Stray Elf: Lost in the System

Entry 004 PIT IN YOUR STOMACH

There is a rumbling in your stomach.

There is a rumbling in your stomach.

THERE IS A RUMBLING IN YOUR STOMACH.

Yet the Pits remains. The Entrance to Hell is a fleshy mass, infecting the landscape with its bio-geological features. Long ago, records of a Great Being was birthed from the stomach of the world, in order to exact its hunger on the surface dwellers with a host of beings known as Demons. They crushed innocents and feasted upon their dead flesh, filling their stomachs with profane broken forms of men, women and children alike. Once their fill was had, they fed the Pits with the scraps which welcomed the falling souls with a ravenous hunger.

It was not long before the humans, too, developed a desire to eat flesh of their enemies. Whispers of the Demon eaters spread across the great lands, but nothing was done about the heresy of eating flesh.

Entry 005 ENTITIES IN THE WORLD

DATAPOINT ENTRY RECORDED IN ROSE TERMINAL

Combatant: A nothing. An insignificant soul waiting to be reaped.

Elite Entity: Possesses One or Two Skills — Shard Discovery Rate Extremely Low

Crowned Entity: Possess Three or More Common Skills, or One or More Powerful Skills — Shard Discovery Rate Extremely Low

Skull Entity: Possesses Unique Skills — Shard Discovery Rate Non-Existent

Legendary Entity: Possesses God Skills — Shard Discovery Transferral Rate 100%

Boss Entity: Possesses God Skills and Origin Skills — Shard Discovery Transferral Rate 100%

Nameless: ENTITY IRREGULARITY.

Entry 006 Reaper of Souls

Alert noted, ignored (as usual), inside the Nameless’s System.

[Number of souls defeated: 0]

A system that was onboarded, as a result from magical interference. The number of Souls, in essence, is necessary fuel for the System's growth. The act of regressing the scattered, torn apart spirits of those lost in battle to a singular part. For just as a dung beetle starts small as it feeds, the rolling continues until a Greater Spirit is achieved.

There were many questions posed by the Nameless. Why was she, of all people, chosen to become the Ruler of Death? By all accounts, reaping souls and having the power over the dead sounded exactly like a final boss from a videogame. Was she fated to become evil this way? The number of souls defeated seemed to not care whether she slew the person or not, only the proximity towards Death itself did. She absorbs the essence and her Skill takes care of the rest. Was this because of the Ack'Sa's influence on her?

A subtle call pulls the Nameless's attention: Come home.

A map or a point in a right direction would help, of course, but there would be no sign of where home could be. For now, only the delivery of Death could bring the Nameless security.

Entry 007 Deceiver

The hulking beast man, something like a mix of towering man and leopard standing at 8 feet tall, definitely required an 8 foot long halberd to defeat. There was a small problem that made me realize something about this fearsome opponent: He was not a Crowned entity, nor did the Goddess Usalah seem to imbue him with magic. That was the Reaver Moon’s doing. He possessed a weak Power skill, but seemed to be fodder for the humans. A sacrifice. A soul waiting to be reaped.

I scoffed.

Humans often enslaved those lesser than them, then used them as fodder or bargaining chips out of situations like this. They were banking on his intimidating form to cause discomfort within me, during our little duel to the death. This poor, talentless hack. My burning spear had already pierced his neck. Was he threatened? Was his family held for ransom and service was the only way for peace? It mattered not to me, but to an entire group of people.

Now, his body fertilized the fields and our forces have ransacked his captors' town.

Entry 008 Crystals

DATAPOINT ENTRY REGISTERED IN ROSE TERMINAL

Crystals are formed in the center of this planet's magma through high amounts of pressure and cooling in between the Pits and Circles. These intrusive igneous rocks are naturally occurring, bursting out and forming sometimes into massive continent sized crystals. However, the Nameless knows better than assuming a mineral is that simple. Like all the other precious stones in this world, from the most humble underground cave to a dragon's hoard, all the way from the cosmos, these crystals share what all of them have in common: They possess latent memories of the cosmos and its creation. Why is this important?

