CH 27

Passengers filtered out of the airship upon landing, leaving the unconscious bodies of the fugitives for several similarly uniformed people to collect. ChenBaiqi shot the four an amicable smile before joining the flow with what seemed to be her little sister.

“This place is called Nightfall Island, the central player district of Eventide. I suppose I’m getting a little nostalgic – it’s been quite a while since I’ve come here…” SuHe’s voice was as soft and mellow as the island before them, bathed in sunset.

QiLeren stood at the hatchway and followed his gaze. Under the honeyed glow of the sun, a lone island stood, an untouched sanctum in the vast ocean that surrounded it, magnificent yet intimidating in a way that made people hesitate to approach. He had heard about this island in passing from NPCs but never had the chance to visit.

If only he had taken the game more seriously…

Dr Lu’s head popped over QiLeren’s shoulder. “Move over, giants, cute gnomes coming through!”

“Yeah guys, have some consideration for us short ones,” XueYingying agreed.

QiLeren and SuHe were herded to one side and forced hug the metal handrails as they disembarked within with the stream of passengers.

“This aesthetic should be called steampunk, right?” QiLeren pointed up towards the airship. “It’s kind of unbelievable how that looks identical to normal ships that sail on water but could just…fly.”

“This is nothing compared to a lot of the things you’ll see here in the future,” SuHe replied with faint amusement.

The four passed through a narrow alleyway and made their way to a metal bridge. The sight of highly mechanical yet somewhat run-down buildings surrounded them, transforming their world into what could be an industrial revolution era factory district littered with wide pipes that unloaded wafting clouds of steam.

“This restaurant’s been here since I first came to Eventide and is quite famous in this region. I was actually worrying about what I’d do if the owner was no longer here,” SuHe introduced.

The important information didn’t escape Dr Lu. “The owner’s a player as well?”

SuHe nodded. “Some players choose to earn their lifespan through methods other than quests. ChenBaiqi and Al for example both have alternate sources of income, but the monthly compulsory quest can’t be circumvented.” The three nodded vaguely in response before following SuHe into the unremarkable restaurant.

If QiLeren was being honest with himself, the store itself was less than glamourous; actually, it’d be a miracle if it passed any food safety inspections at all. The dim lighting did nothing to disguise the mottled stains on its walls and flooring, which, combined with the faint but constant smell of gasoline, made the presence of food somewhat unwelcome. That was not to say that the smell was solely localised here; the entire walk reeked sharply of engine oil, so much so that QiLeren was ready to give himself the wild diagnosis of anosmia from the growing numbness in his nose.

The four picked and entered a private booth that allowed for quiet conversation. XueYingying carefully positioned herself onto a patch of the sofa that looked adequately clean as Dr Lu likewise showed much disdain for the poor hygiene and was forced to overcome his occupational germaphobia. QiLeren, on the other hand, had no such hesitation and leaned back as he read the weirdly sticky menu. “This place is all western food?” The dubious food items on it didn’t seem terribly appetising considering his general apathy towards the cuisine.

SuHe didn’t take offence. “There are places for Chinese as well. Perhaps next time.”

The wait for their food to arrive provided an excellent opportunity for the three newcomers to raise their burning questions – with the first being, of course, the way to return to the real world.

Under the expectant gazes of three pairs of eyes, SuHe let out a light sigh. “What a question to start with. I’m afraid I can’t answer that – nor can anyone else here, for that matter.”

“Will we go back if we die here?” XueYingying asked with no shortage of hope.

“You can attempt doing so if you happen to have the courage,” SuHe replied mildly. “Unfortunately, nobody living here will know of the outcome.”

“I wouldn’t think so.” Dr Lu’s refute was unwavering. “If that really were the case, those two fugitives wouldn’t have risked so much for their lifespans.”

SuHe nodded. “The general consensus among players is that death is just death, which erases you from both the real world and the one we’re currently in. It’s been said that the key to returning lies at the end of the main quest.”

The end? What constitutes as the end? A thousand possibilities flashed through QiLeren’s mind; the game did indeed have a main quest, but he died far too early to make sense of it all.

“You’ll need to understand the history of this world to understand the main quest,” SuHe patiently explained. “The beginning of the Nightmare World occurred about twenty years ago. According to the evidence players have uncovered so far, the earliest batch of players arrived twenty-two years ago – these people have since disappeared and are most likely dead. To the world itself, this was when the most significant changes started to take place.” Warmth from the glowing red sunset filtered through the smudged glass window and into their dimly-lit room, mellowing SuHe’s features to match his gentle tone.

“Twenty two years ago, the Archduke Demon crossed into the mortal realm with a legion of demons through the sacrifices of his worshippers and by drawing on the eclipse’s power. He slaughtered and enslaved a devastating number of humans before returning and leaving behind armies of followers and an endless flow of sacrifices. The world he left behind was one that was one of chaos, still bleeding freely from its wounds with what little faith it once possessed having crumbled to its foundations.

“From then on, a fracture divided the people into two. The first faction simply gave up on resistance, preferring to accept the sign of apocalypse for what it was – divine punishment for their sins. These people followed the church to Neverland, where they rebuilt their homes. The other faction was determined to fight until the end. They endeavoured to preserve the human civilisation in the years following the invasion, establishing places like Eventide and Aurora. These villages are located at the two ends of the mortal realm, separated by immeasurable distance. Due to reasons unknown, Aurora is in a constant state of sunrise just as Eventide remains static in its eternal sunset. Civilians settled down in the villages and restarted their lives, though those with wisdom in their minds foresaw a second rising of demonic power.

“They were, unfortunately, proven right. Three years ago, the demonic race once again set foot into the mortal realm.”

“Again?” XueYingying muttered, sounding disgusted.

SuHe chuckled. “Yes. But this time, the one leading them was not the Archduke Demon from twenty years ago. Three new demons had risen to take his place, representing power, bloodlust and deceit. Under their leadership, the mortal realm was once again plunged into a war that would see many new followers for the demonic race, leaving only Eventide and Aurora as some of the last remaining shreds of peace in this ravaged land due to their special construction that proved to be difficult to breach. Humans outside of these strongholds currently live in what could be said as an abyss of suffering and misery, some converting to the worship of demons and others doing anything they can to live just one more day.”

The more SuHe said, the more alarmed QiLeren became; this familiar story was identical to the background of «The Nightmare Games»!

“And I suppose this background story has something do with us players,” Dr Lu said after a moment of thought. “Is there a main quest that requires us to aid the humans in defeating the demons?”

“That is a rather difficult question to answer,” SuHe answered vaguely. “The current demon invasion has not yet ended. Though most of them have returned to their own realm, the passageway remains open for demons to come and go as they please, not to mention the vast numbers of lesser demons that still remain outside. Defeating even those is quite a feat for any player, much less the archdukes.”

The three newcomers were understandably left dejected by the information, though the hurdle of simply surviving at their skill level was enough to stave off thoughts of the more distant future.

As the waiter arrived with their food, SuHe glanced quizzically at the lamb placed before him. “Did you change chefs?”

The waiter blinked. “Which chef might you be referring to? I’m afraid I haven’t been here for very long but I’ve heard that we’ve had about eight chefs in the last three years.”

SuHe stared at him, a rare sliver of bewilderment visible in his deep eyes, before politely thanking the waiter. “Looks like I can’t treat you to the lamb I’ve been thinking about for three years after all,” he lamented to his companions, knife and fork in hand. “What a shame, I really was fond of the flavour…” SuHe’s sombre words danced across the air before dissolving into the roar of a passing engine that disrupted the silent twilight around them.

Their life in this strange, fascinating world of nightmares had officially begun.