Dreadnought:  Give a break!  I’m fishing Eon’s number.

Balthazar:  You don’t have to.  Bastion did him already.

Dreadnought:  You didn’t?  And what of Aegis?

Balthazar:  She’s safe.  Eon took the blow for her.

Dreadnought:  I thought we had a deal?!

Balthazar:  I thought you’re ditching her for my post?

Dreadnought:  Still, you could’ve spared them both.

Balthazar:  Trifles.  Now where is my blade?

Dreadnought:  Wait, something’s up.

Balthazar:  What?  Stop dilly-dallying.

Dreadnought:  My query.  It returned something.

Balthazar:  So?  That is of little concern to me.

Dreadnought:  Oh, this you should really be concerned with.

Balthazar:  Then spit it out already.

Dreadnought:  Eon’s back online.  With the same account.  Though he keeps getting disconnected and reconnected.

Balthazar:  What?!  Utter nonsense!  No one can escape the killing blades.  Except for us.

Dreadnought:  Then how can you explain this?

Balthazar:  Either Bastion is lying, or he is indeed a hacker to reckon with.  I need his IP.

Dreadnought:  That’s the thing.  Everytime the connection is renewed, a new IP is registered.

Balthazar:  Like a mask.

Dreadnought:  He is virtually untraceable.  What a wildcard indeed.  It seems to me that the stakes have risen.

Balthazar:  Oh, he will be dealt with no matter what.  In the meantime, the show must go on.  Now hand me my Onslaught.

Dreadnought:  OMG~

Balthazar:  What now?

Dreadnought:  I’ve extracted the scripts from the blade.

Balthazar:  And?

Dreadnought:  Something did not make sense.  A memory address assigned to a variable that was never used.

Balthazar:  I hope you didn’t look at where it was leading to.

Dreadnought:  It leads to a pile of carefully hidden scripts.  You’re planning to control the monsters?

Balthazar:  Yes, turn them into walking killing blades.  I told you not to pry your nose in places it doesn’t belong.

Dreadnought:  So you are dead serious.

Balthazar:  Have I broken any of my words just yet?

Dreadnought:  This has got to stop.  I’m going to report you!

Balthazar:  The monsters – those are just for appetizers.  Besides, you can’t report me.  I’m on vacation.

Dreadnought:  You are going to jail when you get back!

Balthazar:  And so are you!  For conspiring with me.

Dreadnought:  Better that than a billion dollar class-action lawsuit.

Balthazar:  I take it our deal is off then?

Dreadnought:  I’m going to hide Onslaught.  You’ll never find it.

Balthazar:  Not if I can do something about it.

Dreadnought:  Like what?  Stop me from logging out?

Balthazar:  Precisely that.

Dreadnought: …

Balthazar:  Dreadnought~  Oh Benedict~

Balthazar:  Where are you~?

Balthazar:  Remember this: I’m going to hunt you down and make a public humiliation of you.

Private Message Logs
Excerpts from the Chronicles of the First Generation
20th day of the 6th moon

“I think I made a mistake.”

“You think?!” scowled the mistaken manager.

“I will not have any shouting in my room, Roger.”  The CEO has been quiet the whole time, but when he speaks, he commands authority.

“So will someone tell me what just happened here in my office, that required me to talk to the Head of Security – something a person of my stature wouldn’t normally do.”

“Mr. Deogracia here accused me of being a hacker just because a bot was running in two of my systems.”

“Judging from the extent of reach this hacker has in our servers, bugging one of our laptops is a walk-in-the-park, am I right Benedict?”

“Yes, sir.”  All the accuser can do is to look down in shame.  He has never been humiliated in his life.  Here he was thinking this could be his big break.

“Roger – do you think Balthazar is… old man Val?”

“Nelson, I’m positive that Val is not the hacker here.”

“And where is this assurance coming from?”

“From the hospital of St.Luke, sir.  I just went there for a visit last weekend.  And just as he was 6 months ago, he is still in coma.”

“I see…  So do you have any clue who might be using Val’s call sign then?”

“No idea but we have a list we can cross-reference for investigation.”

“Let’s do that then.  And with haste, if you may.  The shareholders are very unhappy with declining subscriptions since last month.”

