《TheirWorld》 Chapter 1 Light flickered through the train windows. Tall white buildings dripping with blue and pink flora blocked the Yidarian suns as the sky train flew through the Io Ward. Dassah gripped the handle of her purse tight as she watched the sprawling surface city pass by. ¡°This stop is: The LeX University Scholar Center. This stop is: The LeX University Scholar Center,¡± said a soft voice through the micro-speaker implants in Dassah¡¯s ears. ¡°Please exit here for the LeX University Scholar Center and Cultural Exchange Buildings. The next stop is: Tranquil Peace Terrace. Thank you for using the Idela Iceberg Fleet Sky Train System.¡± Dassah puffed out her cheeks as she stared at the map above the doors, reading the names of the stops. She swung back against the side railing as people crowded around the doors and she wedged herself as far to the side as she could so as not to get drawn into the flow of people. The train slowly came to a stop. People shuffled off, and people shuffled on. ¡°The next stop is: Tranquil Peace Terrace. Please stay clear of the doors,¡± came the soft voice again, before the train made a loud BRRR sound. Trying to stave off the tremors of excitement, Dassah went back to looking out the window. Only a few more stops and she would be on her way to her new official apartment in the Varier Corporation Complex. Tomorrow, she would start her new job as a quality assurance tester in their game development department. Off to her right, Dassah noticed a little deep copper-colored garule child was watching her with great interest. A girl, she guessed. Aside from color, looking at the tails was the easiest way to guess a garule¡¯s gender. Males were brightly colored, with short tails that had elegant plumage to rival even the most handsome of peacocks. Females, however, had long, serpentine tails that were made of pure muscle and had a snake-like vertebral structure. The child squirmed in her seat, twisting against a large, muscular garule of similar colors whom Dassah assumed was her mother. Dassah tried to ignore them, but her mind fixed on the image of the little girl¡¯s curious eyes watching her, just at the edge of her vision. The child clung to a chicken-like doll by the neck, squeezing and pulling at it as she tilted and stretched her own neck to keep Dassah in sight. Having shared the train car with her almost every day, Dassah wasn¡¯t surprised by her interest. Dassah herself took a keen interest in the people she saw everyday¡ªincluding the girl herself. Sometimes she was with her mother, and sometimes she was with a smaller, brighter-colored one that was probably the girl¡¯s father. But that didn¡¯t make it easier for Dassah to interact with her. Dassah met the child¡¯s eyes and managed a slight smile that earned her a toothy grin. She wasn¡¯t sure why the little feathered creature found her so interesting, but the scowl the mother gave her as she pulled her child closer to her side made Dassah break out into a cold sweat. It wasn¡¯t anything personal. The child and her family never did anything wrong. Aside from the occasional meeting of the eyes, she had hardly interacted with them. But they were garule, and Dassah hardly had the courage to speak to humans, let alone the vast menagerie of people that collected on the iceberg city¡ªand the garule were nothing if not intimidating. One day, Dassah thought, trying to shift her focus back to the scenery outside. One day I¡¯ll have the courage. I¡¯ve gotten this far, after all. For now, though, ignoring it was the best option. They always got off at the Tranquil Peak Terrace, so they wouldn¡¯t be on much longer. Still the girl was cute, and after catching a glimpse of her reflection in the window, Dassah fondly looked back at her again. The mother noticed and gave her another sharp, narrow glare in response. Her powerful tail wrapped protectively around herself and her child. Biting her lips together, Dassah fixed her gaze on the various scratches that were etched onto the train¡¯s door and wondered how they came to be. The train began to slow, and the pair got ready to leave. The child¡¯s arms and tail swung around wildly, and her less-than-thrilled mother tried to pull her back into order. With a loud chime signaling their arrival, the doors slid open. Everyone began to shuffle through, and they stepped off to the platform outside. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dassah looked down the aisle, only to see that the little girl¡¯s chicken doll was left behind, abandoned on the floor. A few passengers started entering and finding seats for themselves. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Dassah started, reaching out towards the doll as a jikak stepped on it. The pig-faced-like man looked down but merely twitched his flat nose with disinterest. Just outside the car, a screech pulled Dassah¡¯s attention back to the little girl on the platform. She pulled on her mother¡¯s hand, reaching back towards the car. Dassah was too far for her translator to pick anything up, but she understood the look in the child¡¯s eyes. Far from the aggression and anger feared, the child was scared; distraught over her doll. The doll lay lonely on the train floor. Despite every part of her anxiety telling her to ignore it, Dassah went over and picked it up, brushing the dirt off as she quickly went back to the door. BRRR rang the alarm, alerting those around it that it was about to close. Mind made up to give it to the girl, Dassah slammed her hand on the door sensor¡ªbut when the mother dropped to all fours and began to shout, Dassah¡¯s mind went blank. Her chest grew heavy as her heart began to pound. Thump, thump, thump. The deep, deafening sound echoed through the whole of her body. Her vision glazed over and started fading to black. Images and sounds. Violence and screams. Claws. Teeth. Her emotions whirled. She drowned in an ocean of thoughts. She shook her head. Breathing slowly, deeply, Dassah worked to shove it all back into the pit of her stomach. ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± a gravelly voice said. It was a nice voice. Calm. Deep. It gave her mind a light to swim up to, and when she felt a light tug on the doll, it was as if someone was drawing her up out of the depths. Breaking out into a cold sweat, Dassah looked up to see a gray-colored garule woman with golden eyes standing before her, and the doll slipped from her hand. ¡°Hold the door for me?¡± The new garule walked over to the pair and held the doll out for the girl. She squealed with glee and went to grab it, but her mother grabbed the doll with a threatening hiss. The aggressive lunge sent Dassah into yet another dizzy haze. The gray garule, however, seemed to ignore the apparent hostility and hopped back into the train car, unfazed. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said and leaned back on the rail opposite of Dassah. Dassah stared. The garule raised a brow at her before leaning over and saying, ¡°You can let the door go now. You alright?¡± She tapped the arm that held the door lightly, sending Dassah jerking back into the bars. The garule threw her hands up. ¡°Sorry.¡± Dassash wanted to respond, but the monorail jerked back into life, interrupting her thoughts. The soft voice in her ear said: ¡°The next stop is: Varier Science Center. Please stay clear of the doors.¡± BRRR. The door closed. Shock wearing off, Dassah shook her head in a short, jerky motion, attempting to regain her composure. ¡°Ah... I should th-thank you. Thank you f-for delivering... that,¡± she said awkwardly. She wished she could bring herself to look into the woman¡¯s eyes to know if she was at all convincing, but the best that she could manage was to watch their reflections in the window. At best, the woman looked confused, but she shrugged and leaned back against the rail. Calming down, Dassah realized that the gray garule was also a regular on the train. Pushing her loose brown hair behind her ear, Dassah asked, ¡°Y-you, an exchange student?¡± ¡°Researcher,¡± the garule answered. The surprise Dassah felt must have been evident in her eyes as the woman snickered. ¡°What? Not everyone in the ¡®Bergs is a student, you know.¡± ¡°I-I just didn''t expect that¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªA garule could be a scientist?¡± Dassah gaped as the gray garule narrowed her eyes with a widening grin. ¡°Th-That''s not¡ª¡± she tried to start. It¡¯s just that I thought the garule culture frowned on science, Dassah thought, looking at the ground and wondering why she couldn¡¯t say the words. But I guess it¡¯s not that different then what she means, is it? ¡°Sorry,¡± Dassah mumbled. To her surprise, the woman laughed. ¡°Well, at least you''re willing to admit it,¡± she said. ¡°Can¡¯t hate that, I suppose.¡± ¡°Do you get that a lot?¡± ¡°Often enough. And if it¡¯s not that, it¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°Like?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± she started to answer, tilting her long face. Her eyes fell on the badge that hung loosely around Dassah¡¯s neck. Nodding to it, she said, ¡°Stay here for a few more months, and I''m sure you¡¯ll figure that out all on your own.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Silence fell. ¡°This stop is: Varier Science Center. Please exit here for the Varier Science Center and Varier Research Buildings. At this station, you can transfer to the Blue Line. The next stop is: Varier Square. Thank you for using the Idela Iceberg Fleet Sky Train System.¡± The train slowed and came to a stop. The gray garule leaned further out of the way to let people exit and enter. Dassah looked between her and the platform and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this your stop?¡± ¡°Not this time,¡± she said. It seemed like she was going to leave it at that, but as the car started moving again, her golden eyes slid back to Dassah¡¯s with a grin. ¡°Why? Want me gone?¡± ¡°The next stop is: Varier Square. Varier Square. Thank you for using the Idela Iceberg Sky Train System.¡± ¡°T-That''s not...¡± ¡°It is,¡± the woman said in a very matter-of-fact tone that made Dassah¡¯s heart plummet. ¡°I recommend you get better at masking it. I¡¯m just screwing with you, but some people might take it personally.¡± It really wasn¡¯t what she meant¡ªshe was just trying to be helpful. Why can¡¯t you just say that, Dassah? she asked herself. Unable to find the words, she just said, ¡°...sorry.¡± ¡°Stop that,¡± said the gray garule, almost immediately. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Apologizing.¡± ¡°S¡ª¡± The garule hissed at her through her teeth. ¡°Even if it¡¯s sincere, an apology without an effort to improve the situation is worthless,¡± she said. ¡°Once is enough. After that, you just... do better.¡± How? Dassah wanted the courage to ask, rubbing the handle of her luggage. Her palms were sweating. As a child, she¡¯d admired the garule. Of all the aliens that had come to Earth with the valkyrians, she¡¯d thought that they were the coolest. Valkyrians? They looked like humans but had longer life spans, wore beautiful masks, and could do cool magic tricks. They were entertaining, but they also liked to talk about complicated and boring things that little Dassah had never understood. Tivarys? Short and bald with bark-like skin that occasionally sprouted small flowers. They were kind of cute and could speak with plants. To young Dassah, they were a bit fairy-like and fragile. Earar? With broad skin wings spreading out from their arms, they were the second-best. Though they were barely taller than tivarys, they could take to the sky at will. But garule? Tall, lean, and muscular, they were creatures full of easy, unexpected grace for something of their size. Their long legs and necks made them exceptionally tall ¡ª and they were dangerous. The copper adult that she had seen earlier had been easily close to eight feet tall, while the gray one in front of her now was probably a little less than seven feet. They had torsos like any other humanoid, but their legs were like a cat¡¯s; they walked on the five clawed toes on their long feet, with their heels about parallel to their knees when they were relaxed. They didn¡¯t wear shoes, so those claws¡ªeach about the length of one of her fingers¡ªwere left on display for all to see. Their hands had claws too, claws that were smaller, but sharper. The gray garule in front of her had hers filed down, but it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see them with their claws grown out to sharp, deadly points. As a child it had been enchanting. She had seen them as she saw lions and leopards, anacondas and komodo dragons: Beautiful. Powerful. Magical. But everything was great on the other side of the glass. As she got older, the real world changed all her perceptions. The fear set in. Even humans could be dangerous creatures hiding behind masks of weakness or kindness¡ªwhat could such powerful creatures do? Thinking about it, a shiver ran down Dassah¡¯s spine, and she shrank into the corner of the doorway. Now, even standing still with her eyes closed, the gray garule was no different than a tiger outside its cage. This one didn''t quite match the majestic image that Dassah had imagined for most of her kind, though. Unlike the well-groomed feathers of the average garule, this one had oily, almost matted-looking gray feathers that faded into black at the tips. The woman said she was a scientist, but scientists on Iceberg Cities were upper class citizens¡ªthat didn¡¯t seem to match her outward appearance. ¡°This stop is: Varier Square. Please get off here for Varier Terrace and the Elevator to the 3rd Ward of the Io Iceberg Hollow City. At this block, you can transfer to the Yellow and Green Lines. Thank you for using the Idela Iceberg Fleet Sky Train System. The next stop is: The 4th Ward Clinical Center.¡± The gray garule¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Dassah forced her attention to the growing crowd of people at the train car door. Several of them managed large suitcases like her, making navigation all the more difficult. The garule woman faced the door, but she was eyeing Dassah expectantly¡ªa look that Dassah avoided. Maybe in TheirWorld I¡¯ll be able to be the person I want to be instead of the one I¡¯ve become, she thought with a sigh, tapping her forehead against the wall of the train. She felt rather pathetic, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to do about that. The doors opened, and the crowd funneled off. Just like that, the gray garule was gone as well, and Dassah breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°The next is: 4th Ward Clinical Center. Thank you for using the Idela Iceberg Fleet Sky Train System.¡± BRRR. At least she could take the rest of the trip in peace. Then she jerked her head up and counted the stops on the map again. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± she exclaimed, just audible enough for everyone to hear her and her foreign curse. With a frustrated sigh, she stood in front of the door so that at least she wouldn¡¯t miss the next stop that would allow her to turn around. Chapter 2 ¡°Welcome, everyone, to the great Hollow City of the Io Iceberg!¡± the attendant said, and the doors of the lobby swung open. Dassah stepped out into a park of the underground of the iceberg city with breathless wonder. ¡°Wow...¡± she managed to murmur. Standing above the hollow city, in a park of brilliant teal grass, they could practically see it all stretched out beneath them. Dassah had heard enough about hollow cities to imagine what they would look like, but she¡¯d still expected a tight, dimly-lit structure. After all, they were, as the name implied, built within the massive hollow within the underwater portion of the ¡®berg. Reality proved her imagination rather dull. It was a cloudless, sunny day below the surface. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think we were on land! she thought with amazement. A false sky above¡ªwhether it was created by magical valkyrian science or a simple trick of the light¡ªwas as brilliant a shade of lavender as the real Yidaran sky. The attendant called everyone to order and gave them instructions on how to find their apartments at the nearby kiosks and told them to wait for their guides. ¡°3-100-1048, floor 100...¡± Dassah turned her wrist so the holographic screen of her WristComp showed through her skin like a tattoo and opened the Project: TheirWorld app to get the information she needed, then stepped over to the scalloped rail of the park and took in the view. White cliffs were draped in blue and pink trees and dripping with deep blue ivy dotted with little orange flowers with long yellow stamens. Between the cliff walls, where most of the living spaces had been built, were high columns topped with parks similar to the one they were currently gathered in. Some were topped with mini biodomes, and others held small gardens. Everything was linked together by a network of pedestrian bridges and monorails. These constructs seemed to have some living spaces attached to them as well, in the form of cocoon-like structures¡ªlikely homes for flying races such as the blee and earar. ¡°People... made this?¡± a tivarys girl next to her asked. ¡°Incredible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dassah said. ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl answered. ¡°It¡¯s almost scary. But also so pretty!¡± ¡°It is,¡± said Dassah, leaning over the rail to look down. The ground below looked like a forested park where people were walking and playing. ¡°Hello, hello!¡± a female jikak attendant dressed in a slick black and white outfit came up to them. ¡°My name is Bariela Zoth, and I will be your guide today! We will be receiving many waves of new arrivals, so you may, or may not, be the first to arrive at your designated apartments,¡± she said. ¡°Apartments 1000-1500, please gather your things and follow me! Try to keep up!¡± Dassah and the others who had gathered around the sign along with her¡ªthe tivarys girl with copious amounts of luggage, two valkyrian men, a stout jikak man with thick glasses, and an earar girl who showed up last minute¡ªgrabbed their belongings and followed their guide down an enormous staircase. The guide spouted off facts and statistics about how the Hollow City was organized and pointed to locations with a speedy, professional patter. The guide had everyone board the elevator and then typed in their desired floor number. When the elevator came to floor 100, they unloaded into a small shopping district. Roughly two dozen small shops and restaurants buzzed with activity, and their guide rattled off a dizzying speech about food credits and events at a breakneck pace. Hardly giving the group time to adjust the guide continued: ¡°From here, everyone¡¯s apartments will be to the right. Are there any questions? No? Very well. I hope everyone will enjoy their stay here, inside the Hollow City of Io.¡± Dassah and the others exchanged looks as their guide disappeared into the elevator without another word, and suddenly Dassah realized she was surrounded by strangers. But¡­ they¡¯re going to be my coworkers, right? So¡­ it¡¯s okay? Though she was trying to convince herself, she actually wasn¡¯t sure¡ªbut given that most everyone else seemed just about as lost as she was, she scrounged up the confidence she needed to pretend to be sociable. Just pretend you¡¯re in TheirWorld already, she told herself. And these are all players on a quest. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Um... Was she... a robot?¡± the jikak man asked, breaking the silence. ¡°I guess we''re supposed to find the rooms on our own then?¡± the earar girl said meekly, her wings shuffling as she rechecked her information on her WristComp. The tivarys crossed her bark-skinned arms. ¡°Can''t be that hard, right? I''m in room 1039. Anyone close?¡± ¡°We are 1043.¡± A valkyrian men with tanned skin and black hair exchanged glances with their fair-skinned, red-haired fellow. ¡°You already know one of your roommates? Jealous,¡± the jikak pouted. ¡°I hope mine are quiet. I''m in 1025.¡± ¡°What about you guys?¡± the tivarys asked Dassah and the earar. ¡°I¡¯m 1048,¡± Dassah said. ¡°1039,¡± said the earar girl with a voice so soft it was hard to hear. ¡°Really?¡± the tivarys girl asked, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look at the other girl''s face. ¡°That¡¯s. So. Fantastic!¡± she cried, taking the timid earar¡¯s hand and giving it an energetic shake. ¡°I''m Antihirrinum Geed ¡ª but you can just call me Ri.¡± ¡°Shen...¡± the earar said in return. The jikak scratched his bald head. ¡°Do we know what number the first apartment is?¡± Dassah pointed to a sign next to the elevator with a map of the immediate area. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m closer to the end.¡± The black-haired man nodded. ¡°Shall we start heading down, then?¡± But as they turned towards the apartments, Dassah heard a familiar sing-song voice ring out: ¡°Dah-ah-sah!¡± Dassah turned to see a young valkyrian woman with wild hair and vibrant red lips waving a finger in the air. ¡°Stella!¡± Dassah exclaimed as Stella strode over to her, her red heels clicking loudly on the floor as she placed her feet perfectly, one in front of the other. ¡°You. Are. Late!¡± Stella said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for literal hours!¡± ¡°Sorry! I got¡­ hung up,¡± Dassah apologized. Stella was a valkyrian from the mainland, but she and Dassah had become unexpectedly fast friends during orientation. For all her charisma and energy, Stella had a calming aura that helped get Dassah through several stressful situations¡ªand Dassah was thrilled when she offered herself to be one of her roommates. ¡°That¡¯s fine, just give me the deets! You have a reason for being late, right?¡± Stella asked with a suspicious grin. ¡°Was he cute? No... You¡¯re more into the ¡®hot¡¯ type, aren¡¯t you?¡± It took longer than it should have for the gears in Dassah¡¯s head to click into place, but when they did, she snorted. ¡°Someone has an overactive imagination. I just missed the train stop.¡± ¡°Boring,¡± Stella told her, wrapping an arm around Dassah¡¯s shoulder. The other people around them looked vaguely amused as she winked at them and motioned for them to follow as she started walking. ¡°Unfortunately, the guides chose the elevators closest to the 1000th apartment, so we¡¯ve got a good ten-minute walk from here to get to ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good for me though!¡± the jikak man said happily. ¡°I¡¯ll be the first in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so far down...¡± Ri whined, trying to keep up with everyone as she pulled along her two massive suitcases. ¡°Let me help?¡± The red-haired valkyrian man offered, holding his hand out to take one of her cases. Ri¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she dropped both to throw her arms around him. ¡°You. Are. So. Nice!¡± she cried into his stomach. The black-haired man laughed as the other looked at him in confusion. Sniffling, the tivarys girl backed up and patted the man¡¯s shirt apologetically. ¡°Sorry. Yes. Help would be lovely. I¡¯m Ri, by the way,¡± she told him, shaking his hand. ¡°I know,¡± the redhead replied, as he picked up one of her suitcases. ¡°I¡¯m Jake. He¡¯s Onyx.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kleary!¡± the jikak volunteered. ¡°I¡¯m Stella,¡± Stella raised her and Dassah¡¯s hands in the air. ¡°And this is Dassah!¡± ¡°And we are all friends now!¡± cheered the tivarys girl as she pointed forward. ¡°Come, friends! To battle!¡± Kleary snickered as he walked past her, his flat snout wiggling happily. ¡°We aren¡¯t even in the game yet.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know finding an apartment could be a fight,¡± Onyx said. ¡°When you have legs and arms as short as mine, everything is a fight!¡± Ri went, making a muscle with her arm. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so strong! Gotta keep up with all you tall people!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Stella shouted. ¡°You guys are so loud!¡± Dassah hissed at them, more than a little taken aback at the instant friendship they¡¯d developed. ¡°We have other neighbors, you know!¡± ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine. Probably,¡± Jake shrugged..¡± ¡°Still!¡± ¡°Oh, stop worrying!¡± said Stella with a wave of her hand. ¡°Now, let me tell you how things will work around here...¡± And so they made their way down the path to their new homes. Chapter 3 ¡°Take your shoes off at the door please!¡± Stella instructed as she tapped her WristComp against the door labeled 1048. The gate opened to reveal a different apartment face beyond the security filter that gave the Hollow City its cavernous look. With two stories and a small yard in front that had a little table and chairs set up, it was quite cute. ¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± Dassah said, taking her shoes off as she was told. ¡°Valkyrians place a high importance on two things when it comes to housing: privacy, and community,¡± Stella explained, padding through the main hall on the balls of her feet. Dassah started to count the doors they passed. ¡°Everyone has their own spaces¡ªthe bedrooms, individual bathrooms, and personal rooms are upstairs. There¡¯s also an office for each person down here that are strictly meant for work. Then there are the communal spaces: the loft upstairs, and everything else downstairs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Well, you have to consider that these apartments are mass-produced modules designed to work for all species. What might work for you or I won¡¯t work for a garule, a jikak, or an earar. The smaller races make out pretty well in that regard¡ªthough I must admit, seeing a tivarys roll around in a bed meant for a garule is hilarious.¡± Dassah followed Stella through the first narrow hall which opened to a large open space with a loft overlooking a kitchen, dining, and living room. Large windows looked into the deep plum-colored ocean and covered the whole wall of both floors. I wonder how many sea creatures might be brave enough to approach a structure like this? Dassah wondered, going over and looking out into the depths. Not wanting to waste time, Stella pulled her up to the second floor saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen the middle room, which leaves the one on the right, which is closer to the outside staircase, or the left, which is closer to the inside staircase. They are identical, so.¡± ¡°Uh...¡± ¡°So which is it?¡± Stella grinned mischievously. ¡°Are you the type to sneak out at night, or to snitch midnight snacks?¡± Snorting, Dassah pointed at the door they were in front of. ¡°I¡¯ll just take this one.¡± ¡°Ah, the escaping type, are you? Take a look and let¡¯s go get your stuff!¡± Stella opened the door for her and let her look around before they headed to the far door. The layout of the rooms was a little strange, but it was functional. As Stella had told her, there was a long narrow bedroom with a decent-sized closet, a bathroom, and a small empty room with a door to the outside porch. Dassah couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom what an apartment like this would cost on Earth. Varier really put money into this program, didn¡¯t they? As they started putting Dassah¡¯s things away, she asked, ¡°Do you know who our third roommate is?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Her name is Bahena Sere.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And she should be here any minute now, is my guess. What¡¯s this?¡± Stella asked, holding up one of Dassah¡¯s stuffed animals. ¡°A penguin. Just put it on the bed, I¡¯ll find a home for it later.¡± ¡±Oh! And this? Is it food?¡± ¡°Spices.¡± ¡°When are you cooking for me?¡± Dassah looked at the clear box filled to the brim with colorful bags of spices and took it from Stella¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ve never cooked with valkyrian ingredients before. I¡¯m not sure what would go well with what, to be honest.¡± ¡°There is an Earth biodome,¡± Stella said, still going through Dassah¡¯s suitcase. ¡°Getting fancy things is always questionable, but you should be able to get basic ingredients. Biodome goods cost luxury credits though.¡± ¡°And here I thought keeping track of work and school would be the most complicated thing. Is there anything in the kitchen yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. Figured we would eat out or order in once we all met each other. I did scope out a mart about ten minutes to the left of us, though, so food is close. Before that, though,¡± Stella said with a grin that could only mean trouble. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to show you.¡± Stella took Dassah¡¯s hand and pulled her back downstairs. When she stopped in front of the last door, she posed for effect. ¡°What¡¯s in here?¡± Dassah asked as she knew Stella wanted her to. ¡°What¡¯s in here?¡± Stella repeated with a wide smile. ¡°Only the answer to everything you ever wanted.¡± Dassah stared at the door behind her. ¡°Is that...?¡± Stella pushed the door open. ¡°Welcome, Dassah Graydon, to the TheirWorld Equipment Room.¡± The room probably took up half the lower floor of the apartment and contained three person-sized pods. Each was hooked up to a complicated-looking set of what looked like medical equipment. ¡°...Have you tried it yet?¡± Dassah asked, going up to the first pod. ¡°Not yet,¡± Stella said. ¡°Figured I¡¯d wait till after everyone arrived. It¡¯d be kind of odd if our roommate came in to find the both of us plugged in without even saying ¡®Hi,¡¯ and I knew you¡¯d want to jump right in.¡± Dassah looked up quickly. ¡°Really?¡± she asked. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°What¡¯s stopping you?¡± Stella asked, amused. She handed Dassah a box she¡¯d pulled out of a cabinet by the door. The label read ¡®THEIRWORLD - Setup ¡ª Size M-M.¡¯ Dassah took it with reverence. ¡°You¡¯re in room 3, so Pod 3 is all yours.¡± Nearly running over to the pod, Dassah ran her hand over the sleek, plastic-y material of the lid. She found the button to open it and pressed it lightly. The pods themselves were just beds with extra status-monitoring equipment that would be used to record data from the beta players. Inside it was cushy and pristine and smelled like a new car. The box in Dassah¡¯s other hand, however¡ªthat was the real deal. She put it down on the pod¡¯s mattress and opened it. The first thing she found was the instruction manual. Dassah took a moment to appreciate the cover before tossing it away onto a nearby counter and stared at the equipment case that had been hidden underneath it. Carefully, she lifted it out of the box and opened it. She ran her hand over each of the pieces of game equipment. It consisted of two bracelets with finger attachments, two ankle bracelets with toe attachments, a collar, a mouth guard, and a circlet with an attached eye shield. They were all shining silver and sized for a human. Gently, she lifted the circlet from the box and placed it on her head. It¡¯s finally time. ¡°Does it make you that happy?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Dassah answered. ¡°Yes, it does.¡± ¡°Then start it up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Chapter 4 What felt like ages passed before the light came into her vision again. Dassah felt herself drifting off to sleep when she noticed a white speck glimmering in the distance. It bobbed up and down in a calming way as it drifted towards her. ¡°Welcome!¡± a small voice said from the light. ¡°You have begun the exciting journey into TheirWorld! You are about to experience a great adventure to the vast reaches of the world of ¡®Uldarin,¡¯ a land of great power, magic, and mystery! ¡°First, you must register your account! Your system account code is 2131HE6M5T791-0079134. Once this account code is registered under your legal name, this system will be tied to you. Please enter the legal name of the account barer.¡± The little sprite¡¯s greeting was followed by a text box which Dassah filled out:
Please Enter Account Owner Name: HADASSAH GRAYDON <>
¡°I see!¡± it said. ¡°Your name is Hadassah Graydon! It¡¯s nice to meet you! My name is Biku Biku, and I will be your guide through character creation! Before setting foot in Uldarin, you must create your avatar! Creating a character in TheirWorld is a long, but thrilling, process! Are you ready to begin?¡±
Note: Only one character is allowed per account. Once a character has been confirmed, it can only be modified via in-game choices, items, and events. Further, there can only be one account registered per IGSR Number. This account is verified by optics, fingerprints, and DNA, and it is non-transferable. Varier Co. and the associated governments strictly enforce this law. Anyone who fails to adhere to this regulation shall be imprisoned by the government which apprehends them, not by the government of citizenship. See Appendix 1 of the game manual for further details. <>
¡°Accept,¡± Dassah said. Biku Biku spun in the air and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look!¡± The little light materialized into a younger, naked copy of Dassah herself. Creepy, Dassah though, twitching. Compared to Dassah, the avatar looked about ten years younger and didn¡¯t have the body that reflected Dassah¡¯s more idle lifestyle and love of good food. It was more like it had taken an idealized version of a sixteen-year-old girl and applied Dassah¡¯s current biometric data. ¡°This is your avatar¡¯s base!¡± said Biku Biku in Dassah¡¯s deep voice. ¡°From here, you can make minor edits to hair color, hairstyle, skin quality, skin color, eye brightness, and eye color. Is there anything you would like to change?¡± Circling the avatar, Dassah scratched her head, then focused on giving herself a bit more of a healthier, outdoorsy look. She tanned her skin, put her hair up, and brightened her eyes. When she was finished, Biku-Dassah snapped her fingers and was clothed in ragged-looking garments. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°This is the way you will appear in the game. Is this correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Excellent! Then I will start teaching you the basics,¡± said Biku-Dassah, and she held out her wrist. ¡°This black dot on your wrist is your basic menu button. As you become more acquainted with the TheirWorld system, you may change the button¡¯s appearance and location, or you may delete it entirely. For this tutorial, however, we shall use the standard physical button. Allow me to show you your character¡¯s information!¡± Biku-Dassah ran her finger along the dot and pulled up a menu identical to a WristComp. She clicked ¡®Character Information¡¯ which brought up a new screen.
