Rise Of The Worthy [LitRPG System Apocalypse]

Chapter 177: Welcome To Nowhere


I turn to Clutter's plastic duplicate. The word 'replaced' bounces around in my mind like a runaway superball, smacking a few worries and fears that are too tender to touch. I need to get in there to make sure he's safe. It's only a minute. But watching the timer tick down is torturous.

00:53. 00:50. 00:45. 00:37. Seconds crawl by like a centipede on my spine, plucking every nerve that sends a horrible, nightmarish sensation into my brain. I know he's going to be fine. But something… something about the grey light just won't let me convince myself. It definitely feels longer than a minute. And when that timer finally ticks down to zero, I thrust my hand into the light and accept whatever the quest needs from me.

Incoming Quest: Forgotten City's Emergence.

Strange materials herald the return of a city lost to memory. You, as one of the lucky few who have managed to find something to access the city before it fully returns to the world, are invited to brave its dangers and reap its potential rewards.

All it asks for in return is a simple guarantee; If you do not leave the city before it materializes, you forfeit your existence.

If you are confident in your abilities, the city welcomes you with open arms, blades in every shadow, and unimaginable riches to be found.

Accept Quest: (Y/N)?

I mentally smash the 'Y' repeatedly. A spark of grey magic snaps to my armlet, and plastic around me begins to whirl and grow into a mound that's exactly my height. It twists and shifts until it's perfectly between me and the portal, then burbles out a noise that sounds surprised and quickly shoots out of the way.

Light washes over me. My stomach lurches as a sensation like freefall overwhelms everything, and I snap my eyes open to the sight of a grey stain coating everything. I raise my eyebrows in surprise as I look around; it seems like my feet are on solid ground, and the sensations of falling don't mesh with how my clothes hang normally from my body and the hair on my shoulders. It's some kind of… intermediate point.

I shift to my awareness and immediately regret it. Nothing here feels right–as if the empty space is actually filled to the absolute brim with something, and all of it is so dense with magic that it makes my eyes water. The stuff isn't necessarily powerful–not like Fleur or the krarig–but it's insanely consistent. How a single pebble is to a mountain, normal magic is to this place.

"Ah, another visitor. Please, please, take a seat."

Words whisper through the magic, and a simple grey armchair appears right under me. The seat bumps the back of my knees, pushing me into it with a grunt of surprise. Tinges of magic prod at my mind that smell like peppermint and sound like the quiet lapping of waves. I shove them away with a sneer and look around for the source of the magical words.

"Don't try to pacify me. I'm not in the mood for more mental bullshittery."

The voice chuckles lightly. "It was just to relax you, not turn you into a mindless puppet. You and everyone else today–so untrusting. Though I can't blame you for it, since this quest sounds quite sinister when you get to the nitty-gritty. Would you like me to make a physical appearance for you?"

I glance around, trying to pinpoint a sound or spark of magic, but it's truly coming from everywhere. Even from inside of me. "Sure, why not? I'd love to see what you think I want you to look like."

"Oh, if I were to do that, I'd just do this." The voice says, and the space in front of me warps. Ursula appears out of nowhere, smiles kindly, and leans forward on her elbows. "You miss your new friends more than you realize." She says in a voice that's not her own. "If you don't accept this quest, you could go back to them right this minute. Maybe train up some, kill some high Worth monsters, and get close enough to them that they can justify taking you on their quests. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

I snort in amusement and lean back in the chair. "I can't tell if you're trying to get me to run away, or if this is some crazy reverse psychology. Either way, get the hell out of that fake body. You're making Ursula look weak."

"Weak?" Not-Ursula cocks her head to the side. "You think I am weaker than this woman? That's funny. Very funny. We'll see if you still think that if you clear everything my quest has to offer. I'm bored talking with you. Leave."

Not-Ursula snaps her fingers. The grey flickers, and for a split second, a dimly-lit street fills the space around me. But it flickers right back, and not-Ursula frowns in annoyance.

"Of course you're one of those." She sighs theatrically and extends an upturned palm at me. "Give it here. Whatever your current quest wants, I'll sign it. I've got other people who'll play my games to get to."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

What my current quest wants? I have no idea what she's talking about. But she seems to think she knows right. Whoever the hell she is. Maybe I can use that to find out more.

I shift a little and put on a confident expression. "My quest won't let me continue unless I know who–or what–you are."

"Aw, what? That's so boring. I'm supposed to be a huge mystery until you find some cryptic information about a third of the way through the time limit. Boo! Boo, I say!" Not-Ursula smacks her fist against her leg, and the entirety of the grey space shudders. "Well, I'm not going to tell you everything. You get a few cryptic hints, and unless your quest is okay with that, you can go right back to where you came from!"