“Will do, sir.”

“What about your programmer here, Rog?  Are you going to fire him?”

“No, he will help in the investigation.  Besides, he knew Balthazar and Melqiorra from in-game and kept their chat logs with him.”

“Right.  You are very compassionate – a very good trait for a manager.  I would hate to see you go.”

“Oh don’t.  Don’t get me wrong.  He’ll just help me get to the bottom of this.  Then I’ll fire him afterwards.  For conspiring and profiteering.”

“Very well.  Start your investigation while I pay old man Val a visit.”

Excerpts from the Chronicles of the First Generation
November 3, 2014
Global Stratum, Office of the CEO

Why isn’t he affected by a delete script?  I can’t think of any reason other than him being a hacker and he exempted himself from the clause.  Still, why is he masked as a non-player when he is still acting otherwise.  No matter how you ponder on it all, it just won’t make any sense.  Nothing will make sense until I talk to him.  So…

“Save all that pondering and find him.”

“Gazpar!  I didn’t know you were there, and that you could read minds.”

“I can’t.  You’ve just been like that ever since you hurt the boy.”

“Yeah.  I don’t know what to do now.  I don’t think he will talk to me anyway.”

“You’ll never know until you try.”

“Tell me – you’re completely different from the other two – why are you banding with them?”

“Then tell me, why are you banding with us?”

“I have my reasons.”

“As I do.”

I have no comeback from that.  And so turned my notice into the desert horizon.  Like an exodus, all the sand monsters are moving away from the city and into the wild, starting to hunt for their victims.

“Eon – he is making his way here, is he not?”

“He is.”

“And those monsters are rigged, am I correct?”

“You are.”

“Then he is walking right into a trap.”

“A maze of traps.  The desert can be a labyrinth when nightfall comes.”

“They’ll soon find themselves walking in circles and eventually surrounded by a swarm of angry scorpions.”

“At least you know now that Balthazar is insidious inside out.”

“What’s his deal anyway?  Why is he this determined to rid this game of players and bring the game down?”

“The answer lies in knowing who Balthazar really is.  And it starts by knowing who Eon is.”

“But I have no way of getting to him.”

“Indeed.  But he has every way of getting to you.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“A Spirit Guide.”  Then he held out a pearl-like gem the size of his palm.

“Won’t Balthazar see me?”

“He won’t.  This one can only be seen by Eon.”

Then he stepped back.

“Throw it as high as you could up in the air.  And like a star, it will illuminate where you are standing.  Hopefully he will notice it.”

I gazed in the clouds.  The nightfall in the desert gazes back.  Peaceful and quiet; nothing like what I feel, or what Gazpar feels, or most likely what Eon feels.  But here goes nothing.

And with all of my strength, I threw the pearl upwards.  Slowly, its outer shell breaks, and with each broken piece a new small light was born.  When it is has completely shed off its cover, out came the brightest star in this dark hour.

Bastion
3rd night of the 7th moon, First Generation (G.T.)
Outside the walls of Ammospolis, the Desert City

We welcome everyone to the 7th month celebration special of EOF.  We wish to thank everyone for their untiring support and uncompromising attitude to be the strongest in this world despite our setbacks.

As a way of extending our gratitude, a day-long event will take place known as the Survival of the Fittest.

The mechanics are simple.  All location-based monsters will be hyped-up, bumped-up and blown-up out of proportions.  They will be on a wide-scale hunt for blood.  They will attack anyone in sight.  Even towns, castles and guild halls are not safe.  And they will be completely and utterly INDESTRUCTIBLE.

Everyone else’s part will be much simpler.  RUN & HIDE.  Do anything not to get damaged.  Anyone who gets even one hit from any monsters will be out of the event.  Logouters will be out of the event as well.  Anyone who manages to evade and outrun the monsters should make their way to the City of Ammospolis.

Survivors will definitely be rewarded handsomely.  Winners will be decided when the clock strikes midnight.  Until then, we urge survivors not to log-out or you will forfeit the event.

The best news is… the event starts now!  Happy hiding!

- Game Master Dreadnought

Event Message Logs
Excerpt from the Chronicles of the First Generation
3rd day of the 7th moon

Balthazar:  I’m all ears.