<< -------------------- Level 0 No Profession >> << Human - ---------- - ----------- >> << Mother: ----------- Father: --------- >> << Stats: >> < Body - 5 > < Endurance - 5 > < Resilience - 5 > < Reflexes - 5 > < Intellect - 5 > < Spirit - 5 > < Presence - 5 > < Resolve - 5 > < Perception - 5 > < Fate - 0 >
¡°Every character begins life with the same base stats and skills depending on your species. These stats and skills will be impacted by the choices that you will make as you journey through Uldarin. ¡°As you begin your journey through the tutorial, it is your destiny as a hero of Uldarin to meet the Three Fates. The first of the fates shall show you your past. The second shall lead you to your present, and the third shall bring you to your future. After you meet with all three Fates, your soul shall be given its true form and be allowed to enter the world. ¡°From here,¡± the light continued, ¡°You shall meet with the First Fate, who resides in this very realm. If you have not read the manual on Character Creation, please do so now!¡± Another screen popped up:
Would you like to log off and read the Character Creation manual? < >
Dassah refused, and the sprite led her forward until a silvery mist surrounded them. It started at her feet, and then engulfed them both. She panicked at first, but a cool breeze brushed against her skin. Almost instantly Dassah felt calmer, and the tension in her muscles relaxed. ¡°Who are you?¡± the breeze seemed to ask softly. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m Hadassah Graydon,¡± she answered hesitantly. ¡°Not that name,¡± the wind said, with an echoing breath. ¡°Not that name.¡±
Please enter your character name: <>
Ah, this is the name selection. Feeling embarrassed she didn¡¯t figure that out sooner, Dassah filled in her chosen name, ¡°Guin Grey.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± the breeze asked again. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Guin Grey,¡± she said with more confidence. ¡°Guin Grey, Guin Grey,¡± it wondered aloud, then: ¡°Why have you come to this place? This place, where the world is made of dreams...¡± The world around her plunged into even deeper darkness, then everything came alive in an explosion of light and color. Chapter 5 Reality flickered a thousand times, shifting and changing from one dreamlike setting to the next. Forests with trees that towered over mountains became a peaceful seaside. The scents of pine mixed with salt as Dassah went from watching deer in a quiet grove to schools of sea creatures jumped from the ocean waves. Then nighttime in the desert¡ªthe endless sky filled with more stars than she thought possible, with ribbons of light and color lighting up the night. Great beasts Dassah had never seen before flew like fish in the sea, gliding effortlessly on the wind. Night spun round to day, and three suns shone in a cloudless sky. Surroundings sped past. On a high wooded cliff, she watched giant eagles dance with wyverns over a white citadel. As she stood among the chamomile, the touch of magic danced at her fingertips. River water was carried to her by the wind as a great waterfall spilled off the cliff beside her. A wyvern rose on an updraft and landed beside her, the force of its wings sending her backward as she shielded her face with her arms. With golden eyes it gave her a fierce, wild stare. It asked: ¡°Why have you come?¡± The scene changed. Then again. Dassah¡¯s sense of awareness and sense of self faded to the back of her mind as she tried to grasp onto sanity against the constant assault on her senses. She was in the woods in the dead of a firelit night. A procession of people and monsters in masks and finery passed by, carrying torches that held back the dark along the snake-like path they walked. A pair of lizard people turned and looked at her with eyes of rubies and sapphires, and asked: ¡°Why have you come?¡± Jumping back, she fell into the bushes, only to find herself looking up at the clouds in a bright blue sky. She was in a glade, face to face with a unicorn. It was lean and narrow like a deer but it was as large as a horse. With silvery, almond-shaped eyes that took up most of its face, stared at her a moment before pointing its single, bladed horn at her heart. With a sweet voice, it asked: ¡°Why have you come?¡± The glade then swirled away. Suddenly she was sitting on the beach. She¡¯d lost her shoes. Did I have shoes to begin with? She wondered, but could not recall the answer. The sand was silky and warm between her toes, and the smell of the ocean embraced her. The waves that crashed against the beach brought shells and seaweed to the shore. A seal appeared before her. Intelligent eyes observed her before it shed its skin. A girl in a ragged dress too kits place. ¡°Why have you come?¡± The world went white. White, then gray, then faded to black, and then the mist returned to wrap her in its cool embrace. But this time, the dampness felt sharp and unpleasant. ¡°Why have you come?¡± The words echoed as the little light reappeared. Cold words. Haunting words. Words she could not answer. ¡°Who are you?¡± Who was she? Surely she should know. She was... She felt ill as she wracked her brain for answers, but the more she thought about it, the more questions she had. The more questions she had, the more confused she became. The more confused she became, the more fear gripped her heart. No, she thought. I know who I am. I am Hadassah Graydon¡ªthough here I am Guin Gray, and I¡¯ve come here for a reason. A purpose. I may lie to myself, but I don¡¯t need to lie as Guin Gray. Let Guin Grey be born free of Dassah¡¯s shackles. Drawing a shuddering breath, tears filling her eyes, she stared at the light with conviction. ¡°I will become something new. Guin Gray is a blank slate. I am nothing. No one.¡± ¡°You are no one,¡± the light said, extinguishing, leaving her alone in nothingness. Alone. But the voice remained and asked: ¡°Does that make you afraid, child? Do you fear?¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± Dassah murmured. Inches from her face, the mist swirled wildly. She cringed away as threads of white entwined with strings of black. Chaotic, they spun to life as they made what looked to be a face within. In constant motion, it moved, like the sketch of a child twisted into a nightmare. Eyes, black, swirling, and soulless, its mouth opened to a great black grin with sharp white teeth. Voice caught in her throat, Dassah stumbled back. ¡°Do. You. FEAR?¡± asked the creature before her. The voice of the nothingness went from soft to harsh in a word, and wind blasted around her. The laughing face hung in the air as the mists swirled into patterns, colors, and shapes. One moment her feet were firmly on the ground. Then the ground was swept from beneath her. Falling! From the clouds she fell. Gasping, she grasped at the clouds as if they could catch her, but her hand went straight through. She wrenched her body around to see the world below as it sped towards her. Green and blue and brown ¡ª patterns in the distance. Forests. Oceans. Fields. Cities. Suffocating... Stars in her vision. Stars in her mind. Thoughts blank. Dassah panicked, clawing at her throat. Her eyes burned. The world approached at breakneck speed. There was no air left in her lungs for her to scream. The ocean grew bigger and bigger below. Slamming her eyes shut, she braced for impact¡ªbut impact never came. Confused, she opened her eyes to a deep, peaceful blue. She was floating, suspended. Her skin iced over as awareness returned, and when she opened her mouth to gasp, water flooded in. She tried to swim, but the current grasped at her ankles like the hands of the drowned and pulled her under. Deeper and deeper into the depths she sank. Her heart pounded in her ears. Dizziness swept over her, and lights of hope from the surface blurred and faded. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She raised her hand to that light one last time, wishing, and failing, to turn it to substance. Is this the end? The panic left as she surrendered herself to the water. Could she have an end? She was just beginning. I still have more to do, she thought as she drifted. I still want to fight¡­ But when her eyes closed, her feet touched the ground. The water turned back to mist, and she collapsed to her knees. Darkness returned. Dassah lifted her hands to her face. Her cheeks were warm. Her hair was dry. Everything was how it should have been. She was alive. The night sky came into view. She was on a narrow cliff above an expanse of tall evergreens. An enormous, translucent tiger with the head of an owl appeared before her, a wicked grin stretched across its ghostly countenance. She froze as its face shifted. The black squiggling monster that had come from the mist stared down at her. ¡°Do. You. FEAR?¡± roared the voice as the beast lunged at her. She shrieked and tried to protect her face as the creature¡¯s clammy paw touched her arm¡ªand turned to smoke. Her surroundings changed again. Again and again¡ªa dozen times, a dozen lives. Different scenes. Different places. And every time that face appeared, her heart leaped into her throat. Her body hurt, and her head throbbed with pressure. Finally, left in the dark again, she wept. Click. Click. Click. A mighty green dragon with eyes like a cloudless summer sky lowered its great head to her level and asked: ¡°Do you wish to return?¡± ¡°Return?¡± she asked, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Indeed.¡± The world twisted again, and she was in a city. The thick evening mist encroached upon them, but still, she saw that which she did not wish to see as scenes zoomed past them¡ªthen stopped. The body of a young girl was in a hospital room, surrounded by drawings in crayons and markers. The young girl was all too thin, and she sat looking out the window into the hospital¡¯s hall. There, a young woman with brown hair screamed into the face of a garule in a doctor¡¯s coat. Something about the image gripped her heart and squeezed. ¡°No,¡± she gasped, though she could not explain why. The little girl sat silently, tears streaming down her face. Dassah began to claw at her own hair. ¡°No, no, no!¡± The scene flickered, and now she was standing in a crowd. A sound like a gunshot went off, but Dassah couldn¡¯t see what was happening. Shouting began, then screaming. Panic spread like wildfire and people around her began to run. Dassah stood in shock and morbid curiosity, only to watch in horror as a group of garule broke through, rushing towards her, bathed in red and silver blood. ¡°Stop,¡± Dassah muttered. ¡°STOP!¡± The world went white. It faded back into the dimly lit mist. It wrapped around her and filled her with the presence of fate. But this time an unpleasant shiver ran up her spine. Echoes surrounded her as the Fate asked her: ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a game?¡± Dassah shouted, spinning around in anger. ¡°Why must you go so far?¡± ¡°So far, so far... So far for this hero to face their fear, but face their fear they must.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°For the glory of Uldarin,¡± the fate said, lightly brushing Dassah¡¯s cheek. ¡°For the sake of the Lady and all the love she has for you.¡± ¡°The Lady?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°The Lady,¡± the fate affirmed. ¡°The Goddess who watches us all. She who loves you more than anyone.¡± Furrowing her brow, Dassah tried to regain some composure. This was a game, after all, and it was a game with very complex religious and political structures built in. Still, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one choosing what I believe?¡± ¡°What you believe matters little,¡± said the fate. ¡°This world exists for you, so all this world shall embrace you.¡± Ah, Dassah thought, her anger ebbing away. It''s the setup of the game. The player was destined to be ¡®the Hero of Uldarin,¡¯ blessed by the universe for good or ill¡ªbut seriously, it doesn¡¯t need to be quite so intense, does it? ¡°Fine,¡± Dassah said. ¡°Ask your questions.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Dassah considered for a moment, then crossed her arms. ¡°Da¡ªno. Guin Grey.¡± ¡°Guin Grey,¡± said the wind. ¡°What is it you desire?¡± ¡°Power,¡± she answered. ¡°I desire the power to be myself. I desire the power to be free. Free to live without fear. Free to make choices. Free to go where I want and be whomever I want.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± it answered. ¡°Freedom. Freedom to love. Freedom to die. Freedom to be like the wind. Like the wind, you shall travel. You shall travel from here to there, there to here, in and out, you shall go. You shall go... where shall you go? Shall you go to the sea? To the forest? To the past? To the future? To the Veil?¡± ¡°I want to go everywhere,¡± Dassah responded calmly. She pulled on her memories of the trial to give her desires relevant substance. ¡°I want to go to the world''s edge and the depths of the earth. I want to play with the spirits and creatures throughout the land, and speak to the powerful, knowing, and wise.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± said the breeze. ¡°Oh, a complicated wish! A complicated wish to be one with this world. This world needs many kinds of people; many wish to master it and seek the glory of its riches. What riches do you seek, going everywhere? Everywhere has many, many riches.¡± ¡°Riches?¡± Dassah wondered out loud without thinking. ¡°Treasure?¡± The wind gave her no chance to correct herself. ¡°Treasure! Gold! Silver! Treasure seeks the human child. Human child who is born into the world ¡ª but who shall bear the child? The child who longs for freedom and treasure?¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Dassah started, then bit her tongue. She hadn¡¯t meant to answer that way. Her brain raced as she worked to regain composure. If she didn¡¯t know the answer, perhaps the system could answer it for her: ¡°The treasure I seek isn¡¯t just gold and glory. I seek the greatest treasure there is in Uldarin.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said it. ¡°Seeker of treasure, seeker of power. Such desires bring strength and grant protection. They, too, summon evil and invite danger. The danger of others who hunt wealth and power; who feed off power and fear. Fear. Do you fear, child?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dassah said, blinking. ¡°Didn¡¯t we go through this already¡­?¡± The darkness flickered again, and she found herself in a cavern. A silvery translucent fox, ghost-like in appearance, stood before her, a wicked look on its face. Dassah froze, then relaxed. The face that now stared into hers was the same, black, squiggling countenance she had seen before. ¡°Do. You. FEAR?¡± the voice came, and the fox lunged at her. Dassah stared right into the fox¡¯s eyes as its clammy paw touched her arm¡ªand turned to smoke. Her surroundings changed again¡ªbut it was all nothing but tricks of smoke and light. She chuckled and sat back against the cavern wall. ¡°Is this all you got?!¡± she shouted. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of soft, echoing footsteps. Expecting to see another nightmare, she prepared herself for battle. But instead of a monster or demon it was a man who appeared. Dressed in beautiful flowing white and silver robes. A pair of white fox ears were on his head, and a long, fluffy white tail flicked to and fro behind him. More notably, his face was normal¡ªalmost kind. Dassah flinched as he reached his hand out to her, but he chuckled and patted her on the head. ¡°You have done well,¡± the man told her, his voice gentle. ¡°But the path you take to the gates of birth has not yet reached its end. This test has been completed, but choices remain to be made.¡± Chapter 6 ¡°It¡¯s... over?¡± she asked suspiciously, fearing that his words were yet another trick¡ªbut he nodded, and pulled her to standing. ¡°I am Gomi,¡± he told her. ¡°A servant of the First Fate. I am one of many tasked with presenting fortunes to those who come to this place. Two options are now before you: have your fate read now, or be tested again.¡± ¡°A-Again?¡± she stammered, then shook her head quickly. ¡°No. No. I will have my fate read now¡ªplease!¡± Some people would go through that more than once? She wondered, but then her logic backtracked. Anyone who took the test more than once would be more prepared for it, and would likely get more desirable results. Still. Whoever goes through that more than once must be a masochist. The fox man laughed and nodded. ¡°Very well. Then behold, child, as I draw your choices. ¡°All choices are given to you based on the results of the tests you have just undergone,¡± he told her. ¡°These selections are based not only on your answers but your feelings¡ªwhat was in your heart when the test was taken. Think not that you could fool fate with honorable answers if your heart held no such intent. ¡°First, you must choose your clan.¡± The fox man waved his hand, and three person-sized cards appeared before her in licks of blue fire. ¡°This choice will affect all parts of your life in Uldarin. Presented to you shall be three out of eight possible options. ¡°The first of your choices is the Treasure Clan,¡± The fox man walked over to a card depicting a simple image of a hammer and a blade over a gold coin. ¡°The Treasure clan specializes in the crafts of treasure-making and treasure-seeking. ¡°They are great artists, and their moderate talent with imbuement magic allows them to make unparalleled works of art. It has been suggested that this clan has a connection with the Veil, allowing them to get special materials and enchantments for their use. ¡°Members of the Treasure Clan are rich and skillful, with high dexterity and creativity. They care little for politics and warfare, instead seeking only to perfect their crafts. Classes possessed by members of the Treasure clan are almost always related to their chosen trades.¡± Gomi then moved to a card that was less of a sigil and more of an optical illusion of mists and things hidden within them. ¡°The next of your choices is the Mist Clan,¡± he said. ¡°The Mist Clan has strong connections to the spirit world. They are often associated with the Veil and are one of the few clans that hold power over it. ¡°Those from the Mist Clan tend to be physically weaker than members of the other clans, but spiritually stronger. Mist Clan classes are fairly balanced, with their spiritual abilities making up for their physical weaknesses. Classes available to those of the Mist are highly intertwined with the Veil and their spirituality.¡± The last card depicted the image of a noblewoman, all in purple, silver, and mink. She clutched a glowing scepter made of gold and lapis lazuli. Gomi pointed to the card and said, ¡°The last of your choices is the Noble Clan. Those of the Noble Clan are people of brilliance and political mastery. They are the clan that rules all other clans and holds the church''s power. As such, they tend to be arrogant and disliked by the common people. ¡°They are geniuses when it comes to magic. Be it holy, dark, or natural magic, these people excel at whatever magic they try. The people of the Noble Clan are fine magic users but are generally quite physically weak. "Rich in gold, finery, and education, and can often compensate for their weaknesses with other sources of power or resources. Classes of the Noble clan are lofty and connected with jobs and careers in the Imperial Court.¡± Returning to the center, Gomi stood in front of her with his hands behind his back. ¡°Take a moment now to consider my words,¡± he said. ¡°Choose which clan¡¯s fate shall be interwoven with yours.¡± Dassah grinned like a fool. She had been offered the one option she really wanted, though she hadn¡¯t dared to hope for it. She did consider the others, reflection on how they might be better for her personality and playstyle, but she still settled on the one she originally wanted. ¡°The Mist Clan,¡± she said. ¡°I want to be of the Mist Clan!¡± He gave her a bit of a crooked grin and said, ¡°You do not wish to give it more thought?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered. ¡°I will be of the Mist Clan, and foster a connection to the spirits!¡± The spirits in the Veil had intrigued her since she¡¯d heard about them in the media. She had always believed in ghosts and faeries and creatures of the night, and she longed to be able to see them. In TheirWorld, she could do just that. ¡°Very well.¡± The man sent the two unchosen cards up in flames. Two other cards appeared in their places, plus one more. ¡°The time has come to choose where you are to be born. You are presented with three of seven options. ¡°First: a large town.¡± He went over to a card that depicted a bustling market with a simple skyline. People at the market were dressed simply and seemed to be buying basic goods. ¡°Each kingdom has several medium-sized towns within their borders. These small towns exist mostly for defense and trade, and to support the rural outreaches. These towns attract travelers and mercenaries, traders, and tradesmen. ¡°Second: a City.¡± He pointed to a card that showed a grand city leaning against a mountain. ¡°There are eight major cities in Uldarin, one capital for each of the main kingdoms. These are the homes of the royals, the nobility, and the scholars, and are the centers for their military forces. They are centers of trade, religion, and foreign attention. The cities have both the richest, and the poorest, populations of each kingdom. ¡°Third: a rural town.¡± He walked over to another card, this one showing a solitary cottage sitting quietly against a vast forest, behind a wheat field. ¡°There are rural communities that produce the food and trade goods for the kingdoms. These populations are farmers and simple tradespeople. They are skilled but poor and uneducated and struggle in their daily lives. However, these people have strong hearts and wills. ¡°Choose,¡± he said, standing off to the side. Dassah did think about this one for a moment longer, but her gut instinct drew her, and she said: ¡°The rural town. I wish for a simple life.¡± The man nodded and set the cards away. Then, a series of smaller, hand-sized cards appeared in the air before her in more flickers of fire. Each one depicted various people; more than a few seemed to be more than human. ¡°The next step is to choose your parentage. A father to provide the seed, and a mother to bear you.¡± The fox-eared man crossed his arms. Dassah looked over her choices. Seeing the one card she wanted the most, she picked [Parent is a Spirit], then settled on [Parent is a Knight] for her second choice. She plucked the cards from the air and handed them over to him. With a woosh, the other cards disappeared as he gave her selections a once-over. Gomi looked thoughtfully at the two cards for a moment, and the wind came and circled them. Hearing only the semblance of whispers, Dassah strained to hear why his black eyes looked so amused. ¡°You are aware that not all is in your control before birth, and even after,¡± he asked her. ¡°Are you not?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± she answered, tilting her head. Many people had posted that the Fates seemed to have some algorithm based on the answers you gave during character creation and the fear test which read your thoughts and emotions. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Then I shall dictate the following: you were born in the Spring, under an eight-color rainbow. Your mother was a knight. Your father was a spirit¡ªa fox spirit, in fact. It is now up to you how these things will affect the person you are destined to become.¡± The fox-eared man smirked, and put the small parent cards alongside the larger cards she had chosen. He conjured up two more cards, one with cherry blossoms, one with the eight-color rainbow, and then turned back to her. ¡°There are a few more choices that lay before you now, are you ready to make them?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Two dozen cards popped up around her. Bowing, Gomi said, ¡°This is where I shall leave you. Pick among these traits as you will, to a total point value of fifty. Some traits will take away points from your total, while others will add points. Everything you choose here shall help and hinder you when born into the world. You have unlimited time to choose your traits, but choose as efficiently as possible, for time and fate wait for no one!¡± With that, he disappeared in a flicker of blue flame just as his cards had. Looking at the cards, Dassah scratched her head. There was a lot to consider. ¡°If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me!¡± came a small, familiar voice. Dassah turned to see that Biku Biku had reappeared, bobbing up and down in the air quite close to her face. ¡°Thank you!¡± Dassah said with a smile. It didn¡¯t take her as long as she thought to settle on her traits. Though she struggled a little with the point of total restraint, she managed to get most of the traits that she had wanted. She chose the traits [Veil Walker], which allowed her to interact with the spirit world, [Gifts of the Other Realm], which boosted her stats and gave her the ability [Spirit Armor], and the actual trait [Child of the Fox Spirit]. To get the [Child of the Fox Spirit] trait she¡¯d had to take quite a few extra negative traits, but it would be worth it. [Child of the Fox Spirit] was a powerful beginning trait that boosted magic resistance and her Fox Spirit reputation, gave her an innate charismatic skill, the shape-shifting ability [Fox Form], and 10% life steal on all damage dealt. Dassah tried as hard as she could to make her character¡¯s traits as relatable to her personality as possible. She was unsure of the effects of traits like [Haunted] and [Superstitious]. From what she had learned, most of the available negative traits functioned more as nuisances at worst, quirky character details at best. They had been designed to guide people to choose classes that suited them based on personality, rather than mere desire. Because who wouldn¡¯t want to be an archmage or raging death god if they had the chance? She also took a gamble and chose the trait [Fear of Humanoids], which decreased her stats by 5% around people. This trait was rumored to have a glitch that meant it only functioned in the physical realm and not the spirit realm, meaning that if the humanoid was a spirit, it didn¡¯t count. It was also a trait that had been confirmed to be removable when the proper requirements were met. Eventually, she ended up with something that looked like this:
<> <> <> <> < Body - 3 > < Endurance - 5 > < Resilience - 1 > < Reflexes - 7 > < Intellect - 4 > < Spirit - 15 > < Presence - 2 > < Resolve - 2 > < Perception - 8 > < Fate - 12 > <<>> << Health: 165 - Mana: 270 - Defense: 1.75% - Power: 5.25% >> << Tutorial Tokens: 0 - 0c, 0s, 0g, 0p >>
FACTIONS [Mist] 1500 [Spirit] 1000 [Fox] 500
SKILLS [Charismatic] Beginner [Beguiling] Intermediate [Hunting] Beginner [Animal Handling] Beginner
ABILITIES [Fox Form] [Spirit Armor] [Veil Phase]
RESISTANCES [Nature] 2% [Magic] 2% [Spiritual] 2%
POSITIVE TRAITS [Veil Walker] [Gifts of the Other Realm] [Lucky] [Spirit Blood] [Favored of the Fates] [Child of the Fox Spirit] [Hunter] [Veil Sight]
NEGATIVE TRAITS [Haunted] [Superstitious] [Ordinary] [Hatred of Dolls] [Hatred of the Dark] [Fear of the Depths] [Fear of Humanoids] [Anxious]
¡°Is this correct?¡± Biku Biku asked her to confirm. ¡°Be advised that once you confirm, you will be born into the world, and you can never look back.¡± Dassah gave a strong nod. ¡°I am ready!¡± ¡°Very well,¡± came the soft voice of the wind. ¡°Then listen, human, to the fate that shall be followed. ¡°You shall be born into the small rural village of Bade. Your mother was a Knight of the Imperial Army who retired from the battlefront to look after her sick mother. While there, she fell in love with a spirit of the forest¡ªa handsome Fox Spirit. After their union, your father was not heard from again. You were born in the Spring, with the blossoms all in bloom, and a rainbow over your head. Afterward, your mother raised you with the support of the village. As you have come of age, your spirit power is blossoming. Thus your story begins. ¡°You will go now into the world,¡± the Fate said. ¡°Go now, human child. Go and learn much before you come to the Second Fate. This is your task.¡± A ding sounded throughout the area and a new screen popped up:
Congratulations! You have begun a great quest to discover your world! You will now enter the tutorial phase.
You have received a quest! The First Fate has crafted your soul, and you have been given the job of nurturing it into adulthood. Your task is to learn about the world and build strong relationships in and around the town. Once you have completed your education and developed these relationships, you will be given further instructions. This quest is REQUIRED. It cannot be skipped. While this quest is active, your character¡¯s rate for learning skills and abilities doubles. While this quest is active, your character will not gain experience points.>> <>
With a smile and a wave of the hand, Dassah sent the message away. The fog became thicker, and Dassah¡ªnow officially Guin Grey¡ªwas enveloped in white. And so it begins. Chapter 7 The fog cleared, and the world turned to color. A transparent, green-framed window popped into view, announcing:
Welcome to TheirWorld and the world of Uldarin! You have created an avatar, and it is time to learn how to play the game. With the challenges associated with TheirWorld¡¯s play style and systems, it is highly recommended that you do not leave this tutorial instance until you are comfortable with basic life in Uldarin. In this part of the tutorial, you will play in an instance that matches your character¡¯s chosen features and background. While in this instance, features such as PvP, trade, pain percentages, and the player death cycle are locked. The main story quest has been designed to give you a basic education about the game¡¯s features and mechanics and story quests based on your character creation choices. You can deviate from these quests and even change the direction of the main questline to unlock faction allegiances, professions, classes, skills, relationships, items, pets, and more. When you have completed the quests to your satisfaction, you may leave the instanced zone and join the main game. Be advised that the location and NPCs normally exist outside of the instance, and once you leave this tutorial state, you will be unable to enter it again.
You have been given a quest! It¡¯s time to start your lessons! Accept this quest to begin a series of tutorials. You must fulfill the requirements for the five basic lessons taught by Grimhai Kidalmar. First Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai¡¯s introduction to the basic concepts of the world and its gameplay. This quest is REQUIRED. You must complete this quest to advance. <><>
Keeping these in mind, Guin waved her hand and sent the window away.
<>
The house she found herself in was simple, clean, and felt like home. Two beds were tucked away in a small alcove separated from the rest of the house with a shabby-looking powder-blue sheet. Each bed had a worn, thickly woven blanket draped over it and a chest at its foot. To her left there was a modest kitchen, with herbs hanging upside down from a wooden dowel that ran along the ceiling. A stone fireplace filled the house with the scent of burning pine. Sunlight spilled through the open windows, and a cool breeze swept through the house. It was simple and clean¡ªand almost uncomfortably life-like. It would be easy to forget that she was in a game she allowed herself to. In the center of the room sat a small table with two chairs, a clay mug of wildflowers, and a bowl filled with apples and pears. Guin grabbed an apple from the bowl and stepped outside.
<>
Taking a bite from the apple¡ªa delicious, juicy apple¡ªshe took in her new surroundings. Her house was one of three that stood around a stone well in a small clearing surrounded by an ancient-looking forest. Each house plot was basically identical, with the house, a small garden and a fruit-bearing tree enclosed by a shabby wicker fence. A narrow dirt road ran from the well into the woods to the left of her house. Smells of farm life and mud mingled with the scent of balsam and fir. Dogwoods and oaks were dwarfed by pines that must have stood hundreds of feet tall. Emerald grasses faded into soft jade mosses at the edge of the clearing, where ferns and saplings grew in great numbers amidst fallen leaves, pine needles, and exposed tree roots. A brook babbled behind her house, and sun streams streaked through the dense canopy. Given what the Fates had told her, it was logical to assume that this clearing was one of several like it that made up a whole village. For every player to have their own starting house and maintain this level of peace, it was likely that both the houses and the glades were also instanced. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. According to the quest she¡¯d been given when she first entered, the first thing she needed to do was find the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar. Finishing off her apple and tossing the core into the woods, Guin headed down the road. The main village wasn¡¯t far. Once the houses in the clearing were out of sight, the silence of the wood was replaced by all the hustle and bustle one would expect of a town experiencing an explosive influx of new players. Moments later a zone indicator informed her she had entered Bade proper. Though loud thanks to the players, the forest town was rather quaint. Waves of golden fields glimmered through a layer of well-trimmed trees. The center square was filled with people playing games, selling goods, and resting on one of the numerous benches or on the grass. A beautiful white building with bright red doors and a high steeple cast a fair amount of shade in the midday sun. Around the square were a general store, a tinsmith, a seamstress¡¯s shop, and an apothecary. The most popular place in town looked to be a large tavern and inn called ¡°Ginny¡¯s Saddle House,¡± and not far from that was a building with a sign for a stable and saddle maker. Walking around, Guin also found a milliner, a cobbler, a wheelwright, a candle maker, and over two dozen other storefronts. Many of them were very specialized trades Guin had never seen before outside reality, and there were several she had never heard before. How many of these trades could be learned? Guin wondered, thinking of how interesting a life would be in a game if they were to just choose to ply a trade or two. The old schoolhouse was far larger than she had expected, with extensive grounds surrounded by a wattle fence that stood roughly three feet high. Players filled the space within the walls, some looking more exasperated than others. What was worrying though, was the number of people crowding the front gate. Guin went over and stood on her toes to get an idea of what was happening. A shabby-looking man in dusty clothing leaned against the gate, yawning as a tall, dark-skinned woman with peacock-colored hair postured at him. Stella? Dassah was pretty confident that it was, in fact, Stella, but the name that appeared after focusing on her avatar was ¡®Lady Starshine.¡¯ What¡¯s she doing here already? I thought she was going to wait. ¡°Then what are we supposed to do?¡± ¡°Go to another place, I guess.¡± ¡°But what about the story quest? Isn¡¯t the point of the tutorial supposed to be learning how to play the game?¡± ¡°If this is the case, then there must be other ways to accomplish the quest...¡± ¡°But it specifically mentions Grimhai!¡± Lady Starshine pulled back from the gate guard with a huff. "Fine. There''s a limit to how many people can enter the grounds at one time. Great. But then how, exactly, are we supposed to get into the school?¡± she asked. ¡°Surely you don''t expect us to just stand around all day waiting for a slot. Is there a signup sheet or something? A queue?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± the man said. ¡°I said it before, and I¡¯ll say it again: The door is closed. You do what you will with that. Won¡¯t do ye any good to keep asking me about it; the answer ain¡¯t changin¡¯ any time soon. Now, away with ye.¡± There was a series of groans and sighs from the group, and some players started shifting into a line against the fence. Guin moved up to the front and tapped the familiar avatar on the shoulder. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Lady Starshine¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Oh! Hey! Sorry! You were taking so long I thought I¡¯d get a head start!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it. Did our roommate arrive?¡± ¡°She¡¯s unpacking as we speak.¡± ¡°Good to hear,¡± Guin said. ¡°What¡¯s going on with the school?" Lady Starshine sighed in annoyance. ¡° The keeper there won¡¯t let anyone through.¡± ¡°Are they limiting the number of players entering the grounds when they just opened it?¡± Guin asked, frowning. ¡°Why didn''t they just instance it, like the houses?¡± ¡°Beats me,¡± Starshine said, ¡°though I wouldn''t put such bad planning past Varier Co. They¡¯ll be reading about this in my report, let me tell you!¡± ¡°Smells like a disaster waiting to happen,¡± Guin snorted, staring at the gatekeeper and the nearby players. A few of the shiftier-looking ones were eyeing the walls and the gate, hands on their ¡°The forums are going to be bonkers by tonight¡ªif they aren¡¯t already. I don''t envy the GMs.¡± Starshine huffed. Guin nodded in vague agreement, but something as simple as this wasn''t likely to have been a simple oversight. The school was the beginning of the tutorial, placed even before the fundamentals of play were introduced. In Guin''s head, that could only mean one thing. This was on purpose. The very heart of TheirWorld was the concept of exploration. It was a choose-your-own-adventure game that encouraged players to deviate from a set path. Placing an obstacle in front of the player right at the start was certainly a way to reinforce that kind of thinking¡ªand despite Starshine blaming it on poor planning, it was also a very valkyrian trait to make things more complex than one might think was necessary. This wasn¡¯t a game made for profit, but for science. This was Varier¡¯s labyrinth, and the players were their mice. If they wanted to get into the school, they would have to find their own way in. The shady players looking at the walls and gate with less than good intentions were likely on a right track¡ªbut it certainly wasn¡¯t going to be the only one. If they even want to go through the school, Guin though, eyeing them. The quests are just as optional as anything else. We don¡¯t have to learn from Grimhai¡ªthe game¡¯s just giving you one option. A simple look around showed there were many options available to them. Players had free rein over what path they took. They could find a way to get into the school, or, she assumed, they could become an apprentice with one of the many tradesmen in town. They started with enough money that she could probably arm herself and go right into the forest if she wanted. She could probably pick up a few basic tasks in town, too. ¡°Whatever the case,¡± Guin mumbled, ¡°Standing here is a waste of time.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± Starshine asked. ¡°We just do,¡± Guin said, taking Starshine¡¯s arm and turning back to the village. This was a new beginning. A clean slate¡ªand her life as Guin Grey had already begun. Chapter 8 ¡°What¡¯s she like?¡± Guin asked as she and Starshine meandered through Bade. ¡°Our third roommate, I mean.¡± ¡°She... seems nice.¡± Starshine gave Guin a playful glance. Suspicious, Guin leveled eyes with her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Seriously!¡± ¡°I may not have known you long, Stella, but I know you well.¡± Stella''s familiar calculating gaze sent a shiver down her spine. Her grin made it worse, even as she calmly took Guin''s hand and squeezed it in an attempt to be reassuring. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just...¡± ¡°Just?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just... going to be so. Much. Fun!¡± Bubbly laughter filled the air as Lady Starshine left Guin¡¯s side and began to dance back down the road. Raising an eyebrow at her, Guin said, ¡°You are the worst friend ever.¡± ¡°On the contrary, dear Guin,¡± she said, wagging her finger in the air. ¡°I am the bestest best friend out there! Should you ever need me, call my name, and I shall be your fairy godmother! But for now... What should we do?¡± They weren¡¯t the only ones who had reached the same conclusion about the school. As they walked through the streets, Guin watched the others as they found their way through the tutorial. There was a distinct difference between those who were already well into the game and those who were just starting. Longer-term players invested in their chosen roles could be easily mistaken for NPCs. They carried large sacks as they ran errands for the local townsfolk. They plied trades, working as blacksmiths hammering away in the summer heat and tailors turning delicate fabrics into beautiful clothing. More than a few had taken up farming. For a while, they followed a group of players with hoes and bags of seeds tied around their waists. It was such a pretty, peaceful place, busy with the work of the common man. But what about those who didn¡¯t want such a common life? Guin put her hand to her forehead and looked up. The sky was a clear white-blue. Fluffy clouds moved ever-so-slightly in the breeze, casting shadows over the fields. ¡°Hey,¡± Starshine said suddenly. ¡°I think Bahena needs help with something. I¡¯m going to log out for a bit. See what you can find out?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Yeah,¡± Guin said. ¡°If you need help with anything, let me know.¡± ¡°Will do! See you soon!¡± Starshine said before fading into a flurry of cubes and sparkles. Alone again, and at a lack of better direction, Guin headed towards the stables. It seemed to be a less popular location than others, and when Guin saw the price tag that accompanied each of the dozen or so horses kept there, it was no wonder. Why they had even bothered adding mounts to this zone? The silence gave her a moment to collect her thoughts. Guin offered her hand to the horses at the front of their stalls as she passed through. Securing an apprenticeship at one of the many shops in town was probably the easiest thing to do. The best thing would probably be for her to find an apprenticeship in something that she had some sort of skill or talent for in real life. There wasn¡¯t much to that, though, if she were honest with herself. What skills did an English major have that would be useful in a video game? She could be a scribe or something, but where was the fun in that? She could play a little ukulele. A bard, maybe? Guin looked at her hand and balled it into a fist. The real talent she should be utilizing was that if she knew anything, she knew games. Knowledge. That was her real talent, here. Now how was she supposed to use that? A blindingly white stallion breathed into her face. Guin giggled and stopped to pat its warm nose. Its breath tickled her fingertips as she stared into its pretty blue eyes. ¡°You. Girl,¡± a voice said. Guin looked around, but she couldn''t find where the voice was coming from. A few players passed by in the distance, but they were too far away to have been the speaker. ¡°You, yes, you! Look, here now!¡± said the voice. It felt as if it was speaking into her mind, but the direction seemed to be coming from the horse. Furrowing her brow, she looked stared back into the horse¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes! There you go! Is it clear now? It¡¯s clear to me. Yes! You can see me. I mean, you are petting me, which is far odder.¡± ¡°You...?¡± Guin muttered, pointing at the horse. ¡°Shocked, are you? Think about how I feel,¡± he said, flicking his tail. ¡°There aren''t many people who can see me, forget even talking to me.¡± Wracking her brain for the words to express her shock, she realized there was an obvious answer. ¡°You¡¯re a spirit, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Am I the first spirit you''ve met?¡± ¡°You are.¡± ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a lucky little Veil child.¡± ¡°Why are you here in town? And in a stable, no less. Shouldn¡¯t a spirit like you be out in the forest, or running wild in some field somewhere?¡± ¡°If only,¡± the spirit horse said, shaking his silvery mane in the sunlight. ¡°Sadly, I am tasked with greater purpose. I am here at the will of the great Dragon King, to seek out the Children of the Dusk.¡± ¡°Children of the Dusk?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Those who are born with the power of the Veil,¡± he explained. ¡°Unfortunately, there are precious few born in this village; much rarer than those silly little dawn children. They don¡¯t even know I¡¯m here. It¡¯s enough to give a poor horse a broken heart.¡± ¡°Sorry, but what is a Child of the Dusk?¡± ¡°Those who have the potential to follow paths greater than those found in the dreams of simple men; they are those with eyes that see past the Veil,¡± he eyed her. ¡°Those very much like you, I''d say.¡± Chapter 9 The horse spirit introduced himself as Giran Rune, and he turned out to be quite the chatty creature. Between tidbits of gossip and his whining about boredom, Guin managed to piece together a fair picture of the relationship between the Dawn and the Dusk factions. It wasn''t an entirely new concept as it turned out; it was part of the class system that had been mentioned in passing on forums since most people never stumbled across it. Calling it a class mechanic wouldn¡¯t be quite right. Rather, it was a world mechanic. It was easy to imagine the role it played in classes, but it made a huge difference when thinking about what quests and locations would be available to which players. The ties to character traits made it even less common among the general character base. They were rare factions that came with increased rewards ¡ª and increased difficulty. Even better, Guin had possibly stumbled onto a solution to her direction problem. ¡°I must say, it is nice to have the chance to speak with a dusk child again,¡± Giran Rune was saying, pawing at the ground as he spoke. ¡°It has been longer than I care to admit.¡± Guin was almost certain that it hadn¡¯t been long at all, considering the player base, but she wasn¡¯t about to let her chance pass. ¡°Mr. Rune¡ª¡± ¡°Giran, if you please.¡± ¡°Giran, where can I learn more about the Path of the Dusk?¡± Looking mighty pleased, Giran said, ¡°Interested, are you? As you should be! Well then, I¡¯ll ask a favor of you. I promised my friend I would meet them for tea later this week, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve forgotten the location. The Veil Ants should know where they are, but I simply don''t have the time to find them. Could you find a Veil Ant and tell them that Giran Rune is looking for Wise?¡±
You have been offered a quest! A spirit horse named Giran Rune has asked you to find a great wise owl he promised to meet for tea. He has since forgotten where he was supposed to go for the meeting; you will need to find a Veil Ant to ask for directions. Veil Ants are curious and hard-to-find creatures. This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped. < > <> < >
¡°Alright!¡± answered Guin happily, though she didn''t believe for a moment that this bored horse didn¡¯t have the time to do things himself. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Good!¡± replied the spirit with a snort. ¡°Go now, then, into the world. Find the ants, and find my good friend Wise. May the Veil bring you peace along your journey.¡± Then he chuckled and faded away into the shadows of his stall. Excited, Guin looked over the quest in her journal before she realized she was missing one very important detail: what exactly was a Veil Ant, and where was she supposed to find one? The Veil would be the obvious answer, but she didn¡¯t know how to use any of her skills yet, let alone the one that allowed her to walk into the Veil. In that case, she supposed that she had two options. One: troubleshoot until she figured stuff out, or two: find a way to get into the schoolhouse. Option one seemed like a terrible idea for a game like this one, so option two was all that was left. At the very least she would have some time until Stella logged back in to try to figure it out. Summoning up what little courage she had to face people, Guin marched back over to the entry of the schoolhouse. Thankfully the influx of new players seemed to have waned with dinnertime, and she could go right up to man guarding the gate. ¡°Oh?¡± said the man. ¡°Yer back, are ye?¡± ¡°Do you care?¡± ¡°I do. I care ¡®cause I¡¯m the Gatekeeper,¡± he told her. ¡°And if ye want to attend this here school, then ye need to register with me ¡ª and registration is closed.¡± ¡°So I understand,¡± Guin said, crossing her arms. ¡°So, what does one need to do to open registration?¡± ¡°Not annoy me, for starters,¡± the gatekeeper said. ¡°All you little flies buzzin¡¯ about. It¡¯ll do nothin¡¯ for ye to ask me what I can do for you.¡± Oh? Guin¡¯s gaze flicked over to him, then to a pile of discarded bottles at his feet. ¡°¡­ And what if I were to ask about what I could do for you, rather than what you could do for me?¡± His eyes darkened as he smirked at her. ¡°Oh, aye, now aren¡¯t you a clever little lass. But I ain¡¯t one to take bribes. I¡¯ve a job to do, you see, and I ain¡¯t gonna be doing no wrong thing; no I won¡¯t!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about doing anything wrong,¡± Guin said, leaning in. ¡°I just think that you¡¯ve been working so hard out here, chasing away all those annoying people, that you should get a reward for your services. Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A reward fer my services, eh? Now, ya know, that don¡¯t sound too bad,¡± the Gatekeeper mused. ¡°Say, little girl, you willin¡¯ to do me a favor?¡± ¡°I am!¡± ¡°You willin¡¯ to prove your worth?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Then I tell you what,¡± he said, slapping his knee. ¡°You do a favor for this ol¡¯ Gatekeeper, and maybe I can give yeh some grease. What you say to ¡®at?¡± ¡°Anything!¡± The gatekeeper chuckled and motioned for her to lean in. ¡°You get me a nice bottle o¡¯ Ginny¡¯s Special Apple Ale, and I¡¯ll get that name o¡¯ yours all registered nice and pretty. How¡¯s ¡®at sound?¡± ¡°Your wish is my command!¡± Guin said, her excitement rising as the quest window popped up:
You have been offered a quest! The Gatekeeper of the schoolhouse has asked you to bring him a bottle of Ginny¡¯s Special Apple Ale. If you do this, you can meet the teachers and commence your classes. < > <> < >
The man gave her a grin full of rotten teeth. ¡°Good girl! Off yeh go now!¡± And Guin pranced away. Chapter 10 A wooden signpost with a wheel and the words ¡®Ginny¡¯s Saddle House¡¯ painted in blue and gold hung from the front of the tavern. Lively music was playing over the boisterous conversation and glasses clinking inside the thin wood walls. A few players nodded to her as she walked in. All at once, she was hit by the smells of smoke, cheap beer, and rotten food. Coughing and gagging as her body adjusted to the change in air quality, she made her way to the bar. ¡°Well, now. What do we have here?¡± An older, red-haired woman behind the bar asked her. ¡°You must be new.¡± ¡°Must be,¡± Guin acknowledged, knowing she stood out amongst the usual tavern-goers. ¡°What can I do for ya?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking to buy a bottle of Ginny¡¯s Special Apple Ale,¡± Guin said. ¡°Any idea how much that would run me?¡± The woman looked her over. ¡°Ginny¡¯s Special Apple Ale?¡± She said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not somethin¡¯ I hear every day. We have it in stock, for sure, but...¡± ¡°...but?¡± ¡°From the looks of it, you don¡¯t have two silvers to put together, let alone ninety gold.¡± ¡°Ninety¡ª¡± Guin gasped and pulled up her inventory sheet. Indeed. ¡°I¡¯m guessing twenty coppers won¡¯t get me very far,¡± she said dismally. ¡°I can get you some cheap ale if you like.¡± ¡°Ah, no thanks. Any idea where I can earn some money?¡± ¡°Most around here earn their keep by picking up work in town or adventuring into the woods ¡ª not that I¡¯d recommend going out without training. Might be someone around here could have a job for you, but unless you know how to fight, you¡¯d be better off sticking to domestics.¡± ¡°Domestics, is it,¡± Guin grumbled, but upon closer inspection what the woman said was true. Everyone in the tavern seemed like they were in some kind of martial profession. She entertained the idea of asking one of them for help but came up with another idea instead. This was a game, and in a game, everything was fair, right? ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. Grinning, Guin turned on her heels and walked back out the door. Grateful for the fresh air, she took a deep breath and looked down the road. It didn¡¯t look too bad. She couldn¡¯t get into the school without the quest item. She couldn¡¯t afford the quest item. She wasn¡¯t brave enough to risk going into the forest without training, and she wasn¡¯t about to ask for help this early in the game. She could wait for Starshine to return, but who knew when that would be. So, when all the doors around her closed, what she needed was to find a window. Circling the building as innocently as she could, Guin searched for her quarry ¡ª and as she¡¯d suspected, windows weren¡¯t hard to find. There were other doors at the back of the building, but there were probably people in the rooms behind them. She played out various scenarios in her head, and those scenarios became plans as she took stock of the tools and abilities that she had at her disposal. Once the area was clear of prying eyes, she moved as quietly as she could to her chosen entry point. Crawling up some barrels that had been conveniently stacked near one of the windows, she peered through the dirty glass. As luck would have it, it looked as if this window looked into a storeroom. She cracked the window open and propped it up with a stick. Pulling herself up and over the frame, legs first, she landed as delicately as possible. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The store room was full of dust and smelled musty. The next steps would be a bit trickier. Figuring that she wouldn¡¯t find the beer in the store room, she eventually found a stair that she assumed would lead to a cellar ¡ª which it did. Silently applauding her success and praying that no one would come down while she was there, she rubbed her arms to ward off the cellar''s chill. Four large wooden barrels sat horizontally on a rack that she presumed to be stilled beer casks. On the far side of the room was an assortment of tavern dishes. Pulling down a mug, she began to taste what came out of each of the barrels. The first two tasted like a light, watery lager and a thick dark stout. The third, however, had a distinct apple flavor. Just to be sure, she tried the fourth beer, and it turned out to be some very citrusy, hop-heavy amber ale. Feeling that it was safe to go with the contents of the third barrel, she grabbed one of the flagons that were very conveniently located in a basket under the rack and filled it. Nodding in satisfaction, she padded up the stairs and crawled back through the storeroom window undetected. She landed softly on the grass to the tune of a triumphant ¡°DING!¡±.