The Crystal used to commune located in Moonwatch's castle was not a mere crystal, instead it was one made out of blood. Whose blood? The Ack'Sa's very own blood and the memories from the beginning of time.

The Nameless has began to understand that the so-called Dark One has ties to the beginning of this universe and whoever the Goddess Usalah was and him have been at it for a very long time. The question was who was here first?

Entry 009 MAGIC

DATAPOINT ENTRY RECORDED IN A MEMORY STONE

[Host has temporarily gained a Stat bonus. Time limit: 1 minute.]

The magic energy surging inside my body felt like entering a cold shower. Or skinny dipping in a lake at night. A tingly, pleasurable experience. I stifled a shudder, then concentrated on my Status Skill. A temporary buff to the one Stat I did not have use for. The soldiers laughed when the Spell flopped, but I don't care. My magic was already low.

Magic in this universe is caused by the cosmos. Specifically, the celestial bodies within it and even the vacuum between. For all of the primordial forces of this universe's creation, a Big Bang of sorts, memories lie in the stones. Unfortunately for us soldiers, a stick with a gemstone is expensive nor does it resonate within demon's bodies as it does in a human, so finding one among our ranks was impossible. Even if some imp had one, he was using it to scratch his bum and definitely wouldn’t give that luxury up for experimentation. The Moons are responsible for what kind of magic one can cast and their attunement dictates the spell's magnitude, mainly, the one born during a Moonfall will become attuned to that moon's imprinting. If one is attuned strongly to House Reaver, the red Moon, they will be able to cast large spells of devestating fire, or lightning, or metal. On rare instances, a birth may occur between certain cycles where Moons intersect and thus, that attunment is multiplied. If they attuned to multiple moons like me, they won't be able to cast anything at all. Additionally, certain phrases can call upon the Moon's God or Goddess for additional support of a spell. Phrases that are mostly lost in libraries, now kept secret lest the spells reach the opposing sides.

Reaching out to a Godmoon requires enough understanding, called Intelligence in my theories. Having that understanding shall grant you strength or something. Reach out to the Goddess, and she will provide you with answers. Something from nothing.

What happens when one reaches out beyond the moon? Humans view this practice an act of heresy. Demons can't really call upon the Gods up there, as they (I refrained from saying we, because I am a different species) came from the Hells beneath our feet. When asked who are we calling upon, the answer is obvious. Up there, something was found beyond the moons and it returned our calls. Humanity and demons calling for something out there, like a drowning hand reaching out from the under the surface of a lake.

Even worse, it reached back.

Entry 010 NAMELESS

DATAPOINT ENTRY REGISTERED IN ROSE TERMINAL

The Nameless is a part of an unknown species that have "fallen from the heavens." In demon terms, the Nameless herself has identified her species as: Space elves. No one knows what that means.

Her pointed ears, dangerous abilities despite being another pretty face has cemented her reputation amongst the Demon Army and Human armies as a walking calamity. When the Nameless approaches you, they say, give her whatever she wants.

Luckily for them, the Nameless seemed to be focused on something entirely different. She does come with quirks, despite her overwhelming prowess in battle. She once spent three hours searching for her boots without a care in the world. She remembers the weather of a particular battle that took place two years, three months, and seventeen days ago. She is loaded with Tusks, she calls them, but they are no longer named Tusks anymore. They are simply gold coins now, but might as well serve as trinkets to her: She has not even once collected soldier's fees from any of the men in her unit. Trust me, you don't want to be trained inside her unit.

She is also kind of cute. Don't tell her I said that.

Still, those red eyes of hers are enough to petrify a man. Her body, incredible. The Nameless seems to not flaunt it often, but a glimpse of it might make training worth it. I’m conflicted. And her words cut deep like her Black Blade. She has not chosen a name for herself, despite the rumors that Nameless normally choose one sooner than later. She has shot down every marriage proposal, every name suggestion, and even nicknames so far for years now. Her victories have made the Ack’Sa proud, but the Nameless is a terrifying being. She is yet another reminder that us soldiers should not have our necks out for too long unless we want to lose our heads.

