three more stabs and the paladin fell.

“Oohhh! There you have it, folks! Zedra takes the win between Vice GMs today! But I wouldn’t be who I am if that was the finale!” The announcer yelled, his magically enhanced voice echoing through the stadium. “Oh nooo, my dear audience! Up next is the battle to put this last one to shame! We had Vice GMs fighting, well, allow me the wondrous and distinct pleasure of pitting two Guild Masters against one another!”

The crowd went wild.

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

Sky listened to most of the fight, and when she was announced, she frowned and looked over to the rest of her guild members, “So this seems…a bit deliberate, doesn’t it?”

Zaria nodded, “I don’t like it, Sky, they are setting you up!”

“It’s still a fight, regardless. I won’t back down from that.”

“Nor should you!” Mia said. “You are the best fighter I have gone against, you beat both me and Tia together! Don’t let some stupid Guild Master win just cause he did the thing with the expansion here, or whatever!”

Sky smiled, but before she could talk, she was interrupted.

“You have no chance!” A human fighter yelled as he approached. The announcer was still hyping the fight, so Sky was getting ready to head out onto the field.

“Oh?”

His name was ‘Caius Ventus, Fighter [𖤍]’ and his symbol matched the Vice Guild Master of the Corinthians.

“That’s right! Commander Titus will wipe the floor with you! Be prepared, fool girl!”

The challenge would have angered some, but this was supposed to be an RP server, and Sky was nothing if not willing to role-play.

“I look forward to this challenge! He will do nothing besides feel the searing light of the sun!” Sky yelled back.

Caius didn’t have time to respond as the gates opened, the announcer’s cue for Sky to enter the field.

She walked in and was nearly surprised at her opponent. He had somehow created a Corinthian-style helmet, silver with gold lines and a red mane plume. He looked intimidating in his full armor.

‘Titus Caelous, Shield Guardian [𖤍]’

A short sword was in his right hand, with his tower shield covering the entire left side.

Before the announcer could speak, Titus did, “Solara Sky of the Zenith Star Guild! I have a question for you!”

“Right now?” Sky asked, gesturing around the arena with her new staff.

“Yes! Do you intend to stay in Ostbury?” His voice and demeanor were stern, like he was role-playing as some veteran military commander from the Roman Empire.

“Our guild is going to go to the Crystal City. There, we will claim our guild hall.”

He nodded, “I see, and do you intend to take on any of the expansions, or the main story, when the time comes?”

“The main story…I don’t care too much about it. But the Fourth Expansion, the Fourth Heaven…that will be ours, and I will not argue about it.”

The man’s frown grew deeper, “So you leave the rest to us then?”

“The rest? Certainly not, but I am sure we won’t contest too much for all of them. Maybe the Dark Continent. But we have a lot of time before that happens.”

He nodded, “I see. I accept that, but if you try to intrude on the others, including the main story, we will have problems.”

Sky shrugged, “If we do, we can solve it with staff and blade! I won’t let you walk all over us because you had the Queen do your work for you. Zenith Star Guild will handle its problems, and if you become one, then we will handle that as well.”

His face turned to pure anger, “So be it!”

The announcer had let us argue, “That was quite an exchange of words, I am sure, but worry not, my audience, it is time to start! Fighters! Are you ready? FIGHT!”

Sky was the first to react, a blazing and arcing beam of her basic attack, [Flare Shot], crashed into the Shield Guardian. A stack of [Searing Light] was applied to him, and he showed no reaction. More beams came, and his shield began to intercept them, but Sky didn’t stop.

“[Compelled Duel]!” Titus yelled.

The skill immediately forced Sky to run forward at him; the compelling force of his shouting ability made it so she wanted to attack him in melee range.

Just as she was about to get within his striking range, Titus dropped his guard and began to slash out with his short sword.

“[Sun Flash]!” Sky screamed, forced to cast the spell vocally to break his stun. Her aura erupted in a burst of golden light. It applied a few seconds of [Blindness] to Titus. Sky spun forward and around his sword side.