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Stealth]:Rank ¨C Beginner
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Stealth ¨C Burglary]:Rank ¨C Beginner
Stifling a laugh, Guin flicked the game windows away and delivered the ale to the Gatekeeper. He looked at her with suspicion, tried the ale, and laughed. ¡°Ya do need ¡®ta go to school. There ain¡¯t any way that Ol¡¯ Ginny let you buy this off ¡®er for what you could afford, which means ya stole it, little scoundrel!¡± His laughter boomed. ¡°I should have that there sheriff come over ¡®ere and tie ya¡¯s hands in knots!¡± Guin¡¯s heart sank. Was she supposed to have turned this quest down? The Gatekeeper eyed her. ¡°Yeh did well. This is good stuff yeh got me here ¡ª and I do ¡®ppreciate yeh goin¡¯ through all that trouble. So, out of the goodness of me heart, I won¡¯t be tellin¡¯ anyone. Here¡¯re your registration papers. They¡¯ll let you pass through as you please from here on out.¡±
Quest Completed! The Gatekeeper of the schoolhouse has asked you to bring him a flask of cider ale. If you do this, you can meet the school teachers and commence your classes. <>
With a sigh of relief, Guin said, ¡°Thank you! Please don¡¯t make me do that again, though!¡± He laughed again as she went through the gate. The players watching their interaction tried to follow quickly, but the Gatekeeper blocked them. Feeling accomplished, Guin went ahead toward the schoolhouse. There were at least three teachers on the grounds outside of the school, maybe more, if she had more confidence in her ability to differentiate between teachers and students. One, a tall, shirtless valkyrian wearing loose green pants tied with a gold cloth sash, was off to the side, watching over children fighting in a sand pit. Another was a young woman sitting with a group under a tree with what looked to be pots of plants. The last was a mature garule woman dressed kind of like a pirate and appeared to be teaching archery to a mixed group of kids and adults. Before she could go any further, however, she heard her alarm go off. It was six o¡¯clock, and she hadn¡¯t eaten since breakfast. Sighing, she turned back toward the house. In TheirWorld, the even the basics mattered. While you would survive without eating or sleeping in a bed, you got hit with debuffs for logging out without being in a proper bed or setting up camp. The more dangerous the place, the higher the penalties. Once back, Guin settled herself into bed and logged off. Chapter 11 ¡°I must say,¡± Bahena was saying in perfect, untranslated English. ¡°It is absolutely wonderful to be back here on the Enclave! You have absolutely no idea what the atmosphere of the homeworld does to my scales. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Stella went dramatically, clapping her hands together. ¡°How do you take care of your feathers? They look so shiny! Most of your kind I see have much duller feathers- yours are so smooth, so shiny!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± the dinosaur flipped her long, muscular tail in what Dassah assumed was a playful manner - much like a dog. ¡°The secret is in an organic lotion that my brother makes - he¡¯s shockingly talented for such an ugly creature!¡± Dassah stared. She¡¯d reluctantly helped with the boxes under Stella¡¯s strict glare, but once that was settled, she quickly and quietly returned to the safety of the nearest corner. Biting at her fingers, she tried not to stare at the rudely while pretending to be part of the conversation ¡ª and what a conversation it was. Stella laughed, taking to the conversation like a fish in water. Dassah, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t sure at what she should be appalled at first. Who just outright calls their brother ¡®ugly¡¯? Thought Dassah, leaving the garule bit out. But... What do garule even define as ¡®ugly¡¯? She had very much hoped that the only interaction she would with the garule would be limited to passing them on the street, or accidently bumping them on the train. But this? This was far outside the scope of her nightmares. Bahena had come in with six huge boxes filled with books and things that she was currently taking out gingerly and putting into place as she talked. Stella hadn¡¯t been joking about her feathers; they were a shining bronze that gleamed in the light. Tall, lean, and muscular, Bahena was intimidating in a beautiful, deadly sort of way. But the conversation happening in the room was just flat out bizarre. ¡°I must say ¡ª Stella, was it? ¡ª that dress looks absolutely fantastic on you,¡± Bahena put her clawed hands to her cheeks and pouted. Dassah¡¯s stomach turned as the dinosaur woman continued, ¡°I find it to be such a pity that I can¡¯t get away with wearing something like that. I do envy the sleek looks of your kinds of legs. Mine are so bulky...¡± ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Stella went. ¡°It¡¯s new ¡ª isoli-valkyrian fashion is simply fantastic. Really though, I envy your legs! They¡¯re so strong and powerful! I simply adore the fact that women are such complete badasses in garuli culture!¡± It was Bahena¡¯s turn to clap her hands together. ¡°I have seen what your males think they can get away with. The treatment they give you females! You all simply must learn to show them who''s boss! If there is anything you want to learn, just ask! Breaking their brittle bones is like pie!¡± Oh my God. They are birds of a feather. Dassah thought with a cringe. Stella let out a squeal, ¡°That would be so amazing. We can have apartment bonding time! What do you think, Dassah?¡± Dassah blinked and looked at her. ¡°Uh,¡± she started, wondering if her lack of enthusiasm for the idea was going to be given away in her voice. ¡°Yeah, sounds great.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Bahena nodded her long head as she got up and walked over to fetch another box. What an unrealistic conversation. Quite happy that the overly large bed was between her and the dinosaur woman, she was able to relax a little bit. Still, an outgoing woman like Bahena seemed to be wasn¡¯t liable to simply allow her to exist. They would have to be roommates for at least eleven more months unless something serious happened. Though she was apprehensive of the presence of the dinosaur in the room, Dassah couldn¡¯t help watching her. It was really the first time that she had ever had direct contact with the garule species in a private space. As Bahena was putting her books into the bookcase behind her desk, Dassah watched with wide eyed fascination as the muscles rippled in the areas the dinosaur woman¡¯s sleeveless white blouse and tight charcoal grey pants couldn¡¯t hide. Her claws clicked lightly on the floor as she went back and forth as she moved things from her boxes to the appropriate destinations. ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve been around a garule?¡± Bahena asked in an amused tone, catching Dassah¡¯s stare before she could react. Looking away quickly and biting her lip, Dassah gave a single, hesitant nod. The dinosaur woman laughed. ¡°It¡¯s all right, really! I don¡¯t bite... usually.¡± She gave a toothy grin. Frozen in place, her eyes were starting to hurt from how wide they were. Bahena burst out laughing, ¡°It¡¯s a joke, girly! A joke ¡ª an old one at that. I can¡¯t speak for the rest of my kind, mind you, but I am mostly harmless!¡± Her tail curled over her shoulder as she posed with a wink from her double eyelids. Sure, that¡¯s what they all say, thought Dassah fiddling with her fingers in her lap. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± Stella¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°She¡¯ll be all meek and awkward for a couple of days, but she gets over things fast.¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± Bahena said, her husky voice holding a pleasant tone. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with quite a few humans like that before; scared stiff till they realize that I won¡¯t bite their heads off. I do like to think that I am an expert on making them all hate us a little less,¡± she said, then added: ¡°Not that I am a fantastic example of a garule, I guess.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Stella laughed, ¡°My first garule was a meek little male in a game. He was a really nice guy, really, claws and all. Garuli males are adorable. Maybe TheirWorld is just what you need after all, Dassah,¡± she said. ¡°You''ll meet so many different kinds of scary monsters that the garule will be the least of your worries!¡± ¡°Leave it alone,¡± Dassah muttered, wanting to throw something at her. ¡°Have you guys gotten to play yet?¡± Bahena asked them. ¡°Of course!¡± Stella said. ¡°We were playing just before you came.¡± Stella filled the silence by talking about their characters and the gatekeeper that had gotten in their way. ¡°Oh,¡± Dassah said. ¡°I forgot to tell you. I figured it out.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella asked. ¡°The gatekeeper. I got in.¡± Stella suddenly fell onto the bed and looked at Dassah with wide eyes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you lead with that!¡± ¡°I was... distracted,¡± Dassah said, giving Bahena a sheepish look. ¡°Tell me, tell me!¡± Stella whined as Bahena winked at Dassah and went back to putting her things away. So Dassah told them both what she had done to garner the attention of the gatekeeper and the success she¡¯d had. Stella snapped her fingers and grumbled about how she should have just seduced him. Bahena, offended by the idea, said she should have just beat him up instead. ¡°Sounds like a horrible creature,¡± Behana said. ¡°Why would you want to seduce that?¡± Stella tsk-ed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like I actually want to have sex with the man. I just want to... loosen him up a little.¡± ¡°You know,¡± Dassah said, narrowing her eyes at her friend. ¡°There are times when I have some serious doubts about you. Slamming her hand on the bed, Stella pointed at Dassah with a smile. ¡°There you are! Welcome back!¡± Dassah snorted and sat on the bed with her, pulling a pillow into her lap. ¡°Well,¡± Bahena said, joining them on the bed. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, if anyone does anything stupid to you guys, you just come to me. I¡¯ll handle it. Legally.¡± ¡°You need to specify?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Well,¡± the garuli woman started. ¡°My brother is always reminding me that I can¡¯t start fights in the street, so. Yeah, I guess I do.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Stella went and flipped over onto her back. ¡°What¡¯s one example of something you did ¡®legally.¡¯¡± ¡°I joined a ¡®Burg Tournament once,¡± Bahana said. ¡°Not to win, but because I needed an excuse to rip the head off some jackass who insulted my brother. I didn¡¯t, by the way ¡ª rip his head off, I mean ¡ª I just roughed him up a bit. It was completely legal and there was very little blood. If it makes you feel any better, my brother ¡ª who was the one I trying to defend, the jerk ¡ª was spitting mad about me doing it in the first place. I¡¯m still quite bitter about that. I dropped out after I finished my... work.¡± Dassah blinked a few times, then allowed herself to chuckle at the stupidly detailed account Bahena gave in her own defense. Both Stella and Bahena joined her for the laugh before Stella turned back to Dassah, snapping her fingers. ¡°I have a brilliant idea!¡± Oh boy... Dassah raised her hand, ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you are refusing,¡± Stella pouted. ¡°Mmm, don¡¯t care,¡± Dassah answered. ¡°Look! You need to work better with the other people in this place, and with Bahena here, it''s a sterling opportunity!¡± Stella told her, walking over quickly and sitting on Dassah¡¯s desk again. Bahena looked confused. ¡°...Should I be upset that it sounds like I¡¯m being offered up as a sacrifice here?¡± she asked. ¡°Ms. Sul, meet Stella Morgan,¡± Dassah sighed, putting up her hands to present her friend. This girl is more dangerous than the garule... Bahena chuckled. ¡°Please, just call me Bahena.¡± ¡°We should totally form our own combat team! Think about it! We could be ¡®The Cute Girl¡¯s Team! Or... The Sparkling Ladies Team! Or... Well, I¡¯m bad at names ¡ª Dassah¡¯s better in that department ¡ª but let¡¯s just do it! We are together for a year; let¡¯s make it fun!¡± ¡°...Are you serious?¡± Dassah asked, giving a side glance to Bahena. ¡°We literally just met twenty minutes ago.¡± ¡°Come on, Das!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°Where¡®s your sense of adventure?¡± ¡°I like your enthusiasm,¡± Bahena said, the sound of her claw tapping the desk grating on Dassah¡¯s nerves further. ¡°Not that I am against it, but it¡¯s not quite that simple. Combat teams, as they are, are min-maxers; we would have a long way to go to be a real combat team.¡± ¡°Call it a goal,¡± Stella shrugged. ¡°The important part is us working together to form that team. Sure, it might take all year, but imagine what we could do, putting our minds into it!¡± Dassah¡¯s eyes flickered to where Bahena was sitting, looking over at them uncertainly. ¡°Let¡¯s say that I agree to this ¡ª ridiculous ¡ª plan. Putting the whole stranger thing behind us for now, just what the hell am I supposed to do? Thousands of video game hours and few classes of self defense don¡¯t make me an acutal fighter,¡± Dassah said, in a voice that Bahena could hear. She had never intended to play a combat class in the game - there were so many other things that she could do! ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re the brains,¡± Stella told her, probably able to read into Dassah¡¯s intent. ¡°That video game experience makes you a lot more valuable than you might think.¡± ¡°A-As flattering as that is...¡± Dassah stuttered, trying to not let Stella manipulate her so easily. ¡°Plus,¡± Stella said before Dassah could form a coherent argument. ¡°This is TheirWorld we are talking about, and we live in an Iceburg City! There are all sorts of opportunities here. You could learn to fight. Plus, if you haven¡¯t offended Bahena to death by then, she¡¯s already offered to help teach us how to make brain pudding!¡± ¡°It may be best if you don¡¯t pressure the girl to work with me,¡± Bahena said, her voice sounding a little like she had started to understand the danger that was Stella. Her words wouldn¡¯t mean much, but Dassah genuinely appreciated the effort. Stella waved her hand in the air again, ¡°No worries. This is how you have to be with Dassah or she¡¯ll never do anything.¡± ¡°...Thanks,¡± Dassah twitched. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Stella said happily. ¡°Regardless, what you are suggesting is ¡ª¡± Dassah started ¡°Totally and completely harmless!¡± Stella finished with a wink. ¡°Let¡¯s talk more about it at coffee tomorrow?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something any of us need to make a choice about right the second. I haven¡¯t even finished moving in...¡± Bahena looked at her boxes dismally. ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡± Stella said in her singsong voice and skipped over, then turned and asked. ¡°Dassah?¡± Admitting her defeat with a sigh, Dassah stood. ¡°Coming,¡± she said, and forced herself to take a more active role in helping out. Chapter 12 ¡°Welcome to The Perch, your local hole-in-the-wall caf¨¦ owned by a rebellious teenager. What can I get for you?¡± said the earar behind the counter in a flat, unwelcoming voice. ¡°Uh...¡± Dassah hesitated, stupefied by more than one thing about her current situation. It turned out that Bahena had to go meet her brother, and Stella had wanted to run a quick errand, so Dassah had volunteered to get them a seat at the caf¨¦. Of the several caf¨¦s in their shopping center, this one, up on the second-floor corner of a quiet alleyway, looked like it would offer a relaxing place to people-watch and enjoy fancy-looking pastries. The coffee was the next thing to test, but this barista was more than she¡¯d bargained for. ¡°Please hurry up and order. There are other customers,¡± he told her, his large black and brown ears twitching and jet-black eyes narrowing as he crossed his winged arms. Dassah turned around, actually hoping there was someone else to witness this guy. No one. She turned back to him. ¡°Um. I¡¯ll have a caramel macchiato, please.¡± ¡°Right. One caramel macchiato for the bottom feeder. Coming right up,¡± he said dismissively. The hair on the back of Dassah¡¯s neck stood on end as the anger inside her grew, but she quelled it with a silent nod. ¡°That will be five creds,¡± he ignored her and held out his leathery, black hand. After staring at him and his hand for a moment, Dassah handed him her card. While she wasn¡¯t one hundred percent comfortable with the bat people, they were far less scary than jikak and garule. Still, this kind of treatment was a lot, even for her. Despite the barista¡¯s attitude, the earar as a species were oddly... cute. Their faces were a little bit like a Labrador retriever¡¯s, covered in fur with wet little noses, and their eyes were round and usually either black, red, or gold. And, as much as Dassah wanted it to be so, their wings weren¡¯t cool like in art from Earthian fantasy stories. Earar had eight fingers on each hand, four supporting the leathery wings that ran from their wrists all the way to their ankles, three fingers that served as hands, and then one extremely flexible pseudo-thumb which had a stiff, hooked nail for hanging and climbing. As a matter of anatomy, Dassah found them fascinating ¡ª plus, as pacifistic fruit and insect eaters, she found them quite agreeable as a species. Until meeting this guy. Watching him as he made her cup of caffeine crack, she supposed she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that with his wings folded up behind him, he was at least graceful enough to not knock anything over. The service area ¡ª much wider than average coffee shop service areas ¡ª seemed like it had been designed with larger, bulkier species in mind. Even then, though, the earar were a flying species; they weren¡¯t known for being too graceful on their feet. Just admit it, Dassah, she thought to herself with a sigh. You just want to see him trip. She chuckled at the image in her mind and checked her messages. After a couple of minutes, the barista came out from behind the counter and gently set her cup of coffee in front of her. ¡°One caramel macchiato. Can I get the ugly girl anything else?¡± ¡°Um, no, thanks,¡± she managed to say just before Stella came rushing in, shouting her name. ¡°Dassah!¡± Putting her cup down, Dassah turned and greeted her. ¡°Oh, thank God.¡± Stella threw her things down on the stool next to Dassah and asked, ¡°how¡¯s this place?¡± ¡°The coffee is irritatingly fantastic,¡± Dassah told her, shifting her gaze to the earar who was currently leaning by the register, watching them with his chin in his hand. ¡°The customer service on the other hand... leaves a lot to be desired.¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Oh, interesting! He¡¯s not bad looking...¡± she said and went over to order. Dassah grinned and sipped her coffee as she quietly watched the quickly-devolving interaction between Stella and the barista. Aren¡¯t they a good match. Fun, huh? Stella, meet Karma. ¡°How about your name so I can send a customer service complaint?¡± Stella growled as Dassah took the chance to taste her coffe. Another shock! It was probably the best caramel macchiato she¡¯d had on the ¡®bergs. ¡°Don¡¯t got a name for you,¡± the barista said with a shrug. ¡°But if do you happen to see the irritating runaway who owns this place, tell her to come back and do her job so I can go back to doing mine.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± she asked. ¡°Not supplying undeserving people with my sparkling customer service skills, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he yawned, as the bell on the door jingled. Tuning out Stella¡¯s squabbling, Dassah reflected on her plans for the day. TheirWorld was certainly involved. How long would it take her in real time to get through the starting area? A day? Two days? Dassah frowned. She pulled up the small holographic monitor and keyboard from her WristComp and typed in [theirworld tutorial mist bade dusk children]. Clicking on the first forum link that came up, she skimmed through some of the posts ¡ª which were mostly useless, as far as Dassah¡¯s question was concerned. Posters did talk about the competition between the Children of the Dawn and Dusk and speculated that it was an area of growing content. There were some who even suggested that recently-appearing quests were likely connected to some upcoming event or patch that would make the Children of the Dawn and Dusk a major part of the game. Though the speculation was interesting, it wasn¡¯t helpful for her specific situation. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about the customer service. What the hell is that guy¡¯s problem?¡± Stella complained when she came over. Dassah laughed as she closed her windows. ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you...¡± Stella waved a hand in the air. ¡°Whatever. This had better be the best coffee ever.¡± ¡°Sadly, it kinda is,¡± Dassah told her, looking into her cup. ¡°¡®Least mine is...¡± Stella ¡°Hmm¡±-ed as the earar came over with her cup and set it down in front of them. ¡°Caff¨¨ Americano,¡± he said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°If I need anything, I guarantee you¡¯ll be the first to know,¡± Stella told him. A slightly disgusted smile flickered across his lips, then he turned and went about his business. ¡°Ass,¡± she muttered. Dassah quietly appreciated Stella¡¯s ability to speak Dassah¡¯s inner thoughts. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Mmm,¡± Dassah gulped down some of the delicious drink. ¡°So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?¡± ¡°Well, the first thing I¡¯m going to do is try that trick of yours to get into the school grounds,¡± Stella told her, tasting her coffee like it might be poisoned. Her eyes went wide as she looked at it. ¡°What the hell...? What sort of black magic did this guy use? Does he have some kind of coffee-making mystriks? I¡¯d almost marry him just for that!¡± ¡°Right? Though I wouldn¡¯t go quite that far,¡± Dassah laughed, then tilted her head. ¡°Wait, mystriks? Isn¡¯t he an earar?¡± Grunting over her coffee, Stella pointed in the direction of the barista. ¡°Look by his eyes. He¡¯s either a half-kind, or a special case.¡± Glancing over, Dassah saw that she was right. Three clear stones just barely showed through the dark fur on his face. ¡°Huh...¡± A valkyrian¡¯s mystriks weren¡¯t just for aesthetics. They may have been traditional body modifications, but they were traditional for a reason. Granted at a coming-of-age ceremony, the embellishments were made from special gemstones found only on the valkyrian homeworld of Yidar. Dassah was vaguely aware that there was some sort of test at the ceremony, something to do with the way the child resonated with certain stones, colors, shapes, and patterns. After, the stones granted the wearer a special ability. It was cool ¡ª kind of like valkyrians were all superheroes ¡ª except most of them had more domestic abilities. Every now and again, though, someone would emerge from their ceremony with powerful abilities that would ensure their futures. The process of making the mystrick stones work was a heavily guarded secret. You could still get a set of mystriks if you weren¡¯t a valkyrian, but you had to apply for them. And in order to do that, you had to be sponsored by a valkyrian. And that meant, more often than not, that they were a sure sign of a half-kind. Maybe that¡¯s why he¡¯s so bitter about everything... Dassah chewed her pinky nail as she rested her chin in her hands. Not that it matters, she dismissed the thought and returned to the topic of TheirWorld. ¡°What jobs are you thinking about doing once you get past the Gatekeeper?¡± Stella shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d like to do something with magic,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to have actual power for once, and not simply the power of flipping pages.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Stella¡¯s power fell into the ¡®practically useless¡¯ category, the kind of mystrick that was often the butt of other species¡¯ jokes. It allowed her to manipulate lightweight materials within a foot of her stones, a set of three purple diamonds embedded on the back of her left hand. While it made for a great party trick, there was little else to it. ¡°So?¡± Stella stared at her, a smile growing on her face. ¡°How did you make out during character creation? What did you think of the process? Dish!¡± ¡°Well,¡± Dassah started. ¡°It was an adventure, for sure. I enjoyed it. I think. At least there weren¡¯t any clowns.¡± ¡°You would say that!¡± ¡°I do find it a little disconcerting that character gen is so heavily based on our own personalities,¡± Dassah traced the lip of her coffee cup with a finger. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t normally play to my... erm... real-life character? In games like this.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mind that so much myself,¡± Stella took a swig from her own cup. ¡°At least it makes it harder to pretend to be something you aren¡¯t. It can be tricky business since you¡¯re using your own face to do potentially horrible things.¡± ¡°I can only imagine.¡± ¡°I will say, as much as I didn¡¯t mind the personality thing, I found the trait options seriously limited. I didn¡¯t get a few of the ones I wanted.¡± ¡°Actually, I got most of what I was looking for. I¡¯m hoping to go for more of a spiritual-type class. I¡¯d be nice if I could play a healer.¡± ¡°A healer?¡± Stella stuck her tongue out in disdain. ¡°You can be anything, and you want to be someone who works for other people? Don¡¯t you hate people?¡± Dassah laughed. ¡°Weird, isn¡¯t it? But I usually play healers, and it¡¯s not as bad as you make it sound. It comes down to the mechanics, more than anything.¡± ¡°If you say so...¡± ¡°I do,¡± she said, though she probably wouldn¡¯t have admitted that to anyone else. ¡°Well, at least you should be able to gain money and reputation pretty easily,¡± Stella said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that healers get good bonuses for events and faction quests and the like.¡± ¡°Healers and tanks tend to,¡± Dassah agreed. ¡°No love for the damage dealers, I guess.¡± Dassah grinned, but that shifted into a frown. Faction quests? She knew they were out there, but she hadn¡¯t realized they¡¯d have to deal with them so early on. It would probably be better for her to keep her assumptions about TheirWorld¡¯s similarities to other games to a minimum. ¡°What clan did you end up joining?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°The Noble Clan,¡± Stella answered in a tone that seemed to add ¡®of course¡¯ to the end of the statement. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Mist.¡± Scrunching her nose, Stella muttered, ¡°Mist?¡± ¡°... I can see it fitting you, especially going for that spiritual type, but I feel like they¡¯re supposed to be super-weak as a clan. some stuff about having quite a few disadvantages at the start of the game.¡± ¡°They do fit me, though,¡± Dassah pointed out with a shrug. ¡°Plus, I may have found a decent quest chain for a class that fits me just as well.¡± Stella¡¯s eyes lit up ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that about?¡± Dassah went ahead and gave a short explanation of what she had run into while playing ¡ª though she glossed over some of the details. ¡°Who knows what it will actually end up being, but it¡¯s rather interesting, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Stella nodded seriously, then clicked her tongue as she flicked her head sharply to her right. ¡°Hey. Have you noticed that that bat bastard has been watching us?¡± ¡°Wow, Stell, way to make us stand out to him more,¡± Dassah said, looking at the earar behind the counter from the corner of her eye. She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s mostly harmless. Earar have some ridiculous sense of hearing anyway; probably can¡¯t help himself.¡± ¡°What? ¡®Cause stunning ladies like ourselves are too interesting for him to ignore?¡± Stella made a face as she swirled her cup around like it was a glass of wine, then grinned mischievously. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s still rude. Rude, rude, rude ¡ª and I shall never expect him to be any better in the future.¡± ¡°...In the future?¡± Dassah asked, as she was filled with a sense of amused dread. ¡°Of course!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°He¡¯s so interested in us, we must come more often! Grace him with our presence!¡± ¡°At the very least, he¡¯s just a poor, antisocial, misanthropic child who doesn¡¯t know how to deal with people.¡± Stella snorted. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a better description of you?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Dassah glared, then the two shared a laugh. Out of the corner of her eye again, she caught the earar smirking. Once he noticed her looking, he put on a disinterested face and yawned widely. So, not such an ass after all? Now that she looked at him closer, Stella was right. He really was cute. ¡°So. What do you think? This place, same time tomorrow?¡± Stella asked. ¡°We have stuff to do tomorrow.¡± Dassah scrunched her nose. ¡°That¡¯s right! I forgot! Well, why don¡¯t we bring them here?¡± Dassah groaned, ¡°Stella...¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± she raised her hands, then put them on her hips. ¡°But just think how good it will be for you! You¡¯re more at ease in coffee shops, right? It¡¯s the perfect place to have a good conversation! You may even like it.¡± Dassah made a face, but Stella shook her head. ¡°Nope. Besides, you agreed.¡± ¡°I know I did...¡± Dassah mumbled. ¡°On that note, my dear,¡± Stella said, looking at her watch. ¡°I have a date, so this is where I will leave you!¡± ¡°Wait, what? With whom? What about the game?¡± ¡°Secret!¡± Stella bopped Dassah¡¯s nose and collected her things. ¡°You should get back to TheirWorld and find all the secrets so you can share them with me later!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Dassah told her, waving her off. ¡°Go, play with your little boy-toys.¡± ¡°Oh, I will!¡± Stella waved, then looked at the earar leaning coolly behind the counter. ¡°See you tomorrow, bat boy!¡± ¡°Joy,¡± he answered lifelessly. She laughed and ran out the door. Dassah shook her head and looked at him with pity as she grabbed her things. ¡°Congratulations,¡± he said to her, his voice flat. ¡°Of the two of you bottom feeders, you are arguably the less annoying one.¡± Dassah fought the urge to throw her shoe at him as she turned and left the building, a false smile frozen on her face. Chapter 13 As soon as she got home, Dassah shoved a sandwich in her mouth and hooked herself up to TheirWorld. Guin woke up in her bed in her house and sat up quickly. She stood and stretched, getting a feel for the movement in the game. Raring to go, she ran back into the village. The Gatekeeper greeted her with a wave as she entered the school grounds. The place looked exactly the same as before, though the students on the grounds seemed different. Several teachers were working inside the schoolhouse today, including one who looked like he was teaching drawing ¡ª possibly calligraphy or cartography ¡ª and one that looked to be teaching magic theory. A third, a young golden-haired earar with dark brown wings folded at his wrists, approached her. ¡°Hello there!¡± he said with a friendly, charming smile, pushing his glasses up on his nose. ¡°My name is Grimhai Kidalmar, the General Education teacher. Have you come to join our studies?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Guin answered, perhaps too enthusiastically. Grimhai, however, did not seem to mind in the least. ¡°Excellent!¡± he said, clapping his four-fingered hands together and fluttering his wings. ¡°Then, shall we begin our first lesson?
You have been offered a quest! It is time to start your lessons! Accept this quest to begin a series of game tutorials. You must fulfill the basic five lessons of the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar. The First Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai¡¯s introduction to basic concepts of the world and its gameplay. This quest is REQUIRED. <>
¡°Where do I start?¡± she asked, the window fading. ¡°First, you must understand how skills and menus function in TheirWorld,¡± he told her. ¡°TheirWorld is a game driven by your thoughts and feelings. If you think of something, as long it¡¯s within your character¡¯s power and the game¡¯s capabilities, it should theoretically be possible to achieve. This system can take time to get used to, but rest assured that it opens you up to a world of possibilities. It is a world where even one¡¯s wildest dreams can come true. ¡°This is one reason the tutorial for TheirWorld is focused on gameplay experience rather than leveling.¡± He directed her to walk with him as he continued to explain. ¡°Here at the School of Good Books, we aim to teach you all you need to live in Uldarin. There are ten teachers here who can teach you about survival, combat, lore, and even magic. If you wish to find an alternative, many other masters in town might be willing to take you on as a student or apprentice if you meet their standards.¡± They walked over to the area where the art teacher had been drawing what turned out to be a map. Young NPC students and players were carefully copying the example that he had given them, dipping their quills into the ink every few strokes. As the students worked, Grimhai shook hands with the teacher, who looked none too happy with the distraction and introduced him as Scribe Marlon. Guin was introduced to all the other teachers, one at a time. Knowing that she would never be able to remember their names, she didn¡¯t bother trying. Rather, she just smiled and nodded, focusing more on what the students were doing as they worked on their respective assignments. Once they circled back to the door, Grimhai sat her in a chair across from a fancy desk, where he took a seat. He looked at her over the tops of his rimless glasses. Pressing his fingertips lightly against each other in front of his chest, he said: ¡°Of course, all that TheirWorld has to offer a player comes with great responsibility on your part. I would beg you to pay attention to the warnings that the game presents as you go ¡ª and heed them. There are plenty of things in this world that could hurt you in more ways than one. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°That said,¡± he continued warmly, leaning back in his chair. ¡°So long as you are willing to learn, your life on Uldarin shall be full of fun and adventure! Are you willing to listen to what I have to teach you?¡± Guin nodded. ¡°Yes, Teacher!¡± ¡°Very well then,¡± he said. ¡°Let us begin! First, let¡¯s review the basics of your menu. There are two standard defaults for the basic menus. The first is the one that would have been explained to you before you started the game. The tattoo on your right wrist opens the main menu. However, there is another method ¡ª the voice command. Let¡¯s practice! Raise your hand and say: ¡®Menu.¡¯¡± Doing as she was told, Guin raised her hand. ¡°Menu!¡± she said. The menu popped up with a tinkling noise. ¡°Excellent,¡± said Grimhai with a nod. ¡°Your menu is a very important feature that you must learn to use well. As an instructor, I can see your screens, but other players cannot. As you will have realized, any screen that you call up will automatically respond to your in-game hand. Go ahead and hit the ¡®Character¡¯ button to access your avatar information and stats.¡± When she did so, her character screen popped up, along with a 3D image of her avatar. ¡°Now, instead of using the ¡®X¡¯ button, simply use your thoughts and wish for the screen to return.¡± After a few attempts, she managed to will the screen away. ¡°Very good! This is the basic Cast and Dismiss system you will need to use for every skill in the game. Until you master it, speaking aloud or using hand signals can make it easier to use your abilities. Once you develop more experience with the system, you can use whatever words or motions you wish to activate your abilities ¡ª except in the case of certain abilities which have specific requirements.¡± ¡°So,¡± Guin asked, thinking it through. ¡°If I have an ability, I just need to say its name to use it?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he replied. ¡°By default, all characters are capable of casting via words, as well as via the skill menu stored in the tattoo on your left wrist. Note that you can also change its appearance at any time via your settings.¡± Guin looked down at her left wrist. She hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but there was a small black tattooed dot on the inside of her left wrist as well, identical to the one which Biku Biku had pointed out to her during her registration. ¡°Though these default methods are reliable ways to cast spells, your abilities will not be as strong, fast, or effective as they would be if you learn to apply your will to cast them. Of course, this doesn¡¯t matter in some cases, and it may be less taxing on you to use the simple command words for those.¡± ¡°Can I cast without words or motions?¡± Grimhai hesitated before saying, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but unless you have a strong will, it can lead to... undesirable outcomes. Therefore, it is not recommended that anyone try to use abilities without some kind of tangible direction to guide the powers you call up.¡± ¡°Undesirable outcomes?¡± ¡°If distracted, you may, for instance, cast the wrong spell. Or accidentally cast a stronger or weaker version of the spell you meant to cast. You could even cast something on the wrong target or accidentally include allies in your attacks and enemies in your buffs.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Guin thought about it, then nodded. ¡°All right then. What¡¯s next?¡± Grimhai gave her a few other pointers about various other windows, but for the most part, everything was driven by the same concepts. He gave her various warnings that she had already heard from other sources, and then he told her this: ¡°A very important note: While all of the NPCs in TheirWorld have a high level of AI, some NPCs are actually player characters employed by Varier Co., and the associated governmental authorities. These may be players who rely on TheirWorld technologies to live normal lives, and you are expected to treat them as people, not programs. There is no way to tell the difference between the two, so it is recommended that you treat all people you encounter with respect. NPCs are an integral part of the TheirWorld environment, and any interactions with them can affect the world and its stories.¡± Guin didn¡¯t want to know how they made that work. She had read that NPCs were so independent that they could spontaneously generate, change, and even delete quests if they wanted to. Some important quest-giving NPCs had even taken to wandering around the world, so you had to track them down to trigger the event. Others seemed to have been able to go so far as to spontaneously develop classes that hadn¡¯t been recorded before. Whatever programming nightmare they were a part of, they were given free rein to run the continuously evolving world that was Uldarin. After acknowledging Grimhai¡¯s teachings, the quest screen notified her of the completion with a ding.