Entry 011 DEATH SPEAR

IN THE WORDS OF THE WAR HERALD HERSELF

Skills are blessings from the Gods and Goddesses of the Universe. The Nameless questions how the beings in this world have come to know what a universe was, let alone a planet's place in all of it. Undergoing hardship in traumatic situations and crying out can resonate with certain Gods.

The Goddess Usula fills her children with Spirit Skills in the depths of their stomachs.

The God Ack'Sa fills his Demons with Mind Skills in the depths of their Pits.

The Nameless is perplexed at the possibility of many gods battling each other granting pawns with fractions of their powers, but she is even more entrenched in the origin of her own Skill. Was it from the Nameless's Mother? The being inside of the Great Tree? When she acquired Level 5, strange glitches happened due to the Tree's influence, even miles and miles away. Skills were borrowed strength and the harrowing truth of it came to her attention: The Status Skill's true owner wanted it back. It was only through the searing visions and calls from the Mother another Skill revealed itself through her palm in order to extract the Demon Seed. A Skill called the Death Spear possessed her and wiped the so-called glitches out.

Of this, the Nameless learned that she has a terrible operating system and that another god has taken interest in her: That being the Unleashed, the One from Undeath.

Entry 012 GIFTS

In Honor of the Nameless who had slayed the King of Sarwitz: We grant you gifts from the Ack'Sa.

Upon inspecting and dragging the same chest that took six fully grown demons to carry onto the stage, the Nameless's red eyes beamed with greed as she saw a set of shiny jet-black armor. If she was not on the fast track towards becoming the evil final boss before, she certainly was now. Still, each piece fit like a glove. It was only then when she realized who gave her the armor. The Ack'Sa.

The God of the Demons, the Dark One himself.

She has never met him before, but really did not want to now even with these fancy gifts from him. In later battles, the armor became a part of her: For that's all what soldiers have in the end. Conquering the nation of Sarwitz came easy and no ordinary blade could cut the armor. No spear could pierce its joints.

Legendary gear was on a whole new level.

Entry 013 UNDEAD

DATAPOINT ENTRY REGISTERED IN AN UNLEASHED GLINTSTONE, Frag no.71048871.

As the Nameless journeyed into the Golden Lands, she quickly realizes that one: The place is goddamn cold!

And two: Zombies are real inside this world.

Upon discovering a small black fragment of a fallen meteorite left in the snow, she learns that her Status Skill had interfaced with its datapoint. The datapoint in question appeared to be a memory, etched in the system. The following message was written in the memory:

All of Space is Ours

We are calling out to you

I am inside of you

We are one

All of Space is Ours

I see you suffering

I will take it and replace it with life

I am inside of you now

The Datapoint was later analyzed, bearing fruits of forbidden knowledge that demon scholars have known for centuries. However, in war time, the Nameless can't afford such luxuries into that field of research. The black meteorite was designated as Unleashed magic, an olive branch extended to the living by a God far out in space. Reaching out to it in fealty grants passage into unlife, and the body will move on to spread this joy.

Naturally, necromancers came to believe that this God was the final being in the Cosmos, patiently guiding them to the River of Souls. Zombies infect others via biting and filling their stomachs— and feeding the God as a byproduct— with the flesh of the living. However, in order to destroy one requires disembowling it. As the Nameless's blade feasts upon flesh meant to be left dead, she reaps a soul from the zombie, suggesting that the person in the zombie is still very much alive and watching their body act upon the will of the Unleashed God.

Entry 014 An Orc’s Confession

DATAPOINT "SEARCH HISTORY" DISCARDED IN THE DELETED FILES OF THE ROSE TERMINAL

QUERIES: ORCS MATING, WAIT NOT THAT, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ORCS THAT WAY, ORCS AND LOVE, HOW IS THAT EVEN WORSE THAN THE FIRST SEARCH QUERY

In the sunless Hells, many unknown regions and inhabitants still exist and remain unexplored even today. Their remnants and remains are scattered across the surface of the world as ancient history. They serve reminders of how far humanity and demonkind have prospered.