He had been watching her, as well as how her staff had a small marble of sunlight on its tip. She had used it to cast her [Flare Shots], and Titus thought it was a consequence of that attack. He was wrong.

Sky had silently allowed a [Sun Bringer] to sit casually on the tip of her staff since the start of the fight. She now brought the tip of her staff under his blinded guard and fully filled the spell with mana. The sun expanded in a split second, and the basketball-sized sphere blew up against the Shield Guardian's chest. Stacks of [Searing Light] began to build up, immediately jumping to 3 then 4, only for Titus to scream out with an ability in turn.

“[Invulnerable Defense]!”

All stacks of [Searing Light] disappeared, and his health stopped going down, stuck at 85% as the [Sun Bringer] dissipated.

Sky ran past him, sending more [Flare Shots] at the Shield Guardian to measure the length of his [Invulnerable Defense]. Her third attack landed on his back, applying one stack of [Searing Light].

He hadn’t moved while under the effects of [Invulnerable Defense], so it could be a ploy to get her to move in close, or part of the skill’s parameters in that it keeps the player immobile.

Titus quickly spun and sprinted after Sky. His surprising speed wasn’t enough to keep up with her, as she continuously sent [Flare Shots] at him. He blocked a couple of them, but several made it through, taking his health down to 70%, while the stacks of [Searing Light] climbed back up to three out of the maximum of five.

Sky’s eyes went wide as he yelled out another ability.

“[Advance]!” Another shouting Shield Guardian ability.

It clearly increased his movement speed to the point where he was closing the gap on Sky.

“[Force Charge]!” Titus activated the same ability that his paladin Vice Guild Master had used against Zedra, though he had a second part to it. “[Shield Slam]!”

He closed the gap to Sky with his charge and used his shield as he slammed into her. The blow stunned her, dealing nearly 5% of her health as physical damage. He was able to slash twice with his sword, both for critical strikes, as she was stunned.

Sky yelled out, “[Sun Flash]!” The skill broke her stun, and she dodged back.

It [Blinded] Titus, but he could still activate skills, and one of his just came off cooldown. “[Compelled Duel]!”

This time, Sky’s stun break was off cooldown, and she had to move into melee combat. Thankfully, he was unable to see her strikes, and while she couldn’t cast out loud, she didn’t need to.

A [Sun Bringer] formed on the tip of her staff once again, just as she used it to bat away Titus’ wild sword strike. Before his [Blindness] wore off, Sky delivered a devastating blow to his knee with the butt of her staff. She twirled in and jammed the point with a small star right under Titus’ chin. Just as that happened, she unleashed the full power of her [Sun Bringer], just under his helmet.

It did an incredible amount of damage, taking his health down to 20%. His [Compelled Duel] wore off, and she was about to use [Flare Step] to back away, but Titus was able to use one more skill.

“[Shield Slam]!” It once again stunned Sky, a 2-second stun, and he was able to slash her 4 times with his short sword, taking her health down to 28% from over 90%.

His final slash left his arm going out wide, just in time for the stun to leave. It wasn’t Titus’ reaction time that was impressive, as Sky silently cast [Flare Step], showcasing her ability to break free from the rules of the former game.

Something different happened than normal, as Sky was able to cast [Flare Step] in any direction, she chose to cast it directly upward at a 45 degree angle, right through the upper body of Titus.

One of Sky’s knees lifted with devastating force, catching the Shield Guardian on the burned chin. She flashed three times his height upwards, sending her fellow Guild Master flying back and up, his chin following the path of her knee. The bottom of Titus’s feet saw the sun, only for Sky’s golden wings to appear. She flapped once and allowed them to let her fall. She landed in a super hero stance, taking another 4% of her health as falling damage.

The moment she hit the ground, she activated [Searing Blast], causing the 5 stacks of [Searing Light] to burst.

Titus’s body erupted in solar light.

As he lost the fight, Sky stood tall to the sounds of a raucous cheering crowd. The announcer went wild.

“Good fight,” Sky said, nearly out of breath.