A quest has been updated! It is time to start your lessons! Accept this quest to begin a series of game tutorials. You must fulfill the basic five lessons of the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar. You have finished the first lesson: UPDATE: The Second Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai¡¯s introduction to skills. Follow his instructions to gain a randomized selection of free skills. This quest is REQUIRED. <>
One down. Chapter 14 ¡°Now that you have been introduced to the basic mechanics of the game, you are now free to speak to the other teachers in the school, and they will teach you. You will also be able to seek help from more people in town. That said, there are many ways to learn skills and abilities in this game. The next thing that I will teach you is how to gain, level, and keep track of your skills.¡± Guin had a vague idea of how the skills worked ¡ª she also knew that there were thousands of people complaining about how difficult the skill system was to use. The game had already gone through several patches to try and make it more user-friendly, but ultimately, the design was simply too complicated. ¡°In the game, skills cover everything from mundane tasks to magic and combat. TheirWorld includes thousands of skills and subskills, and unlike many games, TheirWorld has no limits on the number of skills you can learn ¡ª though there is a deterioration system. Skills have their own levels and experience bars. For every in-game day ¡ª eight hours in the real world ¡ª where you do not use the skill, you lose one point of experience in that skill, to a maximum of four points for every day that passes in the real world. This occurs even if you do not log in. Simply put, if you do not use a skill, you lose a skill. ¡°In the tutorial, you can earn skill experience, though not level experience and the deterioration system is turned off. Once a skill reaches zero experience points, you lose that skill and must build it again from square one.¡± Grimhai¡¯s explanation made logical sense, and losing four points per day wasn¡¯t a big deal to her. The teacher pulled out a large book. ¡°If you gain one experience point in a skill, you receive that skill officially. You can gain and nurture skills in a variety of ways. ¡°First, perhaps most obvious and most effective is by reading.¡± He tapped his finger heavily on the book. Guin perked up and looked at the massive leather-bound tome of maybe a thousand pages. The words ¡®Geographical Cryptozoology 3¡¯ was scrawled on the cover in gold lettering. ¡°Let¡¯s use this as an example.¡± He pushed the book over to her. ¡°This book describes creatures that you may encounter in specific locations. Certainly, it is not a complete collection ¡ª it is obviously part of a set. Should you read all ten books in the set, you would be, at the least, a master of the topic. We shall start you on this skill progression by getting to know what you might encounter in this area. ¡°This book covers the whole of our continent, Adoriakana. In it, find ¡®White Fox Forest.¡¯¡± A smile twitched on Guin¡¯s lips as she took the heavy book off the desk and began to look through it. The pages were covered with hand-drawn pictures and handwritten words. She kind of wanted to keep it. She found ¡®White Fox Forest¡¯ in the glossary and flipped to the proper page. In her peripheral vision, she saw Grimhai nodding in approval. There was a picture of a forest with a three-tailed white fox in the foreground. Guin was certain that if she could see herself, her eyes would be sparkling. In her head, she began to read.
White Fox Forest Considered to be one of the most mysterious and magical forests on Adoriakana, White Fox Forest is said to be home to the Yipva of the Dusk (p. 304), The Grand Bikrin (p. 310), and the Dragon King of the Mist Moon (p. 313). Stories of these powerful entities and their effects on both the forest and those who try to pass through it have appeared in the legends and lore of all the clans. Though originally the land was originally held by the Noble Clan, in keeping with the will of the crown, Emperor Helion Tevithith II turned it over to the Mist Clan in Sharudo 23 (Common Year 1545 A.E.(Arcane Era)), after the occasional stories of attacks and hauntings escalated to an epidemic of nightmares, plagues, and missing children. The Mist Clan, with their ability to speak with spirits and walk within the Veil, managed to calm the energy of the forest. Since then, the stories have ceased.
Curious, she turned to page 304. Knowing that Yipva and Bikrin were valkyrian names for fox demons and unicorns helped her understand what she had read, but the names that they listed were very specific.
Yipva of the Dusk ¡ª ¡°Amikavi¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Said to be the mother of all the Veil Foxes (p. 355) in the White Fox Forest, the powerful, nine-tailed Amikavi, Yipva of the Dusk, is also said to be the reason for the forest¡¯s name. One of the six great Yipva of Uldarin, Amikavi is also called ¡®The Storm Fox,¡¯ ¡®The Kitsune of the Gale,¡¯ and ¡®Thunder Tail.¡¯ Various legends and folklore surround Amikavi and her rule over the White Fox Forest, but the last recorded sighting of the nine-tails was in Cardin 49 (Common Year 4 P.E. (Primitive Era)). There have been sightings of those who are presumed to be her tailed children, however, the three-tailed Amisuri, the four-tailed Takiravi, the six-tailed Liomiori, and the eight-tailed Bitaki, though these reports are few and far between. One reason it is said that Amikavi is no longer seen in the forest is that she is following the Hie, the great Eastern King of the Veil, as his guardian. This honor is a matter of pride by those who live in and around the forest, including the Village of Hamorin, the Village of Bade, and the Village of Task.
The book also listed a few actual fables of which Amikavi was a part, but Grimhai cleared his throat, drawing her attention away from the book. On her wrist, however, two screens popped up:
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [History and Lore]:Rank - Beginner
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Cryptozoology]Rank - Beginner
¡°So many skills...¡± Guin muttered out loud. Where is one even supposed to begin? ¡°...Indeed,¡± Grimhai said and took the book from her hands. Attempting to protest, Guin opened her mouth, but Grimhai spoke over her. ¡°Many skills. And while some skills will have a direct effect on you as a person and as a character, most skills will only have passive effects on gameplay.¡± He shut the book and put it back on his desk. Guin pouted. ¡°For example,¡± the teacher went on, though at this point she was pining for the book and only half paying attention. ¡°Knowing [Cryptozoology] gives you a bonus when fighting creatures. This skill is also one that you can improve by fighting monsters and increasing your knowledge of creatures in an area. [Cryptozoology] also gives you access to the [Bestiary], which can be accessed through the [Cryptozoology] skill screen, or by summoning it directly. ¡°[History and Lore] works similarly, giving you access to the [History of Uldarin] and [Lore of Uldarin] screens. The [History and Lore] skill also gives you a bonus when dealing with knowledgeable NPCs. If you can learn and recall relevant information and use it in negotiations, you can gain extra quests, bonuses, or quest information.¡± ¡°Where would I have access to such books?¡± she asked, still eyeing where the Cryptozoology book had been put away. ¡°The world is full of books,¡± He mused. When she looked up, she saw him leaning back in his chair, a grin on his face. Feeling her cheeks flush, Guin recoiled back into her chair, shoved her hands under her legs, and dropped her gaze to the floor like a child. ¡°Though, there are other ways to gain skills,¡± he went on, leaning forward onto his desk again. ¡°Another way to learn is simply to listen. For example, I shall give you some information: ¡°If you leave Bade taking the road to the east, you shall find yourself in the sacred city of Miala¡¯De Rii, City of the Dead. If you take the road to the northeast, you will find yourself deep in the White Fox Forest, and if you go far enough in the same direction, you will find yourself in the Silver Teeth ¡ª the Mist Moon Mountains. To the West, you will find the grand city of Xenthus, City of Owls. To the south, after crossing the Tagett River, you shall enter the Noble Clan¡¯s Territory, and if you travel for two days, you shall find yourself in Cryvaria, the Imperial city. In Bade, there are no roads that lead directly north.¡±
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Geography]Rank - Beginner
Guin flicked the window away. Interesting, Guin thought. So what he is saying is that I can basically learn by eavesdropping. ¡°The [Geography] skill has many different applications. Most skills in this game have sub-skills that can also be learned. For instance, if you go and learn from Scribe Marlon how to make maps, you can learn a sub-skill. Why don¡¯t you go and ask him to teach you?¡± Grimhai smiled warmly. Getting antsy anyway, she got up and went over to where the scribe was looking over the shoulders of his students. Chapter 15 Scribe Marlon was a serious-looking elderly man with half-moon spectacles and a long, triangular beard that cascaded all the way down his robes to the tips of his pointed shoes. At her approach, the straight line of his lips turned into a frown. ¡°A new student, are you?¡± he said quickly. ¡°And that Grimhai sent you to me? Of course, he did, fool boy. The young have no respect for the proper way of doing things. And what, he expects me to teach you something? Decades! You¡¯d need decades to learn a craft as worthy as mine!¡± ¡°Er...¡± Not quite sure how to handle the scribe, who seemed to become more agitated by the moment, Guin decided to press on the quest point. ¡°Really, if you could just teach me something about your subject, I would greatly appreciate it. Certainly, the art of map-making is a respectable career that I am not worthy of following, but it is something that I admire and would like to know more about.¡± Though he still disapproved of her, he ¡®hmmed¡¯ in a low tone. ¡°An appreciation of an art is one thing, but don¡¯t expect yourself to be capable,¡± he told her and waved at an empty desk. ¡°Sit, and I shall be quick.¡± Guin did as she was told, and the scribe pulled out a handful of maps and placed them in front of her. ¡°These are maps of the area that I have drawn myself. This, here.¡± He pointed to a complex, beautiful design in the top right corner of a map of the area around Bade. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°A compass rose?¡± she replied. He seemed to approve and continued, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a very important thing. In most cases, however, unless you buy maps of those Treasure Clan fools, the top of the page shall always be North. Moving on. What is this?¡± He pointed to a scribble on the bottom right. She considered for a moment. ¡°A scale?¡± ¡°Correct. Good,¡± he said, sounding like he was beginning to warm to her. Guin refrained from laughing. ¡°Now this. What is this?¡± ¡°...A legend,¡± she answered. He snapped his fingers excitedly. Finding it kind of cute, Guin smiled. She supposed this game anticipated that the person playing had a child¡¯s basic knowledge of everything and was designed to fill in those gaps. He asked her a dozen or so other questions about the map, mostly regarding the weights of lines and the contour lines, growing increasingly excited with every answer she got correct. He happily allowed her to try drawing her own, giving her a quill and ink well. She happily completed her map, copying one of Scribe Marlon¡¯s maps of Bade and the forest around it down to the drawings of the motifs with which he had decorated it. As she finished, several notifications popped up:
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Geography - Cartography]Rank ¨C Beginner
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Calligraphy]Rank ¨C Beginner
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Fine Arts]Rank ¨C Beginner
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Fine Arts - Drawing] Rank ¨C Beginner
Ignoring Guin¡¯s jaw-dropping along with her heart at the ridiculous nature of those skills, Scribe Marlon began to fawn over her work. With the quest requirements completed, she thanked the scribe for his time and returned to report to Grimhai. Grimhai was still sitting at his desk, looking out over the classes. She sat back in the chair and said, ¡°Teacher Grimhai, I have done as you asked.¡± ¡°Very good,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°And it looks like you have made the great accomplishment of finishing the task without further upsetting our poor Scribe Marlon. A great feat indeed. Now you should have at least one Sub-Skill. Please pull up your skill window.¡± Doing so, Guin wondered if she had visibly paled at the sheer number of skills she now possessed. The screen was a nice design, with each skill having its own seal-like graphic to differentiate it from the others.
SKILLS [Animal Handling] Rank ¨C Beginner [Calligraphy] Rank ¨C Beginner [Charismatic] Rank ¨C Beginner Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. [Charismatic ¨C Beguiling] Rank ¨C Intermediate [Cryptozoology] Rank ¨C Beginner [Domestic] Rank - Beginner [Fine Arts] Rank ¨C Beginner [Fine Arts ¨C Drawing] Rank ¨C Beginner [Geography] Rank ¨C Beginner [Geography ¨C Cartography] Rank ¨C Beginner [History and Lore] Rank ¨C Beginner [Hunting] Rank ¨C Beginner [Stealth] Rank ¨C Beginner [Stealth - Burglary] Rank ¨C Beginner
¡°Well, well,¡± he said. ¡°You certainly have been busy! You have a number of skills at your disposal already. I will now explain how general skills and sub-skills work. Each general skill and sub-skill has its own experience bar. When you work on a general skill, you gain experience in that skill. If you work on a sub-skill, you get the full experience in the sub-skill, and half the experience in the general skill under which it falls. General skills and sub-skills require the same amount of experience to gain a proficiency level. ¡°Rank - Beginner requires 1 XP to achieve. Rank - Intermediate requires 1,000 XP to achieve. Rank - Advanced, 10,000 XP, Craftsman, 100,000 XP; and so on, until the final achievable rank of Grandmaster at 1,000,000 XP. There are currently 0 Grandmasters in TheirWorld.¡± Almost gagging in dismay, Guin looked at her skill window. How many people were out there trying to be a Grandmaster in one of these skills, and yet there wasn¡¯t a single one? Even in combat skills? ¡°To progress in a rank,¡± the instructions went on, ¡°you must also fulfill a quest given by a mentor in that skill. ¡°Note that to use a sub-skill to its full potential, the sub-skill and the general skill must be at the same rank. In this case, the sub-skill is a slave to the general skill. Using your skills as an example, while you have the sub-skill [Charismatic ¨C Beguiling] at Intermediate Rank, since your [Charismatic] skill is only Beginner Rank, you can only use your [Charismatic ¨C Beguiling] at Beginner Rank. That said, if the general skill is a higher rank than the sub-skill, the sub-skill will receive a bonus equal to half the experience points of the differential. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± Guin nodded. In theory, she did, at least. If she was correct, it was fairly logical so far ¡ª just difficult to keep track of. Essentially, you couldn¡¯t function as a true Grandmaster of a sub-skill without broad knowledge of the general subjects involved. On the other hand, you could just power through focusing on one sub-skill to level a general skill, though that would take more time. There were a lot of angry players who had been complaining about how slow the skill progression was, but it made sense to her. One didn¡¯t become a master craftsman overnight. ¡°Lastly, it can be very difficult to keep track of skills. There is a system in place that allows you to select as many skills as you wish to be filed on a separate page for quicker access. Please open your skill window again,¡± Grimhai instructed. ¡°There, you will see that each skill has a small check box next to it. Choose a skill, and check that box. Next, you will see to the left that there is a tab that says ¡®Saved Skills.¡¯ Click on that box.¡± Guin clicked the box on [Cryptozoology] and clicked on the ¡®Saved Skills¡¯ tab. [Cryptozoology] was listed alone. ¡°Ahh...¡± she wondered aloud. It could still get muddy, depending on how many skills a player wanted access to, but it wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°Clicking on a skill will bring up information on that skill,¡± Grimhai went on. ¡°Such as the benefits of having the skill, what the skill will give you if you continue leveling it, examples of what the skill affects, the experience required for the next level, and various other things. It is very beneficial to keep track of these bonuses, as they may be useful to you in the future. In the end, each skill has its own rules and quirks, but it¡¯s best to seek advice from specific skill masters about those as they become relevant. Shall we move on?¡±
A quest has been updated! It is time to start your lessons! Accept this quest to begin a series of game tutorials. You must fulfill the basic five lessons of the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar. You have finished the second lesson: UPDATE: The Third Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai¡¯s introduction to factions. Follow his instructions to gain a randomized faction quest. This quest is REQUIRED. <>
Guin nodded. This was a lot of information to take in at once. The consensus among other players had been that it was worth it to sit through the first teacher¡¯s lessons, however. She felt like she had been a pretty docile player, but she had gotten some benefits from it, so she decided to continue. ¡°Excellent,¡± Grimhai nodded. ¡°The next things that I will teach you about are the factions in the world and your reputation with those factions. There are many factions with whom you gain reputations and sub-reputations, though the sub-system for factions works slightly differently than that for skills. While reputations do not outright affect your character, having a high positive reputation with a faction can give you access to exclusive quests, allow you to wear faction-specific equipment, use faction-specific mounts and pets, and allow you access to higher-ranked NPCs. First, let¡¯s talk about how you gain faction points. ¡°There are various ways to attain faction reputation points ¡ª though some factions have more specific requirements than others. One of the easiest ways to gain faction points is to complete quests.¡± Taking a piece of paper from his desk, Grimhai began scribbling on it with a quill. He only took a moment to finish ¡ª though she couldn¡¯t see, she assumed he was only signing it ¡ª rolled it up, sealed it with melted wax, and handed it to her. ¡°Take this letter of introduction to Pastor Jormund in the Imperial Church of The Lady. He will ask you to perform a task for him. Once you have completed his task and gone to him for your reward, you may return to me.¡± Hesitantly, Guin took the scroll from his hands, then stood, put the letter in her bag, and stretched. ¡°All right! I will be back as soon as this quest is complete!¡± With that, Guin turned to leave. Chapter 16 Grimhai opened the schoolhouse doors with a flourish. Guin flinched from the strength of the sunlight. It was now roughly noon in the real world and four in the afternoon in-game. Her stomach grumbled. Apparently, the first thing she needed to do was log off and find lunch. After she ate and checked her messages, she logged back in and found her way to the Church of The Lady. She had remembered seeing it earlier. The tall building stood out pretty well, its bright red doors drawing the eye compared to the other buildings around it, which were all painted in pale or dark colors. Pushing the doors open, the first thing that struck her was the heavy presence of incense. The next was the architecture, the stained-glass windows, the murals; the place was a work of art, from the door to the pulpit, and she was certain that the rest of the building beyond the main chapel would be the same. There were a handful of people praying in the pews. There was a group of men talking over to the side, one of whom was wearing a white alb with a patterned red and gold stole. Judging that to be the man whom she needed to find, Guin walked over to the group. ¡°E-Excuse me?¡± Guin said, tilting her head to the side. The pastor ¡ª whom she judged to be human ¡ª looked at her with surprise, then with warmth. He lifted his hands and placed them together in front of his face with a small bow. ¡°Good afternoon, my child. Welcome to the Imperial Church of The Lady. The Lady welcomes all into her grace. How can I be of service to you this day?¡± Guin stared at him. Something about him... There was something in the man¡¯s aura that struck her as odd. ¡°Child?¡± the pastor asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Are you well? Are you in need of healing?¡± ¡°Ah ¡ª no,¡± she answered, as she felt her neck hairs stand at his touch. Pushing his hand away, she asked, ¡°Are you Pastor Jormund?¡± The pastor smiled. ¡°Indeed I am.¡± Guin shuffled through her pack and pulled out the letter. ¡°Teacher Grimhai sent me here, asking me to deliver this letter to you,¡± she said, handing it to him.. ¡°Ho-ho,¡± he went, taking the letter from her gingerly. ¡°Grimhai, is it?¡± He read the letter before looking down at her again. ¡°So you are a new student at the School of Good Books, then! I see! It just so happens that I need someone to deliver a package for me! There is an old widow down by the village farms who requested a prayer shawl to be made. It was finished just yesterday. Would you be willing to deliver it? I¡¯ll give you a token in exchange.¡±
You have been offered a quest! At the request of Teacher Grimhai, Pastor Jormund of the Imperial Church of The Lady has asked you to deliver a package to an old widow. This quest is OPTIONAL. <> <> <>
¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Guin said, giving the verbal command. Accepting the package, she slid it into her bag. ¡°Thank you!¡± replied the pastor. ¡°The widow¡¯s name is Alta Noin. If you go to the community barn on the eastern road, take the first left off that main road. You should see her little cabin overlooking the fields about one minute down that path.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± And turning, she went out the doors of the church. As soon as her feet touched the dirt, she began to run back toward the stable where she had met Giran Rune. She looked for the pretty white stallion, but he was nowhere to be found. She left the stables and, following the pastor¡¯s instructions, she slowed when she found herself in a very familiar place. She stopped walking, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end again. The scene was right out of the image on the card Gomi had given her. A solitary cottage sat quietly against the backdrop of the forest, with a wheat field spread out before it. She went to the cottage and knocked on the door. ¡°Hello?¡± She called, standing on her tiptoes, trying to look through the little window at the top of the door. ¡°Mrs. Noin?¡± She knocked again. No answer. Hmm. Guin looked around her. There was no one on the roads ¡ª not even spirits ¡ª and the air was oddly still. Guin walked around the house. Should she call someone to check if the woman was okay? Was there something else that she was supposed to do first? Was this one of those quests that had more than one stage to it? But it was a tutorial quest... You really need to stop underestimating things, Guin. A sharp sound came from the bushes by the forest¡¯s edge. Guin looked over and tried to find the source, trying to trace who or what was making the noise. Biting her lip, she looked in her bag for ideas. The bags in TheirWorld functioned much as they did in every other MMORPG she had ever played: there was a weight limit and a space limit, but the bags themselves always seemed to defy any science. Of course, Guin was just starting so all she had in her bag was some bread, water, and the quest items. Her heart sank as she realized that she had no weapons at all. If something attacked her here, what would she do? Oh, suck it up! This is the tutorial, idiot, she scolded, shaking her head. Eyeing the bushes warily, she returned to the cottage door and knocked again. ¡°Mrs. Noin? Hello? Pastor Jormund sent me to deliver a package!¡± The bushes shook again, and Guin¡¯s heart went cold. Balling her hands into fists, she slowly stepped over to the bushes. ¡°H-Hello?¡± she asked the foliage. Her heart nearly stopped when a small-and-fuzzy something leaped out from the bushes. Guin fell backward onto the ground with a shriek as it hit her chest. She smacked at it to push it off of her, but she missed as it hopped over her head and to the ground again. Scuffling away as fast as she could, nearly in tears from fright, she reached for a stick on the side of the road. Pointing her pitiful ¡®weapon¡¯ at it, she calmed down enough to see what it was that had attacked her. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Small, beady-eyed, and the color of an orange creamsicle bar, the baby fox stared at her with as much apparent fear and confusion as she imagined it was getting from her. Its tiny chest was rising and falling like a hummingbird¡¯s wings as it stood defensively, ready to pounce again. The two held their staring contest for at least a minute until Guin¡¯s annoyance and anger boiled up, and she threw the stick at the ground. ¡°Yah!¡± she half-shouted, half-cried at it as it crouched and looked at her in alarm. ¡°What were you thinking? If I had a weapon, I would have killed you, stupid thing!¡± The little fox¡¯s eyes were wide, and it began to shiver. Taking a deep breath and putting a hand to her face, she calmed down enough to allow the tension to ebb and her shoulders to sag. ¡°Get out of here before someone with an actual weapon comes along. Go. Git! Shoo!¡± She waved it away. The little fox, however, just stared at her. Guin tilted her head. Is it a spirit? She wondered. Somehow it looked like the little thing was about to cry, and guilt crept through her. Kneeling, she held her hand out to it. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m not gonna hurt you; don¡¯t look so scared.¡± It stared at her hand, then glanced at her. Hesitantly, it took a step toward her, nose twitching, smelling the air. Guin smiled. Watching her carefully, the baby fox sniffed at her fingers. The door of the cottage rattled. The little fox lifted its head in alarm, ears and eyes pointed toward the noise. A little old lady emerged, asking, ¡°Hello? Is someone out here?¡± The kit took off back towards the woods in a shot, leaving Guin on the ground, alone. She stood and brushed the dirt off her knees and her butt. ¡°Mrs. Noin?¡± Guin jogged over to the old lady. ¡°Eh?¡± The gleeful smile on her face lifted all the wrinkles on her face as she leaned in with a hand around her ear. ¡°Did you say something?¡± she asked. Her voice was soft as her smile was gentle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dearie, I¡¯m a little hard of hearing.¡± ¡°Are you Mrs. Noin? Mrs. Alta Noin?¡± Guin said, speaking a little slower and more clearly. Still giving her a wonderful smile, the woman nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. Smiling herself, Guin reached into her bag and pulled out the package that the pastor had given her. She pointed to it and said, ¡°This was sent by Pastor Jormund!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± replied Mrs. Noin. ¡°How nice of Pastor Jormund. Thank him for me. And you, dearie, why don¡¯t you come in and have a cup of tea before you leave?¡± The old lady gingerly took the package from Guin¡¯s hands and motioned for her to go inside. ¡°Ah,¡± Guin hesitated but gave in as the old woman insisted.
Quest Updated! At the request of Teacher Grimhai, Pastor Jormund of the Imperial Church of The Lady has asked you to deliver a package to an old widow. You have delivered the package as promised. Return to Pastor Jormund for your reward. This quest is OPTIONAL. <>
Guin waved the window away as she followed Mrs. Noin inside. The house was warm, quaint, and clean. It was filled with trinkets that looked of little value but were well cared for. ¡°Jormund is a nice boy. But I remember when he first came to this town; oh, what a troublesome child he was!¡± Mrs. Noin¡¯s smile was fond as she set about to minding the cooking fire on the hearth. After hanging a kettle over the fire, she pulled out a set of pretty clay cups and filled a teapot with some herbs. ¡°I worked for his mother back then. A sweet, headstrong child he was. It¡¯s good that he grew into himself so quickly. I do wish he would find a wife and settle down, though. It makes me happy that he still thinks enough of me to send me things, but I worry he has too much free time.¡± She cleaned up the counters she was working on as she chatted away. ¡°He and my husband never saw eye-to-eye. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t, you know. His mother was the same way. Headstrong. She was always trying to convert my husband to her faith. Jormund¡¯s mother was a Paladin of the Inner Sanctum, you see. A great woman in the eyes of the church, and my husband was ¡ª well, as he was.¡± ¡°What did your husband do?¡± Guin asked in a loud, slow voice. The old woman looked at her with shining eyes. ¡°He was a great man. A great man...¡± she brought the tray with the teapot and cups and set it on the table near Guin. ¡°Sit, child, sit!¡± the woman urged. Guin did as she was told. ¡°Are you a religious person, child? Do you follow our dear Lady?¡± ¡°N-Not really...¡± Guin answered. ¡°I was just doing errands for people in town.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Mrs. Noin pondered. ¡°Then, do you know of the keeper of the woods? The great Dragon King of the Mist Moon?¡± A bit taken aback, Guin said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name.¡± ¡°So you have! Just the name, then?¡± Mrs. Noin seemed troubled as she spoke, but it quickly seemed to turn to pride. ¡°So you have. Well. You are at an age where you are still exploring the world. You¡¯ll settle down one day, I¡¯m sure! You would be surprised to know, then, that my husband was a beloved servant of the great Dragon King!¡± ¡°A servant of the Dragon King?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said. The kettle began to whistle, and the old lady took it from the hearth and poured the boiling water into the teapot to let it steep for a few minutes before pouring the tea into the cups. ¡°Now, I wouldn¡¯t say anything to Jormund about the matter. How often did he come to this house, trying to convert my husband and calling him a heretic? My husband was a sweet man; he never frowned on my faith, even though I followed a different god. He never once tried to force Jormund to accept him... perhaps that was why we could live in peace here, despite everything.¡± Mrs. Noin handed Guin a cup of tea and sat down herself. She took her own cup and leaned back in silence. Guin fiddled with the cup in her hands, the tea still too hot to drink. ¡°What does it mean to be a servant of the Dragon King?¡± Guin asked, but the old woman was staring off into the distance. Following her line of sight, it was then that Guin noticed a portrait of a man and woman ¡ª she assumed Mrs. Noin and her husband ¡ª on their wedding day. The woman was dressed all in white, with pink flowers in her hair. She was lovely, with blonde hair falling just to her shoulders. The man wasn¡¯t to be called handsome, with a thick brow, small uneven eyes, a slightly bulbous nose, and a heavy-set jaw, but there was something undeniably attractive about him in that picture. His formal wear could have been considered normal, except he seemed to be wearing a cloak of blue and white scales over one shoulder. It was interesting. Guin glanced around the room. She was slowly starting to understand what she had read about the importance of talking to people in town and developing relationships with them. She was getting the feeling that simply talking to this woman had shown her a path to two different classes she could choose to pursue. Someone had suggested that every NPC in the game world was connected to at least one class. Since every NPC in the game had, at the very least, the ability to take apprentices and pass on their own profession, this made sense. That said, it seemed like the NPCs who gave quests unrelated to their own professions were the ones people really needed to pay attention to. The two drank their tea in silence, and then Guin said, ¡°Mrs. Noin, I¡¯ll need to be going now, but thank you for the tea!¡± The woman said nothing, did nothing. She just sat and stared at the picture with a wistful smile and glistening, watery eyes. Ah, Guin thought as she placed the teacup on the tray and backed away slowly. Lost in memories, she¡¯s forgotten that I¡¯m even here. ¡°Goodbye,¡± she said and went out the door unnoticed. Chapter 17 With her quest complete, Guin ran back to the church. This time, it was quiet. It was empty. Furrowing her brows, she walked inside and found Pastor Jormund sitting in a front pew. The setup struck her as odd. Jormund was staring up at the statue of The Lady ¡ª not as one might think a priest would pray. Rather, he reminded her of how she had left Alta Noin, lost in thought. Guin stood just before him, watching him in her peripheral vision as she also took to staring at the marble statue. It was beautiful. From reading the source material, Guin knew there were upwards of ten known religions in Uldarin; The Lady was simply the official religion of the Imperial Court. It was a religion somewhat similar to human Christianity, though it was mostly based upon the Valkyrian¡¯s religion of Uram. The statue of The Lady resembled their only Goddess, the great Ur, right down to the red flower she carried in her hands. The statue stood at about six feet tall, carved from smooth, white marble. To Guin, she looked like an angel, with a beautiful, peaceful face, delicate features, and a pair of outstretched wings. In her hands was a single flower, painted a vibrant red, with each of its seven petals tipped with gold. It was a very classic piece, beautiful in its modesty. Screenshots of churches from around Uldarin had shown many different statues of The Lady ¡ª most moving or eliminating the flower from her depiction ¡ª but this was the most common image in books and paintings. There were a variety of player theories about The Lady and the differences in her depictions. Those who had delved into the church-related lore had found differing accounts of her origin and identity. After a while, Guin turned to look at Jormund, still sitting. She wasn¡¯t sure if she should be worried about him or not. He showed no signs that he would ever notice that she was standing there. His lips twitched, then pursed. Guin decided to sit in the pew in front of him. Surely he had to notice her at that point. But the silence continued. Guin looked around, but her attention was consistently drawn to the peacefulness of the statue. ¡°Do you believe in The Lady?¡± Pastor Jormund¡¯s gentle voice came from behind her. Glancing behind, she merely shook her head. His lips curled into a smile. ¡°Do you know of her?¡± he asked. She shook her head again. ¡°Ah. But is she not beautiful?¡± Guin looked back up at the statue, unsure how to feel about what he was saying. More time passed. Guin wanted to leave, but not only did she need him to finish her quest, but somehow it didn¡¯t seem appropriate. Jormund had barely moved since she found him in the pew. ¡°Oh ¡ª I¡¯m sorry!¡± He jolted back to himself suddenly. ¡°I seem to have kept you waiting. You were the one I sent to Alta Noin¡¯s, correct? Did the package make it there safely?¡± Guin looked back at him with a smile, glad for the change in the atmosphere. ¡°Yes!¡± she told him. ¡°She sends her thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s been lonely since her husband passed last spring. I worry for her, but I don¡¯t get to see her as often as I like.¡± Standing up, he added, ¡°Wait here while I get you a little something as a reward for your time.¡± Watching as he walked back toward the pulpit, Guin¡¯s curiosity about him grew. She turned her attention back to the statue. The polished marble glittered in the lights. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she heard him say as he walked back toward her. ¡°I seem to have forgotten your name.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I told you. It¡¯s Guin,¡± she answered. Pastor Jormund nodded and handed her a small bag. ¡°Here you go, Miss Guin. It isn¡¯t much, but I¡¯m sure you will use it well,¡± he smiled as she took it. ¡°I do very much appreciate what you did for me today. Mrs. Noin means quite a lot. Be careful on your way back to school!¡± Guin nodded as her quest screen popped up.
Quest Completed! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. At the request of Teacher Grimhai, Pastor Jormund of the Imperial Church of The Lady has asked you to deliver a package to an old widow. You have reported your success to Pastor Jormund and have received your rewards. Report back to Teacher Grimhai about your success. <>
Guin fiddled with the bag in her hand as she willed away the quest screen. She looked at Pastor Jormund, who went back to his seat in the pew behind her. ¡°Pastor Jormund?¡± she asked, still seated. ¡°Hmm?¡± Guin fiddled a little more with the bag of coins in her hand. ¡°Who is The Lady?¡± ¡°The Lady herself, the daughter of our Goddess, sent to us to be our leader in a time when our faith alone was not enough,¡± he answered, his eyes shifting to the statue. His smile was wistful, but his eyes seemed to be full of sorrow. ¡°Scripture tells a grand story of her fight against the Dusk Lords of old, led by their leader, Grukai. The Lady was a brave woman who fought for what she believed in. She fought for our humble souls that we might be free. She was strong. She did what she thought was right, no matter the trials she faced.¡± His voice faded as he spoke as if he was no longer in the present moment. ¡°Would that I had half her courage.¡± Guin looked at the statue curiously. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like a fighter.¡± Pastor Jormund chuckled behind her. ¡°Perhaps not,¡± he said. ¡°Not here, in this place.¡± ¡°Other places, then?¡± ¡°Other places. I grew up in Cryvaria, the Imperial city,¡± he told her, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the back of her pew. ¡°There, there are dozens of temples devoted to the Lady, and all of them have grand, painted statues of fine stones and metals, sculpted by the most skilled hands, decorated with the highest quality materials. In the Temple of Her Legacy, the central temple in Cryvaria, she stands, sword in hand pointed to the sun. Her mouth open in a battle cry, skirts fluttering, wings outstretched like an eagle striking for its prey ¡ª each wing the size of this small house ¡ª she stands against the night. Is it not marvelous?¡± His eyes lit up like a child as he described the image. Looking from him to the statue, though, she had a hard time imagining they were talking about the same individual. ¡°Maybe.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°But here, she looks... Sad.¡± ¡°...Doesn¡¯t she just,¡± his voice was quiet, and silence again fell between them. After a few moments, he leaned back in his seat. ¡°My wife used to say that in these parts, they told a very different story than we knew at the Imperial Court. Mrs. Noin, too.¡± ¡°What kind of stories?¡± Guin asked. ¡°How were they different?¡± Jormund laughed. ¡°A curious one, aren¡¯t you? How about this: I¡¯ll make a deal with you.¡± ¡°What kind of deal?¡± she asked with suspicion. ¡°Come to me again after you finish with Teacher Grimhai¡¯s lessons, and I will teach you more about the story of The Lady. In the meantime, if you want to know the stories they tell in these parts, go ask Mrs. Noin.¡± Pastor Jormund smirked. Taken aback, she gaped at him momentarily, then laughed out loud. ¡°Well?¡± he pressed her, sounding amused.