Dreadnought:  Limen Krupto – where Eon walked away with your Onslaught and Aegis with your Dagon, where all the corrupted character avatars are stored – is well accessible to anyone and everyone else.

Balthazar:  Is that it?  That is far from an oversight.

Dreadnought:  What if someone walks right into it, and posted it in the support website – as someone did.  Called it a “graveyard of characters”.

Balthazar:  You know the drill – gibberish.

Dreadnought:  What if more of them confirms the same thing?  There’s no escaping that.

Balthazar:  Would it make you feel better if I said that the bodies are being moved as we speak?

Dreadnought:  Much.

Balthazar:  Then feel better!

Dreadnought:  But where?  You can’t just move it.  You have to re*move* it!

Balthazar:  Lithos Gigas, our Guild’s canyon.  Accessible to no one but us.

Dreadnought:  Why do you spend so much effort keeping those?  What use are they to you anyway, except become the trophies of your victory?

Balthazar:  Everything has a time and place in the grand scheme of things.  Are there any other things I *failed* to see?

Dreadnought:   Eon.

Balthazar:  What about him?

Dreadnought:  He is looking for Aegis.  He is not just any hacker, is he?

Balthazar:  I still don’t know.  I went through the list over and over again.  I just couldn’t figure out who he might be.  I just couldn’t see anyone who could be as good a programmer as I am.

Dreadnought:  What list?

Balthazar:  Figure that one out by yourself.  In the meantime, fetch me that Onslaught sheathed over at his back.  He should be relatively easy to find.  He stands out.

Dreadnought:  That means you’re also after Dagon, which means you’ll be after Aegis?

Balthazar:  And what if I am?

Dreadnought:  Don’t involve Aegis here, or our deal is off.

Balthazar:  And you’ll do what?  Report me?  Remember, you stand to lose more than I do.  And who is Aegis to you anyway?  Do you think you are important to her as she is important to you?

Dreadnought:  I don’t know.  What is in the swords that you couldn’t start your “revolution” without?

Balthazar:  If you managed to figure out which list I was referring to, it will lead you to what the swords actually contain, which will eventually lead you to the reason for all this hatred.

Dreadnought:  Then I have a proposition for you.

Balthazar:  Tell me.

Dreadnought:  Spare Aegis from all this non-sense, and I will throw in Eon’s IP along with Onslaught.  This should be pretty valuable since he is the only wildcard in your so-called plan.

Balthazar:  Counter-proposition.

Dreadnought:  I’m listening.

Balthazar:  Forget Aegis and give me Eon’s IP, I’ll put in a good word for you when I resign at year’s end.  I’ll set you up for another promotion; *the* promotion – my office.

Dreadnought:  Are you goddamn serious?!

Balthazar:  Have I broken any of my words just yet?

Dreadnought:  Never.  But give me time to think.

Balthazar:  There is nothing to think about.  You have the rest of your life to make amends.  But this one is a chance of a lifetime.

Private Message Logs
Excerpt from the Chronicles of the First Generation
14th day of the 6th moon

That constant hazy image over the distance never came closer no matter how far we walked.  Even the heat is not helping; it only heightens the tension.  I wish he’d utter a word.  Any word would do.  I don’t want to start, but I really want us to talk; I want to get to know him.

But why is he all quiet?  I hate mysteries.  I so hate mysterious guys.  Why is he keeping to himself?  Could he be thinking about Dread or Bastion or… me?  Could he be still angry at me for leaving him the other time?  But I couldn’t help it – he was being so silly.

Everytime I look at him my heart stirs.  In anger?  In confusion?  I don’t know.   He just keeps to himself.  He stares on the ground, or at the sky.  He is definitely worried about something, yet he seemed so peaceful.  Innocent.  He is nothing like Dread.

Ammos is still far off – I can’t do this anymore.  The silence is killing me.  I wish I could read minds so I would know what he is thinking.  I wish he’d just walk away so at least I will know he is frustrated.  I wish he wouldn’t give me this cold shoulder.  I have so many wishes I didn’t realize.  I wish they wouldn’t bother me anymore.