Damn. Is this… a kid? It sounds like a kid–or a petulant adult. Or maybe someone hamming up a role. Say… the role of someone administering a quest on the system's behalf. It almost makes too much sense to be true. But if it is, then all I have to do is play along.

I nod and lace my fingers together. "My previous quest accepts your terms."

Not-Urusla sniffs and raises her chin. "Of course it does; my terms are more than acceptable and unbelievably fair. Bring out your Class Card so I can give it permission, and then you'll get your hints."

"Ah, ah, ah–" I shake my head with a cocky grin. "Hints first–or else you'd just send me to that dark street and pretend nothing ever happened. Unless you want to bring up a contract for something as little as this."

"Psh. …No." Not-Ursula crosses her arms and pouts. "Fiiine. Hint number one; I'm not from where you're going. Hint number two; if you want to find me, there's something you have to do in this quest first. And finally, hint number three; there's a reason I have to stick to the rules of this quest. Happy?"

I furrow my brows. "How's that supposed to tell me who you are?"

Not-Ursula throws her hands into the air in frustration. "They aren't! Cryptic hints always suck, and they only make sense in retrospect! Don't blame me because you accepted those terms. Now bring out the Class Card! Hurrrrryyyy!"

The whine that comes from that voice grates on my nerves like actual metal nails on a chalkboard. I plaster on a placid smile of grateful acceptance and summon my Class Card.

"Here. Let's get this show on the road."

"Yes! That's all I want!" Not-Ursula hisses exasperatedly. My Class Card chimes, and a strange expression crosses not-Ursula's face. "Oh, you're 'that person' that person. Well, good luck–I'm not giving you any advantages no matter how much you beg, but the system won't be interfering either. So you're all on your own, lady! Buh-bye! I really hope I don't see you again!"

All… on my own. I'm… all on my own. Since the very first second I got to this world, and even on Earth a little, I've always had someone after me. If what this thing is saying is true… then… the system can't interfere here. I'll get to experience an honest-to-god normal quest that everyone without a Worth class gets all the time.

"Whoah, are those tears? Don't cry lady; it makes you look pathetic." Not-Ursula waves a hand at me dismissively. "Leave already. You're… wait, I have to do that. Okay, bye! Don't have fun!"

The grey dissolves, and the street scene from before unfurls before my eyes. I hold my breath as the last of the magic slinks away to the edge of my awareness, and then it just… leaves. Gone. Whatever that thing was doesn't matter any more. It has to obey the rules of the quest. So does the system. And, apparently, that means the system can't do jack shit while I'm here.

"Yes." I whisper to myself. "Finally."

Pearl mumbles a sleepy congratulations, then turns over and resumes her quiet, rhythmic breathing. I stifle a giddy laugh and move my Class Card into my field of view so I can see everything that's going to happen over the next who-knows-how-long. However long it's going to be, it's going to be system-interference-free. All I have to worry about is Stonestep Solutions.

Which, admittedly, is still a little scary. But scary in the way that I can imagine dealing with.

Quest Accepted: Forgotten City's Emergence.

Objective: Survive until the City emerges.

Rewards: anything and everything. But nothing is guaranteed.

-

Subquest Initiated: Welcome to Nowhere.

First Objective: Find a Nowhere Anchor and somewhere to anchor it.

Reward: Subquest continuation, 100 Worth.

Less info than I was expecting, but I can deal with that. There's an actual subquest, and it's giving me actual instructions. Plus, a hundred free Worth! Which isn't much, sure, but that's for doing basically nothing! Man, what clearance is this quest supposed to be if it's giving away rewards for doing basically nothing at all?

I move to put my Class Card away, but as the popup closes, I notice another one right behind it. Guess there's another subquest I need to be aware of. With a completely unnecessary flourish of my wrist, I snap the card into place.

Serenade of Shattered Shells.

Name revealed.

Quest progress made.

My breath leaves me in one titanic, unbelieving gasp. That's the quest the book I used to upgrade my system wanted. But that book… it apparently tells the story of the shellraisers. Did the system… oh. It put that requirement there so nobody would be able to actually use the book. So is the quest going to be worth anything at all, or is it just something the system cooked up to keep Pearl imprisoned?

…If I want answers, apparently there are some here. Why else would the thing from the grey room have to approve anything? I set my jaw with reinvigorated purpose. Answers, loot, and excitement. All of it is within my grasp. And all I have to do is survive wherever the hell I am.

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