You have been offered a quest! Pastor Jormund has offered to teach you about the stories of The Lady, but requests that you visit Alta Noin in exchange. This is a ¡°Crossroads Quest,¡± and will only be ended at the discretion of the assigning NPC. This quest is OPTIONAL. <> <> <>
Crossroads Quest? She wondered. It didn¡¯t ring a bell. Still, she wanted to know his story. The Pastor had struck her as odd, but something about him drew him to her. Plus, she had to respect his intention. ¡°Deal!¡± She answered, holding her hand out. He shook it with a smile. ¡°Good!¡± Pastor Jormund gave a very genuine smile. Oh, she thought. It was a nice smile ¡ª but that made it all the more obvious that something had been wrong with him before. ¡°You really should get going. It¡¯s going to be dark soon!¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± Guin glanced at the time at the top of the screen. It was going to be dark; it already was night in the real world. ¡°Shoot!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Forget the school, I have to get home!¡± ¡°Go! Be safe on your way!¡± Rushing out of the church, she tripped and nearly fell but caught herself. She returned to the house, where she hurriedly hopped into bed and logged out. Chapter 18 When she walked into the kitchen to dig up something for dinner, Dassah found Bahena in the living room, eyes glued to the TV. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked with a careful voice. ¡°There was another ¡®incident,¡¯¡± the garule woman said with concern. ¡°Stella still in the game?¡± ¡°Another murder?¡± Dassah said as she pulled out some bread and made herself a sandwich. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of crime in the Iceberg cities, but where there was, it was big news. At first, the murders seemed like separate events, but as time passed, that assumption began to change. Bahena nodded as Dassah moved to the couch with her food. ¡°At least one. Maybe two.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Io.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... close.¡± ¡°Enough to cause concern,¡± Bahena said, nodding to the television where images and videos of officers and dogs were going through streets and people were doing tear-filled interviews. ¡°The ¡®Bergs are big but condensed enough that most communities have some contact with everyone in the area. To think all this happened without any witnesses is... frightening, to say the least.¡± A blonde announcer came into focus on the screen. ¡°Authorities are now confirming reports that more than one body has been found in the Iceberg City of Io,¡± she said. ¡°While the IFPD is not yet confirming a connection to those killed in the recent string of murders that has been spreading through the cities of Myrrh, Waithe, and Cy, sources are reporting that the killer¡¯s MOs appear to be the same. People in the areas say that....¡± ¡°It¡¯s so sad,¡± Bahena said as the camera switched to an officer talking about safety concerns. ¡°This kind of stuff shouldn¡¯t happen here.¡± ¡°What kind of stuff?¡± Stella asked as she strutted in from the hall. ¡°What¡¯s for food?¡± ¡°I just made a sandwich. The lunchmeat and cheese are on the bottom shelf,¡± Dassah told her. ¡°Thank you!¡± Stella replied. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more careful going out, Stella,¡± Bahena said. ¡°Especially those night trips you take.¡± ¡°Night trips?¡± asked Stella, blinking innocently. ¡°What night trips?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, Stell,¡± Bahena rolled her eyes. ¡°If you have to go out, at least don¡¯t go out alone.¡± ¡°La-la-la!¡± Stella started, plugging her ears with her fingers. But after a moment of letting Bahena¡¯s words settle in, she went, ¡°Wait. What? Another one?¡± ¡°At least two, from the looks of it,¡± Dassah told her. ¡°They¡¯re still waiting on confirmation. I¡¯m a little bit out of the look.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s scary.¡± Stella took a seat next to her, and they watched as the blonde announcer from before came back on screen with a large ¡®Breaking News¡¯ banner. ¡°We are just now receiving confirmation from the IFP that the body count has risen to four in the Io City Iceberg, and they do appear to be connected to the recent murders in the other cities, bringing the total confirmed number of victims to 29.¡± She looked behind her and waved her hand in the general direction of the scene. ¡°You¡¯ll see here that ¡ª that the officers here are from many different branches of the Idela Fleet Police ¡ª most notably, perhaps, are Police Chief Mari Landau, head of the Idela Fleet PD, Detective Ulari Zi, the lead Detective for the Homicide Department, and Detective Corvax Sai, who is serving as the representative of the Virtual Crimes Unit. All three of them are ¡ª I don¡¯t know if you can see them ¡ª but they are over there getting ready to hold a press conference. They will be informing everyone of today''s events and giving us as much information as they can about the process they will be following during this ongoing investigation. Please stay tuned.¡± With that, the screen returned to the red-headed man, who was reviewing the morning''s events. ¡°Four bodies?¡± Stella¡¯s face was white. ¡°How does that just magically happen? What have the police been doing?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough details to be making any real judgments on the police yet,¡± Dassah told her between bites. ¡°I¡¯ve looked into the case a bit, but they aren¡¯t announcing much to the public. The MO is always the same, but unless whoever is doing it can be in more than one place at a time, there are multiple murderers ¡ª maybe a group or even a sort of gang ¡ª which means even if they find a guilty party, the murders still happen. Plus, the only connection that all the victims seem to have is that they are either human or valkyrian.¡± ¡°So, some kind of human-valkyrian hate group?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Speculating on the matter is pointless,¡± Bahena sneered. ¡°The police are good at their job ¡ª let them do it. In the meantime, if you see anything strange, report it ¡ª it''s that simple. Or you can call me, and I¡¯ll make the bad people butter the sidewalks.¡± Her lungs tightening, Dassah cleared her throat and pointed to the screen where the tall, black-haired valkyrian woman with the commanding presence Dassah had seen give the press conferences before stood surrounded by reporters. Corvex Sai and another well-decorated bug woman flanked her. The reporters were loud, filling the camera''s microphone with tons of questions. The bug woman ¡ª whom Dassah assumed was Ultari Zi, stood with four arms crossed, the long antennae coming down from her head twitching, and emotionless, compound eyes glistening in the camera light. Her mandibles gnashed together. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Those mandibles suddenly opened wide, and the bug woman stood at attention and shouted: ¡°Respect! For! The! Chief! ...worms.¡± The area suddenly went silent. ¡°Thank you. Worms,¡± The bug woman said. The valkyrian at the front nodded to him and stepped forward. ¡°Greeting citizens of the Enclave,¡± she said in a firm but soft voice. ¡°As you know, I am Police Chief Mari Landau. With me today are Detective Ultari Zi, the detective in charge of this case, and Detective Corvex Sai, of the Virtual Crimes Unit. We have come before you today in humility and determination as we mourn the loss of our great citizens to what cause is yet unknown. Our floating continent, the Idela Fleet, has been plagued by this unknown menace for four months. Thus far, the men and women of the IFPD have been unable to stop or prevent these deaths ¡ª and for this, we experience the most heartfelt regret. There are no words of consolation that we can offer friends and families looking for justice other than this: We will catch them.¡± Chief Landau¡¯s face then changed, with silver eyes bright with a look of calm cruelty on her face as she spoke.¡°To those responsible, the guilty who may be watching this now know that the entirety of the Idela Fleet Police will be looking for you. Watching you. Thousands of years of technology and skills will be used to track you down. And when we find you, know that thousands of years of the study of pain will serve as punishment for each and every party guilty of these heinous crimes,¡± She finished, and the reporters were silent and motionless. Chief Landau nodded over to the bug-like woman to her right. Stepping forward, at ease, Ultari Zi chittered, ¡°Hail, citizens. I am Detective Ulatri Zi of the Homicide Department. I, my partner, and my hive have been working tirelessly to track down these criminals for the many past moons. I wish you to know this. I wish you all to know that we will not give up. We will not fail. Failure is not an option. Should we fail, the lives of my hive and I shall be forfeit. But my hive and I shall fight not for our sakes but for the sakes of the citizens of the Enclave¡± he told them. Dassah shivered. The bug woman was a ¡®Blee¡¯ ¡ª one of the strangest and, frankly, most horrifying creatures that Dassah knew of. It wasn¡¯t because they were bugs; Dassah herself had no problems with them. Instead, it was because they were scavengers. Blee were rare on the Enclave. They were a short-lived race compared to many others, though they had a high breeding rate. The term ¡®Blee¡¯ was a reference only to the females or their species, the ¡®blee-kai¡¯lak-chak¡¯. This was because each Blee functioned like a beehive. The Blee were the mothers, the queens. Their carapaces served as a fully functional hive, or ¡®Kai¡¯lak¡¯, comprised of brainless workers, warriors, and fliers who answered to the will of their Blee. While Dassah liked them even less than she liked the garuli, she could see how they were incredibly useful in specific jobs ¡ª police investigation being one of them ¡ª though it fed her paranoia to think about the fact that the hive could function as a personal big brother. After Ultari Zi went over the procedures and transportation issues of the next week, she called Sai up to the front ¡ª which couldn¡¯t have happened without Stella putting on a starry-eyed puppy face. Dassah rolled her eyes as the handsome, silver-haired Sai introduced himself and said, ¡°I want everyone to know that the VCU is serving as a consultant and operating behind the scenes to find any potential links and future threats. All departments of the Idela PD are on high alert and only want the citizens to be safe. We want to remind you that you can submit any complaints ¡ª including about things in web-based communities- to the IFPD at any time. If friends, family, or co-workers have been missing for more than 24 hours, please report it, and we will get to you as soon as resources allow. Now, if you have any questions ¡ª¡± ¡°Detectives,¡± a reporter went before Sai could finish. ¡°Do you think that the surrounding cities should be worried?¡± Sai gave an irritated looking smile as he answered, ¡°At this point, all cities in the fleet should be on alert, as ¡ª¡± ¡°Detective Sai ¡ª the IFPD has already released that there is no known connection to the victims. Many of the victims have already been confirmed to be TheirWorld players. Since you are so heavily involved, is the VCU investigating a possible connection through TheirWorld?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to give any details about the investigation or the victims,¡± Sai said. ¡°Please keep your questions centered around maintaining the safety of the citizens ¡ª¡± ¡°If there is a connection,¡± the same reporter pressed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the citizens know for their safety. Detective?¡± Chief Landau stepped forward and said, ¡°It is better to live than live in fear of imaginary creatures in the dark. The citizens should feel comfortable living their daily lives normally ¡ª¡± ¡°Speaking of creatures in the dark,¡± another reporter started. Chief Landau looked at him without emotion as he continued. ¡°Recently, there have been reports that the vigilante, Jackal, has been spotted in Bris, Io, and other surrounding iceberg cities. Can the police make a statement about that? Could Jackal''s appearance and the serial murders be connected?¡± Dassah blinked. Vigilante? Jackal? ¡°There is nothing to say on the matter,¡± Chief Landau said, looking straight at the man. ¡°Justice should be left to the law. If we find Jackal in our city, we will arrest him, and he shall face a court of law....¡± The questioning continued for another twenty minutes before Bahena turned the TV off in annoyance. ¡°How did a press conference about serial murders devolve into a stupid conversation about wanna-be heroes,¡± Bahena growled. ¡°Who is Jackal?¡± Dassah asked. Stella looked at her in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t know about Jackal?¡± she asked. ¡°I would have thought that it was right up your alley! Plus, isn¡¯t he on the news a lot?¡± ¡°Not sure...¡± Dassah said, crossing her arms. The Enclave had a vigilante, and she hadn¡¯t noticed. How did that happen? She wondered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Bahena said, sitting at her desk. ¡°Whatever he is doing, he¡¯s doing it wrong. He¡¯s not proud of it or wouldn¡¯t be wearing that mask.¡± Dassah furrowed her brow, ¡°Mask? Is he a valkyrian?¡± ¡°They suspect so,¡± Stella told her. ¡°But the reality is, they don¡¯t know. It¡¯s strange, though. Those who have seen him say that his mask is black.¡± ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°He painted it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s yet another mystery with too little information,¡± Bahena shrugged. ¡°Black masks have a very negative connotation in valkyrian culture. A black mask... It¡¯s saying that a person is cursed in such a way that they are never accepted in society. That someone wears one is... well, I suppose it is a form of bravery.¡± Stella was chewing on the end of a pencil when she looked up suddenly and said, ¡°Hey! Do you think Corvex Sai will visit here?¡± ¡°What?¡± Dassah groaned. ¡°Why on Earth would he?¡± ¡°Because ¡ª as Bahena said ¡ª we are so close to the crime scene! And if there¡¯s a connection to TheirWorld wouldn¡¯t we be the perfect people to interview? Or! Maybe I could submit a ticket! And have him come to ¡®save¡¯ me!¡± Bahena glared at her. ¡°You do something that stupid, and I will report you.¡± Pouting, Stella started to whine about wanting to meet her idol, Corvex Sai, the Silver Hound, the face of Virtual Crimes Unit and unofficial celebrity. Dassah could only take so much of it and retired to her room. Chapter 19 In the School of Good Books, watching Grimhai sleeping at his desk. For the first time in an MMO, Guin wondered if NPCs had homes and beds to go to. She wasn¡¯t sure what she should do. Should she wake him up? Did NPCs need sleep? Scribe Marlon walked over with a disdainful look on his face. Guin lifted a hand to stop him, but she was too late. He¡¯d taken a rolled-up piece of parchment and smacked Grimhai hard across the head. ¡°Wake up, you fool!¡± Marlon roared. The young teacher shot up, glasses askew, drool running down his chin, muttering unintelligible noises. ¡°Don¡¯t keep the girl waiting when she has been running ridiculous errands for you! What nonsense. These young teachers....¡± The scribe didn¡¯t even glance at Guin as he walked away, muttering obscenities. Dazed, Grimhai stared out at the room, his eyes glazed as he licked his lips. Guin giggled. His glasses were hanging by one ear, his hair was flattened on one side of his head, and there was ink all over his fur from the paper he had been sleeping on. ¡°Hmhmph...¡± He went, blinking and looking around. His eyebrows rose slowly as he began to realize what was going on. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± He squinted at Guin, who was covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. He adjusted his glasses, appearing shocked that they were half-off his face. ¡°Ah. Ah!¡± As if realizing suddenly what had happened over the last few minutes, Grimhai scrambled to make himself presentable. ¡°I ¡ª ah ¡ª Do forgive me, Miss Guin; it appears that I fell asleep at my desk last night!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! Don¡¯t fuss! I wasn¡¯t even going to wake you, but....¡± Guin couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he smudged the ink further into his fur. ¡°Y-You should probably go wash your face!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He looked at a shiny metal object on his desk and gasped in horror. ¡°Do excuse me...¡± he quickly got up and disappeared behind a door. He returned about five minutes later, looking considerably more professional, and sat back in his chair. ¡°Now then,¡± he said. ¡°Where were we?¡± Guin smiled at him. ¡°I have done as you asked and obeyed the request of Pastor Jormund.¡± ¡°Ah! Very good, then! Why don¡¯t you pull up your faction page so we can look at what you have gained?¡± He rubbed his hands together. Guin pulled up the screen:
FACTIONS <[Church of The Lady] 250> <[Mist] 1500> <[Mist ¨C Bade] 250> <[Spirit] 1000> <[Spirit ¨C Fox] 500>
¡°I see!¡± he said, looking it over. ¡°Very good. Now, how do faction points work? Any one faction begins at 0, which is considered average, and it will rise and fall from there depending on your choices in the game. You can lose or earn main faction points on a scale between 40,000 and -40,000, and sub-faction points between 10,000 and -10,000. Keep in mind that it is easier to lose points than it is to gain them. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Now you can see on your sheet that factions have sub-factions, similar to skills and sub-skills, but sub-factions work differently. ¡°Let¡¯s use the [Mist] faction as an example. The [Mist] faction itself is a general faction for all things related to the Mist Clan. Should you remain in Mist Clan territory, the majority of the NPCs you will meet will be influenced by this score. Quests you receive from the Mist Clan will almost always result in a change in this number. However, sub-faction points are only earned from certain places and in certain areas. ¡°These sub-faction points can be very beneficial because, unlike skills, the sub-faction points function as a bonus to the main faction skill in relevant circumstances. For example, you have a faction score of 1500 for the [Mist] faction. In addition, you have an extra 250 points for the [Mist - Bade] faction, which means that your total faction score in the Village of Bade is 1750. While this number makes little difference now if someone achieved the highest possible faction score of 40,000 and the sub-faction score limit of 10,000, they would have a total of 50,000 faction points for a given faction. A score between 40,000 and 50,000 has special unlockable quests, interactions, dungeons, and more. Benefits that only a devoted player might earn.¡± If Guin¡¯s head wasn¡¯t spinning before, it certainly was now. At least the math was simple. ¡°So...¡± she started. ¡°Each town in the game has a faction?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he answered as if it were perfectly normal. ¡°Each town, each race, each trades-guild, each company. Some base factions have nearly one thousand possible sub-factions.¡± As she struggled to imagine what her screen would look like with all of those factions, she asked, ¡°So, is there a way to organize them, like with skills?¡± ¡°There is; much the same system as skills,¡± he told her. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to keep track of these numbers unless you want to, and I would suggest you don¡¯t at this stage. Like your stats, faction reputation points will change naturally as you play. ¡°The way you play should reflect on your character, and the world will react to that character as it is ¡ª which may or may not be as you think it should. Trying too hard for one thing or another may have the opposite effect on your goal. Do you have any other questions?¡± Guin shook her head, and Grimhai nodded. ¡°Then let us move on to your next task.¡±
A quest has been updated! It is time to start your lessons! Accept this quest to begin a series of game tutorials. You must fulfill the basic five lessons of the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar. You have finished the third lesson. UPDATE: The Fourth Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai¡¯s introduction to training and combat. Follow his instructions to learn basic combat. This quest is REQUIRED. <>
Guin accepted the quest with excitement. Though she didn¡¯t consider herself a particularly violent individual, there was a certain romance about game combat that was more thrilling than anything else. While she didn¡¯t have the time or resources to learn a martial art in the real world, anything would be open to her here, from hand-to-hand combat to actual magic. The magic-like abilities of the valkyrians made it even more interesting. They had spent tens of thousands of years researching and developing their craft, and those findings made their way into TheirWorld for everyone else to enjoy. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± she said, sitting on the edge of her chair. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°This tutorial should be relatively easy. I¡¯m going to send you right outside to speak with Qii. You should know whim when you see him; he has a vendetta against shirts. More importantly, he is Bade¡¯s foremost combat expert. He should be able to give you some basic instructions for combat and ability use. Come back to me once you have gained a few combat skills.¡± With that, he waved her away. Chapter 20 As soon as she exited the schoolhouse, she found the shirtless valkyrian she had seen the other day, his bright green mystriks splattered across his chest, sparkling in the sun. Today''s children in the sand pit were the same ones she had seen before. The man looked impressive ¡ª until he yawned widely. Guin snorted as she went up to him. ¡°Excuse me? Are you Mr. Qii?¡± Not bothering to look at her, he answered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well,¡± she began, not bothering to hide her irritation at his curt reply. ¡°My name is Guin Grey. Teacher Grimhai sent me to learn about combat from you.¡± The man leveled his eyes with hers, then looked away. ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Y-You don¡¯t care ...¡± she repeated. ¡°Great. Well, I care.¡± Qii stared at her. ¡°You want to kill?¡± ¡°If I do?¡± Guin put her hands on her hips. ¡°Then go,¡± he said, turning his attention back to the children fighting in the pit. ¡°Hey!¡± she half-shouted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to teach me?¡± This time he glared at her. Guin felt herself shrinking back from the power of his gaze. Whatever else, she had underestimated him. ¡°You want to kill so badly?¡± he asked, venom in his voice. Guin began to feel like she had made a grave error in her approach to this NPC. ¡°So keen on taking life? You don¡¯t need skill to do that ¡ª and I¡¯ll not teach you with so low a bar to be set.¡± ¡°Ah ¡ª but...!¡± Qii walked away from her. Guin sighed. Now what? She wondered. Was it possible to fail a tutorial quest? She had never heard of such a thing. Then again, this was TheirWorld. There were other teachers she could approach, though she just then noticed that the archery teacher she had seen before was absent from the grounds. Then she smiled. TheirWorld indeed. There was more than one way to skin a cat! Betting that Grimhai would at least be able to direct her to a weapon, she decided to forget about Qii for now and focus merely on earning the combat skill that the quest required. In the meantime, she decided it would be a good time to actively start working on the quest she had gotten from Garun, the spirit horse. Teacher Grimhai might also know something about the Veil Ants. Grimhai looked very confused when she went back. ¡°Why have you returned so soon?¡± he asked her. Guin scratched her head, unsure how she would pull this off. ¡°Uhh... you see,¡± she scolded herself internally for the hesitation in her voice. She took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Mr. Qii told me I should get a weapon from you and then return to him.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Grimhai asked her. ¡°From me? Why would he send you to me for such a thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said, perhaps too quickly, as she wracked her brain for a believable excuse. ¡°I asked him that, but he looked away and ignored me. I don¡¯t think that he likes me much.¡± To her relief, Grimhai nodded wearily. ¡°I apologize on his behalf,¡± he said, reaching into his desk and pulling out a small dagger. Guin took it from his hand gingerly. ¡°Qii is a bit of a stubborn man. Admittedly, he is difficult for anyone to deal with. He is ¡ª well, was ¡ª one of the best warriors in the Mist Clan, before the accident. I¡¯m afraid his wounded pride has turned a once prideful, kind man into a jaded, miserable one. He did not deserve such a fate.¡± Guin tilted her head. ¡°Accident?¡± Face fallen, Grimhai nodded. ¡°Back when he served as a knight in Xenthus, our capital. During the Festival of Lights, foreigners from all over had come to celebrate; celebrations mean merry-making of all sorts. As the story goes, Qii saved some poor boy from being run over by horses spooked by a gang of drunkards.¡± Guin shifted awkwardly. ¡°It took him many months to recover, and much of his strength will never return. It was a true pity; it was said that he was in line to become a Tenmath.¡± Grimhai sat down at his desk with a heavy sigh. ¡°Still, he is a good teacher.¡± Good teacher, huh? Guin cursed herself. She had taken the wrong attitude with him. ¡°Tenmath?¡± she asked then. ¡°He was in line to become a Tenmath?¡± Grimhai nodded. ¡°Do you know of the Tenmath? It isn¡¯t common knowledge, at least not in these parts.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little.¡± He seemed surprised but nodded cordially, ¡°So you understand what it means, to some degree?¡± The Tenmath. Though it wasn¡¯t a publicized part of the TheirWorld lore, it was widely speculated by the player community that becoming a Tenmath or achieving one of what was called a ¡®Tenmath Class¡¯ was the true goal of the game. Hidden like easter eggs throughout the game, the Tenmath Classes were considered the ultimate character classes, to the point of being horrendously overpowered. The last time Dassah had checked, five Tenmath Classes had been confirmed, two from the same branch. There was speculation about another twenty or so that seemed possible, based on lore and quest chains that people were still working on. ¡°I know they are powerful,¡± she answered honestly. ¡°Do you know of the Compasses, then?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them,¡¯ she told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about them, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to be familiar with them, though unless you get involved with the church, it won¡¯t affect you much,¡± he said. ¡°The Compasses are... Simply put, they are not a part of the Church of the Lady but servants of all gods and goddesses. There is the Compass of the Day, which Serves the Bright Lady, and the Compass of the Night, which serves the Void Lord. Each Compass comprises five elected members: the four guardians of the directions and the Heart. The Heart serves as the voice of the gods, receiving and interpreting visions, dreams, stories, and words from all over the world into a message from their respective power, choosing directions for the followers to travel, and thus the world itself. The four guardians serve the Heart, aiding in the collection of stories and spreading the messages of the gods. If the Heart falls, a new heart is chosen from one of the four by an election and replaced with a qualifying Tenmath.¡± ¡°Qualifying?¡± ¡°Only certain Tenmath may become a part of a specific Compass. For example, the Compass of the Sun will not accept any sort of thieves or mages who have anything to do with blood or demon magic. Those are seen as the workings of the Black Lord. Likewise, you¡¯ll not find a holy cleric or true knight among the Tenmath of the Compass of the Night. From there, the Tenmath have a competition, though how that competition is formed is a mystery to those outside the circle.¡±
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. [History and Lore ¨C The Tenmath] :Rank ¨C Beginner
¡°Hmm,¡± Guin toyed with the dagger in her hand. Even she could tell it was a lousy thing; it was probably just a step above a letter opener. It would be fine for her for now, though. Regarding the Compasses, it didn¡¯t surprise her that Grimhai had said what he did, nor was he incorrect. About most of it, anyway, if you didn¡¯t delve into it. If you did, however, it seemed that the game''s so-called ¡®surface lore¡¯ was riddled with half-truths. The player community had confirmed the existence of not two but four Compasses, with a speculated total of eight. Not much had been revealed yet, but there had been a lot of speculation that these Compasses would be the focus of future expansions. ¡°If you have no other questions....¡± Grimhai waved her toward the door in a not-so-subtle suggestion for her to be about her business. ¡°Oh!¡± she exclaimed after thinking for a moment. ¡°Teacher Grimhai, do you know what a Veil Ant is and how I could find one?¡± ¡°A Veil Ant?¡± he seemed taken aback. ¡°Why do you seek a Veil Ant?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just... Someone in the village was asking about them,¡± she answered. She wasn¡¯t sure how an NPC would react to the idea that she had been talking to spirits in the village. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I know anything about any sort of Veil creatures, but if you ask Miss Povari out under the Kelavo tree, she might know something,¡± he told her. Nodding, Guin turned to leave the schoolhouse. She heard a ding, followed by a popup window.
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Charisma - Deceit]: Rank ¨C Beginner
Sorry Grimhai! With a giggle, Guin stuck her tongue out and headed toward the young woman who had been teaching under the tree. She had no idea what a Kelavo tree was, but that felt like a safe assumption. Edging closer to the group, she heard the young woman talking to the children around her about the purple flowers in red and blue pots scattered around the tree''s base. From what Guin heard of the instruction, these were some sort of edible flower. ¡°Now, children, be advised that there is another flower that looks similar,¡± the woman said, taking a blue pot into her hands. ¡°This is a Milaou flower. It is almost identical to the Seitbloom flower, except, if you notice here, a red vein runs down the center of the petals. Also, the Seitbloom flower has a total of six petals, but the Milaou flower only has five,¡± she lectured, pointing out the differences as she spoke. ¡°While the Seitbloom can be used as an herb and a supplement to promote good health, the flower of the Milaou can make a person sick for several days, even to the point of death.¡±
Congratulations! You have discovered a skill! [Herbalism]:Rank ¨C Beginner
The window faded as the children thanked the teacher and ran off to play. After they all had gone, the young woman smiled up at Guin. ¡°Hello there!¡± she said. ¡°Welcome! My name is Kaori Povari. I am an herbalist here in Bade. Did you come here to learn about healing and the natural world?¡± ¡°Not really. Pardon, Teacher Povari, I will come to learn from you some other time,¡± Guin said. The young teacher gave her a confused look. ¡°I spoke to Teacher Grimhai earlier, and he sent me to you. Someone in the village asked about Veil Ants, and I wondered where I might find one.¡± ¡°A Veil Ant?¡± she repeated. ¡°Why, that¡¯s... Well. That might be considered common knowledge, though anyone who doesn¡¯t know the land of the spirits would know about them. Veil Ants aren¡¯t very difficult to find at all. In fact,¡± she pointed up into the tree. ¡°There are some that live in this tree!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Guin asked, looking into the tree and seeing nothing but leaves. ¡°What do they look like?¡± Teacher Povari laughed. ¡°They are simply white ants. They aren¡¯t even spirits, though some say in this village that those who can see spirits will be able to speak with them!¡± ¡°I see. So, are they in all the trees?¡± ¡°In most, I would imagine. They only live in trees. They help the trees they live in by fighting off other harmful bugs,¡± she continued. ¡°They are edible as well. Eating a Veil Ant can cure many kinds of poisons. They are pretty tasty, too. If you ever eat the wrong thing in the woods, you can eat a few Veil Ants to stave off death. They can even help cure the poison of the flower I was just showing the children: the Milaou flower.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Guin wondered aloud, though she had no desire to eat any ants, tasty, life-saving, or otherwise. ¡°So if I climb this tree, I could meet a Veil Ant?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about ¡®meeting¡¯ one,¡± Povari answered, obviously amused. ¡°But certainly you can see one. Why don¡¯t you go ahead? I¡¯ll give you a leg up and make sure you don¡¯t fall!¡± ¡°Really? Thank you, Teacher!¡± Guin exclaimed and ran up to the tree. ¡°Here you go!¡± Teacher Povari knelt and gave Guin a hand as she climbed up to her shoulders. Once she got her footing, she was high enough to reach a low branch. With that and another push from the teacher, Guin could scramble up the tree. After finding a good, sturdy branch to rest on, one far enough away from the ground that a whispered conversation could be mistaken for the breeze, she decided to test the idea that those with Veil Sight could speak with the Veil Ants. ¡°Hello?¡± she hissed. ¡°Veil Ants? Little Veil Ants!¡± After a moment, it seemed that her call was being answered. Several little white ants appeared before her. They seemed to be talking to one another in tiny voices, wondering who she was and whether she could hear them. While Guin marveled at them, a larger white ant with crimson eyes came over to rest on the tree at her eye level. ¡°Who calls us? Speak now, or we shall depart with haste,¡± came a curt, barely audible voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you,¡± Guin said. ¡°But I was sent here by a horse spirit named Giran Rune. He sent me to find a great wise owl?¡± ¡°Oh-ho!¡± the ant acknowledged her words pompously. ¡°Greetings then, friend of The Watcher. I am Ji-Or-Pon, leader of the warrior ants of this colony and one of the Grand Guardians of the White Fox Forest!¡± Slightly taken aback at the commanding aura the tiny ant gave off with his introduction, Guin nodded. ¡°N-Nice to meet you. My name is Guin Grey, and I¡¯m... well, no one. I guess.¡± She felt she needed some title or another when dealing with someone like this. ¡°You are as you are. A Candidate. Be proud, Candidate Guin. The path open to you is not just for anyone,¡± it said, bowing slightly to her. Not sure how she should respond, Guin felt her face flush warm. ¡°I am afraid that you have been misled, Candidate, perhaps purposefully. You are not seeking just any great wise owl, but Wise, the Great Owl herself.¡± ¡°¡®Wise¡¯ is a name?¡± she asked stupidly, then realized she had no idea what it was talking about. ¡°Wait ¡ª Candidate? Candidate for what?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± it seemed to decidedly not answer her question. ¡°...So where can I find her?¡± ¡°I am afraid I cannot answer that for you,¡± he awkwardly told her. ¡°Wise usually visits our tree every night, but it has been a few days since she last appeared. If Giran asks you to find her, time may be more important than not. I suggest you seek the Webspinner. She lives in the remains of an ancient oak tree by a little forest pond not far behind this grove. I will mark it on your map.¡± There was a ping, and he continued. ¡°As the Prophet of White Fox Forest, the Webspinner should be able to tell you where Wise is preening these days. While you are there, tell her that Ji-Or-Pon has also asked that she provide a reading for you in return for your service.¡±
Quest Completed! You have found the Veil Ants, and with them, a great deal of information. You have moved on to the next stage of the quest and have started to earn a reputation in White Fox Forest. <>
Quest Chain Updated! The Veil Ant Ji-Or-Pon has asked you to go to the woods and find someone called the Webspinner. It has marked the Webspinner¡¯s location on your map and informs you that time is a concern. BONUS: It has also instructed you to ask the Webspinner to read your fate. This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped. <> <> <>
¡°Thank you, Ji-Or-Pon!¡± Guin said, accepting the quest. ¡°I will make my way to the Webspinner!¡± Chapter 21 From below her, she heard Teacher Povari call, ¡°Did you find them, little Guin?¡± ¡°Ah- yes!¡± Guin called back down to her. ¡°We will go now, Candidate Guin,¡± said the Veil Ant with red eyes. ¡°Make haste to the Webspinner! I ¡ª we ¡ª wish you luck!¡± The ants dispersed and resumed their business, disappearing into the branches and leaves. ¡°Guin?¡± called Teacher Povari again. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m coming down now!¡± Guin shouted. Shifting carefully on the branch, she got to a comfortable point, then swung herself down to the ground. Teacher Povari clapped. ¡°Good job! No stranger to climbing trees, then, are you? Did you find the ants?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± answered Guin again, clapping her hands together. ¡°Thank you so much, Teacher! I have learned a lot today!¡± ¡°Very good!¡± answered the woman warmly. ¡°Next time we meet, why don¡¯t I teach you about some medicinal plants?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With that, Guin hopped down and ran past the Gatekeeper, who was fast asleep at his post. Trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible, she ran around behind the schoolhouse and dove into the woods, pulling up her map as she did so. According to the map, the place where the Webspinner was supposed to be wasn¡¯t far. Running straight for it, she arrived within five minutes. It was nice actually having directions. The area was a nice little clearing, small, with a little pond sitting against the forest¡¯s edge and surrounded by balsams. The pond itself wasn¡¯t very pretty, with the look of one of those ponds that only formed after it rained. It had its own charm, though. Between Guin and the pond sat a large, rotted tree stump that she assumed was the home of the Webspinner. As she walked up to it, however, she caught a glimpse of red from the corner of her eye. A familiar little fox stared at her from the edge of the clearing, its beady black eyes shining in the sunlight. Guin blinked. ¡°Hey ¡ª you!¡± she said, trying not to frighten it, but it crouched and raised its paw when she stepped toward it. Putting her hands on her hips, Guin looked around and muttered, ¡°Well, now, this is a problem. Where is your mother?¡± The little fox¡¯s ears drooped as it looked at the ground. Had it understood her? ¡°You...¡± Before she could finish her thought, the fox shot off into the woods. Guin ran over to the edge of the clearing and looked for it, but it was already too late. Where ever it was, it was long gone now. ¡°Did it understand what I asked it?¡± she wondered aloud. If it did, she feared what the little fox¡¯s reaction implied. It was probably useless to go searching for it now. Guin looked over to the stump. The little fox bothered her, but maybe there was a way to find it by asking the spirits of the forest. Going over to the stump, she called, ¡°Webspinner? Is this the home of the Webspinner?¡± She looked around. Predicting that anything with the name of ¡®Webspinner¡¯ would be a spider, she searched the delicate, beautiful webs that decorated the stump. ¡°You seek me, child?¡± an ethereal, feminine voice sounded in Guin¡¯s head. A tiny blue spider came up and sat upon one of the broken, jagged edges of the stump. ¡°Why do you seek me? Has someone sent you? Not many outside of the Veil would call upon the Webspinner of White Fox Forest.¡± ¡°You are the Webspinner?¡± asked Guin. ¡°I am,¡± came the sweet voice. ¡°I am Selestiana, the Advisor, Webspinner in the Wood. Have you come seeking your fate? If you have come without being granted an introduction, I fear that I shall hold only ill-natured fates. You should turn back before my curse takes hold.¡± ¡°Actually, Webspinner, I have been sent to you by the Veil Ant Ji-Or-Pon, who named himself as one of the guardians of the forest, and on behalf of a horse named Giran Rune, whom Ji-Or-Pon called ¡®The Watcher,¡¯¡± Guin told her, her mouth fumbling a bit over the odd combinations of words. The tiny spider tilted its head. ¡°Then you are welcome here, child. But why would the Watcher and the Guardian have sent you to me? I cannot read their fortunes if they are not present.¡± ¡°It seems that Giran Rune had a meeting with Wise, the Great Owl, but doesn¡¯t know where she is,¡± Guin explained, missing the old MMORPG system of just being able to turn in a quest for points. Remembering the details and speaking such unfamiliar names was hard! ¡°He sent me to the Veil Ants to ask where she might be, but Ji-Or-Pon said that she hadn¡¯t been to his... Its? Tree lately. So, he... it? Sent me here to you to ask where she might be.¡± How was she supposed to gender an ant? Or a spider, for that matter. Guin looked at the Webspinner but just shrugged internally and let it go. ¡°I see...¡± the Webspinner was saying. ¡°Did Ji-Or-Pon say anything else?¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± Guin wondered aloud. ¡°Only that I should ask you about Wise¡¯s location. He also said I should use his name to receive a reading, but I¡¯m not sure what that means.¡± The spider laughed in her head. ¡°Then greetings be to the Candidate! I shall tell you where Wise is, for I surely know that without consulting the webs. However, allow me first to read the web of your fate, lady Candidate. Might I have a taste of your blood?¡± Guin blinked. ¡°M-My blood?¡± ¡°Yes. I must taste the blood of the individual whose fate I am to spin. It is a small amount, a small bite if you would permit. As long as you are who you say you are, it shall be over with quickly and painlessly,¡± said the Webspinner. Because death was a non-factor in the tutorial instance, Guin felt she had nothing to lose. It was possible, she supposed, that she could be cursed forever, but it didn¡¯t seem very likely. So Guin hesitantly put her finger up to the tiny blue spider. Somehow it seemed like those around them smiled as the spider took the tiny bite into her flesh. It didn¡¯t feel like much of anything except pressure. ¡°Now,¡± said the voice. ¡°I shall send my spiders to search for you when my web is completed. It won¡¯t take long, so you needn¡¯t go far.¡± Given her freedom, Guin returned to where she had last seen the little fox. Shuffling through the underbrush, she made her way through the dense forest. It seemed darker than the forest that she had run through to get there, deeper, more mysterious. A shiver ran down her spine, and she rubbed at the gooseflesh on her arms that it caused. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Little fox?¡± she called out, taking one step at a time. Guin grew more confused with each step she took. The atmosphere was thick as if she were walking against the wind during a hurricane, but the air itself was deathly still. Turning to look back, she could still see the bright and airy clearing where the Webspinner was ¡ª she had not gone nearly as far as she felt she should have. Was it the mechanic of the instance border? she wondered, looking back into the darkness. Or... It was a magical forest. A forest that was said to be the home of powerful creatures, and she was just a child. Level 0. But what about the fox? Her stubbornness egging her on, she pushed forward, calling out. One step, then another. Dizziness overcame her. The world was spinning. The forest, waves of... what? Spirits ¡ª why are there no spirits here? Guin wondered as she felt her knees give out. She struggled to breathe. A flash of green. Lights? No ¡ª a pair of eyes glimmered out from a body of black fur. Oh. Guin fell, clumsily trying to pull herself away from whatever it was. She couldn¡¯t make out its shape. It was too dark. Her mind was too clouded. Teeth? Teeth. ¡°H-Hey,¡± she mumbled, her voice cracking. ¡°T-This is the tutorial... y-you can¡¯t... I just wanted to help... the little fox... I wanted to help.¡± The image in front of her shattered, and the pressure drowning her broke like a fever in the night. Guin gaped at the sight of the little fox before her, its eyes glowing like fireflies. Tail between its legs, it ducked its head as its eyes dimmed back down to black. ¡°You!¡± she exclaimed, sitting up. ¡°You did that?¡± It crouched low to the ground, ears flat against its head. ¡°Yip!¡± it went and bolted again. Guin sighed and pulled herself up to her feet. The dizziness was gone, but the air remained thick and unchanged. ¡°Hmm...¡± ¡°Candidate?¡± A pair of tiny voices sounded in her ears, but when Guin looked around, she saw nothing. ¡°The Webspinner is finished. Please return to the glade.¡± Guin looked off in the direction the fox had gone. Just what was it with that thing? It certainly wasn¡¯t a normal fox ¡ª though being in the White Fox Forest, Guin would be shocked if any other animals here were ¡®normal¡¯ either. She returned to the glade and walked over to the stump where the Webspinner waited. Looking inside the hollow, she saw a new, beautifully patterned web stretching across the stump¡¯s top. Guin had never seen such a thing. The Webspinner quietly observed her handiwork. ¡°It is done,¡± the ethereal voice proudly told her. ¡°Before I read you your fate, I will say: Candidate, my reading is only accurate for a period of time. Should you disrupt the threads of that fate, then it will change. I shall not read it to you in the language of my forebears, nor shall I tell you the full fate I can read in my web. I shall only speak of its fortunes, paths, and the terms you may choose.¡± The little blue spider seemed to look into Guin¡¯s eyes as she spoke. ¡°You are a Candidate. Before you lay four paths. There is the path of solitude in the ancient forests of the North, the path of mystery through the deep mists of the East, the path lined with gold in the infinite West, and the path of power in the blood-soaked South. Your fate is yours to choose. In all cases, the spirits of the wood shall call you master, and those outside the Veil shall hail you as a hero. ¡°The path of solitude shall turn you into a titan. Never shall you fall to an enemy; all that lay before you will be as a child¡¯s plaything. ¡°The path lined with gold shall make you richer than the kings and queens of the mortal realm. You shall command man and spirit alike, controlling their every desire. ¡°The path of mystery.... Even I cannot say what the path of mystery will bring you. ¡°But the path of power shall turn you into a god, for better or ill. You shall be nothing less than a force of nature. Unlike many I have met, all paths are open to you. This world is your cradle.¡± From what Guin heard, these paths sounded like the classes that would be available to her should she continue on this quest line she had discovered. Excited at the prospect, she smiled and bowed to the Webspinner. ¡°I think you, Lady Webspinner,¡± she said graciously. ¡°You are very welcome, Candidate,¡± answered the spider. ¡°All of the spirits shall be watching you and your choices. As for the owl, Wise, I will not tell you where she is.¡± Guin¡¯s mouth opened involuntarily as the spider continued, ¡°instead, I shall send you to those who can escort you to her. It would not be proper for one such as yourself to be un-escorted before Wise.¡± Though she wasn¡¯t happy about continuing on the wild goose chase, these spirits seemed intent on sending her through. Guin nodded. ¡°Who are they, and where should I find them?¡± ¡°They are the Three Fools of the Forest: Jeek, Ororos, and Little Lili. Idiots all, but their hearts are good. You can find them to the west of here. I shall mark your map¡ª¡± There was a ping. ¡°With that, I bid you good luck, Candidate. May the spirits of the forest treat you well.¡±
Quest Completed! You have found the Webspinner, and she has told your fortune. However, she has yet to tell you the location of Wise. Now, you will have to meet others who will guide you to the owl. <>
Quest Chain Updated! Though you have found the Webspinner, she hasn¡¯t told you where you can find Wise. Instead, she has sent you to find three others, called the Fools of the Forest, who will guide you to the owl. This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped. <> <> <>
You have been offered a quest! The Webspinner has given you a reading of fate, and very soon, you will have to choose between four paths. The choice leading to your destiny is in your hands. This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped. <> <> <>
¡°Thank you, Webspinner!¡± Guin bowed, accepting both of the quests. ¡°It is my pleasure, Candidate. But I might add there is someone here who has something to request of you. Should he have the courage to pursue it?¡± the Webspinner¡¯s voice ended in a hinting note. Guin turned around to see none other than the little light-orange-colored baby fox, quaking in his little dark brown paws, his white-tipped tail tucked fully between his legs. Gaping at him, Guin knelt at his side. ¡°Yip...¡± he squeezed out. ¡°Yi-Yiiiiiiiii...¡± ¡°Be calm, fox child,¡± spoke the soft voice of the Webspinner. ¡°Speak the words your mother taught you.¡± ¡°Yiiii,¡± he tried again, looking up at Guin with watery eyes. ¡°Yiii-p... Pi-Please... Please help my momma... P-Please - t - they... They... Yiiiiiiii....¡± Guin¡¯s brain stopped for a moment before she reached out and patted the small thing on the head. ¡°Hey now,¡± she said warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t cry....¡± ¡°M-Momma...¡± he whined. ¡°They took my momma!¡± Chapter 22 ¡°What¡¯s your name, little one?¡± Guin asked, pulling him into her lap. After a good bit of comforting and negotiating, the little fox had relaxed. ¡°M-Momma calls me Tik-Tak...¡± he said. Guin smiled, ¡°Well! It¡¯s nice to meet you Tik-Tak! I¡¯m Guin.¡± His little ears went erect, and his trail did a little wag. Cute! she thought as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I scared you earlier... Mortal Realmers c-can be a little scary. M-Momma never liked them much, but P-Papa always talked about them.¡± As he fell silent again, Guin rubbed behind his ear and asked, ¡°What happened to your parents, Tik-Tak?¡± The little fox looked down. ¡°You are a Veil Walker, aren¡¯t you, Guin?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Veil Walker, too,¡± he told her, puffing up. ¡°My Papa is a spirit! He travels all over the Veil and the Mortal Realm! H-He talks to all the great beasts a-and even the Frost Wyrm himself!¡± ¡°He sounds like a very important man,¡± Guin said softly, wondering if it was true. ¡°And your mother?¡± ¡°My Momma...M-Momma...¡± his head ducked. ¡°Is she in trouble?¡± ¡°The hunters got her...¡± he said. Guin felt her jaw drop. ¡°They got her; she led them away from me, but they got her....¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rare, or even uncommon,¡± the Webspinner broke in, perhaps seeing Guin¡¯s internal conflict at the news. ¡°The pelts of the animals in White Fox Forest are said to have magical powers due to the high concentration of spirit energy, and the pelts of foxes are the most desired among them. It is not sad for an animal in the world to lose its life; that is but a natural part of life. There are far scarier things.¡± Sick to her stomach, Guin felt torn. This was an MMORPG¡ªkilling things was naturally a part of how the game was played. Yet, here was this little fox whose mother had been killed. He was alone. He was frightened. The little fox, however, nodded at the Webspinner¡¯s words. ¡°Even though Momma¡¯s body has left the Mortal Realm, she can still join Father in the Veil!¡± he exclaimed, but then his face fell again. ¡°Except... Momma... She¡¯s angry. She¡¯s so angry! I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s so angry, but... There is a dark energy growing from her spirit. She¡¯s gone home to our den, but it is so filled with malicious energy I cannot remain with her very long. I-If this continues much longer, I fear that she may become an evil spirit, and she will have to be killed in the Veil as well, and I will never see her again!¡± ¡°What happens when one is killed in the Veil?¡± Guin asked, dreading the answer. ¡°Life is a cycle, dear Candidate,¡± the Webspinner said. ¡°Those spirits slain in the Veil are reborn again in the Mortal Realm¡ªthough they shall never regain the memories of their past lives.¡± Tilting her head, Guin considered. That answer wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought. ¡°However,¡± the Webspinner continued. ¡°If spirits become tainted with evil, then they turn to dust¡ªthe very ground you walk upon¡ªuntil it is once again purified by the cycle of nature. ¡°I don¡¯t want Momma to become dirt!¡± Tik-Tak whined. ¡°Yiiiii...¡± ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Guin asked the Webspinner. ¡°No more than a week, by the telling of my web,¡± she answered. ¡°You should speak to Wise before you head off to the East. She might be able to help you both.¡± Guin nodded and looked at the time. She wasn¡¯t sure how much longer she would play tonight, but she wanted to help the little fox however she could. ¡°Will you help?¡± Tik-Tak asked, looking up at her with his tilted head and beady eyes.
