Avilien: Tutorial islands

Level one-hundred

French-style doors leading to a luxurious balcony filled with palm plans and golden vases overlooked the capital of Zalanga. Beyond the doors was the grand room known as the Prince's chambers. A varnished desk with a map of southern Avilien rested upon it as the boy Prince watched small pieces of wood move around the map.

Dressed in fine yellow and red silks the child prince known as Fukonishi watched as his Warmaster, General Renalds continued to push the figurines around the map. He was teaching the prince military tactics, but the young prince's mind lay elsewhere.

Huddled in a corner of the room amongst the dusty ancient tomes and tall bookshelves sat an elderly man. Before him, he had twenty books open and was scribbling notes in another. Grey wispy hair and wearing a shirt with the top button undone the level twenty player known as Owl was called Ken. The games loremaster and the man responsible for the base storyline of the game throughout Avilien.

Ken rubbed his weary eyes and then his forehead as the more he researched the more his head pounded like a drum. He couldn't believe how far the game had skewed off the original plotline. The original plotline no longer existing. No matter which city he visited, which books he read there was no sign of his story anywhere. Avilien had evolved beyond it.

Feather pen being placed down a gust of wind swept through the room causing open books to flick wildly and causing Ken to lose his place. Fukonishi smiled with delight and leapt out of the golden chair as the electric blue dragon known as Draken landed on the outside balcony.

Black armour with the pattern of a wolf on the breastplate and with two giant wyvern teeth sword made from the abyssal wyvern showed Grey's prowess in battle. He hopped off Draken and entered the room with an exhausted look. His health bar had dropped below half and his stamina was spent.

"Sir Awesome Biscuit!" shouted the young prince with such glee a smile appeared on his face.

In the past, before players entered Avilien Grey managed to make some of the games AI awoken. He could not stop the tide of the corrupted without having allies. In doing so he had grown close to the young boy Prince and his father Turrogishi, who had passed several years prior.

Warmaster Renalds clasped his giant hands together as he looked at Grey and then nodded his head in respect. Renalds a level one-hundred and twenty AI had become good friends with Grey and respected him and his ability in combat. He looked at Grey from his towering height and overbearing muscles as he dressed with little armour to show off his ripped muscles.

"Forgive me, young prince. This is not a casual visit. We have much to discuss I am afraid." Grey looked ready to collapse. The fatigue of a gruelling battle consuming him.

"Perhaps you have even more to discuss than you think," Ken raised his brows and caused Grey to flinch. "Didn't expect to see me? I'll let you conclude your business first, Grey," said Ken as he returned to the tomes.

"No, I did not expect to find the Owl here. How do you always know where to find me? Nevermind. I'll make this quick, your highness." Grey bowed to Fukonishi and the prince replied the same gesture.

"The arrival of the beta players has had an impact on the datastream. Heavily. The corrupted along with the dead are starting to collaborate. Several of the undead Princes are now aligning ad merging forces. They have one goal in sight. The total annihilation of southern Avilien. I'm doing all I can on the frontlines to halt them but their levels jumped from low forties to high eighties."

"Meaning you can no longer contain the threat," spoke Renalds in a direct tone.

"No, I cannot. What is worse is that they are seeping through cracks in our developer's wall. I expect that within the year we will have the dead and the corrupted tearing through the southern continent," explained Grey.

"You do realise we are struggling with the war against the Swarm? Their ranks have swelled with players and adding to the fact some neutral players are growing powerful and out of control. Both parties are ravaging our lands," spoke Renalds.

"Sir Awesome Biscuit is well aware of all our problems Renalds. If not for him and his friends we would be blindly the following code and would have been devoured by the corruption. Forgive my Warmaster," spoke Fukonishi.

"There is nothing to forgive. The original storyline has been destroyed due to the rate in which Avilien evolves followed by the influx and actions of players. I had thought that deleting every government force from around the world would lessen the impact. What era we enter now is unknown." Grey sighed and Ken snapped his tome shut.

"This appears to be a great time to butt in," said Ken as he stood.

"Leviathan will rise and quite soon." Ken's words were direct and to the point. Fukonishi and Renalds were unaware as to what Leviathan was.

"No. That thing cannot rise. I have made sure no one will complete the Tutorial Islands. And besides no one cares about them," said Grey in a flustered panic.

Across the vast ocean to the northern continent, Grey received little information about the activities in the southern continent. He relied on his team of developers who were lacking in their duties and grown tired.

"I received word from Trix that he intends to help Luke complete the islands. Not only that he has given up his post. Lolly has been deleted and the Court of Bones are rampaging across the Tutorial Islands hunting Corpse Collectors. Oh and it appears that every single Beta player that survived the culling are completing the Tutorial Islands," explained Ken in a calm manner as Grey dragged his hands down his face.

"What in blazes has happened since I've been gone?" cried Grey. "First off, I'm getting that idiot on holo call. Second I'll contact DD and ensure he puts all manpower into stopping people completing those islands. I cannot do anything to the Court of Bones at present, even with my level. But we do have a few people on the inside. As for Lolly... I don't know what to say." Grey went quiet.

"I suggest you let the islands be completed. If Leviathan rises it could unite the Dawn and the Swarm for a moment. Perhaps unite them against the corrupted and the dead. Also, Trix has become the guild leader of the Guild of Daggers. Alianna is backing Luke and him," said Ken.

"Could anything else get any worse?" shouted Grey.

"Yes. I believe it can. All seven Founders and their guilds have carved up huge chunks of territory, basically becoming their own factions. Adding to that they are hunting you down. Their levels are hidden but the seven guild leaders have managed to bypass the level cap. Who knows what their true level is. And that is about all. Thank you Prince Fukonishi and Warmaster Renalds for your hospitality." Ken bowed his head in respect and then vanished through the use of teleportation stones.

"It appears you have a full plate of troubles," spoke Renalds.

"Appears so. I keep the lid on one pot and more pop off. Prince, I believe it is time for drastic measures," said Grey.

"You want me to start recruiting players into the ranks. I shall see it done. Most have been an amazing help in further zones and combating the Swarm and their allied players. This Leviathan fellow troubles me."

"He should. He is a deep-sea terror that will flood the entire land and sink it underneath the waves. I will return once I've spoken with the rest of my team. I'll start with that rum drinking idiot!" raged Grey.

Somewhere in the city of Zalanga Trix's ears burned and he began to sneeze. A common sign that someone was talking about him behind his back.