Project Overworld

"So, what was so important for you to make the travel all the way over here today?", Alan suddenly asked in a stern voice.

The night before, Keith worked on his project for quite some time, so much so that he only slept for a few hours at most.

When he logged into the game, the morning was already quite underway and he immediately rushed towards the New Dawn's base.

On his way there, he encountered some of their members doing various jobs such as exploration and gathering. It was an interesting organization to witness.

However, none of them tried to stop him.

'Their leader must have warned of my arrival', the trail of thought of Keith lead him to this conclusion.

Keith then spotted some sort of a wooden mansion and thought it probably was their base of operation.

Entering the building, a receptionist asked him what was his business here.

After a quick introduction from Keith, the receptionist led him to the second floor before a door marked as "Alan's office".

The man then left Keith here and returned to his post.

'Okay, let's announce my departure.'

Keith opened the door.

A man was studying doc.u.ments on a desk. He raised his head and looked towards the newcomer.

"Keith, I suppose?", Alan said. He got up from his chair and went to greet the young man :

"I was waiting for you since Amber said you would be paying us a visit."

Alan then pointed a seat to Keith and continued his speech : "After all, you are our prized forger."

"So, what was so important for you to make the travel all the way over here today?", he suddenly asked in a stern voice.

Keith sat down on the chair proposed by the man, and looked straight at him :

- "Well, I have not officially been introduced to you, so I figured it would be a great time to do it."

- "It is indeed great meeting you after all this time, but I feel like there is another reason for your visit."

Keith readjusted in his seat and replied with a serious face :

- "You guessed right. I have an offer for you."

- "An offer?" Alan asked, surprised.

This time, Keith did not reply immediately and took his time scanning the face of his interlocutor.

- "That's right, I offer you my entire base."

- "That is... That is quite surprising indeed. What is the counterpart?"

- "I want to cancel the contract."

Alan's eyes opened wide.

Keith pulled out the contract he signed with Amber and put it right before Alan's hands, waiting for an answer.

- "I am afraid... I cannot agree to those conditions."

- "That is unfortunate. Anyway, I wanted to inform you of my incoming departure. I made this offer as a proof of my goodwill, please reconsider."

Alan suddenly enraged and aggressively replied :

- "Goodwill? What are you talking about? Your offer is totally unfavorable to us and you want to cancel the contract? I did not want to come to this, but you will not leave this place without my agreement."

- "As I said, that is unfortunate... Well, if everything is settled, I will be going my way. Farewell."

Alan froze for an instant but suddenly got up trying to stop him :

- "Wait, did you not hear what I was saying? You will not leave this place without my agreement."

Keith took a rifle out of his inventory and aimed straight at Alan.

- "What is it I need your agreement for? I said farewell, mister Alan, and you will not be stopping me here."

Keith then hurried down the stairs and got out of the building. He heard some shouts coming up from behind him, but he could not care less.

He was already a few hundred meters away from the New Dawn's base and they will take some time to organize a man hunt.

'Alan is an intelligent man, he will certainly not chase after me without a bit of preparation."

On his way back, Keith could not help but feel a bit sad about that outcome.

'I foresaw it coming, but I would have been better if everything settled calmly... Those lasting resources I could not bring with me will finally be going to waste...'

Back to his base, his finished vehicle waited for him on the outside.

However, Keith rushed inside the base and started a small fire. He then took out a stick and lit up a thin rope he made the day before.

After he made sure the rope burnt down at the intended pace, he took a few more resources that stored in his inventory and climbed onto his vehicle.

Smoke was already coming out of its motor, and Keith unlocked the wheels. The vehicle started moving slowly, but soon reached a speed of several dozens miles per hour.

Keith reassured himself, nobody in this game could catch up to the speed of his vehicle.

Thus, that is how the long awaited departure began.

A few miles from here, a group of armed people entered a cave seemingly made out of metal.

They were moving carefully, but no trap seemed to trigger.

- "What an idiot, he left all those resources behind", one of the men said.

- "Stay on your guard, he is technologically more advanced than us.", a built man replied.

It was Alan. With a team of trusted comrades, he was investigating Keith's base.

It was quite dark inside here, but the base seemed to have been left in an hurry.

Tools strewed the floor, as if someone could not decide on what to take with him.

Alan finally breathed out, as he thought no danger awaited them in the cave.

'Looks like my men were right, he truly was an idiot...'

- "Huh, what is that small light coming out from here?"

- "Certainly the remains of a fire in some of those furnaces.", someone replied.

- "No. It seems to be... Everyone, run!"

But it was too late. His shout was swallowed whole by the din of a deafening explosion.

The fire lasted for several hours, until finally the smoke disappeared and the rubble could be discovered.

Only ash and some metal parts were left behind out of Keith's original base.