<> > <> <> <>
¡°Of course I will!¡± Guin told him, accepting the quest. The little fox jumped up, put his front paws on her chest, and licked her nose. Guin giggled. ¡°Thank you, Guin!¡± ¡°Take a rest before you go,¡± said the Webspinner with a pleased voice. ¡°Here is where I leave you, but the spirits of the forest shall keep you company.¡± With that, the pretty spider disappeared into her stump. Taking the opportunity to take in her surroundings and nibble on some of the bread she had left in her pack, she sat with Tik-Tak and considered her options. The little fox eyed her expectantly. Patting him on the head, she looked up and leaned back. The trees surrounding the clearing framed the perfect blue sky. The warm sun penetrated the leaves, kissing her face as she smiled. Guin closed her eyes and listened to the wind blow through the trees. Living in the Iceberg City, the environment inside was created and controlled, and the one outside was... well, alien. The sun, the sky, the wind; real or not, it didn¡¯t quite feel real to her. The environment in TheirWorld, however, probably due to the brainwave technology, felt right. Soon, however, the sun began to drift closer to the horizon as night fell. Guin offered some bread to Tik-Tak, who, after sniffing it with suspicion, gobbled it down quickly. Before they moved onward, she decided to do some character maintenance. She spent some time fidgeting with her [Call: Menu] command and eventually got it down to a hand motion after twenty minutes. Sighing, she could already guess that she would have to log in before she had a chance to move on with her quest. Luckily, it seemed that Tik-Tak was being patient, and had curled up on the side of her leg, apparently sound asleep. Looking at the [Call: Menu] screen, she noticed a bright, glowing yellow exclamation point on the [Notifications] icon. Clicking it, she was a little taken aback. It listed every major thing she had done from the beginning, including things she hadn¡¯t noticed, like extra stat points. Guin read the list twice, then pulled up her [Character Screen].
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¡°Hmm...¡± She furrowed her brows. Her stats were rising quickly, but many were still very low. She was shocked to have received so many during the events with the Webspinner and Tik-Tak, but there was logic in it. After all, Tik-Tak seemed to be some sort of special event, and the Webspinner did deal with spirits and fate. It made the benefits of taking advantage of any bonus objectives obvious. Already knowing that, at this point, it wasn¡¯t worth starting something, Guin pulled up the [Menu: Abilities] screen. She had a total of three skills: [Fox Form - Level 1], [Spirit Armor - Level 1], and [Veil Phase - Level 1]. According to internet sources, there were three known ways to gain skills. One: Learn them according to a class advancement. This was, arguably, the easiest way to gain skills, as you got them for free from your class trainer after attaining an appropriate level. However, these skills were lost if you decided to change your class unless the class you changed to was also capable of using them. Two: Monsters worldwide dropped tokens with which you could buy skills and equipment. These are special tokens that only teachers will take. Only one kind of token drops in the tutorial zone, but in the actual game, you can collect many unique tokens for particular teachers. Of course, these tokens can also be used to purchase special or even hidden classes. Three: Real-life experience. While this mechanic gives a slightly unfair advantage to those who had studied combat before, it also made sense. It gives a person the ability to learn as they go; in fact, the game was even used to train others in real-life skills. If you see an ability, you have the chance to copy it, thereby earning the skill. The game does give the option to allow players to use commands to execute the skills that they might otherwise not have the know-how to do; however, on activation, they were significantly weaker than the skills of someone who bypassed the commands. There was a potential, unofficial, Fourth way to acquire skills, but as it relied heavily on experience, there was still a heavy debate about it. This was the skill creation system. The idea was that in applying one¡¯s personal ability and combining it with a game ability just right, the game was set up for you to create whole new skills. One of the only examples on record as a potential case of this was a beta player called Ollia Rhye. Ollia Rhye was a Mahar who worked as an aerospace engineer in real life. In the game, she played a basic mage class called ¡°The Enchanter.¡± After becoming a Master level Blacksmith, she had meant to create a set of blades for her wings imbued with magic. Upon their completion, they were drawn into her character in a flash of light, and instead, she gained four new skills which gave her wing-type magical enchantments that proved far more powerful than the item she would have created. The Enchanter became a hugely popular class after those events, but no one since had been able to recreate the event¡ªpublicly, at least. Many people suggested that it was like anything else in the game; you needed just the right circumstance to initiate the creation of the skills. Others said that it was just a sort of ploy to get people more involved in the game and to appeal to those who like the possibility of such customization. Regardless, players loved it and continued to try. The game was still new, and so much was left to discover. If she was going to be dealing with hunters, she would likely get involved in some sort of combat, so she decided to give it a go. She set her alarm to go off in an hour and started sorting through things. None of the abilities that she had seemed to be attack abilities.
<<[Fox Form]>> <> <> << Shapeshift into a small fox. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 10%, Attack decreases by 90%. >> << Cast Time: 10 Seconds - Duration: 30 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<<[Spirit Armor]>> <> <> << Summons a thin layer of spirit power from within to protect you. >> << Armor increases by 1%. >> << Cast Time: 10 Seconds - Duration: 10 Minutes - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<<[Veil Phase]>> << Rank -- - Level 1>> <> << Bend Reality and step into the Veil. >> << You are invisible to those in the Mortal Realm. You cannot affect things in the Mortal Realm if you are in the Veil. >> << Instant - Duration: -- - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
As level-one skills, they weren¡¯t very powerful, but at least they seemed to have their uses. Going from the description of [Fox Form], it was a movement ability more than anything else. It wasn¡¯t a common ability, and there was very little information about it. Those who did have the ability used it as a replacement for the basic movement skill [Dash], or it was used it for scouting. Overall, it was considered a cute gimmick and mostly pointless to level. With all that said, Guin decided that she would try to level it as high as she could during the tutorial, and if it proved worthless in the end, then so be it. [Spirit Armor] was much more of a boon in her mind. It was weak initially, but references showed that it scaled well as the skill gained levels. It was known to have at least two advanced rank forms, which players got to choose as they ranked up and found trainers. As for [Veil Phase], it was an ability with potential, but since most of the game took place in the Mortal Realm, it ended up as just another gimmick ability. It did seem to prove useful when traveling alone; it was a great way to avoid PKers, which was one of the main attractions for Guin to choose it. Some people had attempted to use it in combat, but the 1-minute cooldown made it more of an ¡°oh-shit¡± button than a practical skill. There was a suggestion on the forums that there were players with a skill that mimicked the effect on just a one-second cooldown. In particular, there was a recorded video of a flashy-looking woman dressed in red and gold feathers with an unknown class blinking in and out of combat, but no one came forward to confirm it. This game is full of interesting puzzles things, Guin thought with a grin. Being able to play how you wanted and potentially get unique benefits from it was an MMO player¡¯s dream. She had no desires or intentions for the game, so the world was nothing more than a toy. After standing up and brushing her butt off, Guin activated her [Spirit Armor] ability via the menu. A hard-to-describe feeling filled her as a light haze rose off her skin. The light mist covered her only for a moment, then seemed to be absorbed by her body once again. Guin tilted her head and checked her status bar. The status bar was always on screen in normal combat unless you turned the setting off. As a default, it floated just within eye vision, just transparent enough to keep the bar from impeding the player''s vision. Going through the plethora of settings, she set her out-of-combat status screen to be like a tattoo on the inside of her left arm. This would be pointless when she got more gear that covered her arms, but for now, it worked well. With it, she could see that [Spirit Armor] was active, even if there seemed to be no visible effect. She didn¡¯t feel an effect, either. Next, she cast [Veil Phase]. There seemed to be no visible effect on her body in her eyes, but she knew from videos that her body would have appeared to have phased out of sight to those who didn¡¯t possess [Veil Sight]. That said, the world around her showed considerable changes. It seemed that the Veil was based upon the Valkyrian homeworld of Yidar combined with the chaotic planet Sofkhe, the homeworld of the Jijak, and a few other very colorful planets. In contrast, the mortal realm was based on a combination of Earth-like planets, including Earth itself and Phaestral, the homeworld of the Tivarys. The brown and green forest that had reminded her of home was no more, exchanged for trees with teal leaves and white bark. The moss was shades of red, and the grass was a deep blue-green color. The sky as dusk fell was a deep, reddish-purple, and the small lake glittered gold. She was used to the colors to a certain degree; after all, she lived on Yidar now, but the imagery still had a certain magical feel about it. Tik-Tak looked at her with great curiosity but said nothing. Instead, he sat on his haunches and scratched behind his ear. Using the ability again to phase back into the Mortal Realm, Guin considered its uses. Then she activated [Fox Form]. Chapter 23 Knowing that shapeshifting classes existed was one thing. Figuring out how that was supposed to work after they had given out all those warnings about how altering your body could do mental damage was entirely different¡ªnot that Guin cared enough to spend longer than a few seconds trying to figure it out. [Fox Form] had a one-minute cooldown that lasted for 30 Seconds. It was a decent advantage compared to [Dash], which only lasted for ten seconds. Having a travel skill that could move that fast was worth it, and there was also a stealth factor. As her body morphed, the world around her got bigger as she grew smaller. It was odd to grow a tail. Guin wondered if she looked anything like Tik-Tak. His shiny black eyes went wide as he wagged his tail. He went from cautious to excited as he pranced around her. ¡°Yii, yiiii!¡± he cried out. ¡°Guin, you¡¯re a fox just like momma and me!¡± Guin chuckled and worked to adjust to her new form. Or tried to. The first time she tried to walk forward, she face-planted into the grass. This was going to be more work than she¡¯d hoped. Her four stick-thin legs were wobbly as she walked. Tik-Tak was still very excited, slightly amused at how hopeless she seemed to be at being a fox. Guin clumsily waddled over to the shining lake and looked at her reflection in the waters. Her ears perked up as she looked at her form. Looking at herself helped her to grasp better how she should move, allowing her to make adjustments quickly. Tik-Tak pawed at her, lowering himself to the ground playfully. Snorting, Guin took a turn around the lake and tried for a trot around it. When she managed to do that, she allowed herself a steady jog and then broke out into a run when she was confident enough. She laughed with a ¡°Yip!¡± and broke out from her usual course, running around the glade. Tik-Tak let out his own ¡°Yip!¡± and took off after her as she ran. It had taken a good hour or two of trial and error, casting the spell repeatedly, but she¡¯d done it. He new skills may not have been the best now, but if she took advantage of the tutorial zone¡¯s leveling benefits, she was certain she could get them to a level where they would be helpful. Morphing out of her [Fox Form], Guin happily fell back onto the ground, breathless. Tik-tak hopped into her lap and licked at her face. Giggling, she laid back. The stars were starting to come out. Why was this place so beautiful? But as her alarm sounded, she sighed. All good things must come to an end. ¡°I have to go home, Tik-Tak,¡± Guin told him, rubbing his head. The little fox¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness. ¡°You¡¯ll come back, right?¡± he asked her. ¡°Of course!¡± she told him, placing a finger on his little nose. Her [Spirit Armor] expired, so she recast it. Entering [Fox Form], she started toward the glade''s edge. She looked back at the lonely little fox as he sat on the edge of the water, his beady eyes glimmering in the dim light of the rising moon. She paused. He wasn¡¯t actually alone, right? After all, he had the Webspinner, and all the kind spirits of the forest. Guin looked at her paws and then back up at him. He was still watching her. His head was lowered a bit, and his ears were leaning down a bit. Could she take him with her? It would be impossible for her to do so now. The quest itself was about hunters from the village. If they saw the little fox, she was too weak to protect him. His sorrow hurt her heart, but she had to do the best thing for him, not her.. Protect yourself, little fox, Guin thought. She would be back before long, and it seemed the spirits sought to protect him. It eased the burden she felt. Bolting toward the village, she pushed herself as hard as she could until the forest¡¯s edge. It was much faster to travel by the foot of the fox. Once at the edge of the town, she morphed back into her human form and ran home on her own two, slow feet. *** Dassah undid herself from her machine and stretched as she got out of the pod. It did feel a little strange to be back in her own body. The world swam around her, and her limbs felt weak. It was as if she¡¯d just stepped out of a gravity simulator. She tested the ground with a toe and pushed herself up carefully, leaning on the pod as she walked around it. Note to self, don¡¯t ignore the warning labels. She cursed herself. ¡°Stella?¡± She called out hopefully. She wasn¡¯t even sure what time it was; no one else was in their pods at the moment, so she couldn¡¯t even tap on their doors. ¡°Stell?¡± With a deep breath, Dassah resigned herself to her independence and wobbled to the wall. She clung to it for dear life. Feeling sick, she pressed her back against the wall and gave herself a moment. Relief washed over her when the door slid open. ¡°Stella, help me ou¡ªout... would... you...?¡± Dizzy, it took Dassah a minute to figure out what she was seeing. ¡°You?¡± It wasn¡¯t Stella. It wasn¡¯t even Bahena. Seven feet tall and staring at her was the oily, grey feathered garule from the monorail car. ¡°Am I drunk?¡± Dassah asked, legs feeling even weaker than before. ¡°Or dreaming?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± the garule said, looking her over. ¡°You all right?¡± ¡°Why are you in my house?¡± She slid down to the floor. ¡°Ah. Sorry. I¡¯m Bahena¡¯s brother,¡± she said. He said. It said. Was her translator broken? Were they trans? But the Valkyrian had pretty good technology for that. Her head spun. Dassah blinked and furrowed her brow, head flopping over to the side as she looked at his tail. ¡°You aren¡¯t a boy...¡± The garule snorted. ¡°And you aren¡¯t in a state to have this conversation,¡± he said, offering her his hand. ¡°How did you get like this?¡± Dassah stared at his hand, wondering if it was safe to take it, but also too dizzy to think straight. So she did. It was warm. He pulled her up and held her arm. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Where¡¯s Stella and Bahena?¡± Dassah asked. Even her own voice sounded strange to her. ¡°They went out to get groceries. I¡¯m Sathuren, by the way. Sorry if I startled you.¡± She shook her head as he led her to the couch. ¡°She¡¯s a he?¡± The garule, Sathuren, opened and closed his mouth a few times before scratching the back of his head. ¡°One thing at a time,¡± he decided to say, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch over her. ¡°Are you sick?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. ¡°What happened?¡± Sathuren asked. ¡°Did you do something weird in TheirWorld?¡± Dassah nodded and rubbed her eyes. ¡°I was shapeshifting. Maybe for too long? I think I¡¯m just dizzy.¡± ¡°That explains the muscle weakness, too,¡± he said and got up to go to the kitchen. ¡°How long were you shapeshifted?¡± ¡°On and off for the last hour or two,¡± Dassah reported as if he were a doctor. Strange, she thought, her eyes narrowed as she tried to focus on him. She knew the reaction she should have been having towards him, but at the moment, she didn¡¯t care. ¡°I don¡¯t really like garule.¡± She said stupidly and cursed herself when she realized she had said the words out loud. Sathuren didn¡¯t seem to care as he handed her a glass of water. ¡°I am aware.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Would you rather I eat you in response?¡± ¡°It would be more in line with my expectations.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± he said, sitting on the chair next to her and pulling a book out of his pocket. ¡°Humans don¡¯t taste very good. I don¡¯t need the lecture I¡¯d get from Bahena, either. Get through that water, and I might get you a snack.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± went Dassah, and sipped at the water he¡¯d given her. She didn¡¯t realize how thirsty she was and drank the whole thing at once. Sathuren was peering at her over his book, and Dassah was conscious enough to flinch. ¡°What?¡± ¡°More?¡± ¡°I can¡ª¡± ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± he said, then shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try, but I¡¯d rather not have to pick you up off the floor again.¡± Ducking her head, Dassah nodded. ¡°Please...¡± Sathuren chuckled and got her another glass of water and some crackers before sitting back down with her again. ¡°In the future, try to keep your shapeshifting times to a minimum until you¡¯re used to it ¡ª and if possible, don¡¯t do it just before logging off. I¡¯m sure there are warnings in there about this stuff that you¡¯ve eagerly ignored. I recommend you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be like this,¡± she told him, nibbling on a cracker. ¡°Why are you here, anyway?¡± ¡°I was supposed to be helping Bahena with something, but as usual, my sister has her own plans,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like carrying her bags, so I stayed behind until they returned.¡± Smirking at the thought, Dassah said, ¡°Before I completely come to my senses, thanks for your help. The other day, too.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I was just there at the right time,¡± he said. ¡°But not everyone would¡¯ve helped me, especially on the train.¡± Dassah picked at her fingers. ¡°We all have issues we have to deal with somehow,¡± Sathuren said. The front door slammed open, and he twisted his head around. ¡°One of my bigger ones is walking through that door right this second.¡± Dassah laughed as Stella and Bahena came in with bags of groceries. Behana made a big fuss about apologizing to Dassah for her brother¡¯s behavior, and she was sorry she left her alone with him. Stella was just impressed she hadn¡¯t hidden in her room. After explaining to them both that she had pushed herself too much in the game and that Sathuren had only helped her out, the two relaxed and went to make dinner. In the chair beside her, Sathuren was clearly unhappy with the situation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just leave?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°Because I won¡¯t hear the end of it,¡± he muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but my sister is annoying.¡± ¡°She¡¯s... well. I guess she¡¯s just a garule to me,¡± she answered dubiously. ¡°You need to meet more garule.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡± ¡°Then please just don¡¯t use my sister as the benchmark,¡± Sathuren said, flicking his tail. ¡°I¡¯m probably one of the most unusual garule you will ever have the opportunity to meet, and I don¡¯t hold a candle to her.¡± ¡°Speaking of... Your tail...¡± Dassah pointed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you...?¡± Sathuren groaned. ¡°Humans,¡± he scoffed, then seemed to reconsider his words. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t say that. Everyone sucks. To put it nicely without giving a lecture on the subject, garule have more than two sexes, it''s just that their society¡ªand therefore everyone else¡ªonly accepts two. I am one of the ¡®extra¡¯ sexes, a born female that changed to male upon maturity. Let your imagination run wild because I¡¯m not going to go into details over dinner.¡± Dassah could stop herself from glancing at his pants, but his book covered up anything she might or might not have been able to see. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Stella and Bahena in the kitchen. ¡°So... you look like a woman, but you¡¯re a guy,¡± she said. ¡°You didn¡¯t control it?¡± ¡°I did not.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that confusing?¡± ¡°Immensely.¡± ¡°But... you still choose to be a man?¡± He thought about that. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly choose to be anything,¡± he answered. ¡°I just am. It¡¯s everyone else that takes so long to figure it out that it''s not worth discussing it.¡± ¡°Right, but... I don¡¯t know. If I woke up as a guy one day, I don¡¯t think I could handle it,¡± she said. ¡°I mean... everything I know to be real wouldn¡¯t be anymore.¡± Side-eyeing her, he asked, ¡°Are you genuinely interested in this? Or are you just asking out of some form of obligation fulfillment?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t really know either,¡± she answered, tilting her head. ¡°If I could, I¡¯d be hiding in my room right now, but I can''t, and sitting in awkward silence sounds like a special form of torture.¡± Smirking, Sathuren put his book down and leaned back. ¡°I can appreciate that,¡± he said. ¡°But in this case, we can save it for a time when you can handle it without the help of illness. It¡¯s complicated and... personal. It¡¯s not a light-hearted conversation for two people who just met and can hardly stomach each other to enjoy.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Dassah mumbled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to pry¡ª¡± ¡°Ah,¡± he said wryly. ¡°You must be feeling better.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What did I tell you before?¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°On the train. About saying sorry.¡± Recalling, Dassah went to apologize again but bit her tongue. ¡°I just meant that¡ª¡± ¡°I know what you meant,¡± Sathuren said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t scolding you; it¡¯s just not something you need to apologize for. Frankly, I¡¯m impressed. If you hated garule as much as you think you do, you¡¯d never be able to speak with me like this. I¡¯ll have to reevaluate my opinion.¡± Before Dassah could answer, Behana scurried over and smacked Sathuren on the back of the head. The sudden aggressive movement made Dassah jump and try to disappear into the couch. ¡°What are you saying to her?¡± the bronze female demanded to know. ¡°Don¡¯t scare her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the one scaring her is you,¡± he growled, slapping his book shut and shoving it into his pocket. ¡°I thought you needed me to look at your feathers?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Bahena said. ¡°But if possible, I would also like to eat dinner with my brother. Do you think that¡¯s reasonable desire?¡± Sathuren bowed his head and shook it in surrender. Despite being startled, Dassah felt for him. Stella came over and helped her to the table, where she and Bahena had made several dishes for everyone to share. Dassah wasn¡¯t hungry, but she managed to have some rice and something resembling chicken and vegetables. She listened quietly as Sathuren served as the center of attention. She envied his ability to handle both her roommates'' overbearing personalities deftly, but she also felt bad that she couldn¡¯t even begin to keep up. Now and again, his eyes met hers, and she looked away and disappeared into her food. Chapter 24 When she came to in-game, she was in her house, snuggled up in bed. TheirWorld worked at a 3x time speed, meaning that in 24 hours of real time, three days would pass in-game. Being around 8 pm in reality, it was now midday in her part of TheirWorld. Guin climbed out from the covers and stretched. She cast [Spirit Armor] before heading out. As she walked, she pulled up her map and looked at where the Webspinner marked it. Eager to return to Tik-Tak, she wanted to check on the directions beforehand. In order to increase her dismal skills and test the tutorial zone''s benefits, she began jogging back toward the glade. Once she hit the forest edge, she activated [Fox Form] and shot off. By her figure, it would take her about fifteen minutes to get from her house to the glade at a fox¡¯s pace, though she kept Sathuren¡¯s advice in the back of her mind. While she was running, she was greeted by the sound of bells as a screen popped up:
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Fox Form]>> <> <> << Shapeshift into a small fox. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 10%, Attack decreases by 90%. >> << Cast Time: 5 Seconds - Duration: 45 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
Level 2! A whole 15-second increase in maintaining the form gained¡ªa precious increase! How many skill levels could she get while she was in the tutorial? Any increased skills would give her a decent head start in the main game. Satisfied, she calmly entered the glade¡ª ¡ªAnd was promptly pounced on by Tik-Tak, who must have awaited her arrival. The two played as little foxes for a bit without exchanging words. ¡°You have returned, I see,¡± came the Webspinner¡¯s ethereal voice. Guin and Tik-Tak bowed cordially. ¡°I have, Lady Webspinner.¡± ¡°Allow me to give you a blessing of fate before you begin your journey,¡± The Webspinner¡¯s voice said, and with a flash, both Tik-Tak and Guin were enveloped in a bright blue light that faded after a moment. Reverting to human form, Guin checked her status and saw that she had a buff called [Web of Fate], which granted her +5% Fate for an in-game day. Guin¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Sadly, it was probably useless in the tutorial, but was this a benefit that she could get in the main game as well? The instinct to befriend the little spider increased significantly as she bowed. ¡°Many thanks for your blessing, Webspinner,¡± Guin said. Meanwhile, Tik-Tak was circling her feet. ¡°Where should we go?¡± he then asked. ¡°The Webspinner said that we should find Wise by finding the fools... where do we find them?¡± Double-checking her map, Guin pointed to the East. ¡°That way, we should be able to go straight. It¡¯s quite far, though, compared to the village.¡± Transforming, Guin again bowed to the Webspinner before turning to Tik-Tak and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Together, the two foxes ran off into the woods. It was quite far. Even with the speed bonus, it took them ten to fifteen minutes to get to the area on the map. Luckily it didn¡¯t take her look to find a bizarre scene in the woods. ¡°Get out, flea fool!¡± came a sharp, high-pitched voice from the trees. ¡°Get down here, Nuts!¡± came a low, growling voice. Using a tree as cover, Guin edged closer. The low growls were coming from a beautiful white wolf who was being rather unsightly, standing on his hind legs, shouting up into the tree the other voice had come from. His ear twitched as he looked down at the ground. Falling to all fours, he stalked at a hole in the dirt, promptly shoved his nose in it, and, with hackles raised, shouted what sounded like, ¡°Mumph, mumph, omph, mumph-mumphen!¡± Guin couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little, though she was hoping she was wrong. Tik-Tak shuffled closer to her left side as she took another few steps forward. ¡°Wait!¡± the high-pitched voice shrieked. ¡°Biter! Hopper! Look!¡± The wolf pulled his muzzle out of the hole with an irritated expression and shook off the dirt on his face. ¡°What, Whaat?¡± He barked. ¡°Unless you are planning on coming down here, I don¡¯t care!¡± A small red rabbit¡¯s head appeared from the hole the wolf had had his nose in. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± it asked, then pulled it¡¯s head back into the ground as the wolf went to chomp off its head. Whining sharply after his nose hit the ground, he shook his head, sticking out his tongue. Rather than the head of the rabbit, the wolf came up with a mouthful of dirt. ¡°Who the hell cares? Unless it¡¯s edible¡ªthen I¡¯ll care!¡± The wolf shouted angrily. The wolf¡¯s black eyes move to where Guin and Tik-Tak were. Guin froze. Baring its teeth into a smile, he asked, ¡°What? What are you looking at, tiny fox creatures? Asking to be eaten?¡± Stepping in front of Tik-Tak, who had taken to cowering behind her anyway, she glared and prepared to take human form. ¡°Who wants to be eaten?¡± Came the voice from the trees. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± The wolf grinned back up at the tree. ¡°Who would?¡± asked the rabbit, appearing from the hole again. The wolf glared down at the rabbit. ¡°I won¡¯t fall for it again. The rabbit rolled its blue eyes. ¡°Of course, you will. ¡°I mean, you do at least once a day,¡± said the voice in the tree. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Not sure whether she should be amused or concerned, Guin removed her shapeshift state. As the wolf ran growling up to the tree again, Guin knelt next to the rabbit, who was watching her rather than the wolf. It didn¡¯t seem overly surprising that one of the foxes had turned into a human. Its eyes went looking for Tik-Tak, but he had taken to hiding in the bushes nearby. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she started. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but do you think you could help me?¡± The wolf came down and looked at her as the rabbit did, and from the tree, a small black squirrel dropped down onto the wolf¡¯s head. ¡°What do you want?¡± the squirrel asked, munching on a nut. ¡°You can¡¯t have my food,¡± the wolf informed her. ¡°You can¡¯t have my hole,¡± the rabbit informed her. ¡°You can¡¯t have my nuts,¡± the squirrel said. ¡°Who wants those?¡± asked the wolf with a growl. ¡°Get off my head!¡± The squirrel lifted his head in a snotty way. ¡°Educated people,¡± he answered. ¡°...I don¡¯t want them either,¡± said the rabbit, distaste lining his voice. ¡°No one asked you!¡± The squirrel stomped his foot in agitation, then jumped onto Guin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See what I¡¯m working with here? You know the value of my nuts, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked, thrusting his hips forward. Suddenly, Guin felt extremely uncomfortable as she wordlessly opened and closed her mouth, searching for words for the situation. ¡°Hey, girl,¡± the wolf grinned. ¡°Why don¡¯t you throw that critter over here?¡± ¡°Uh...¡± Guin managed to get out, ¡°Y-You three wouldn¡¯t happen to be the Fools of the Forest, would you?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Jeek, Ororos, And Little Lili?¡± The squirrel on her shoulder began to try and crack open a nut on her head. Annoyed¡ªand a little creeped out¡ªshe threw it off. ¡°Hey!¡± The squirrel shouted as he landed off to her side. ¡°I¡¯m Jeek,¡± said the rabbit. Its voice was calm, genderless, and almost monotone, like a robot. ¡°Who are you to know us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a name for a creature like you,¡± interjected the prideful, if dense, wolf. ¡°He¡¯s Ororos,¡± the squirrel said, putting its little forepaws on its hips. The wolf snapped at the air over the squirrel¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m Lili. Loose the ¡®little.¡¯¡± Tilting her head, she gave it a thought, then bit her lip, trying not to laugh. ¡°Hey! You! Stop thinking!¡± the squirrel shouted, throwing his nut to the ground. Guin regained her posture and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Guin,¡± she said. ¡°I was sent here by the Webspinner. She told me that you would help me find the owl, Wise?¡± The three looked at one another. The wolf, Ororos, sat on his haunches while Lili reached Ororos¡¯s head, and Jeek hopped out of its hole. ¡°The Webspinner?¡± Ororos asked to confirm. Guin needed. ¡°Well then,¡± he said, straightening up. ¡°Indeed. I am Ororos Fenris, Jester of Conquest.¡± The red rabbit held its ears proudly erect as it said, ¡°I am Jeek Jack, Jester of War.¡± ¡°And I am Lili Breaker, Jester of Pestilence.¡± The squirrel crossed his arms. Staring at the three of them, she blinked. Conquest? War? Pestilence? Jesters? Guin furrowed her brow. Something was very wrong with this picture. If she understood, these three were saying that they were related to three of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse of Christianity. Maybe they were full of shit after all¡ªbut as a concept, it fits the world. Sucking on her lip, Guin fell into her thoughts. Belief was a fascinating thing. Four was the valkyrians lucky number, culturally, and it also had a significant role in their religion. Specifically Uram. In Uram, the Goddess Ur has four Guardians and four Grand Beasts. The Guardians are the bringers of good fortune, while the Grand Beasts are the bringers of calamity. In the lore, when the Ur became angry at the valkyrians for going against her will, she instructed the four guardians to mount the four Grand Beasts to erase the unfaithful. Thus, Yidar became a water plant. Or so the lore says; science suggested otherwise. When the valkyrians first went to Earth, they arrived in four ships named after Ur¡¯s Grand Beasts¡ªand they just so happened to bear the same colors associated with the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. At the time, traditional Christians lost their minds. Guin wished she knew more than she did. She made a mental note to look up connections later. Ororos gave her a toothy grin, apparently thinking she was in shock, ¡°You were expecting something else, weren¡¯t you? I bid you welcome, Candidate, to the Court of the Harbingers.¡± ¡°...Harbingers?¡± she muttered. If four was the magic number, where was the other one? ¡°Sent by the Webspinner...¡± said Jeek, relaxing a bit. ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s a rare thing,¡± said Lili, but Ororos, who had been so talkative before, had grown quiet with his toothy grin. Guin cringed. Somehow, it reminded her of Sathuren¡ªthough she wasn¡¯t sure that made her like more or less. ¡°As for Wise, we could help you find her,¡± Jeek said. ¡°What do you think, Lili? Oro?¡± Ororos shook Lili off his head and stepped on him before he could talk. ¡°We can help you, little girl,¡± he said, sauntering forward. Guin felt her eyebrow twitch, and she crossed her arms without thinking. ¡°But... Say, could you go out and fetch me something?¡± ¡°Oro-¡± Jeek started, but Ororos stepped on him too. ¡°Say,¡± the white wolf continued. ¡°Would you be willing to find something for me? I don¡¯t remember what it was, but... It¡¯s something vital... Ah¡ªbut you are but a child; perhaps it is too difficult...¡± Though she was sure that her face had gone from thoughtful to agitated while Ororos was speaking to her, Guin could see what was happening. This was the next part of the quest. She would not yet be able to meet Wise, but maybe there would be more rewards for accepting the wolf¡¯s added request. She thought about the delicious +5 to fate she had gotten from the Webspinner and let out an agitated sigh. ¡°Can you tell me anything about it?¡± Ororos grinned wider, showing his very sharp, white teeth. ¡°Very good, child. Very good.¡± The other two wiggled out from underneath his paws and glared at him, but said nothing. ¡°There is this... Thing. It¡ªI just can¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called. It¡¯s soft and purple, with a dash of red. It¡¯s delicate and poisonous to those of the Mortal Realm, but it¡¯s a powerful medicine to those of our realm. Now what was it called... I don¡¯t remember,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Find something that fits my description, and bring it up to me.¡±
< <> <>
< > <> <>
Looking at the description, Guin paused before she sent the window away. The properties of this ¡®Item¡¯ that Ororos was looking for sounded familiar. She pulled up her skill window and clicked on [Herbalism]. The flower the lady under the tree had been holding before she found the Veil Ants had sounded similar. Through the [Herbalism] window, she was able to pull up an image of the Milaou flower and it seemed to fit the description. But where would she find it? The three of them probably wouldn¡¯t tell her. To them, she nodded. ¡°Very well. I will find this thing for you.¡± Chapter 25 ¡°Then, we shall see you again when you return!¡± the wolf told her. ¡°Do hurry. My friend is very ill and needs the cure!¡± ¡°Wait for me!¡± She told him. She recast [Spirit Armor] and [Fox Form] and went over to where Tik-Tak was hiding in the bushes. ¡°Wait here,¡± she told him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡± With that, she shot back off into the forest. She may not have liked the wolf very much, but at least she had some idea of how to finish his quest¡ªeven if it was based on considerable luck. There were probably other ways for people to learn more about the Veil Ants, but if she hadn¡¯t overheard the Herbalism lesson, would she have been able to finish the quest? Back at the village, she quickly morphed back into human form and ran over to Miss Povari¡¯s Tree. Winded, it took her a minute to catch her breath. ¡°Good heavens!¡± Miss Povari blinked at her. ¡°What are you in such a hurry for? Is everything all right?¡± Guin looked up and saw that the children gathered around her feet were also staring at her. Nervously, Guin laughed and put her hands to her face in a cute, childlike manner. ¡°Sorry! I want to get some exercise! But I was wondering, Miss Povari, could I have a Milaou flower?¡± The young woman furrowed her brows. ¡°Why on Uldarin would you want a Milaou flower?¡± she asked, quite reasonably. ¡°Because...¡± Because an arrogant white wolf in the forest gave me a quest to find it. Shit. ¡°It¡¯s because I am interested in studying more about the properties of the flower! If you won¡¯t give one to me, could you teach me about where they grow?¡± Her reasoning was still pretty ridiculous; she hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead when she arrived. Cursing herself, she had to admit that asking someone for a poisonous flower was not a good way to go about things; she should have asked for more information first. The young teacher¡¯s face confirmed the sentiment. ¡°I can¡¯t say I approve of a while studying such dangerous things,¡± MIss Povari told her. ¡°But if I teach you more about the flower, will you got to seek it out?¡± Guin did not answer, and Miss Povari let out a sigh. From her bag, she pulled out a single Milaou flower. ¡°This is all that you should need, and a single flower should not do too much harm even if misused. I can respect your desire to learn, so I shall tell you that the Milaou grows only in spirit forests, like White Fox Forest, usually among Seitbloom; some suggest that they aren¡¯t even different flowers and that the Milaou are merely Seitbloom that have been cultured by the spirits in the woods. Why they would do such a thing is unknown to the likes of me, but it is said that they are rather attached to them. Stories tell many a tale of foolish mortals being hunted by the spirits of Milaou they have picked and even being eaten by those spirits. Be careful, child; it would be wise to stay out of these woods!¡± Happy that her mistake didn¡¯t impede her progress, she took the flower pot and bowed. ¡°I thank you for your wisdom, teacher!¡± Gently, she placed the pot in her inventory. She wasn¡¯t sure how Miss Povari would handle it if she saw Guin go straight into the woods, so instead, she left toward the village first. Once she was comfortably out of the way, she cast her abilities and ran towards the woods. Once she reached them, she took fox form and shot into the forest. When she returned to where the others were, Tik-Tak had been dragged into being the center of their attention. The poor little fox looked rather lost as Lili seemed to be lecturing him on something. His little eyes light up with a tail wag as Guin reappeared, prancing up to them. ¡°Guin!¡± Tik-Tak shouted, running up to her. ¡°What took you long?¡± he demanded to know, then in a small voice added: ¡°I think these guys are crazy!¡± Before she could answer, Ororos sauntered over to them. ¡°Well, well, the girl has returned so quickly. Have you brought what I asked? Or... Have you given up?¡± He showed a toothy grin. Sick friend, my ass. Snorting, Guin took human form and pulled out the Milaou flower. ¡°Is this what you were looking for?¡± she asked him. Ororos¡¯s grin faded as she set it in front of him. He sat on his haunches with a sniff and looked at her. ¡°...I have met several candidates thus far into my duties as a member of the Court of Harbingers¡ªa few, even, to whom I have given this quest¡ªbut you are the first have gotten one of my quests correct on the first try,¡± he told her, his eyes glinting. Guin smiled and thanked the universe for the coincidences that had led her this far. ¡°The fates helped me this time,¡± she answered, attempting to sound humble, but she wasn''t sure it translated. ¡°The fates indeed,¡± said Jeek, the Red Rabbit. ¡°I wonder, though? Will your luck hold out? It just so happens that I, too, am looking for something. My friend told me a story about a treasure that some mortal man left in the forest cave up in the hilly area to the north. He said that it was in a box, a box filled with shiny treasure¡ªbut the most important among the trappings wasn¡¯t shiny at all. It was valuable like gold but made of wood¡ªthough it didn¡¯t look like wood. Wrapped in leather, it was, then in cloth. Would you find this item for me?¡±
<> <[Herbalism] has risen! (30/100)> <>
<> > <> <>
So they are all going to give me a quest. Though she accepted the quest on the screen itself, before she could answer, Ororos shook his head. ¡°I know of the place you speak of, Jeek, but you can¡¯t send the child there¡ªshe¡¯ll die! Look at her¡ªshe has no way to defend herself!¡± he grinned. ¡°...but if she wants to go, maybe we could aid her? Or is she afraid?¡± ¡°I will do it,¡± Guin told him. ¡°Good!¡± said Jeek to her, sounding slightly warmer than his usual monotone. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t send her out there unprotected, idiot!¡± he said as the white wolf bit at the air over the rabbit¡¯s head. Jeek went over to his hole and hopped in. After a moment, he reappeared with a small canvas bag and handed it to her. ¡°Take this. Inside is a foot of mine when I was alive.¡± Guin nodded in thanks and took the bag. ¡°Take this,¡± Ororos said, dropping a small white and yellow dagger at her feet. It looked like a¡ª ¡°This was made from one of my canines in life. Use it well.¡± Picking up the dagger, she bowed to him. ¡°And this!¡± shouted Lili, throwing something down from the tree he had been in before. ¡°It was made from the pelts of my family! Care for it well!¡± Guin kneeled and picked up a small cape of dozens of little furs. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as the morbid nature of the items, but she thanked them again as the quest chain updated to tell her that she was meant to return the items upon completing the quest. Waving in info away, she took a closer look at the items. The first had been from Jeek. The bag had no tooltip, meaning she needed to look inside. Steeling herself for what could have been a scene from a horror movie, she opened it. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as it could have been. Pulling it out, she found it to be a small black rabbit¡¯s foot.
