PS 2. Life and Death in the Garden of Lost Souls (Patreon)

Roses. Dark hedges. The flash of a sword. Grass.

Dark.

…

Light. The roses. A sword. Dark.

Light. Dark. Light. Dark.

It hurts.

Light.

Dark.

Vivian opened his eyes. Before him, a man hefted a sword high and swung it down. His vision spun around, and he struck the ground. Pain struck him for a moment, and then—

Dark.

Light again. He stepped out of the bushes, the thorns clawing at his dark clothes. Vivian’s eyes roved the scene, quickly taking everything in. Again, the man with the sword swung at him. My clippers are on the ground. That man with the sword is going to kill me. His fist clenched.

I need to kill him if I want to survive.

The bushes surrounded him again. A sword flashed.

Vivian charged forward. He shoulder-checked the man, and the man staggered backward. His arms spiraled, his sword flying wildly. To the left and the right, a woman and a man jumped forward.

Two more. Three total.

First, the swordsman.

Grabbing the swordsman’s shirt, Vivian threw his weight into him and threw him down, shoulder still pressed into the man’s chest. The air left the swordsman in a huff, and his arms flew out. The sword dropped from the man’s grip. Eyes wide, the swordsman jolted for his sword.

Shoving the man down with one hand, Vivian snatched up the sword with the other.

[Incompatible Tool] [Sword]

Critical rate locked at .01%. Weight increased 5x. Skill bonuses cannot be applied.

His hand struck the ground under the weight of the sword. What the fuck?

There’s no time. Focus. I need to survive!

Vivan grabbed the sword with both hands and dragged it over the man’s throat. He slammed it down. The weight of the suddenly-heavy sword carved through flesh and bone alike, and the man’s head rolled.

He tried to drag the sword up, but the sword weighed heavily in his hands, refusing to budge. The foreign hilt rubbed at his callouses, uncomfortable in his grip. Scowling, Vivian released it.

“Holy shit! Fuck!” the woman shouted.

“What the hell? He’s an NPC! He can’t fight!” the other man replied.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Obviously he can!”

“Fuck! Did we proc a hidden boss or something?” the man asked.

Vivian’s eyes flashed left and right. Man. Woman. Which one first?

The woman raised her hand and murmured something. Fire swelled over her head. The man reached for one of the daggers strapped to his legs.

Vivian’s eyes fell on his clippers. He leaped for them, landed in a roll and snatched them up. The grip fell neatly into his hand. A thousand hours of clipping flowed through him, the tool practically an extension of his body.

[Compatible Tool] [Clippers]

No restrictions.

A fireball singed the grass inches behind him. A split second later, a dagger smashed into the earth.

He narrowed his eyes. Fire? In my garden? Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain these hedges? Don’t you dare go burning up my hard work! He darted toward the woman, his mind made up.

“Sandra!” the man shouted. A knife flew at Vivian’s back, whistling through the air.

Vivian twisted. The knife scraped by his neck and went spinning out of control toward the woman’s face. She raised her free hand defensively. The knife slashed through her palm and cheek, deflected off the bone beneath, and spun off into the darkness.

The woman’s face twisted. “James, what the fuck?”

“I—”

Vivian reached the woman. He thrust the clippers up, toward her solar plexus. She jumped back, slapping her book at his clippers. Her slap deflected his clippers, but he reached out with his other hand and grabbed her neck.

Silence the mages.

H-how do I know—

Now isn’t the time. I need to focus.

Vivian tightened his grip. Dropping her book, Sandra grabbed at his clippers with both hands, refusing to let him plunge them into her guts, but couldn’t stop him from strangling her. Her eyes locked onto something over his shoulder. A smirk played over her face.

In return, Vivian’s lips twisted into an unpleasant smile.

“Sandra!”

Vivian threw himself to the left and spun them both around. The rogue’s knife sliced into Sandra’s back. She let out a muffled cry, and blood leaked out from her lips.

James backed away, eyes wide. The bloody knife squelched out of her back. “Sandra, I… I didn’t…”

Vivian threw the mage down as she bled out. James faced him, raising his knife. His eyes blurred with tears and blazed with anger at the same time. “You--!”

“Let’s turn this PK into a TPK, huh?” Vivian said with a laugh, spinning the clippers in his hand.

“Wh—you… but… but you’re just an NPC!” James shouted, pointing a knife at Vivian.

“From my perspective, you’re just a murderer,” Vivian returned. He charged.

James scowled. He threw his knife at Vivian.

