《The trouble with Sorceresses》


 1) Visitors on a quest

    The door opened, although there had been neither a knock nor a word from the ones coming in to warn her.


    With furrowed brows, she stopped binding the herbs with some string and looked up. There, at the entrance, stood a young warrior in leather armor, with a dinged metal helmet on his head and a sword of much better steel in his hands. Behind him there were a man in black clothing, a rouge apparently, a girl in a wizard robe and what looked like a hired hand from the village down the mountain road.


    Maureen almost groaned as she knew what was coming next. These adventurers were useful, yes, but they were also very rude.


    "We found the Forest Witch! I told you I knew where she was!" The Rouge called out in triumph.


    The wizard girl did not seem convinced. "But we walked in circles for an hour following you. If I hadn''t logged off and looked up the map online we wouldn''t have found her at all."


    Ignoring all the banter, the warrior in his mismatched armor got to the point much quicker. Maureen liked it when the adventurers said what they wanted quickly since that way she could get rid of them sooner. Visitors from a higher world or not, they tended to be annoying.


    "I want 15 high health potions, 5 high revival potions, 1000 perfect cure illness potions, 2000 long flight potions and a barrel of fairy wine."


    Maureen nearly asked the warrior whether he had gone insane, but then reconsidered. There was no guild sign, but the kids in front of her were likely running an errand for their guild. Otherwise he never would have told her such high numbers for the more precious potions. She couldn''t just sell those, of course.


    Thus, the young woman nodded sagely...just joking. Maureen pointed towards the stone plate where she had written down prices and requiremets. "First of all, welcome to my lodge. If you know what I can sell you ought to know the prices in gold and materials, I assume?" That was, she hoped, part of what the hired hand from the village was for. Carrying everything in a wagon.


    On the plate it said the following regarding the last 3 requested potions:


    Perfect Cure Illness: 700 gold, Green Deepshroom x3, Spotted Snake Fang x2


    Long Flight (duration 20 days): 500 gold, Griffon Feather x1, Ghost Plasma x1


    Fairy Wine (Barrell): 20.000.000 gold, Honey 5.000 pounds, Elderberry 5.000 pounds or Elderflowers 1.000 pounds or Elderflower cordial 2.000 l


    The other potions were 1 gold for a high health potion and 5 for a revival potion. Standard potions for the more successfull adventuring parties, really. Though the helper probably only got a few silver for his services. After all, 1 gold or 10 silver were plenty to feed a normal family of six for a week. Not that there was any real silver or gold in those coins.


    The warrior rolled his eyes at her and then gestured outside. "Stuff is on the wagon. Though I don''t get why we need to pay in material. Fetch quests are annoying and dumb."


    Because she couldn''t be bothered to go to all those places weeks away just to get a single type of material she needed to make more. Obviously. If they didn''t do this fetch quest as they called it she would have to take care of it and fetch quests really were annoying. Wandering about searching every nook and cranny for no more than a dozen ingredients at the end of the day...no thanks. Let the player guilds pay their low rankers for everything useful they found by accident and everybody was happy in the end.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Maureen nodded at the warrior then and made her way to the door, her feathered cloak floating around her. It usually kept her clothing clean enough during alchemy so she could forgive little antics like trying to impress visitors. Outside it wrapped itself around her tightly and looked like a fancy feather dress in green, blue and purple. Showing off.


    Outside there was the wagon they talked about standing at the end of the dirt road in her clearing. A nice one with good space suppression, too.


    Maureen whistled like a shepherd with two fingers in her mouth and a few seconds later several small green figures in neat linen clothing popped out of the berry bushes at the edge of the clearing. Contrary to popular opinion goblins could be very useful, with their childlike intelligence and general cluelessnes they tended to follow the directions of a kind but firm hand rather well. Hobgoblins were much smarter, of course, but they were not necessary if she just needed some help carrying goods.


    The adventuring warrior was halfway through pulling out his sword when the rogue grabbed his hand. "Damn it, did you seriously forget everything SilverLight told us? Those are the goblin servants. When Dishy attacked them last time she trashed his party and got her blacklisted, like, everywhere!"


    "Huh?" Was the very intelligent response, but since nobody ended up attacking her helpers Maureen decided to overlook the whole thing.