This is so not me.  I don’t even know why I’m worried about what he is thinking about.  I would usual take this stroll by myself.  I never needed anyone’s company or help.  But why, out of reflex, did I ask him to come with me?  I just don’t know.  But mystery and silliness aside, he seems like a pretty nice guy.

And there goes another deep breath.  He seems kind of anxious about something.  I couldn’t believe I am this speechless.  I am never this boring.  This will probably be my last stroll with him.  He would never want to party with me ever again.

Look away!  He’s about to look at you.

“Hey, princess!  Take it easy.”

And my heart stopped beating.  Suddenly I don’t know what to say.  But you have to say something.  Say anything.  Now.

“No one has ever called me that.”

And then he smiled.  It’s true, he is nothing like Dread.

Aegis
3rd day of the 7th moon, First Generation (G.T.)
Miles away from Hudria, the Desert Oasis

The haze is heavy.  There isn’t anything to be seen within miles, save the constant mirage of our destination confusing it be nearer than it really is, distorting reality.  Yet no matter how far we walked, it remained there, stuck in the horizon.

But the distance and the heat never seemed to bother Aegis at all.  Her eyes remained at the mirage, no matter how unreal it is.  It became a thoughtless challenge to her.  That she will get there no matter what it takes.  Her perseverance, her determination is admirable.  Makes me jealous of him.

She has been quiet the whole time.  She must be pondering about Dread.  I’m wondering about him too.  What is so great about him that made him so important to her?  If only I could feel half of that care and devotion, I could be the happiest man alive.  If only…

But that’s far from happening.  Much like that mirage from a distance.  Dread must have been strong, persistent, humorous… nothing that I am.  I can keep on heading forward just to be with her.  But at the end of the day, where she is going is towards him… and away from me.  Ironic, isn’t it?

Maybe I should’ve followed Gaz’s advice about this ill-fated journey.  But I never realized how excruciating it would be until today when I found out that I really like her.  Harder, now that she is going to see someone else.  Can fate be any crueler?

But fate did brought us together after all.  How you would think about it is just a matter of perspective.  Nevertheless, destiny aside, what will happen next is completely up to me.  And not even Dread nor Bastion or Gaz can change that.

So my mind is made.  I’ll follow her wherever she go, no matter where it might lead.  And become her hero whenever she is in distress, no matter what it takes.  Much like how she is now…

“Hey, princess!  Take it easy.”

“No one has ever called me that.”

She wiped away that worried look on her face and smiled.  How could anyone resist that?

Eon
3rd day of the 7th moon, First Generation (G.T.)
Miles away from Hudria, the Desert Oasis

Dreadnought:  Better.  But I suppose – “with great power comes great responsibility”, right?

Balthazar:  You are keener than you look.

Dreadnought:  Don’t patronize me.

Balthazar:  Seeing that we will both benefit from delaying the root cause of the server malfunction from being found out, I want you to puppet the support group into “fixing” it.

Dreadnought:  They’re not as dumb as they look.

Balthazar:  But they’re also not veteran programmers.  You saw the last one out – Mark.  So any technical non-sense will make sense to them.

Dreadnought:  So I’ll trick them into fixing stuff that aren’t there?

Balthazar:  Precisely, it will make them feel good.  It will make “me” feel good.

Dreadnought:  What about the tickets?

Balthazar:  You know who is easier to trick than those programmer wannabes?  Users.  90% of them don’t know anything about game programming.

Dreadnought:  You are evil to the bone.

Balthazar:  Just spit out gibberish, delete the tickets, and you’re well on your way back to surfing the internet.

Dreadnought:  What is it about this game?  Or this company?  Why do you hate it so much?

Balthazar:  Take a trip to the past.  History holds all the secrets of mankind.

Private Message Logs
Excerpts from the Chronicles of the First Generation
13th day of the 6th moon

Good morning, team!  I just got back from a nice vacation and a quiet time with an old friend, I’m really not in the mood for bad news.  But I’ve gone through the charts and the ticket list – it seems that we are out of pace.  Somebody talk to me.