As expected. He’s a range-specc’d rogue. From behind his back, Vivian yanked out the mage’s book and copied her move, slapping the knife down with the thick leather tome. Two more knives hurtled at him. Again, he raised the book. Thud. Thud. Two knives stuck into the tome, thrumming into the pages.

James raised another knife.

Vivian threw the book at him. James flinched back. In that moment, Vivian closed the gap between them. Flicking his wrist, he opened the clippers, snatched the other handle of the clippers in midair, and thrust the open clippers at James’ neck.

Just like clipping roses. Vivian’s eyes narrowed.

Snip.

James tried to scream. Air whooshed out of the gash in the front of his throat. Blood splashed down his chest. Bubbles spilled from his neck as the blood caught in his lungs. Even as he fell to the ground, he drew out another knife.

Vivian stomped on James’ solar plexus. The air burst out the hole in his neck. His spine curled in pain, and he grabbed at his gashed neck.

Vivian shoved his hair back, letting out a deep sigh. “There. How do you like it, huh? Dying? Shitty, huh?”

James’ eyes rolled back. He thrashed a few more times, then went still.

Silence fell over the garden once more. Vivian looked at his clippers, then walked over to the mage girl and wiped the blades on her dress. Cotton does a better job cleaning than leather armor does.

Straightening, Vivian looked around, then licked his lips. His hands writhed nervously, and he adjusted the clippers three times before he finally felt comfortable with the way they sat in his belt. Bodies laid in all directions. The swordsman. The mage. The rogue. And… and… he bit his lip. Slowly, he turned, taking it all in. Dark-clothed body after dark-clothed body piled up under the bushes. Those shoulders… those hands… and that one, too. That one… He knelt. And this? Oh! My head! Haha! And that head, too! And that one! Wow! So many heads, and they’re all mine? Amazing!

Vivian paused, staring one of his own heads in its dead, flat eyes. He took a deep breath, then threw back his head and shouted, “Can anyone tell me what the fuck is happening?”

His voice echoed over the dim garden. The bushes rustled in the wind. Distantly, a strange bird cawed.

He rubbed his forehead. Okay. Focus. I can figure this out. What’s the last thing I remember?

A tower. Pale as the moon, and equally unforgiving. Tall enough to reach the stars. He stepped toward it, reaching for—

For what? A weapon? A… a tome? I…

Flashes of memories flashed past his eyes. People’s faces, but blurred. Strange scenery, rushing by so quickly it dazzled his mind. Battle. Fighting. Killing. Blood splashed. So much that he grew inured to it.

Vivian clenched his fist, brows furrowed. That’s right. I… I entered the Tower. But why?

A girl smiled. She reached out her hand for him. “I’ll wait for you at the top.”

Monsters. Party members dropped around him. He faced a monster, and then—

“Ah, that’s right. I died.”

Vivian looked at his hand, then looked at the bodies around him. He snorted. “It doesn’t seem like that big a deal any more, really.”

But if I died, then how am I alive now? And why am I immortal?

Well… I don’t know if I’m immortal, but I have been so far, anyways.

Vivian frowned. He rubbed his forehead. “If I’m in the Tower, then… Status!”

[Welcome Back]

[Level Up +4]

Name: Vivian | Age: 21 | Sex: M | Level: 1->5

Role: [Gardener] [NPC]

[Status]

HP: 7/10

SP: 5/5

STR: 5

MAG: 1

SKL: 7

SPD: 7

MDEF: 5

DEF: 5

[Skills]

[Gardener Tool Proficiency] [LOCKED] Lvl 1

[Trim] Lvl 1

Vivian wrinkled his nose. Alright, let’s unpack this. I wasn’t an NPC before, I know that. NPCs are fake people spawned by the Tower who play out events and give quests. Before, my role was [Player]… and I existed. I was a real person. I entered the Tower from outside. From the real world!

On top of that, I definitely wasn’t a Gardener! I don’t remember everything about my past, but I was a real Player with a real Class and real Skills. Besides, that LOCKED… I can’t remove that skill. I’m stuck with gardening tools, whatever I want to do.

Vivian shrugged. That’s pretty normal, though. Most classes lock you into a set of… weapons, not tools, but…

But that [NPC] tag… is that why I respawn, now? He tapped his chin, looking around at his bodies. Yeah, from what I remember, you could kill NPCs, and they’d come back. It was a bad idea, and it didn’t get you much. Some EXP, I guess… well, if you’re low enough level, it’s a juicy amount, but it quickly becomes nothing. Generally the guard mobs would shut down NPC-killing pretty fast, but it looks like there’s no guard mobs around here.