    Adventurers always killed goblin packs after all and most of the time it was kind of justified. They did act like childish wannabe bandits and gutter rats if they had no significant amount of hobgoblins or other leadership around. And if left alone they had so many young they ended up in a famine and started swarming farms to feed themselves. Treat them like kids and prevent any kind of sexual contact though and you had some eager if dumb helpers.


    The little helpers started carrying the goods to her storage shed while Maureen inspected them with the identify skill and counted. Adding up the materials she ended up with the exact number her price list required. Big guilds were usually honest that way, but checking never hurt. The chests of coins even had them packed in pretty blue linen bags with 1000 gold each.


    Once everything was in her shed Maureen smiled at the group of goblins and patted each of their heads, which caused the little things to hop about happily. They could be such adorable little things if someone bothered to raise them well! Comparing them to wild goblins was like...like comparing an obedient shopkeeper''s or farmer''s kid to a gutter rat with gang brands from the capital.


    She would give out elderflower lollipops later as a reward, Maureen decided.


    Reluctantly, she turned to the adventurers.


    "Everything is in order. Only the 40 gold for the health and revival potions are missing but I assume you''ll pay for those yourself?" Her pause was answered when the mage girl started counting out the gold coins and handed them over. So she continued. "Do you want to take everything with you right now or should I send a messenger somewhere with the goods?" She preferred to dump it all on these guys but, again, big guilds often wanted delivery to their headquarters. For big orders like this one Maureen often arranged delivery as a service.


    "The Guardian Angels of Doom branch in High Landing, please." The rogue responded politely.


    Considering the fact that they bought fairy wine that could sate hunger and thirst for weeks and gave boosts with a few drops, flight potions and potions against illnesses and then wanted them delivered to a city at the border in a mountain range...it was obviously a war of some sort, likely with a few hundred high level adventurers involved. Those potions were expensive.


    "Is someone laying siege to High Landing?"


    The girl shook her head. "The leadership is going to tame flying tigers. High Landing is just the closest branch."


    Maureen nodded. That, too, was not unusual. "Very well. I''ll have everything there by tomorrow. Yours you can take with you immediately."


    From a hidden pocket in the feathered cloak she pulled the 15 high health and 5 revival potions. The feathers got all fluffy at the surprised gazes of the adventurers. He was a vain thing sometimes, but there was no denying that he had all the enchantments one could wish for in a cloak. There was not even a bulge where the potions came from, after all.


    "What do you want for that cloak?" The rogue asked with sparkling eyes.


    "Not for Sale. Ask the Enchantress of the Labyrinth in the South if you want one." Maureen pushed the potions into the mage girl''s hands. She was the one who paid, after all.


    "If that was all...I have work to do now." With a nod towards the adventurers she went back to her home.


    When she came back out with candy for the goblins the adventurers were gone.

 2) Visitors again

    Maureen was innocently laying out moss to dry in the warm light of the morning sun when the sound of galloping horses reached her ears.


    Adventurers rarely used horses, or rather, riding adventurers usually had a mish mash of beasts if they were not elite units with epic mounts. Horses that sound like horses are never epic mounts.


    Peasants didn''t have horses that would go faster than a nice trot and Maureen''s friends would not come with more than a handful of others. Certainly not enough for the ruckus this particular group was causing in her forest.


    That left three choices, Maureen thought as she placed another piece of moist moss on the flat stone surface of the stair shaped drying stand. It had been a present and was one of her most useful if simple tools of her trade. The next piece of moss followed as Maureen ignored the approaching annoyance.


    Unfortunately the group arrived at her clearing all too soon, sending all the birds flying in fright with their noise.


    It was not the number one to be avoided group she had almost feared it might be.


    It wasn''t a group of bandits either, the people were too clean for that.


    No, the group of twenty was dressed in matching bright red jackets with silly fur puffs around their neck, leather armor under those jackets, brown leather trousers and a strange, tiny hat with another fur puff on it. The one at the front looked older than the others and had stripes of fur as lining on his jacket as well as pieces of metal on his sleeves. So he was probably the leader. An officer of some kind.


    Maureen stopped what she was doing reluctantly and stood straight, then approached the group. Her muddy hands, stained linen shirt and patched skirt probably made her look like some kind of beggar working for a few copper and a meal, but as long as she didn''t start groveling they ought to realise who she was if they came to this god forsaken place.