The Rose Terminal has revealed to the Nameless that once a long time ago, the Fair Demons invaded the Hellish Mountains and slaughtered several Orc tribes. This act of aggression sparked a thousand year war between the indigenous tribes of the Orcs and the Fair Demons. Among the wars and battles, springtime and love would emerge in the midst of carnage. As Fair Demons would find out, defeating an Orc in combat and sparing them has inadvertent consequences. The Fair Demon's War Princess, an unparalleled warrior of Eternal strength, defeated the Sky Tribe's Chieftain and decided to spare him. She was later pursued for hundreds of years the only way Orcs know how: By combat.

Their battles raged on for another century.

The Nameless realized the fatal error in her solution to the camp drama: She should have killed that Orc for good instead of leaving him in the mountains with an inch of his life left.

Why? Because even when war is present: Love blooms.

Entry 015 TOWER

DATAPOINT REGISTERED IN O5 TRESPASSER

People will do anything to feel again. To hold onto their own arms with their own hands. Same with hearing. It's lonely hearing the heart wrenching screams of gravitational waves or cosmic radiation. To taste something real. Mouthwatering. The sleek yet open design of the Trespasser allows for such luxuries: Including a real kitchen and a dining room. Tired of simulations and tubes? Want to feel real, even in the corners of the system? Get a Trespasser today and cross that boundary.

The Status Skill sends another alert. Among the shifting gears within the exposed ventilation, life grows and magic works. No— chemicals work and sprinkle plants. Even though the wind howls outside, the containment chambers remain at a perfect temperature and the basin has been undisturbed for centuries. Why was a farm like this in this world? The Nameless has concluded one thing: It was literally not from this world, but instead from a distant one due to the Needle's presence.

Someone else was at work here, desperately crawling for life away from a dying world.

Entry 016 DRAGON

DATAPOINT ENTRY REGISTERED IN ROSE TERMINAL

The Status Skill sent hundreds of alerts, each including the precise trajectories of a few hundred incoming missiles and a Skill called "Death Ray." That sounds as painful as its name suggests.

[ ALERT: Hostile Skull Enemy in the area. Slay it to acquire enough experience for level up. ]

Well, thanks for that. I’ll work on dodging its various flaming attacks and Death Ray. The thing that is a ray. Of Death.

The Golden Dragon is a Skull ranked enemy, an entity with higher danger ratings than a Crowned enemy. The first of many to give the Nameless a good (and free) kick in the ass. It is a flying serpent, with no wings in sight, preferring to live inside the Tree's sprawling branches and defending Its core with ferocity. Since it never appears to feed on anything, it is theorized that the Tree is sustaining its monstrous frame. Its size is unknown, however, its maw swallowed an entire mountain (and the invading army on top of it). That crater left is known for its dangerous atmosphere — later identified by the Nameless as heavy radiation.

After it is defeated by a Planet Breaker Skill, pieces of its corpse still rain down to the massive city center below granting the Nameless thousands of souls. Perhaps the humans deserve such a monumental failure and loss of people, choosing to live and worship such a calamitous creature was never going to end well.

She who lived among her city's people for so long, she has come to love each and every soul inside of it. She vowed to protect them and became a dragon to fulfill her wish.

Entry 017 ANHEIM TREE

DATAPOINT ENTRY REGISTERED IN ROSE TERMINAL

The Status Skill revealed certain information regarding the Anheim Tree and its signal.

1) It is not a [REDACTED] currently is [REDACTED] the magical subspace the locals call the [REDACTED].

2) The further away the lifeforms onboard leave its presence, the more corrupted their systems become and self-termination progresses much faster. The lifeforms— Children of the [REDACTED]— are identified as having pointed ears, unparalleled and uncanny beauty, female, and incredibly powerful.

3) The Anheim Tree is seen as a divine being, however, the humans call it the Bridge to the Suns. The demons wish it like all other things on the surface, to return to the Pits of the Hells.

And finally—

4) The "fruits" of its branches, are called Black Kettles. They contain the lifeblood of the [REDACTED]— the Nameless.