Month 1, Day 2, 8:40: 17; Arvium, High Council Green

Aella shuffled closer to Sigmund's side as several players bumped into her from behind. She frowned at the contact and focused on her surroundings. The air was sticky and hot from the gathered people, and the noise was almost deafening.

The green led from the back of the High Council and down the hill where it joined the sea. It was separated into four steps, with a road cutting across and joining the neighborhoods on each side. The edges held trees, and the center held a sluiceway where Arvium River turned into a waterfall before it met several smaller sluiceways and mills at the bottom. Players were gathered on the inclines and the roads, jostling each other as they tried to find an empty space.

She and the others were gathered along the second step from the top, near the waterfall. The spray drifted their way with every breeze, keeping them cool despite the blaring sunlight overhead.

"Are you ok?" Sigmund half-shouted, leaning closer to her.

She nodded, and stepped nearer to the grass. She glanced up at the top of the green as the noise quieted, except for a low, thunderous shuffle of shoes as the players turned to face the top of the hill. In the distance, she could see a small group gathered on the back patio of the main High Council Building.

"Welcome, Players," a voice said, echoing over the arena.

Prince.

"Today marks the beginning of a weekly event held in Arvium City. It will be held i the sewers and tunnels beneath the city. The goal is simple: find the flag at the end of the maze and defend yourself from the NPCs and sentries."

She frowned at the mention of the word sentries.

"It will be okay," Prince said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"To participate, you must claim the token that has been sent to your inboxes. You can access them from your player menu," Prince said. "The first three players to reach the end of the maze will be receive a weapons upgrade and 100 credits, and all who finish will receive fifty credits added to their bank. Good luck, Betas. The High Council will be waiting for you at the finish line. May luck and wisdom be on your side."

Aella swiped up, then navigated to her mailbox. She tapped the new message and the menu disappeared, a small gold coin floating in the air before her. She tapped it and a small message popped up with "event claimed" in gold lettering.

She gasped as the ground started to rumble beneath her feet. She glanced up and she stepped back as the sluiceway suddenly started to shift and rise higher into the air. The crowds began to grow louder, and she stood on her toes to get a better look. The sluiceway rose for another ten feet, supported by marble pillars. At each road, a doorway was visible, leading into the hillside. The one nearest her was closed, two guards standing in front of it with spears, blocking the way.

"Please prepare for transportation inside," Prince said.

Aella coughed as her stomach flipped, feeling acid rise into her throat. She bent over and gagged, placing her hand on the cold, wet wall, taking deep breaths. Her hearing was tingy, and felt as if she was underwater.

She jerked as cold liquid fell onto her hand, and she stepped away from the wall, looking up at the moss-covered ceiling. She turned her attention to the dimly lit hallway she was in, seeing an intersection ten feet ahead. Bioluminescent plankton covered the walls, giving the hallway an ethereal air.

A roar from waves echoed through the air. There must be some kind of system keeping the sea from entering these tunnels. Her hand brushed over the hilt of her sword, and she stepped forward slowly, her boots sloshing through the thin layer of water on the cobblestones.

She reached the end of the hallway and groaned as she saw five other hallways branching off from the intersection. The air was thick and heavy, and her hair started to cling to the back of her neck. She swiped up, moving to her map. "Show action menu," she said. An abbreviated version of the map appeared in her vision, allowing her to walk and see her map. The visibility was low, only allowing her to see twenty feet in each direction.

I guess I'm just going to have to wander around. Where would the flag be? It could be anywhere.

She stepped forward and headed into the tunnel to the right of her. The tunnel floor started to curve upwards as she walked, and the water turned into rivulets running downhill and the roar of the sea became fainter.

She came to another intersection, where two tunnels branched off to the right and left. She moved closer to the wall beside the tunnel on her left, seeing markings on its smooth surface. It was a small number four inside of a circle. She frowned and moved to the opposite side, and saw nothing on the wall.

Some sort of direction system? Maybe checkmarks on which way to go.