    "You, serf, announce our presence to your lady."


    Or not.


    Well, there were idiots everywhere.


    "I don''t have a lady. I''m the only one who''s living here." Maureen lifted her hands in a gesture of helpless innocence, her palms up and spread far apart.


    The military man looked at her, then the hut and her shed. The hut was made of tree trunks with a roof made of bundles of brushwood and straw, just large enough for a single room. The shed was leaning against one wall, made of some wooden beams as support, with clay and straw walls. It was kind of a scam, meant to look poor and simple but sturdy and older than it was.


    The military officer looked around some more as if there might be another lodge or possibly a castle hiding in some bushes. There was nothing else, of course.


    One of the soldiers started cursing as the officer grumbled something Maureen didn''t quite catch. And then, without another word, the leader turned his horse around and rode back down the road, soon followed by the other riders.


    Idiots.


    Maureen shook her head at the group and went back to laying out moss. Once dried it could be used to soak up blood from a wound under bandages and prevent infections on top of that. A lot of women used it during their period as well because it was soft and hardly any blood escaped. The dirt would be removed in her cleaner after the moss was dry, of course.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A while later she was finished and went back to her lodge. It apparently only had one room, with a bench covered in shep pelts as a bed and the rest of the room a forest of dry herbs hanging off the ceiling in bunches, clay jars covered with linen scraps full of ingredients on shelves that covered all the walls, a table full of things in the middle and the small cooking area to the left with a fireplace and a little cauldron that held softly bubbling millet gruel.


    Maureen walked to the bed, sat down and hit the uneven bit of wood that seemed to have been a branch once. The bed lowered itself through the floor and then she was underground in the hallway of her real home.


    Since she was dirty she took the door to her left that led to her hidden hot spring first.


    Half an hour later she was clean and her still wet hair was open for once, instead of braided, in a bun and covered by a headscarf, while it was drying. A trip up above brought her to the cooking space where she took her gruel, threw some herbs, nuts and berries in and then started eating. If a person like, well, her, decided to eat gruel then it was certainly not the tasteless slag the oh so kind temples gave to the poor. Because if it tasted too good those poor people might start liking the stuff enough to eat it even when they were not about to starve and had no other choice.


    Millet gruel could be sweet, or made with cheese, eaten with meat as a side dish, tasted good with preserved vegetables in winter and could even be a spicy dish. So despite being a typical poor people food Maureen had it pretty often. Easy to make, effortless really, tasty and it could be turned into any type of dish depending on her mood at that moment. It was the perfect food in her opinion.


    Satisfied with herself and the world after that bowl of gruel Maureen lay back on the sheep skins that were really pretty comfortable and was just about to take a nap when the horses raced back to her lodge.


    Soon after the door was kicked open and an officer with a bright red head and a stormy expression rushed into her poor home only to stop in his tracks at the sight of...well, a table with a pot of poor gruel, a recently washed but shabbily dressed woman on a bench with sheep skins that was a typical poor people bed and a room full of stuff one would expect to find in a local hedge witch''s home.


    Maureen sat up to look at the man questioningly.


    Said man cursed, turned around and threw the door shut as he left.


    The sound horses and men riding away followed soon after.


    Weird people...


    Maureen half expected them to return again after that, but when she got up after her nap everything was quiet.


    As she went about her day collecting herbs, making potions in the lab downstairs and playing with...er, no, educating the goblins no other unusual visitors showed up.


    When early evening came around one of the peasants from the nearby village came with a letter. Letters usually came that way from casual acquaintances so she didn''t pay that event any mind. Instead she had a nice chat about Zoe''s second child, the mayor''s aching knee and the speculation on whether the tanner''s apprentice was in love with the woodcutter Albert''s second daughter or the farmhand Gordon''s sister.


    After the good man left she took a closer look and sighed.


    Well, at least she knew what the strange behaviour of those soldiers was all about.


    While she was still reading the letter full of flowery language the officer came back, again, for the third time.


    "You!" He pointed at her from afar, about to blow up due to anger.


    Maureen looked at him quizzically. "Yes?"


    "How dare you open a sealed letter adressed to the Duchess Bastagar!"