Still, the point is, NPCs would come back. The Tower is nothing if not fair. One Player can’t kill an NPC and keep all the other Players from getting a quest forever.

If I’m classified as an NPC, now… He glanced at his bodies again. Can I count on respawning?

Immediately, Vivian shook his head. No! I know I wasn’t aware for all those deaths, and I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I abruptly came to awareness, but I vaguely remember being a gardener for a while. I don’t know why I’m aware right now. I can’t risk it until I know for sure I can respawn.

But uh… why am I an NPC? I died in the Tower, but if the Tower recycles all those who die in the Tower into NPCs, someone would have noticed by now. Hell, I would have noticed. Plenty of companions and acquaintances died in the Tower. What makes me special?

“Right. Three quests. Figure out why I’m awake, figure out if I respawn, and figure out why I came back as an NPC!” Vivian declared. He paused, putting a hand on his chin. “And figure out how if I can leave the Tower. Four quests. Uh, and figure out what happened that I ended up in this situation…”

Okay. There’s a lot of things I need to do. First off… He glanced down. I need to get rid of these bodies. It’s bothering me. All this blood is going to make the roses’ roots rot. At the very least, let’s space them out so they aren’t all piled under this one bush.

He rubbed his brows. Is this the [Gardener] role influencing me? Why do I care about these roses? I’m a Player, not an NPC, no matter what the label tells me!

But I worked so hard on these roses. I can’t just let them die.

Vivian sighed. He bent down and grabbed the first body, dragging it off. Alright, alright. Let’s handle this first.

By the time Vivian finished dragging the bodies around, the dim light had grown dark. The glowing roses acted as pale night-lights through the maze. He wiped his hands on his pants and looked down at his loot.

Studded leather armor… Mage’s robes… some low-tier steel plate. The tome is ruined, but I got a few knives and that sword. If I can sell these… ha. Can an NPC sell things?

Only one way to find out, really. He pointed his hand at the items. “Inventory.”

The items wavered, then vanished.

A popup appeared in the corner of his vision, and Vivian glanced at it.

[Skill Acquired]

[Compost] Lvl 1

Curious, Vivian tapped on the skill.

[Compost]

You’ve discovered how to compost! By breaking down [Dead] materials into rich soil, your plants will grow much stronger. 1 SP.

Does that really count as composting…? Eh, whatever. I’ll take whatever skills a gardner can get.

It has an SP cost… that is, a skill point cost. Is it an activatable skill, then? He flexed his hand and pointed his palm at the nearest body. “Compost!”

The body trembled. Before his eyes, it decomposed rapidly. The flesh fell off the bones, and the bones bleached. In a few moments, dark topsoil appeared where the flesh and skin had been moments ago, the white bones sticking up out of the soil like bleak markers in the dark garden.

Vivian raised his eyebrows. That’s convenient. The only problem is that I’ve only got five SP right now. I should probably apply those levels I gained.

Four levels for beating two level… what, eights? Tens? And a level… it’s hard to calculate, because I don’t have a [Status]-viewer and he was grinding on NPCs, so it’s not like he actually had skill—skill, as opposed to [Skills] or SKL, but at a guess, a level six. I wasn’t a big Player Killer back in the day, from what I remember, so I can’t be sure, but that seems a bit low. NPCs might level slower than Players.

Though, come to think of it, why can NPCs level at all?

Vivian put a hand on his chin thoughtfully. The Tower’s System… well, my school memories are still mostly intact, it seems. A hundred years ago, when the Tower suddenly descended upon the world, it spread its game-like System across the world. Anyone who wants to can opt for the chance to become a Player, though it’s not without risk. Players must enter the Tower once a year or die, and they’re required by most governments to take part in destroying Exclusion Zones when they pop up—that is, areas outside the Tower where monsters, events, and sometimes even NPCs appear.

Although it’s controversial among non-Players, any Player will agree that the Tower’s System is a bit glitchy. The Tower exists in reality, as far as anyone can tell. You enter it physically. You bleed. You thirst. You hunger. And if you die…

He looked at his hands. You usually die for real.

Yet, the Tower couldn’t exist entirely in reality. The Tower, massive as it was, still wasn’t as large as the immense landscapes within it. Entire branches of physics had been invented to handle the impossibilities of the Tower, and still, no one had a definitive answer. The System, the Tower, the monster-infested zones the Tower spawned at random around it, the Players, Bosses, Roles and NPCs… no one fully understood the Tower. Where it came from, what its purpose was. All anyone knew was that the Tower came with opportunity.