<<[Jeek¡¯s Lucky Foot]>> << Bound - Accessory - Totem - Rank -- >> << Fate +5 >> << Reflexes +5 >> << Body +5 >> <> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: Quest - Class Requirements: -- >>
She had thought about ignoring the items because they weren¡¯t permanent, but judging from this, she could learn something from them. The stats bonus was nice, too. They were decent for a level zero to have, and accessories were some of the hardest items to find organically in the game. Theirworld tried to approach the game from a more realistic direction with accessories, allowing many more than average MMOs. To keep people from being totally out of control, you were allowed two rings on each hand, two earrings, and one necklace, and then you had six special accessory slots where you could place things that did not fall into one of those categories¡ªfor example, bracelets, masks, tattoos, totems, and a variety of other things. Guin pulled up the character screen and dropped the foot into one of the slots. A black rabbit foot appeared at her side, dangling from her belt by a red ribbon. Next, she picked up the tooth dagger.
<<[The Fang of Ororos]>> << Bound - Dagger - Hand - Rank -- >> <> <> <> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: Quest - Class Requirements: -- >>
After reading the flavor text, Guin gazed at Ororos with sorrow¡ªand a bit of curiosity. His history was much more than she thought it would be. For him to have had a family that was killed in such a way, to have been a leader of a people who met tragedy, gave his character far more depth. As for the item, like the foot, it was a good item. If it were in the main game, this item would be an uncommon item, at least if only for the no-level requirement. She equipped it, and it appeared tucked within her belt. Last, she took out the small cloak that Lili had passed to her.
<<[Lili¡¯s Family Tree]>> << Bound - Cloak - Back - Rank -- >> <> <> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: Quest - Class Requirements: -- >>
For Lili¡¯s item, she wasn¡¯t sure if she should laugh or cry. On the one hand, people are horrible. On the other hand, the visual of the naked squirrel running around the city dressed in a squirrel suit hardly seemed a serious image. Of course, as with the other two, many people and creatures ended up dying. When she equipped the cloak, it appeared on her back, looking no different than rags. The three in front of her nodded their approval, and she bowed to them again. She went to leave, but then a question popped into her mind. Turning to them, she asked, ¡°Mortals have done such horrible things to you¡ªwhy do you treat me as if I am a friend still?¡± It was Ororos who chuckled. ¡°Child, we lost our lives so many years ago that counting is pointless. Imagine if we held the rage of our past in our current hearts¡ªthe shame of it! Besides, were you the one that tortured us? Poisoned us? Turned our homes to ash? Nay, you are just a child. Allow your conscious to stifle the cruelty that rests in your bloodline.¡± She was expecting far more snark from the old wolf. Tik-Tak was looking up at her curiously. Guin checked the map and led them to their next location. Chapter 26 They ran for about fifteen minutes before they ran into an area marked with a red line that ran across the map. This was the Border, an indicator that she was going into a combat zone. Coming to a stop, Guin and Tik-Tak looked ahead, his ears snapping in different directions and his nose sniffing the air as he saw the area was filled with creatures. In the main game, the world was pretty open when it came to combat, except for cities and special places. In the tutorial, most of it was closed off, save for the outskirts of the zones and things like cellars, where there were often extermination quests. Tik-Tak turned to Guin for permission before edging into the area, but she shook her head and stepped in first. Before going in, she wanted to test the behavior of the AI before she let Tik-Tak go in. While she was confident she could handle herself, she wasn¡¯t prepared for an escort quest. If the creatures were overly hostile, she¡¯d be better off calling Stella for help or at least look for a combat tutorial elsewhere. But when nothing seemed all that interested in attacking her first, she called Tik-Tak forward. It was a good place for her to learn how to do battle the way she preferred. Checking her status bar, [Spirit Armor] still had at least ten minutes before it expired, so Guin morphed back into human form. ¡°Tik-Tak?¡± she called. The little fox looked at her expectantly as she continued, ¡°Do me a favor. I want to try and catch one of these rabbits by myself. Could you stand guard in case anything weird appears?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± he went, giving a little tail shake. Drawing her dagger, Guin approached what looked like a rabbit with tiger stripes and a lion¡¯s tail. The animal eyed her wearily as she drew nearer to it and moved away when she got close. She ran after it, succeeding only at landing face-first on the ground when she tripped over a tree root. With her fourth attempt at running after the rabbit creatures also failing, she decided to try switching her target to some large beetles that were crawling around. They were slow, encumbered by large shells that protected their wings. To Guin¡¯s great dismay, however, the beetles were just as fast as the rabbits when she approached them. In a huff, she fell to the ground. How was she going to learn how to fight with these things? She fiddled with her character windows, trying to find any hint she could use against them. Tik-Tak sat next to her, and she pouted at him. ¡°Tik-Tak!¡± she whined at him. ¡°You can catch rabbits, can¡¯t you?¡± He gave a yip-like snort and held his head up proudly, ¡°Of course, I can catch rabbits! You are just too slow, Guin!¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± her lip curled at him. ¡°How modest.¡± He gave her a fox-like grin as she rubbed his head. Furrowing her brows, her eyes hovered over her [Fox Form] ability. Casting it, she stretched her body a bit and tested her footing. Tik-Tak watched her with great interest as she began to run around, playing tag with her prey. The rabbits and beetles had run from her¡ªbut the speed that she had as a fox could catch up to them! Several ideas popped up into her head at once. Giving herself a running start, she jumped up and undid her form in mid-air. It was clumsy, but she managed to land on her feet. After a few more tries, she started to calculate how she should need to move in order to draw her weapon as she shifted from one form to the other. Thus far, she had been using the fast cast buttons on her arm to cast the spell¡ªbut that wouldn¡¯t work for what she wanted to do. The first thing she needed was to stop using those buttons. With renewed determination, she began working on attaching the skill to her motions. It took her a good hour or so to get both the transformation and the ability dismissal down to the motions¡ªbut it didn¡¯t go as smoothly as she had planned. Looking down at her hands, Guin pouted a bit. It¡¯s hard to differentiate the cast movement from the fox¡¯s normal movements... She didn¡¯t want to make a lot of noise, either. Clenching her fist with a sigh, she set her mind on a new task. If she were going to use the ability for the purposes that she wanted to in the future, she had to figure out how to at least dismiss it mentally. For the time being, however, what she had would do. After a little more practice, there was a nice bell sound, and a screen popped up.
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Fox Form]>> <> <> << Shapeshift into a small fox. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 10%, Attack decreases by 90%. >> << Cast Time: 5 Seconds - Duration: 1 Minute - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
Pleased with her progress, she sat and took a break. Night was falling in-game as she shifted back. She and Tik-Tak shared some bread. [Spirit Armor] had expired again, so she recast it¡ªthis time to the tune of a bell sound.
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Spirit Armor]>> <> <> << Summons a thin layer of spirit power from within to protect you. >> << Armor increases by 2%. >> << Cast Time: 10 Seconds - Duration: 10 Minutes - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
At least her effort to keep her spells up wasn¡¯t going to waste. She¡¯d keep up the practice as long as she could. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The time had come, however, to put her theories of combat into practice. Choosing her target¡ªone of the rabbit things from before¡ªGuin mentally prepared herself. Settling her heart down, she fox shifted and took off, pouncing on the rabbit as it began to run. Almost instinctively, Guin chomped down on its neck. The warmth of its blood and body, tasting of metal and dirt, filled her mouth as her teeth broke the skin. At first, there was delight¡ªbut then, horror. She gagged, giving the creature a chance to throw her. Her mind was in a panic as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth; she disengaged the form with the button. Because she had drawn blood and gained agro, instead of running, it attacked her. Fumbling with her knife, Guin managed to grab it by its ears. Its apparent razor-sharp, yellowed teeth gnashed at her face while its paws clawed at her arms and hands. Though she reminded herself that it was just a game, her heart shuddered as she stabbed at it. One stab became two. Two stabs became ten. Before she knew it, Guin was kneeling in front of the desecrated corpse of the creature. The blood faded away after a minute, but Guin could still smell it, still taste it. Her whole body shivered as she sat and stared at the corpse¡ªuntil suddenly it POP-ed into a battered-looking treasure chest. For the moment, she didn¡¯t care. The evidence of her crime had disappeared, yet she was still horrified to have done it. Tears filled her eyes. ¡°You did it Guin!¡± TIk-Tak shouted as he hopped over. ¡°You got the rabbit! ...Guin?¡± His little black nose went into her face, but she could only stare, wide-eyed and shivering. But it¡¯s not real, she reminded herself. It wasn¡¯t real, and generated monsters did not have the same kind of AIs as NPCs. Still, her heart filled with dread, and tears fell from her eyes. Soft, echoing laughter filled the air, and Guin snapped around. There was nothing. ¡°In this world, its kill or be killed...¡± an amused voice came into her ear, smooth as honey. Guin looked around her, but she only saw Tik-Tak¡¯s concerned face. ¡°T-Tik-Tak, did you hear that?¡± she asked him, but he just tilted his head. Lifting herself off the ground, she spun herself in all directions. There was nothing. From somewhere, nowhere, the laughter came again, drawing out into a soft chuckle, and then, the sound grew. It grew, and it grew until it sounded as if the whole forest had joined it, laughing at her, cursing her. The world began to spin and bend, and suddenly, there were swirling beasts in the shadows with glowing eyes of red and gold and teeth. Laughing, laughing! They took each other by the hands and danced, forming a ring around her that began to enclose her. Each time they danced closer to her, they doubled in size - their voice growing with them, from soft to booming - and then the shadows crept, touching her, sliding over her clothes and body, leaving a cold, wet trail as it a hundred tongues were licking her, tugging at her, pulling her into some vast, freezing ocean. Guin opened her mouth, but no voice came out. No voice could come out. There was only fear. Warm wet tears were falling down her face, and she fell to the ground in a silent scream, hugging her knees. ¡°Guin?¡± Tik-Tak licked her hand. Guin lifted her head. The forest was quiet. The beetles and the rabbit creatures scurried around calmly as if nothing had happened. The world was as it was. Peaceful. Serene. Fuck this game, fuck this game... After taking the next few minutes to calm herself down, Guin remembered something very important: her traits weren¡¯t active in the tutorial zone - except in combat zones. She pulled up her notification window. Most of them were about the quests and the skills she¡¯d been gaining, but her eyes fell on the last two lines on the list: ?<> ??<> ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Guin muttered out loud, suddenly feeling disgusted. She had forgotten. Now she would really get to experience what it meant to have the negative traits that she did. Still, she didn¡¯t think that they would manage to turn the game into even more of a horror movie than it already was. Feeling rather ashamed that she had let the game get to her, she stood up and brushed herself off. That''s right, she thought to herself. It''s just a game. Nothing can hurt you here... There was nothing more to this than strings of numbers. Swallowing hard and putting her fear aside, she looked through the notification list again, this time with a warmer feeling creeping in. From what she could tell, she was getting a point of endurance for every point of [Body], and a point of [Spirit] for every point of [Intellect]. She pulled up her [Character Screen].
<> <> <> <>
Being in combat seemed to be the only way to increase her lowly [Resilience] stat, and so far, the only way she saw to increase her [Reflexes]. She was slightly surprised that her [Spirit] was still going up so fast. Raising her [Resolve], [Perception], and [Fate] without the aid of a quest was also a mystery she might have to look up later. For now, though, she exited the screen with an aggravated sigh and looked to the next of her prey. Guin looted the chest the rabbit had left behind. There was only a single tutorial token and a handful of coins, so she took those and brushed herself off. She let the [Horror] debuff¡ªwhich hurt her stats considerably in addition to everything else¡ªfade before moving on. Now she was simply feeling vengeful. Steeling herself for what came next, she cast her [Fox Form] and went after another Moarbit. This time she remembered to shift back into her regular form, and with the dagger in hand, plunged it into its back and dragged it across its small body right into the ground, breaking its spinal cord. It was bloody, but it was an instant kill. Though she felt only slightly better after that second one, killing them became considerably easier after the third. After spending a good hour going after the Moatbits, a bell sounded, and a screen popped up:
<> <<[Backstab]>> <> <> << Your weapon shines with a peculiar thirst. >> << Your next attack to the back of an enemy is an automatic critical hit. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: 15 Seconds - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
¡°Tsk,¡± she went, putting her hands on her hips. On the one hand, she was happy¡ªit was a much-needed offensive skill for her. On the other hand, she wasn¡¯t terribly fond of the fact that she had been gaining more and more rogue-oriented abilities. Nevertheless, it was a good time to move on to the beetles. Looking at them, it seemed like they would be at least a little more difficult to kill. Guin activated her [Spirit Armor], shifted into [Fox Form], and began stalking her prey. Chapter 27 Guin¡¯s hopes of using the same techniques as she had with the Moarbits were quickly dashed. The thick armored shell of the beetles was so tight that she couldn¡¯t get her dagger in between the crevices. It was heavy and strong. Every time she got close, it attacked her with its large pincers, and though they meandered around as if they were slugs, they had fast little legs, and the wings hidden underneath their shells allowed them to fly. Since sparring with them was turning out to be of little use, she decided to try and change tactics. If her experience with the Moarbits was anything to show for it, then her strikes should be relatively deadly. All she needed was one or two good hits. Guin backed off far enough for them to rubber-band to their starting positions and observed for a moment. They were like... Turtles! She thought with a grin. Shifting into [Fox Form], she bounded over, and instead of going to attack with her dagger, she put her training to good use, swiping her leg at the beetle underneath. It was almost successful¡ªbut she hadn¡¯t put enough force in. She sparred with the beetle again until she had a second opportunity. This time she succeeded! The beetle flipped belly up, and before it had the chance to right itself¡ªwhich it clearly could do, judging by how it was going to use the armor on its back to lift itself over - she stabbed it clean in the thorax. Her attack didn¡¯t kill it, however, so she went for it again and¡ªsomewhat unintentionally¡ªsevered its head clean off. A sticky green goo covered her from head to toe. Mildly disgusted, she looked at its twitching corpse with pride. She killed several of the beasts after that. Learning how to trip them without leaving [Fox Form] made for much more efficient hunting, as she could trip several in one go and then finish them off in her human form. Those who successfully righted themselves before she could remove their little buggy heads proved to be a little more of a challenge, but she got half decent at tripping them with other tactics, too. After killing around ten of them, she heard the delightful bells of progress ring:
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Fox Form]>> <> <> << Shapeshift into a small fox. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 10%, Attack decreases by 90%. >> << Cast Time: 5 Seconds - Duration: 1 Minute, 15 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Spirit Armor]>> <> <> << Summons a thin layer of spirit power from within to protect you. >> << Armor increases by 3%. >> << Cast Time: 10 Seconds - Duration: 15 Minutes - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<> <<[Trip]>> <> <> << You are adept at tripping people. When you trip someone, you have a chance to knock them off balance. >> << 1% Chance to cause [Unbalance] for 10 Seconds. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: Instant - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
Guin did a little dance. [Fox From] was already at Level 4. Could she hit the first Rank before leaving the tutorial? What even was the first rank of [Fox Form]? Frowning, Guin pulled up the in-game browser attached to the [Menu] and did a quick search. TheirWorld had many skills. It had many skills that had so many requirements that there was almost no limit to what people could discover, and indeed, no one person could have all of the answers. Even if they did have those answers, it was highly unlikely that people would be willing to share a lot of that information¡ªespecially for free. They didn¡¯t want to make their enemies stronger or imbalance the game by pushing people in directions they might otherwise not have taken based on numbers or uses. The game proved that even the most useless of skills could have game-changing growth as you grew your character. In large part, this was because of Rank trees. Rank trees were just about as unpredictable as classes. When an ability was able to be ranked up, the player would have to find a trainer to rank up the ability. When one did this, the original skill was traded for a new, more powerful one. In most cases, this was a better version of the same skill, but skills had different paths you could choose. A warrior, for example, usually tries to push his ability trees to match the weapon he uses. The basic skill [Slash] branches out into [Two-Handed Slash], [Heavy Slash], [Quick Slash], [Elemental Slash], or whatever else might be available. From there, each one will have its own tree, allowing the skill to become more and more specific and unique to the character. Martial skills tended to be more simplistic and straightforward, but depending on one¡¯s aims and class, they can get more and more complex. A martial DPS AOE-style combat character might choose [Two-Handed Slash] and upgrade to [Expert Two-Handed Slash], but if a mage character aiming for a close combat caster class acquires [Slash], upgrades to [Elemental Slash], they might be able to upgrade into abilities like [Dance of the Arcane Edge] or [Slash of the Unseen]. From what the community had gathered, the maximum amount of ranks a skill could have was 10. A Rank 10 skill was generally considered to be a God-Skill. It took a long time for people to get that far, but it was well worth it. As for [Fox Form], Guin couldn¡¯t find anything. It was possible that it didn¡¯t have another rank. Either that or no one used the ability enough to rank it up yet; they were still in the Beta, and the [Child of the Gumiho] trait was nowhere near as popular as the other ¡®child of¡¯ traits. There were no records of people being able to acquire it outside of the trait, either. All the more fun for me, she thought with a shrug. She was one of the few who found the skill to be useful. Plus... Guin looked over at Tik-Tak, who was happily playing with a passing butterfly as he waited for her. She smiled. It was like she had gained a little brother. She thoroughly enjoyed playing with the little fox¡ªand it was all the more fun doing so in [Fox Form]. ¡°Tik-Tak!¡± she called. ¡°I¡¯m taking a break; want a snack?¡± The little fox snapped his head toward her and bounded over, nuzzling her arm. ¡°Your hunting skills are getting better!¡± he told her. ¡°Soon, you will be a master hunter like Momma!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Guin smiled and shared her bread with him. He gobbled it down greedily. Suddenly, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. A soft voice seemed to be whispering in her left ear: ¡°You¡¯ve done quite a number on these critters.¡± It was the same voice that had frightened her earlier. Guin shuddered and snapped her head around to once again see nothing. Then, in her right ear, she heard: ¡°Of course, you are going to kill more, aren¡¯t you? After all, just look around! These creatures have overrun the forest! They must be culled...¡± She felt something run through her hair¡ªand a strange surge of strength enter her body. Jumping up with a screech and a shiver, she shook her head as if there were something on it. After a moment, she looked around again. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°A-Are you okay, Guin?¡± Tik-Tak asked her, but she had no answer. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that?¡± she asked, but he just shook her head. Growling, she pulled up her notifications again.
<<[??Notifications](?)]>> <<---Scroll up to view more!--->> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ??<> ??<> ??<> ??<> ??<> ??<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ??<> <>
Well that¡¯s nice... Guin thought to herself, though she still felt a little skeeved out. As a gret trait, [Haunted] worked both ways. There were huge discussions about traits like these. In order to see what was haunting them, you needed to have gained a reputation with the spirit, have the [Veil Sight] ability to see it, and the [Veil Walker] ability to speak with it¡ªelse, it was little more than just a random buff or debuff that made people''s lives more interesting. Perhaps because of the trait''s oddities, it was also one of the easiest traits to get rid of. One could very easily go to a temple and be exercised of it. As for those who had grown a relationship with their spirit, they had a little more success at figuring the trait out. The compare and contrast of players¡¯ spirits revealed that more than likely, the spirit that was haunting you was not determined at character birth. Rather, the spirit somehow did not become a set type until it materialized for the player. Also, it seemed that the players had gone through several events and conversations, often during quest points, that seemed to push a spirit in one direction or another. It seemed that the final materialization of the spirit depended heavily on the quest it chose to solidify in. It had been floating around that in the case of all grey traits, there was a chance that you could push them to favor buffs over debuffs. In the case of [Haunted], it seemed that there was at least one man who angered his spirit, and it never buffed him again¡ªit only debuffed him. In the case of other traits, there was one story of a girl whose grey trait became a positive trait and became a powerful, summonable weapon. The possibilities, as with everything else in TheirWorld, were intriguing. It also seemed that these grey traits were the only ones that had the chance to evolve like that. Still, she hadn¡¯t recalled hearing anything about the spirit being so active so early in the game. But, of course, what was publicly available was limited. Even Guin herself had no intention of posting her stories online, and she assumed that for every one of those who did post, there were at least twenty other people who didn¡¯t. Perhaps the spirit was so active as a result of the spirit-based quests she was working on. Her entering the combat zone allowed it to be born using the information from the quests that had already been completed¡ªthe majority of which, aside from the basic tutorial quests, were spirit quests. Since there was nothing she could do about it but play as smart as she could, she stood up and brushed herself off again. She checked her character window again after looking at the insane amount of stat points combat was giving her.
<> <> <> <> <<>> << Tutorial Tokens: 63 - 1c, 19s, 0g, 0p >>
Most of her stats were now over ten. From her research, it sounded like most people graduated from the tutorial with fifteen or so points in six of the ten stats depending on how many points they had initially put into [Presence], [Resolve], [Perception], and [Fate], which were the four most difficult stats to increase. Hitting 20 in a couple of stats was expected, but it most people didn¡¯t remain in the tutorial long enough to go beyond 30 points. Looking at her own stats and considering how fast they were increasing just from basic combat, she felt she could easily raise them quite a bit more. With the amount of progress she was making, she felt it reasonable to aim to have at least twenty points in the main six¡ªand considering this quest line and the others that she had taken up, she imagined achieving even higher stats was fully possible with the tutorial bonus. According to most people, while these stats might help a little at the start of the game, the effect was only temporary, as the bonus stats granted per level quickly made earning points tedious and insignificant. Guin wondered if Stella and Bahena were having a similar experience to her. She felt a little guilty not having gotten the chance to play with Stella yet, but the time-consuming and individual nature of her quests made it difficult. Not to mention that Stella only seemed to spend a few hours in-game herself. Even then, she saw no reason to rush. She still had a lot to learn and gain from this tutorial zone. Casting [Spirit Armor] and [Fox Form], Guin went about her hunting business, with Tik-Tak serving as a scout and lookout. Fighting and clawing her way to the map location, she was now almost freely morphing in and out of [Fox Form]. As things got easier and more fluid, she grew even more excited. The buff that the spirit who haunted her had given her had quite an effect on her power and speed and allowed her to decimate the population of Moarbits and Beedants in the area. Along the way, her [Backstab] and [Trip] abilities gained levels:
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Backstab]>> <> <> << Your weapon shines with a peculiar thirst. >> << Your next attack to the back of an enemy is an automatic critical hit. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: 15 Seconds - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Trip]>> <> <> << You are adept at tripping people. When you trip someone, you have a chance to knock them off balance. >> << 2% Chance to cause [Unbalance] for 10 Seconds. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: Instant - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
Her nose wrinkled a bit at the fact that there was nothing for [Backstab] to improve, but she knew that there were quite a few skills that had levels just to earn a Rank Up¡ªand [Backstab] was a well-known and beloved assassination skill that had a well-advertised ten-rank tree. Finally, they arrived at their destination. As she stood before the strange cave that was exposed by the uprooting of a fallen tree, she shivered. As if called upon by her reaction, the voice pressed against her ear proudly said, ¡°Good work, Child of the Gumiho.¡± Shaking her head, she turned to Tik-Tak and said: ¡°Stay here...¡± The little fox gave her a worried look but nodded anyway and sat on his haunches, watching her go down into the cave. Chapter 28 As the darkness enveloped her, Guin pulled out a torch and set it ablaze. The fire lit the way and chased off the chilly cavern air. The light bounced off the dark rocky walls of the cave, bringing them to life. The last thing she needed right now was the spirit that haunted her to appear right now. Remembering her character sheet, she paused to look at her status and saw that her [Fear of the Depths] had already kicked in. Lucky for her, the -5% on all stats was basically meaningless in the tutorial¡ªthough she wondered how often it would affect her in the main game. Now that she was thinking about it, caverns were some of her favorite places in RPGs. Too late now, she supposed, stepping deeper into the cavern. She wasn¡¯t really afraid of caves; she was afraid of being submerged in water. That they put the two together into one trait seemed rather silly to her. Echoing sounds and flickering light appeared as she turned down the neck of the tunnel. Guin blew out her torch and stuck it back in her inventory. She re-cast [Spirit Armor] to make sure it didn¡¯t expire any time soon and turned into a fox to take advantage of the stealth bonus. Sneaking around the bend, she saw what appeared to be the camp of some kind of bipedal creatures; goblins, most like. They were short with squashed faces with long noses, and ears that were wide like a bat¡¯s. They were chittering back and forth in some language Guin didn¡¯t know¡ªand the fact that it wasn¡¯t translated meant that it might not have even been real. There were three of them in a little rounded alcove, all gathered around a sad excuse of a fire. Two big ones with clubs swung over their shoulders seemed to be pacing back and forth in front of the passageways leading in and out. There was another smaller one with a bow and a small quiver filled with arrows. Guin assessed the situation carefully. She had never taken on more than one enemy before¡ªand she had never fought with these guys. It was easy to imagine that they were slower than the beast types, though, especially the bigger ones. If she acted fast enough, she could at least use her [Backstab] ability to take down one of the big guys, assuming their health wasn¡¯t astronomical. If she did it that way, right as the big one went by, she wouldn¡¯t need to use [Fox Form] to catch him. She morphed back and continued to watch, looking out for other pathers that might come by. If she could kill that one first, she could enter fox form to quickly maul the archer, quickly getting rid of the group''s apparent main DPS. After that, she probably wouldn¡¯t have a problem fighting toe-to-toe with the final one. Dying wasn¡¯t a problem here, but she had already discovered that becoming overwhelmed could become a real issue. Leaning as flat against the wall as she could, she drew her dagger, waiting for the big one to pace past, and as he did, Guin jumped on him, stabbing the dagger into the back of the monster¡¯s shoulder with a [Backstab]. Failing to hit where she wanted to, she cursed. The creature cried out a warning and grabbed at her with its bulky arm. The archer had started shooting at her while the second big one tromped towards them. Trying to compensate for her failure, she dragged the dagger out so that it would cause significant bleeding. As it went to smash its back against the wall to get at her, she gripped the dagger tight and stabbed at it again. This time, she was successful, hitting a crit and killing it with a painful cry. Continuing to use the felled one as a shield, Guin cast [Fox Form] before lunging at the archer¡¯s throat the minute her paws touched the ground. The brainless AI struggled as she tore at his throat with her teeth. As the second big one swung his club towards her, she jumped and leaped off the wall. Shifting back into human form, she backstabbed the archer, ending his pitiful life even though she missed his neck and the dagger had just pierced his shoulder. Not letting the miss perturb her this time, she stood and faced the last of them, who looked like he was attacking her in slow motion. Feeling like it was better for her to run at him than try to withstand the attack, as soon as his club missed her head, she lunged at him, then fox-formed and pulled back to dart around him. She attempted to trip him but had little to no success. He may have faltered a little, but not enough. Guin bit at his legs, trying to whittle away his HP. It was easy to dodge his swinging club. Dulled pain or not, she didn¡¯t want to get hit by that thing. She dodged a few more times, then fox-shifted as the cooldown hit, using the extra speed boost and the monster¡¯s confusion to run up his back and human form, straddling his head between her legs and trust the dagger into the base of its neck. The beast wailed loudly and grabbed her by the leg, pulling her off him. It threw her, smashing her body into the cave wall with quite a bit of force¡ªIt hurt! The monster roared at her, and she slammed her hands against her ears. Dazed, it took her a moment to remember that she was in battle. By the time she looked up, it was already charging at her. Scrambling up, she tried to get out of its path. It ran head-first into the rock wall that she had just peeled herself off of. Thoughts of how stupid the AI was sped through her head, and she took advantage of the situation, grabbing her dagger and rushing at its exposed back. It only took her two more stabs to kill the thing. It stopped moving. Guin fell to the ground, huffing to catch her breath. She sat down next to the fire and pulled out some bread and water as the corpses around her popped into treasure chests. After finishing her meal, she went through the treasure chests left by the creatures. Each had two tokens and about the same average coin drop as the Beedants and Moarbits. Though slightly disappointed, she went back to the fire. Of course, the spirit which haunted her seemed to think that this moment, as she contemplated her kills, was the best time to talk to her. ¡°Artfully done,¡± it said. ¡°Though that last one was a bit of a struggle. Should I have helped?¡± Guin froze over. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°I?¡± went the voice in her left ear. Something brushed her face as the voice came to her right ear, ¡°I am truth. I am life. I am... All that which is and isn¡¯t. Here you find me, there you find me. You find me in babies. You find me in the old. You find me in the fire. You find me in the dark. I am immortal, but I am not alive; not really.¡± ¡°I highly doubt a god would choose to follow me around,¡± she said, irritated. The voice laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal with you, mortal. If you can guess the answer to my riddle before you finish the last of the Harbinger¡¯s quests, then I shall tell you who I am¡ªand perhaps, I might even bring you to Wise myself¡ªafter all, their riddle is mine own.¡± Guin blinked. It couldn¡¯t have been that easy, could it? She thought about the riddle, and she thought about the fools themselves. Could the answer be the one she had been looking for since she met them? How stupid... The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°How many chances do I get?¡± she asked. ¡°You only get one life,¡± it said. It was easy to imagine the voice grinning like the Chesire Cat. ¡°Do I get any other hints?¡± ¡°We shall see how I feel as time goes by,¡± it told her. ¡°For now, take this, and kill these creatures. They offend me.¡±
< > <>
In addition to the quest, a light shone over her, and she felt stronger. She had gained a buff called [Battle Ready] with a 30-minute timer. Out of her curiosity, she checked her notification window.