    "Ah...that''s because I am Maura Elena Bastagar, of course. Duchess Bastagar, banished to this lodge on the day of my wedding by the Duke, who sent a surrogate to replace him during the ceremony." Maureen explained lightly. "Now, according to this letter you were supposed to accompany me to Ingverstedt for the royal wedding there?"


    She waved about the letter filled with flowery phrases and pretty drawings that people thought were lucky.


    "I am not sorry to say this, but going there in style is utterly impossible. As you can see, I do not receive any funds from the Duke and therefore have nothing to wear and no way to acquire apropriate attire."


    The officer who looked like someone had just turned his world upside down repeated the "...not sorry to say...?" part of Maureens little speech while she went into the lodge, got a leather sack that seemed to contain nothing but a few spare changes of poor clothing and other necessities, back outside and then started walking down the road towards the village. As she passed the officer on his horse she nodded at him to get another rise out of his shell shocked expression.


    Apparently she was going to the neighbouring country for their king''s wedding.

 3) Traveling to pay a visit

    It was a custom for traveling nobles to provide for their escort even if not every one of them was employed by said noble in some way. Maureen as a Duchess was therefore expected to follow this tradition regading the soldiers as well.


    Staying in character as the poor, exiled for no conceivable reason and mistreated innocent wife of a heartless man who, it was known everywhere, loved another - a role she rather enjoyed playing - Maureen looked at the soldiers helplessly as she prepared dinner.


    The fire under the pan burned well, but the mushrooms, tree bark and edible roots she had gathered under the confused and annoyed eyes of her escort did not promise to become a very satisfying meal to the men who thad not quite grasped what kind of situation they were in.


    "Uh...my lady?" One of the guards standing around her bowed politely, his perfectly cut dark blonde hair and impeccable manners proof of his definitely noble descent. "It is nearly sunset. If it pleases you we could arrange our lodgings and dinner at the inn first. If your... potion is not time sensitive I am certain the inn would be pleased to offer their hearth for your purposes."


    Maureen turned a quizzical and seemingly hopeful gaze at the man first, then the officer who had been dead silent for a while. "An Inn? My honorable husband entrusted funds to you?" A smile started to spread on her face. "How wonderful! I feared that this as a meal and the cold, hard ground under the stars as a bed would be our fate during this journey!"


    "Huh? My lady?" The now terribly confused guard looked at her and then at his leader, apparently hoping for an explanation and a way to avoid eating tree bark and grass roots.


    Maureen, in the mean time, happily babbled about those supposed funds. "How much did he prepare? A journey like this usually takes approximately 1000 gold for this number of people if the gold is spent economically. Though with enough gold I ought to ensure I find appropriate attire quickly as well, so a balance would have to be reached between traveling expenses and a dress to save face..."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The officer was slowly turning green while his men assumed that, surely, they wouldn''t have to sleep outside...or eat whatever Maureen was concocting in that pan of hers.


    "...what about your dowry?" The officer forced out. "And the Duke ensured me you were skilled with your...herbalist skills."


    "What about my dowry? My husband is governing that territory as the head of the family." Maureen pretended to be utterly clueless still as she watched the expressions on the men''s faces drown in pity. "And my herbalist skills were originally a hobby and family tradition. I fear I cannot compare to a true professional. If my lodge wasn''t at the edge of settled territory there likely wouldn''t be anyone in need of my skills at all." Her words happily painted the picture of a once carefree young girl from a baron territory that had cluelessly fallen prey to schemes and the greed of others.


    "Well, that is not important now. You said you had brought funds from my husband for the journey?" Of course he hadn''t. It was her who planted that thought into everybody''s heads. A few of the soldiers frowned as if trying to recall what exactly had been said at the beginning.


    He officer stood straighter and hardened his expression, his weathered face looking dignified despite the idiotic fur puffs of his uniform. "No, my lady. He did not. His words led me to assume that your life style was affluent enough in your chosen countryside home to finance a comfortable journey and proper presentation at court in Ingverstedt."


    Maureen pouted at the man who had just ruined her fun of letting his underlings go through a labyrinth of emotion. "You are a cruel man, sir. How could you play with my feelings this way? To give me such hope only to cause me pain." She sighed and then turned to the soldiers. Bowing deeply in apology, she gave them her best forlorn look.