Materials that couldn’t exist in the real world. Magic. Incredible weapons that could give even an ordinary human access to superstrength and magical powers. All kinds of wonderful things emerged from the Tower. Physically emerged from the Tower, as real as anything that entered it. Hundreds of people made fortunes in the Tower, selling items and information. Thousands more made a career of it, of Climbing and discovering new parts of the Tower, or simply farming lucrative parts of the Tower.

And yet, Vivian thought, shaking his head.

As if it’s a game, there’s some strange quirks about the Tower and its System that can be used to hack the System, or conversely, which can totally screw over a Player. Weird environmental scenarios, broken Skill combinations, Quests that deadlock or never finish even when the Player has long since completed the floor. The Tower’s even been known to send out Patches on occasion to adjust known hacks. Somewhere between the real and the false… no one fully understands the Tower.

A few extremists even worship the Tower or the “Programmer,” who isn’t even confirmed to exist. Though I guess most gods aren’t confirmed to exist, so what makes Programmer-worship any different than any religion?

Vivian nodded to himself. All that to say, maybe… maybe this is a glitch, of sorts. All of it. My waking up as an NPC. My leveling as an NPC. Maybe even my respawning.

If that’s the case, I’ll have to be careful not to draw the Tower’s attention, or I’ll get Patched. As nice as this garden is, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wandering mindlessly in this garden. He rubbed his hands over his arms. The only saving grace is that I won’t know it. I’m not sure if that’s comforting or terrifying, but it certainly seems to be true.

Vivian twisted his lips, then waved his hand. “No point worrying too hard about maybes. First off, I need to get to the Starter Town. If I want to answer any of these questions, that’s where I’ll start finding answers.”

I’m currently in the Garden of the Lost. I didn’t spend too long on Floor One, so my first time through, I actually completely skipped the Garden. It’s an annoying maze with an optional boss who has some nice drops, but nothing critical. Since the Lady of the Lost is such a low-level optional boss, I decided to ignore her in favor of pressing on to Floor Two.

Vivian swallowed. All that to say… right now, I’m pretty lost!

Okay. First things first. Let’s apply those levels. Vivian sat down and pulled up his stat menu again. The familiar green-tinted menu floated before his eyes.

[Level Up +4]

Name: Vivian | Age: 21 | Sex: M | Level: 5

Role: [Gardener] [NPC]

[Status]

HP: 7/10

SP: 5/5

STR: 5

MAG: 1

SKL: 7

SPD: 7

MDEF: 5

DEF: 5

[Skills]

[Gardener Tool Proficiency] [LOCKED] Lvl 1

[Trim] Lvl 1

[Compost] Lvl 1

“Show levels,” Vivian said.

[Levels +4]

4 Stat Points to apply

0 Class Skills to Learn

“Zero class skills?” Vivian considered, then nodded to himself. That makes sense. You can pick up skills two ways—no, three.

One, by doing. For example, laying out the bodies unlocked the [Compost] skill because the System considered it close enough to composting. Some skills come with a level restriction, so you won’t be able to use them immediately even if you can see the skill. For example, any [Swordsman] can hold their sword out and spin around, but they still have to be level ten to learn [Spin Slash]. Still, it’s a nice way to know what’s ahead of you if you accidentally proc a skill you can’t use yet.

Two, by leveling. Classes will generally have a skill tree associated with them, and you’ll gain skills by leveling. Good classes have more skills than you can learn by level-stat points alone, and you’ll have to search out bosses that give out stat points to learn them all. In the case of the Gardener Class, I have no idea what to expect. I’m along for the ride right now.

Third, by clearing legendary events or beating secret bosses. Some of them give out [Skills]. Those skills are usually awesome, but they aren’t easy to get, and they don’t necessarily jive with any given build. There’s Players who build their entire setup around one [Legendary Skill], and Legendary Skill Hunters, who spend their lives finding [Legendary Skills] and building guides on how to achieve them.

In any case, for now, I’ll apply a few points. Once I invest a point, my HP will refill, too.

[Status]

HP: 10/10

SP: 6/6

STR: 7

MAG: 1

SKL: 7

SPD: 7

MDEF: 5

DEF: 6

[Skills]

[Gardener Tool Proficiency] [LOCKED] Lvl 1

[Trim] Lvl 1

[Compost] Lvl 1

I don’t think there’s a point in wasting a skill point leveling a skill quite yet. I don’t know anything about the [Trim] or [Compost] skills, so I don’t know if they’re worth investing skill points in. Since I only get one point per level right now, I need to invest wisely.