She nodded, then turned and went into the tunnel marked with a number four. She slowed as she approached a sharp bend in the turn, listening for any other players. When there was nothing, she scooted closer and glanced around the turn.

She stepped out and glanced up, seeing a metal ladder leading upward through a manhole. She stepped closer and grimaced. That has to go up at least ten floors. She checked the wall, and saw a number three inside of a circle next to the bottom rung.

"I'm going up then."

She stepped onto the ladder and began to climb up. She pulled herself onto the floor at the top of the ladder and sat down, her arms tired with the constant motion of pulling herself up. She sighed and stretched, taking a deep breath.

The tunnel went ahead for about ten feet before turning into low steps leading upward. It was different from the tunnels she had been in earlier. These walls were completely dry, and were made of a different stone.

She stood and started to climb the stairs. The higher she climbed, the lighter the walls became--from a dark brown to a lighter tan, then fading into a white limestone. The stairs finally ended, and she paused.

The walls were no longer plain, but decorated with inset blue and silver shells, and swirling, rolling paint patterns that made it look as if the sea was rolling on the sides of the hallway.

The hallway was well-lit with a soft white light, and led into a massive room. She stepped into the room, glancing upward at the domed ceiling. It was deep blue, covered in paintings of humans and creatures.

A massive pillar supported the center of the room, and had intricate carvings of two humans in battle around the base. A breeze brushed her face and she looked across the room to a doorway that led outside.

One side of the room held a variety of nature scenes, but the other side of the wall was bare of any color. Instead, hundreds of niches were set into the wall at intervals, and each held a lit candle with a blue flame. A silver medallion hung from the center of the wall, and she stepped closer, recognizing the circle with three lines extending from it.

A plaque beneath it had text engraved on its surface reading "Honor the Fallen of the Trinity War."

She hung her head, stepped backward and placing her fist on top of her heart. She stayed like that for several moments, then smiled softly. A memorial.

She noticed a smaller medallion inside the niche just below the plaque and she stepped forward, squinting into the hole. A small lever was just behind the candle.

She glanced around, hearing no sounds, then reached forward and pulled the candle from the niche and set it and its holder onto the floor next to her. She reached inside and pushed on the lever, then pulled it. It moved and she jerked her hand back as she heard gears whirring behind the wall.

A small click sounded, and a small section of the wall the size of a door moved backward two inches, then started to slide behind the rest of the wall, revealing a dark passageway. She chuckled, and reached for the candle, holding it forward into the darkness. It lit up a tunnel for several feet, but she couldn't see anything further.

"Mark location as Memorial," she said.

"Location marked as Memorial," the mechanical voice echoed.

She nodded and bent over, placing the candle on the floor, then walked across the room to the doorway that led outside.

The opening was flooded with light, green trees and a cool breeze coming from the small balcony-like exit. She stepped just inside the doorway, and saw a cliff face rising above and below her. The waves roared below, blowing her hair around her face and cooling her wet neck. A set of curving stairs led down the cliff to her left, ending on a narrow beach that followed the cliff before turning a bend and disappearing from view.

She frowned as an object appeared in the center of the balcony, floating four feet above the ground. It was a foot long, made of metal, and looked like a baton. She stepped forward and closed her hand around it, and her eyes opened wide a message appeared in front of her with a "Congratulations, you have retrieved flag 3 of 3" in golden letters. A bulleted list appeared underneath stating she had won 100 credits, a week's worth of food credits, and unlocked the Explorer skill and magic sets. At the bottom, in black lettering was a message stating that she could return to the High Council Weapons Center to receive her weapon upgrade.

She grinned, and leaned against the metal railing in front of her, looking over the metal bar. She saw a small button on one side and she pressed it, jumping slightly as both ends extended two feet into a metal staff.

She pressed the button again, and the sides retracted inside the bar. This will be handy--it's almost like the laser staffs I trained with in the Facility. She slid it into one of the hoops on her belt, jumping up and down to make sure that it wasn't going to fall out.

She stepped forward and headed back into the room, picking up the candle and entering the tunnel.