    "I can only apologize in advance for the discomfort and inconvenience you will have to suffer in the following days on my behalf. As you certainly know, I have nothing but my feeble skill at herbalism to feed myself, let alone others. May the gods reward you for your patience as I am not able to." Maureen stood straighter then and gestured towards her strange dinner concoction. "Now...as it is all I can possibly offer, please have some of this for dinner."


    With this, surely nobody would suggest she take part in the court celebrations for more than a few moments, right? If everything went well...a capital full of parties, markets, attractions, dancing and action was only waiting for her to explore!

 4) more traveling for a visit...and an accidental quest

    With a content smile Maureen allowed herself to fall into the simple but clean and comfortable bed at the inn.


    She was being escorted by men of noble descent, usually younger sons of titled nobles or the eldest sons of knights who had been meant to build good relations with a duchess during the journey. Such people wouldn''t sven consider sleeping outside if they had a choice. And going to an inn while the person they were supposed to protect was sleeping out in the woods was out of the question. What kind of guard would be that irresponsible?


    So the officer was footing her bill and those guards she didn''t need were taking care of their own expenses.


    So everybody who might make a report was convinced she was a poor victim without any financial or other resources quietly suffering under her husband''s heartless thumb. She got proper lodgings despite that and most right minded nobles in Ingverstedt would understand when she ''withdrew to her quarters'' quickly and didn''t show herself again. Everything was going brilliantly.


    Of course, the point in time when everything seems to be working out is the point when it all goes wrong.


    When Maureen went downstairs the next morning to have breakfast she found three of her guards talking to a group of adventurers. Level 20 at most, they all wore the cheap leather and carried weapons that were obviously of lesser quality, things apprentices made as practice and then sold for little more than the material price. In other words, not her usual customers but the kind of rude youngsters who might do very dumb things because they were teens and didn''t have enough excitement otherwise.


    Their voices rang through the entire room.


    "Oh come on man. You guys are never around here so you must have a special quest!" The loudest was doing his best impression of the impatient fourteen year old he was. Maureen knew that younger kids needed to be accompanied by guardians and couldn''t level even as players who would revive, but once they were allowed to they tended to be just as annoying and even more fearless than other kids that age.


    The guard looked at the kids like they were insects though. "Sir. If you do not remove yourselves from this premise I will be forced to ake action in the name of the Duchess!"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Okay, wrong thing to say...Maureen almost groaned to herself as she came ever closer. The word duchess got the kids'' eyes to sparkle.


    "So we can get the quest from this duchess?" The smallest of the players asked excitedly. A chubby girl with bright green hair that was showing blonde roots already.


    Since this seemed to be her cue... while the soldiers bowed to her Maureen gave the kids what they wanted. "Young lady, I am afraid you misunderstood. There will be a royal wedding inIngverstedt and all titled nobles from three kingdoms are on their way there."


    Among ''Really?'' And ''Wow, I want to go there too!'' There was one response she should have anticipated. "You''re a duchess? But you look..."


    That particular kid got a slap to the side from one of the guards, probably because he meant well. The slap was followed by a headshake.


    Fortunately the players left after that to go and do whatever players did in towns - be it walk around the roofs or robbing unsuspecting farm folk''s sheds. Maureen had her breakfast while her guards got active, coming in and out of the inn, preparing horses, buying supplies and washing at the well.


    When Maureen left the inn she saw something unfortunate though...the guard who warned the player teen and the kids were standing around, talking with grave expressions, the girl looking at the man with shock and pity...obviously her oh so poor mistreated duchess plan backfired. And judging by those expressions it might not simply backfire. No, this almost looked like the kids might not just let things go.


    And if players decided to get involved, even low level players, the direction and speed with which events spiraled out of control could be catastrophic. The desert of Needa was the best proof of what the players called an epic quest going very very wrong. Well, this couldn''t possibly be blown that far out of proportion...right? It was just gossip about one banished noble, after all.


    Surely, everything was going well! Hopefully.


    Inerterlude, online


    See.it.all.know.it.all.12345: I told you nobles were, like, you know, like this old 2D show from the 20th century our history teacher showed us.


    Notnoobyaaaaaay: 20th century? That was the romans, right?