Besides, I can always level up my skills naturally, and they should level fast at low levels. Once I hit Lvl 5 or so… assuming that they’re five-plus level skills, that’s when it might be worth investing points into them.

Vivian sighed. He stood and stretched. “Annoying that I can remember all that shit, but nothing about my life.”

After a moment, he shrugged. Well, who knows? Maybe my life was boring.

In any case, it’s not as if I don’t understand. To make me an NPC, the Tower would have to make me placid. The easiest way to do that is to wipe my personality- and personal history-based memories. It wouldn’t have to erase general knowledge to make me thoughtless. My personality obviously keeps me from being an obedient NPC, but if the braindead NPC knows about the System, no harm, no foul.

“The real mystery here is that I managed to wake up. That, and that I’m here in the first place and not just dead,” Vivian mused.

Walking along, he put his hands behind his head. “No point looking a gift horse in the mouth. I’m alive, and that’s what matters for now.”

He kept his right shoulder toward the right-hand wall as he walked, tracing a route through the garden. Identical rose bushes paraded by, faintly-glowing roses lighting his path. Nothing but the rustling of leaves and the tap of his own shoes on the garden stones sounded out in the dark night. Overhead, the sky cleared, and a phosphorescent moon glowed high in the pitch-black sky.

Gentle rustling sounded from around the corner. Pale green light played over the wall of the hedge maze. Vivian froze. A Lost One? Shit, uh… think, think. Right, after dark, you don’t want to run into them!

But wait, I’m an NPC. Maybe we’re cool.

Vivian bit his lip. But just to be sure…

The Lost One stalked the gardens. Unlike the neat and tidy children that wandered during the day, this nighttime Lost One’s hair twisted wildly. Ripped and torn clothes hung loosely off his body. His skeleton glowed through his now-translucent skin, and his eyes glowed with bright green light. Baring fangs and claws, he turned the corner.

A gardener in black snipped dully at the bushes. Ignoring the Lost One, he wandered along, clipping heads and long branches.

The Lost One drifted by. As he passed by the gardener, he suddenly froze. He sniffed, looking around.

Vivian swallowed nervously. He focused on the bush, pretending not to notice as the Lost One drifted closer. A long tongue emerged from thin lips, tasting the air near his neck.

Dammit! That rogue… he clipped my neck! I didn’t know Lost Ones went after blood, but now… shit! I only have physical attacks right now. I can’t do anything to [Ghost] enemies. I guess I’m going to find out if I respawn sooner than I expected!

A strong wind blew. A thick scent of blood coursed on the wind, strong enough that even Vivian smelled it.

The Lost One whirled. His ghastly tongue lashed at the breeze. It hesitated, then turned and followed after the stronger scent of blood rather than continue to lean toward Vivian.

Vivian breathed out. Thank goodness I didn’t [Compost] all the bodies. I’ll have to remember to leave some blood somewhere else to distract the nighttime Lost Ones if I ever end up back here.

Or just not get slashed first!

He wiped his neck, scraping away the leftover blood. The cut had healed when his HP refilled, but the blood itself remained. Dusting his hands off, Vivian put his clippers away and walked on.

As he walked, the roses grew fewer and fewer. Eventually, no roses adorned the dense hedges. The hedges grew thinner and lower, until Vivian could see the exit at long last.

He burst out of the hedge maze. Standing there in the dark of night, Vivian retraced the route, marking it out in his head. If I ever end up back here, I’ll know the way out next time.

Outside the hedge maze, the moon no longer glowed a pale green, but let out pale white light. A path stretched to the left and the right. Ahead of Vivian, a dark forest loomed, trees silvery in the moonlight.

Vivian bit his lip. I did not spend a whole lot of time on the First Floor. I never went to the Garden of Lost Souls. So where am I.

He stood on his tiptoes and peered left, then right. To the left, the path rose slowly, winding toward a desolate town on a tall hill. Narrow, teetering houses leaned into the wind. A bell hung half-out of a canted tower, clapper faintly swinging where it hung.

That’s… Bell Heights. A relatively high-level region in the First Floor.

He turned in the opposite direction. The ground sloped downward. The forest grew thinner, evening out into plains. Unforgiving stone jutted into the air here and there, jagged as bone spurs.

Stone Spires. A hunting grounds not far from the entrance. It’s still higher than my level, but it isn’t unbeatably so. From there, I should be able to find my way back to the Starting Town and get my bearings. Vivian turned toward the spires, humming under his breath.

I’m not entirely sure what happened to me, but if I’m going to figure it out anywhere, the Starting Town is the place to start!