A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

"You're getting better." Ilmadia said, chuckling as she saw Ceph turning red. Oh, their first dance had been a battle of how many times he could step on her toes. But now, it was limited to just a handful of times.

"Why am I struggling so much?" Ceph asked, stunned by the fact that he kept failing at something that sounded, should be, so simple. This was nothing compared to the drills he ran with his father, nor was it anything compared to fighting alongside Eldrian. Yet, he kept stumbling.

"Because you are overthinking, dummy." Ilmadia teased, flicking Ceph's forehead as she did. "Instead of letting the music flow through you, you are trying to keep count of the beats and continue staring at the ground."

"But... How am I supposed to not step on your toes if I don't look where I am stepping?" Ceph asked, distraught.

Ilmadia, sadly, didn't have the answer for him. She had thought a few others how to dance, but none were so concerned about making mistakes as Ceph. It was truly funny to see him so panicked. 'Wait, I normally tell them to simply shift their legs--'

She suddenly froze. Ceph reacted similarly. "You feel it too?" He asked, getting a swift nod from Ilmadia.

"What is this feeling?" she asked, never having felt something like this before.

"Mana collecting for a powerful spell," Ceph answered. Sadly, the hall's protective arrays had prevented him from constructing a large scale barrier. The next moment, a massive boom shattered the doors and windows. Many players found themselves shredded by their pieces. Luckily, only a few had died outright.

Next followed the screams. And the mana stirring again.

"Get the staff to activate the mansion's defensive barriers!" Ceph shouted, rushing outside with haste. Jumping from the balcony and shifting into his alicorn form as he did. With a few flaps of his wings, he arrived at the magic tower.

Striking the first person he encountered with his horn and kicking the second from the tower. He turned to the central room, the screams of the falling individual growing distant, but also alerting whoever was inside.

"What the heck is that--" The centaur who emerged from the central room found himself headless before he could finish his question. Ceph did not wait to confirm if they were guilty. He knew time was of the essence and at best they had failed to protect and control the tower. At worst, they were devils in disguise.

"Impressive." The word was grating on the ears, a high pitched broken sound that pierced the mind.

Shaking off the penetrating effects of the sound, Ceph erected a simple magic blocking barrier around his body. Turning to the owner, a formless mass of darkness.

"We were not informed of your presence." The massless blob spoke again, this time its voice less harsh but still grating on the ears. Like the scraping sound of nails on a chalkboard.

'Eldrian, there's a Nychterninos Tromos, Night Terror, here. I need backup.' Ceph immediately called for help, especially upon noticing that the demon before him was Tier 5.

--

Covered in glass and hearing the cries for help, the clatter of metal against metal, and the death throes of the civilians, the players realized what was going on and rushed to help.

[<Phoenix Announcements> [Eldrian] - City is under siege, enemies are demons, Night Terrors confirmed. There are only a few dozen, but they are near invincible to physical damage. Priests are best; fire magic can do some damage but limited.]

Sending the message, Eldrian faltered. The chaos outside did not match the number of enemies. The streets were filled with activity, the screaming and shouting easily heard from within the hall. Right outside, fighting was already underway--and fiercely so.

'Insurrection? Impossible. Infiltration?' Eldrian immediately went with that. 'Devils? Likely took the form of citizens and infiltrated. How many?' Sadly, Eldrian had no way to find that answer. Unlike him, his map could not identify devils in disguise.

Seeing Eldrian and Elizabeth just standing where they were, the players called them to move as they rushed out of the hall. However, the two did not move. And unlike most in the hall, they were unharmed. Eldrian had stopped the flying shards of glass with a barrier.

The players felt incensed seeing the two not moving. They didn't care so much that Eldrian hadn't protected them, but they couldn't understand why Eldrian was not moving. Elizabeth made some sense, but Eldrian was the strongest person here. Surely he should go to help the fight.

"Get a move on!" Shouted Shadow, not at Eldrian, but at the players. "Help everyone you can. We will relay orders as soon as we confirm the situation."

"Wait!" Eldrian suddenly moved. "Devils infiltrated the city. They look like any normal citizen or soldier. Be careful not to aid the wrong side!"

Hearing this, the players blanched. The possibility of being tricked weighed heavily on them.

[<Flaming Hearts> [Eldrian] - Ilmadia, I need your help. Can you use song to detect malice?] Eldrian asked. It was the only solution he could think of. Knowing he couldn't do much himself as he was soon going to be too busy to assit the other players.

[<Flaming Hearts> [Ilmadia] - I'm not sure, but I will try.]

"Elizabeth, can you work with the other guilds--"

'Eldrian, there's a Nychterninos Tromos, Night Terror, here. I need backup.'

'Fuck!' Darting out of a nearby window at a speed that made the players stare in disbelief, Eldrian rushed to where Ceph was.

'Jump!' Eldrian shouted, throwing Crystoi with all his might towards the top of the tower. It flew past Ceph by a hair's breath, penetrating the shadow following him.

The shadow seemed unharmed, but not for long. A tornado of flames engulfing it as Ceph dived towards the ground. Trying to avoid being burnt by his ally.

Eldrian canceled Tempest Chase as Ceph reached the ground, helping slow his fall by offering a cushion of wind and catching him in his arms. With a grunt, Eldrian fell to the ground.

"God dam, you're heavy." Eldrian grunted, throwing Ceph to the side the next second as a shadow pierced his shoulder.

Eldrian groaned, the pain storming his mind as he enshrouded himself in flames. Ceph jumping back to avoid being burnt. Avoiding the flames, the shadow disappeared, but its speed was surprisingly slow.

Observing it in the dark of night, Eldrian frowned. Summoning ten Fos balls of light, he surrounded the area in light. Helping him see the blob that was now cautious.

[Nychterninos Tromos (Alpha); Demon]

[Tier 5 ; Level 33]

[HP: 6382/6813]

[Attack: 1642]

[Agility: 435]

'That explains why it hurt so much,' Eldrian thought, rolling his shoulder as he focused healing on the area. Having lost over a thousand health from that one attack.

'You sure picked a good one,' Eldrian told Ceph, sharing the stats he had gotten with mana sense to his ally.

'Luckily, it isn't that fast,' Ceph said, slightly embarrassed that he had not tried to face it alone. Seeing the demon's stats, Ceph realized he could handle it on his own.

'No, it is good you called me.' Eldrian, sensing that Ceph felt embarrassed, told him this. 'Remember what had happened with the orcs. Being cautious is best.'

Their conversation was done extremely quickly, thanks to both their heightened speed of thinking and being able to share their thoughts with each other instantly. By the time the two had devised their plan of attack, not even a second had passed.

'But it has a shit ton of health. Seems that is all being an Alpha gave it, however.'

'It should also have some sort of special ability,' Ceph cautioned.

Nodding, Eldrian tried pushing mana sense to figure it out. However, at that moment, the shadow moved. Darting to escape.

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