    OPMageDeanina: Notnoob, your an idiot


    See.it.all.know.it.all.12345: it''s you''re


    See.it.all.know.it.all.12345: And I meant the show where this one king had, like, 10 wives and had them all killed. The romans were before that


    OPMageDeanina: So this Duke has his wife living off grass roots like a beggar and living in a shack in the forest? What''d she do?


    ShadoowMastaRob: He didn''t even go to his own wedding that one guard said. I''m telling you, this smells like a big chain quest!


    See.it.all.know.it.all.12345: Ther is no way you get a chain quest with high nobles in it at level 20!


    Notnoobyaaaaaay: Its There! Youre the noob!


    See.it.all.know.it.all.12345: *facepalm* that was a typo!


    ShadoowMastaRob: Noob, stop messing around. I wrote down the name of the Duke and I''m going to look into it. If you guys don''t want to help I''ll do it on my own!


    OPMageDeanina: Count me in! My big sis is with the Flying Cranes. If this gets big we could get them to take us too in exchange for info on the quest!

 Background info Age Restrictions info and Danger levels

    Modern humans spend most of their life in fully AI controlled virtual realities.


    Due to a sudden drop in birth rates after the development of full immersion nano chambers caused by People who did not wish to part from their second, virtual life, the law regarding child protection in virtual realities was passed. Developments by Access Companies have allowed ever younger children to follow their parents into virtual realities while aiding their mental and physical health and development.


    Studies show that average children at the age of 5 who spent most of their lives in full immersion nano chambers showed more curiosity, higher IQs and more physical control and strength than those who grew up without virtual reality access in space stations. Reasons are thought to be connected to the lack of space for exercise and the general lack of variety and entertainment in space.


    Children growing up in good environments on planets have results comparable to those of children who spend most time in nano chambers. Health problems of children growing up in planetary environments with lacking conditions can circumvent most undesirable outside influences through lengthy exposure to nano chambers and have a longer life expectancy.


    Medical specialists recommend at least 5 hours a day in a nano chamber for children between 3 months and 13 years that grow up in space stations or on planets with a score below 7 earth scale points.


    Rights in virtual environments have been adjusted to the needs of a society spending many years in transit or in developing environments.


    Age restrictions for the protection of children in virtual environments are universally set as follows:


    Age up to 3 Months: No exposure to virtual environmentsIf you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Age 3 Months - 6 years: Virtual environment access in the company of a registered guardian. No access to environments of danger level 2 and above. Level systems deactivated.


    Age 7 - 13 years: Virtual reality access in the vicinity (500 m) of a guardian or a registered trusted person. No access to environments of danger level 6 and above, access to enclosed cities and other communities with low danger levels in the vicinity in environments of danger levels below 5. Level systems deactivated.


    Age 14 - 17 years: free access to environments of danger levels 5 and below. Level systems activated.


    Age 18 - 21: free access to environments of danger levels 8 and below. Level systems activated.


    Age 22 and above: free access to environments of danger levels 8 and below. Access to higher danger levels depending on regular psych evaluations. Level systems activated.


    Danger level standards have changed during the development of virtual environments.


    Danger level 1 are environments with enforced violence bans. This includes loud noises and designs that might cause fear or nervous reactions.


    Danger levels 2, 3 and 4 are safe environments with increasing realism. Dangers in such environments are largely limited to accidents and the results of reckless behavior. Dangers can be avoided with suitable behavior. Children learn the dangers of fire, falls and other natural threats like wild animals in such environments.


    Danger level 5 environments are fully independent AI environments with unrestricted personality development of Intelligences. These environments are defined as environments not currently at war or suffering from crisis. This status is subject to changes depending on the development of a virtual reality. Countries, Continents and Regions in a single virtual reality can differ in Danger levels.


    Danger level 6 - 8 environments are similar to level 5 environments but suffering from increasing levels of environmental, social and other problems.


    Danger level 9 environments, also called apocalyptic environments, are defined by poverty, famine, war, diseases and a breakdown of society. If a functioning society of at least 1000 individuals is present the danger level of the surrounding 100 miles drops to level 8, a level 9 environment therefore only exists in the most dire of circumstances and usually recover partially fairly quickly. The only known enduring level 9 environments are ''Zombie Apocalypse of 1700'', ''Demon Hell'' and ''Wrath of the Gods''.