Good morning, sir!  We are actually glad to have you back.  We attest and confirm the following problems:

1.  Slow but steady game server performance decline
2. Steady memory usage growth in database server
3. Player accounts are either being deleted or forbidden to login
4. Crafting system used as a way to get malicious scripts through

Finally, even my GM account was blocked just three days ago.  All of which we can attribute to attacks directed by a hacker named Balthazar.  We don’t know the extent of the true damage, nor the extent of control he has as of the moment.

Good work!  At least now we know where to start.  Does anyone have an idea who this Balthazar is?  Were you able to track the IP address?  We’ll bring him to swift justice, nothing less than jail time.  Apparently, he underestimated our security system.

By the way, I’m actually glad that you’re not suggesting a server maintenance.

So the name Balthazar doesn’t ring any bell at all?  No, we really don’t need a server maintenance.  What we really need is a management check and balance.

We traced the hacker’s IP address to your office computer and laptop, Roger.  Everything now makes sense – since only someone from the inside can pull something of that scale of damage.

Now everybody knows about it, even the higher ups.  And like what you said, you deserve nothing less than jail time.  The guards will now see you out of the building.

Excerpt from the Chronicles of the First Generation
Monday, November 3, 2014
Global Stratum Head Office

And then I heard the sound of a stone cracking under foot.  I quickly stood up and readied myself even though I just woke up.  The light rays from the sun shines from the small cracks of the ceiling.  From the broken glass window, you could hear the morning breeze and some nearby animals who wandered off in the forest.  But there’s no denying that someone is making way towards the main hall, where I am.

“Hold you ground, Eon, I mean you no harm.”

“Likewise.”

Then out from the corner entrance came a man in dark robes with intricate patterns and a black staff with gems and carvings.  A strange dim blue light emanates from this stick.

“In these dangerous times, tell me – why are you unarmed?”

“I just don’t see the need to fight.”

“You will, when you find something to fight for… or someone.”

“What is your business here… sir?”

“Call me Gaz.”

“Gaz?”

“A GM died a terrible in-game death.  Your friend will pay tribute to him in the Dessert City of Ammospolis.”

“My friend?”

“Aegis.  But I advice you not to come.  That journey is ill-fated.”

“If it is, then I must be there with her.”

“It is ill-fated for you, Eon.”

“Why?  How did you know ?  And how did you know my name?”

“All the events that took place which has been changing the lives of many… is revolving around you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I have to go.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Before answering, he tapped his staff twice to the ground and a strong blue light engulfed him until he was completely covered.  “Have faith.”  And then he was gone.

In the same moment, a strange white light and familiar sound was emitted from my back.  And as I turn, I totally forgot about Gaz and his forewarning.  Aegis is back.

“Eon!  Why are you still here?”

“I have nowhere else to go.  So I slept here.”

“Ever since I left you?”

“Yeah.  Pathetic huh?”

“But that was two days ago.”

“That long already?  I didn’t notice.”

“You waited for me for two straight days?  You didn’t logged out?”

“Umm…”  I don’t know what logging out means, nor would know how to do it.  But I don’t know how to say it.

“That’s so sweet.”

“Really?”

“Listen.  I’m sorry I shut you out.  Strange things have been happening lately and I’m having a hard time coping up.”

“It’s no problem.  At least now you’re back.”

“Thanks!  I’m sure you had your reasons.  Let’s just forget about it and be friends.”

“Wow~  That would be great!”

“Yeah.  Wait, I’ll add you in my friend list.”

“But friends help each other out right?  So tell me what are you having trouble with?”

“Some family problems and being grounded, nothing big really.  And that Bastion event – I still haven’t forgotten about that yet.”

“What about that GM friend who died?”

“A GM friend?  I’ve got tons of them, especially my hubby… Oh my God~ Dread is no longer listed!”

“Dread?  As in Dreadnought?  Your husband?”  Right now, I can feel a thousand swords of Bastion sinking into my heart.

“How did you know about his death?”

“Someone told me that you would pay your tribute in Ammospolis.”

“I didn’t know, but now we’ve got a lead.  Are you coming with me?”

She didn’t know, and that Gaz did.  It could be a trap but… “Why not?”  I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happens to her knowing that I had a chance to protect her.

Eon
2nd day of the 7th moon, First Generation (G.T.)
Limen Kruptos, Remains of the Order of the Shield Guild Hall