<<[??Notifications](?)]>> ?<> ?<> ?<> ??<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ?<> ??<> <>
¡°Hmm,¡± she pondered aloud. Gobos. Definitely a cousin of the goblin. Guin sighed as she wondered how much XP she would be getting if she could gain experience points for this. The experience itself, however, was worth its weight in gold. Continuing through the cave, she killed off another group of Gobos. Half an hour and roughly fifteen Gobos later, she came to something different. Rounding the corner in fox form, she saw a large Gobo, dressed in a robe of ragged patchwork silks of various colors. It held a wooden staff with a sparkling orange gem focus. Alone in the room with seemingly no way out, surrounded by what looked to be treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, Guin could only assume that this was the boss. She figured it was also safe to assume it was a caster-type creature. While her experience with combat was pretty average so far, dealing with a caster would be different. Magic in any game was a wildcard of mechanics, and having no experience or magic of her own made it difficult to predict how the caster would act. She had also lost her haunting buff. Hoping it wouldn¡¯t be that different from the archers, Guin decided to go with the ¡®go for the throat, then the back¡¯ tactic she had previously relied upon and pray for the best. But, as soon as her paw entered the room, the torches flickered. The gobo flipped around to face her, bright blue eyes settling on her. It looked confused; it didn¡¯t seem sure if Guin was an enemy or not, but she wasn¡¯t going to wait for it to decide. Its throat wasn¡¯t exposed as the others had been, so she changed her tactics, using the walls to catapult herself to its shoulder. The gobo still looked confused as Guin morphed into human form and planted her dagger into the area of its spine. The creature jerked with a screech, spinning around and raising its staff up. Guin didn¡¯t want to give it time to think beyond that, though, and held on as well as she could as it spun around, performing [Backstab] after [Backstab] as long as her stamina held out. The gobo shrieked and began to chant. Gritting her teeth, Guin kept her attacks up. While it was chanting, it seemed as if it couldn¡¯t move, which allowed her to get several more, accurately aimed [Backstabs] in¡ªbut she didn¡¯t seem to do much damage. All she was doing was drenching herself in the spraying blood. The creature suddenly stopped speaking and lifted its staff. The orange gem spun in the air, and the air seemed to gather around it. Guin felt the blood drain from her face as she watched the gem and furiously began hacking at the creature until she couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. Distracted and winded by the stamina drain, she watched as the wind around the staff¡¯s focus formed a fast-moving ball of wind. She could feel it sucking the oxygen out of the area, and the pressure it emitted made her dizzy. Guin fell off the gobo and staggered back. The creature gave her a mad grin and said one last word. With that unintelligible utterance, the air released, and Guin was sent flying back into the cave wall with even more force than when the Gobo Club Thug had whacked her. The rock wall crumbled around her even as its shards stabbed into her back. Even though she was convinced no air could escape her lungs, she cried out; it was a tiny, pitiful cry. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she collapsed like a rag doll. A sharp, delighted laugh came from the center of the room where the caster was, and he began to chant again. No, Guin told herself. That wasn¡¯t happening again¡ªfuck that. She pulled herself out from the hole in the wall with all the strength she could muster. It would have been helpful if she could see health bars, but they wouldn¡¯t appear until you achieve a combat rank of ¡®C¡¯ or greater for any given monster. Biting her lip, she took a moment to consider what she could do to stop the thing from casting. Would [Trip] serve as an interrupt? Rushing up to it, she swiped at the monster¡¯s legs. It was a success! Her action sent the gobo up head over heels with a screech and a loud thunk! It babbled in whatever language it spoke as it struggled in its silks. Guin took the chance to grab it by the ears, exposing its soft throat. Doing her best to ignore the look in its gleaming eyes, she swiped the blade across its throat. The creature gave out a blood-curdling sound from deep in its throat as it struggled and shook¡ªand eventually, died. As it did so, all the treasures she had seen in the room melted away into rocks, dirt, and a few wooden boxes. Unable to stand, Guin pulled herself away from the body and leaned against the wall, catching her breath. Covered in blood, she started to sob in a mix of pain and relief. Even though she knew she couldn¡¯t die, she had been afraid. Even though she knew it to be a monster, some part of her was moved by the eyes of the creature. She really needed to get rid of this dagger. Close combat was just not for her. At least not that close. Chapter 29 Though she expected to be haunted again, the voice didn¡¯t come to her even after she sat for a few minutes. The gobo¡¯s corpse turned into a treasure chest as she stared at it. Pushing up onto her knees, she crawled over. Inside was five tokens, a fair number of coins, and to her surprise, a couple of items! Her first real items!
<<[ Patchwork Silk Robe (Unidentified)]>> << Bound - Armor - Robe - Rank -- >> << Armor +2 >> << It appears to be a simple, colorful silk robe.>> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: -- >>
<<[Citrine Staff (Unidentified]>> << Bound - Weapon - Staff - Rank -- >> << Damage +2 >> << It appears to be a simple staff, perhaps magical in nature. .>> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: -- >>
Even though it wasn¡¯t identified, she equipped the robe¡ªwhich was basically just a step up from rags¡ªand put the staff in her inventory. While she didn¡¯t like her dagger, she felt safer using it for now. One by one, she went through the other boxes in the room. One of them, she assumed, would have the item she needed since the gobos themselves didn¡¯t. She might cry if it was an uncommon drop and she needed to wait for those monsters to respawn. There was very little of interest. Most of what was in the boxes was junk items like spoons and scraps of metal and cloth. Maybe she could sell them for a few copper, but that was all. She did find a bottle of wine that she decided to bring back for the gatekeeper. Finally, in the third box, she found it. Unlike Ororos¡¯s riddle, which she had solved by sheer luck, Guin was pretty confident that she knew the answer to the rabbit¡¯s riddle. Gingerly, she lifted the cloth-wrapped item out of the box. Unwrapping it revealed a book bound in fine leather. It was a beautiful item. She slipped in her pack and went through the rest of the boxes, but it seemed her luck had ended with the drops. Satisfied, Guin began her way back to where the three fools waited. The cave had already spawned a handful of gobos before she left, and she took care of them efficiently. By the time she exited the cave, all four of the skills she had been using leveled up.
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Fox Form]>> <> <> << Shapeshift into a small fox. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 20%, Attack decreases by 80%. >> << Cast Time: 5 Seconds - Duration: 1 Minute, 30 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Spirit Armor]>> <> <> << Summons a thin layer of spirit power from within to protect you. >> << Armor increases by 4%. >> << Cast Time: 10 Seconds - Duration: 15 Minutes - Cooldown: 1 Minute >>
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Backstab]>> <> <> << Your weapon shines with a peculiar thirst. >> << Your next attack to the back of an enemy is an automatic critical hit. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: 15 Seconds - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Trip]>> <> <> << You are adept at tripping people. When you trip someone, you have a chance to knock them off balance. >> << 3% Chance to cause [Unbalance] for 10 Seconds. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: Instant - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
Use of stat points aside, her skills were leveling up much faster than she thought they would. The tutorial learning bonus was no joke. Entering the main game would be as crushing to her in-game now as the real world was to a graduating high school senior. Tik-Tak joined her with a happy bounce as she exited the cave, and together they pressed on. By the time she was through with all the Moarbits and the Beedants in the area, both were up to ¡®C¡¯ rank, and she could finally see their health bars. Ororos was waiting for her with a toothy grin. ¡°The girl has returned in one piece, it seems!¡± he exclaimed with an amused-sounding voice. Jeek appeared out from her hole. ¡°So it has,¡± she said. ¡°Welcome back, candidate. Did you find the treasure in the cave?¡± Guin pulled the book out from her inventory, still wrapped in the cloth. ¡°Is this what you were looking for?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Wohh,¡± went the rabbit in wonder, taking the book in her paws greedily and unwrapping it without a second thought. It was the most emotive Jeek had ever been in front of Guin. ¡°Yess, yes! This is it! I am impressed!¡± She flipped through the book. ¡°Well then,¡± Ororos said. ¡°We shall take our things back now¡ªhopefully, they have been of use to you!¡± he held a paw out, and Guin gave him back the dagger. She also returned the foot to Jeek¡ªwho was too preoccupied to notice¡ªand held out the cloak for Lili, who she assumed was in his usual tree. As expected, he hopped down a moment later and landed on her shoulder. He took back the cloak and said rather sheepishly, ¡°Miss candidate... I know that you have just returned from Jeek¡¯s quest, but I wonder if you might do me a small favor as well....¡± Tilting her head, Guin asked, ¡°What could I do for you?¡± ¡°You see...¡± he began, seemingly ashamed of himself. ¡°I forgot which tree I lived in.¡± Like a comedy act, Guin, Ororos, and Jeek nearly fell overhearing the squirrel¡¯s words.
<> <>
< > <>
¡°You¡ª¡± Ororos began, hackles rising. Instead of yelling, he decided to just chase after Lili. Jeek sighed and took her book and paw back into her hole. Then, in her left ear, a now familiar¡ªthough now rather disgusted¡ªvoice muttered, ¡°Foolish rodent. I say, girl, I offer you a... proposal. I will give you an extra chance to guess who I am. You can guess who I am once you finish the quests of all three fools¡ªor, you can name me now, and I shall give you the answer to the final... erm... ¡®riddle.¡¯ If you are wrong now, there shall be no punishment. I am just starting to find this game of theirs dull. Call out the answer, and I shall appear before you.¡± Guin snorted, watching the animals chase each other. It sounded reasonable to her. Aside from the fact that it liked to terrify her, she was starting to rather like this ghost of hers. ¡°Conquest. War. Famine,¡± she muttered. ¡°I know you not, but name you the Harbinger of Death.¡± The voice chuckled. The two who had been running around came to a halt, and Jeek popped her head out. First, there came silence. Then¡ªthere was a sound of purring as something nuzzled against her cheek. Even though part of her expected something like this to happen, it took her a moment to accept it. She lifted her hand up to what appeared to be a large, pale blue-grey cat with silvery eyes. After nuzzling her a bit, it jumped off her shoulder, landing gracefully on the grass in front of them. ¡°Indeed,¡± it said, flicking its tail and looking at her with dignity. ¡°I am Liorax Sith, the Jester of Death. I am that which follows all, but not all acknowledge. That you can see our forms and hear our voice; ¡®tis a rare thing.¡± Ororos bared his teeth and sneered, ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± the pale cat asked with a bored voice as it put its rear end in the wolf¡¯s face. ¡°By the way, on behalf of the girl, your tree is this one, stupid squirrel.¡± Liorax went over and marked one of the trees. ¡°Get away from my tree!¡± Lili shouted, trying to chase the cat away. Liorax adopted a pouncing pose. Its butt gave an adorable wiggle as it lunged. Squeaking furiously, Lili ran up into his tree.
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<> < You have solved the riddle of the spirit that haunts you. What you do with the knowledge is now up to you. > <>
Choice? Guin looked at the spirits. Liorax jumped back up onto her shoulders. It rubbed its tail against her face. ¡°You have found me out, and now you have come to my reward for doing so,¡± it said. Guin tilted her head. ¡°Before you, you now have all four Jesters of the Court of Harbingers. Now, the one whom you choose to lead you to Wise shall be the one to haunt you as you continue your journey in Uldarin. Choose which of us whose blessings you would prefer to have on your journey.¡± Blinking, Guin looked between the four, all of whom were looking at her with rather expectant eyes. She had a choice in this? Conquest. War. Famine. Death. But what did that even mean? ¡°H-How should I think to choose?¡± She asked them. Ororos stepped forward first. ¡°Let us introduce ourselves properly. I am Ororos Fenris, Jester of Conquest. My eyes are as sharp as my teeth, and my paws are silent as a shadow. I am a patron of the rouge arts, a leader of assassins, archers, thieves, and criminals abound. Choose me to follow you on your path, and I shall teach you my ways.¡± Jeek hopped forward. ¡°I am Jeek Jack, Jester of War. I may look cute and fluffy, but my nature is that of power. I am fast and strong and a master of tactics. I am a patron of combat and honor; a warrior among warriors; a soldier, a knight. Choose me to follow you on your path, and I shall share with you all my wisdom in the coming days.¡± Lili crossed his arms and stared down from his tree. ¡°I am Lili Breaker, Jester of Famine. My weapon is my mind, my words, and my motions. I am a patron of the mage arts, a magician of unusual talents, a healer, and a leader among all those who would commune with both the natural and arcane worlds. Choose me to follow you on your path, and I shall share with you my brilliance and power.¡± Liorax jumped down from her shoulder and sat on the ground. ¡°And I am Liorax Sith, Jester of Death. My weapon of choice is unpredictability and mastery of the universe. I am as much a patron of life as I am of death¡ªthough my talents are better put to use in the slaying of enemies than the curing of wounds. I can do all, yet I need to master none of it to accomplish my aims. Choose me as your companion, and nothing for you shall change.¡± Crossing her arms, Guin considered the four before her. This was some kind of class path choice, she realized. If that was so, then did she need to choose? She didn¡¯t want to be a rogue, she knew that much, but she hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to try other means of combat yet. ¡°Then,¡± she began. Why change now? She had actually become quite fond of the voice that had helped her get this far, anyway. ¡°Then I should keep you, Liorax. You have been with me since the start.¡± Liorax grinned¡ªvery much like the Cheshire Cat indeed. ¡°Are you certain?¡± it asked. ¡°Once you make this choice, then I, Death, shall follow you to the grave and beyond.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Guin nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me thus far¡ªI feel that I owe you. Will you continue with me and take me to Wise?¡± ¡°Very well,¡± said the cat, hopping into the air, stopping to float in front of her. Its green eyes glowed brightly, and behind it flashed a bright green, eight-pointed star. ¡°I am now eternally bound to your person. As I am the Harbinger of Death, so now are you.¡±
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Guin smiled as Liorax landed on her shoulder and started nuzzling her face again. The other three nodded at them. ¡°Good luck then, candidate!¡± Lili said. ¡°Call on us again if you need to!¡± The squirrel then proceeded to disappear into his tree. ¡°We shall meet again, I am certain!¡± Jeek said, going back down into her hole. ¡°Don¡¯t fear the future, child,¡± Ororos said. ¡°Call on us if need be.¡± The wolf then shot into the woods. ¡°Where did they go?¡± Tik-Tak asked, walking up to her and Liorax. Shrugging, Guin answered, ¡°Home?¡± Liorax laughed. ¡°Shall I take you to Wise?¡± Guin nodded. Liorax took to hopping on the air, bouncing on nothing, and occasionally just flying. The cat was certainly the first spirit she had seen to really act like a ghost might¡ªthough she guessed that they weren¡¯t really the same thing. Tik-Tak bounded after the cat, asking silly questions about who they were and if they knew about foxes and hunters. First, they would find Wise, and then, she would see about helping poor Tik-Tak and his mother. Then what? She should ask Stella what her plans were later. Smiling, Guin re-cast her spells and went bounding off after them. Chapter 30 ¡°It is unfortunate to hear about your mother, little fox,¡± Liorax was saying as he floated upside down between them. ¡°Your mother was very brave, protecting you.¡± ¡°Yii...¡± Tik-Tak whined, ducking his head. ¡°Malicious energy is quite hard for others to deal with¡ªespecially innocent ones,¡± Liorax floated closer to Guin. ¡°It is admirable to try and aid the little fox, but you had best be careful, human child. Such energy can be...damaging.¡± Guin wrinkled her nose, ¡°I said I would help, and I will!¡± The cat grinned as he swam in the air. ¡°An admirable sentiment.¡± They had been going now for about twenty minutes. Tik-Tak and Liorax had been getting acquainted with one another, but Guin couldn¡¯t tell if they were really getting along or not. Tik-Tak was fragile, and Liorax was... honest. It wasn¡¯t bad, she supposed, but her heart went out to the little fox. After another ten minutes, they came to their destination. There was a twinge of annoyance when they stopped at a crossroad in the wood. It was only about a five-minute run from the village if you went by the path. Once there, however, she didn¡¯t need Liorax to say anything, for sitting on the sign pose in the middle of the roads was a beautiful white and golden barn owl. Liorax took a place on Guin¡¯s shoulder, and Tik-Tak simply tried to stay out from underfoot. As they walked up to the post, the owl in the center turned its head to watch her, its face unreadable but its eyes all-knowing. ¡°H-Hello,¡± Guin said hesitantly. ¡°Would you be Wise, the great owl?¡± ¡°I am,¡± a very soft, warm womanly voice washed over Guin; it was a voice that seemed to echo inside her head and reach into her soul. She shivered, but Wise¡¯s laugh was kind. ¡°You need not be afraid of me, child; I have been waiting for you, O¡¯Candidate. I have heard about you from many in the forest. The Court of Harbingers, The Advisor, The Guardian, The Watcher¡ªall speak highly of you. But this is just the beginning. ¡°I am Wise, the Lore Keeper,¡± the owl continued. ¡°And I shall be the one to point you down your path.¡± Guin bowed before her, ¡°I am at your service, my lady.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Wise said. ¡°Then I shall begin.¡± Wise then asked Guin a series of questions, very reminiscent of the questions she was asked when she had first created her character. After several minutes, Wise ceased her questioning. She flapped her wings and said, ¡°Thank you for your patience, Candidate. Now, listen well. There are four paths before you. Choose which path to follow, and it shall be yours to walk as you please¡ªbut be careful, for this choice cannot be made again.¡± ¡°Paths?¡± Guin asked, and Wise spread her wings out. Guin was shocked to see the landscape blur and change around her. When she had first entered the crossroads, there had been four unimpressive roads that lead in different directions, but now what she saw was different. Each road was, like magic, very different. The path furthest to the left was well-kept. Sunflowers danced in the wind and sunlight, but it looked to be the height of summer, with a sky of azure blue. It was a warm and inviting place. The next path had a little cobbled wall that was overgrown with a small-leafed ivy. Even under the trees sprouting with soft buds, the ground was filled with pretty wildflowers of all sorts, growing everywhere they could¡ªeven into the dirt road. The weather was calm, and the trees seemed to dance in a delightful breeze. The next two paths, however, were far more unique. The first of the two looked absolutely abandoned, though nature had painted it with grace. The cobbled path was full of weeds, and the grass was tall and yellowed. The trees were a mix of bright, flame reds, dazzling yellows, and a fascinating range of browns. Leaves littered the places where the grass wasn¡¯t growing, and the sound the wind made as the wind traveled through was like rain. The last of the paths was the most impressive. The image of this path was a snowstorm. It looked as if the area was contained in a snow globe, with the snow falling heavily on the road and trees upon it. Everything was buried in white, and she could barely make out the path as it winded through the woods. Guin shivered involuntarily as she looked into the wintery world. It was fascinating. Not that they wanted to give her any real time to admire the magic that was obviously involved. Liorax settled on her shoulder, and she felt Tik-Tak lean against her leg. ¡°Which path calls to you?¡± it asked her. ¡°How is it doing that?¡± Liorax chuckled, ¡°This is the Veil, girl. Don¡¯t be shocked by such a simple thing. It is merely that the spirits of winter live down that path.¡± ¡°Is that so...¡± she said in wonder. ¡°Is that the path you wish to take?¡± Liorax asked her, sounding a bit dubious. But Guin shook her head quickly. ¡°No. No, no, I am not one for snow¡ªit is amazing, though!¡± she told them, then pointed down the path, which she could only assume to be fall. ¡°This one. This is the path I will take.¡± With that, Wise spread her wings wide, and with a single, powerful stroke, she took to the air. ¡°Then, child, keep up!¡± she called as she started flying down the path. Liorax launched himself off her shoulder and tore after the owl before Guin could shut her gaping mouth¡ªeven Tik-Tak, too, had left her behind. Guin sprinted, entering [Fox Form] in an attempt to keep up with the other three. The leaves scattered on the ground crunched under her feet, every now and again causing her to slip¡ªthough she didn¡¯t fall. There were a few times when she was afraid that she had begun to lose sight of them, but she pushed as hard as she could. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Then finally, they stopped. Wise gracefully landed on a life-sized marble statue of a beautiful woman surrounded by spirits. The statue was delicately carved. It was craftsmanship that would rival any statue of The Lady. Each carved spirit seemed alive in the sunlight. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Welcome,¡± said Wise. ¡°Welcome to the Land of Fall. Why don¡¯t you sit?¡± Tik-Tak gave her a snort and sat amongst the leaves while Liorax returned to Guin¡¯s shoulder as she stood, once again staring open-mouthed. The cat nuzzled her face, bringing her back to the moment. Guin nodded slowly and sat quite rigidly on the ground. Wise seemed to smile at her as she asked, ¡°Tell me, child. What do you know of this world?¡± ¡°...Very little,¡± Guin answered. ¡°It is a world with many facets. The mortal realm, the spirit realm....¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Wise. ¡°The Veil and The Che¡ªwhich you call ¡®the Mortal Realm¡¯. These two realms, they are governed by two very different sets of rules. While those in the Che have generations of kings and queens to rule them, we of the Veil have something quite different. Other methods. Tests, of sorts. Once every ten years, we hold a contest as to who shall be our king, our queen, our ruler... Our ¡®Heart¡¯. ¡°Traditionally, this contest is overseen by the guardians of the directions¡ªthe Tenmath¡ªof which there are eight. Do you know of this?¡± Eight? ¡°I-I knew of four, my lady, not eight.¡± The pretty owl nodded, ¡°As is common. Then listen well to my tale, Candidate. So Wise began: ¡°Long ago¡ªoh, so long ago¡ªthe world was born. It was born of light and fire; a great burst of energy so vast that it shook the universe. And from this energy, the gods were born. There was The Lord of the Dawn, and the Lady of the Dusk, the Lady of the Day, and the Lord of the Night, and for a time, all was well. The gods came together and named the world ¡®Uldarin,¡¯ and they ruled in peace. In time, they grew tired of just having each other for company, and so they began to create things, painting all manner of beasts and things into the blank canvas that was Uldarin. ¡°First, the Lady of the Day worked with the Lord of the Dawn and created the Lord of Clouds. Then, she worked with the Lady of the Dusk, and together they created the Lord of the Sky. ¡°The Lord of the Night worked with the Lord of the Dawn and made Lady of the Sun. Then, with the Lady of the Dusk as his aid, he created the Lady of the Moon. These were the demi-gods, and as time passed, the four gods and the four demi-gods continued their acts of creation: ¡°The Lady of the Day created the Eight Saints. ¡°The Lord of the Dawn created the Court of the Magi. ¡°The Lord of the Night created the Heralds of Destruction. ¡°The Lady of the Dusk created the Wayfarers ¡°The Lord of the Sky created the Titans. ¡°The Lord of Clouds created the Eight Generals. ¡°The Lady of the Sun created the Gilded Artizens. ¡°The Lady of the Moon created the Council of Great Beasts. ¡°As time went on, creation begot creation, until all the world was filled with all manner of beasts and people. Cities rose, and life knew no bounds. But all good things must come to an end. ¡°A war broke out among the children of the Night and the children of the Day. The peace that the gods had known for thousands of years degraded into a time of suffering and hurt. The Lord of the Night pleaded with the Lady of the Day to bring a cease to the fighting, to stop man from killing beast¡ªbut it was too little avail. ¡°The Lady of the Dusk, watching her children struggle, then approached the Lord of the Dawn. Neither benefited from the war that raged between Night and Day, and they sought to end the pointless conflict. The Lord of the Dawn agreed to use his magical prowess to aid the Lady of the Dawn¡¯s intent, and together, they cast a spell that separated the Children of the Dawn from the Children of the Dusk into two separate planes of existence. This was the birth of the Veil and the Che. The Lady of the Dusk ruled the Veil, and the Lord of the Dawn, the Che.¡± Wise flapped her wings before settling on her perch again. ¡°With the disappearance of more than half of the creatures in the world, Uldarin did become more peaceful. The only resistance left to man¡¯s domination of the Che was the Lord of the Night. Seeing this, the Lord of the Night decided that if he wished to live in peace, then it should be his decision; he would leave the Che to the Lady of the Sun. He went to the Lady of the Dusk and begged that she should let him and his children also enter the Veil, to which she agreed. With that, the Lord of the Night disappeared¡ªand shortly after, so did the Lady of the Dawn. The Veil was ruled only by Beast Law. Soon, however, the Lady of the Moon and the Lord of the Sky also disappeared from the lands, drifting between the fabrics of reality. ¡°Then man, the predominant figure in the Che, chose to deal with politics and complicated law, and thereby was civilized society born. The Lady of the Day suppressed the rulership of the Lord of the Dawn and became the sole ruler of the Che. Under her, mankind flourished and became powerful. No longer in a position of power, the Lord of the Dawn quietly slipped away as the others had. Lady of the Sun and the Lord of the Clouds followed not long after. ¡°Only the Lady of the Day was left. A solitary power, she ruled the land for centuries with her children. At first, she enjoyed it. As time passed, however, even she became lonely, and she, too, faded away. ¡°Some say these gods died. Some say that they fell into an eternal slumber. Others say that they had gone to live among their people as one of them and that, naturally, they become powerful leaders of men and beasts. No one knows the truth, but those who felt the absence of the gods created the Grand Compass. The Grand Compass was made up of eight smaller Compasses¡ªone for each god and demi-god¡ªand the Grand Heart, which ruled over all. Each of the eight smaller Compasses had eight points, held by the powerful Tenmath, who represented the best of their followers, and a Heart to rule them. ¡°To accomplish this, the leaders of each clan gathered their strongest and recreated the creation myth. ¡°First was the Compass of the Night, the followers of the Lord of Night. The strongest among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Void Lord¡¯. The next eight strongest became the Heralds of Destruction. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Night holds the Northern Position. ¡°Second, the Compass of the Day, followers of the Lady of the Day. The fairest among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Bright Lady¡¯. The next eight fairest among them became The Saints. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Southern Position. ¡°Third, the Compass of the Dawn, followers of the Lord of Dawn. The wisest among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Hollow Magician.¡¯ The next eight wisest among them became the Court of the Magi. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Western Position. ¡°Fourth, the Compass of the Dusk, followers of the Lady of the Dusk. The most impartial among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Traveler.¡¯ The next eight most impartial among them became the Wayfarers. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Eastern Position. ¡°Fifth, the Compass of the Sun, followers of the Lady of Sun. The most skilled among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®The Creator.¡¯ The next eight most skilled among them became the Gilded Artisans. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Sun holds the North Western Position. ¡°Sixth, the Compass of the Moon, followers of the Lady of the Moon. The most talented among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Frost Wyrm.¡¯ The next eight most talented among them became the Council of Great Beasts. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Moon holds the Northeastern Position. ¡°Seventh, the Compass of the Sky, followers of the Lord of the Sky. The most graceful among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Wind Rider.¡¯ The next eight most graceful among them became the Titans. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Sky holds the South-Eastern Position. ¡°And last, the Compass of the Clouds, followers of the Lord of Clouds. The bravest among them was elected the first Heart, called ¡®Cloud King.¡¯ The next eight bravest among them became The Eight Generals. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Clouds holds the Southwestern Position. ¡°Every two years, each Compass came together to elect a new Heart to lead them from the Tenmath and then elect a new Tenmath to replace them. The Heart then leaves, as the gods once did, in search of a new life. ¡°These eight Compasses made up the Grand Compass, and all gathered together once every one hundred years to discuss the fate of the realms and elect a Grand Heart from one of the common folk. ¡°And so the world has gone. For millennia, the Grand Compass, made of mortals and spirits alike, has ruled the world, holding the place of the gods, waiting for them to return.¡± Wise stopped her tale just long enough to give a sly smile, ¡°Or so the legend in the Veil goes.¡± Chapter 31 ¡°Momma told me that story all the time!¡± Tik-tak exclaimed. ¡°She said Daddy was following the Frost Wyrm! He¡¯s doing important things!¡± ¡°Ohh! Is that so?¡± Liorax patted the happy little fox on the head. ¡°Wait,¡± Guin started, thinking. ¡°What about the religions of the Mortal Realm? ¡®The Lady¡¯...¡± The name sounded too similar to be a coincidence. Was it all connected? Wise gave an uncertain look. ¡°To be honest... I am not sure,¡± she said. ¡°When I first heard this story, I was convinced that The Lady was the same as the Lady of the Day¡ªbut it did not take me long to realize that this was not quite the case.¡± ¡°Then?¡± Guin asked. The beautiful owl looked down. ¡°You see me as a spirit now, but... I was human once, not long ago. I grew up in this forest, these woods. I would sit at the feet of a wise old man who lived in town with his kind wife. They were an old couple,¡± she said. ¡°I would go to visit them as a girl and eat up the stories he told and the sweets she made. It was the wise man who told me the story of the Tenmath, and his wife who told me about the kind, soft Lady she loved and the flower that she bore. It was all very romantic. ¡°A new priest came to the village, however, and called them blasphemers. Their Lady was bright and fiery, a woman who would conquer those who did not follow her, who showed off her power with grand gestures and rules of purity and law. She knew no weakness. It was nothing like the Lady whom the old woman told me stories of.¡± The owl sounded sad as she told the story. ¡°The reality is, there is no way to know the truth. The Lady that the Che worships is a mystery, even to the spirits¡ªeven to those who follow her, it seems. Is she a construct? Is she all of them combined into one? I know not. There is some semblance of similarities in the stories¡ªthough their Devil Lord Grukai is, like the Lady, unable to narrow down to a single persona.¡± Much of what Wise was saying reminded her of what Pastor Jormund has said. Maybe Alta Noin knows more about these old stories that Wise speaks of? ¡°I understand,¡± Guin nodded. ¡°I have a lot to learn...¡± Wise smiled. ¡°You do,¡± she said. ¡°But you are not alone. There those around you now and those who will gather to you as you go about your journey, Candidate.¡± ¡°What exactly am I a Candidate for?¡± Guin asked. Letting out a rather adorable hoot-like laugh, Wise answered, ¡°Why, you are a Candidate to be a Tenmath, of course!¡± Then she added with a gleam in her eyes, ¡°Why else would I be telling you this story?¡± Guin¡¯s mind blanked. ¡°Ha?¡± Liorax chuckled as Tik-tak looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Guin... You¡¯re gonna be a Tenmath?¡± Tik-Tak asked her. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Uh...,¡± Guin looked at the little fox, whose eyes were filled with admiration. Shaking her head, she tried to deny the claim. ¡°I-I can¡¯t be a Candidate for a Tenmath! I¡¯m not even Level 1!¡± Inwardly, she groaned. She didn¡¯t want to have anything at all to do with the Tenmath. The Tenmath were all bright and shiny people who loved competition and tests of strength. They were the kind of people that went after titles, achievements, money, and recognition. The Tenmath were actual gamers. Guin was just a run-of-the-mill, casual player that was here to sight-see and collect shinies. The owl looked at her with wide, shining eyes. ¡°Understand, Candidate¡ªfor the ten years between contests, we spirit guides work tirelessly to gather Candidates like you to nurture into Tenmath; into Kings and Queens of the realms. Tell me, girl, you have no interest in this?¡± ¡°In being a queen? Absolutely none,¡± Guin answered flatly, at this point dropping her polite tone in favor of her feelings. ¡°I hardly have an interest in being a Tenmath. It sounds like an awful lot of work.¡± But Wise laughed and didn¡¯t sound disappointed as she spoke, ¡°Child, there is time yet. There are years ahead of you¡ªyears you can learn, grow, and come into your own. What desire for power you lack now may appear in the future, and if it doesn¡¯t¡ªwho''s to say that power is the only measure?¡± Leveling her eyes with the owl, a creeping feeling of dread filled her heart. ¡°..Can I stop being a Candidate?¡± ¡°There are ways,¡± Wise told her, her voice sounding very amused. ¡°There are many crossroads that might make you ineligible. But that is all I shall tell you¡ªfor now.¡± Guin pouted, but the system sounded off.
<> You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. <[History and Lore - The Tenmath] +500> This quest is completed>> <>
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Guin felt like crying. It was great to have gained more [Spirit] and [Fate] points, but this Fate Quest was just about the last kind of quest that she wanted¡ªand all she could do was nod and accept. So much for avoiding the player vs. player life. Since it seemed like at least the Dusk candidates were all spirit-based, too, she couldn¡¯t even run to the Veil. Sighing, she sent the window away. Liorax and Wise seemed quite amused by her reaction, while Tik-Tak looked rather confused. ¡°Alright,¡± Guin sighed and put her hands on her hips. Nothing she could do about it now, so she smiled and looked at Tik-Tak. ¡°Now that that is done let¡¯s see about your mother!¡± The little fox¡¯s eyes brightened, then welled up with tears. ¡°Yiii...¡± Turning to Wise, Guin asked, ¡°It seems this little fox¡¯s mother was killed by hunters from Bade. From the sound of it, she is on her way to becoming a dark spirit. Is there anything that we can do?¡± Wise thought for a moment. ¡°Every malevolent spirit has a reason. Go to her. If you can coax her to speak, find her reason. If you can solve the reason her heart turns dark, then surely, if only for the love of her cub, she will find the light in her heart.¡±
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Frowning, Guin simply nodded. She had hoped that Wise¡¯s advice would be a little less obvious than that, but it did make perfect sense. ¡°Well then,¡± she said and looked at a real-world clock. It was about dinner time. Before she logged out, Guin decided that she should check her notifications and character progress. Overall, she found the results impressive. Each battle she entered here was still netting her almost a level¡¯s worth of points. In addition to the quests, she was gaining reputation and stats at a rapid pace, though she was starting to see a decline in acquisition.
<> <> <> <> <<>> << Tutorial Tokens: 83 - 3c, 30s, 0g, 0p >>
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[Mist] 1500 ---[Mist - Bade] 750 [Spirit] 1900 ---[Spirit - Fox] 500 [Spirits - White Fox Forest] 2250 [Church of the Lady] 250
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[Geography] Rank - Beginner ---[Geography - Cartography] Rank - Beginner [Calligraphy] Rank - Beginner [Fine Arts] Rank - Beginner ---[Fine Arts - Drawing] Rank - Beginner [Cryptozoology] Rank - Beginner [History and Lore] Rank - Beginner ---[History and Lore - The Tenmath] Rank: Intermediate [Stealth] Rank - Beginner ---[Stealth - Burglary] Rank - Beginner [Domestic] Rank:Beginner [Charismatic] Rank - Beginner ---[Charismatic - Beguiling] Rank - Intermediate [Charisma - Deceit] Rank - Beginner [Herbalism] Rank - Beginner [Hunting] Rank - Beginner [Animal Handling] Rank - Beginner
It was satisfying to see her progress. With that, She bid Tik-Tak, Wise, and Liorax a temporary farewell and logged out. Chapter 32 ¡°Well, this is a quaint little place, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bahena asked as she looked around the coffee shop. ¡°It is nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Stella voiced her approval, adding, ¡°Just wait until you meet the guy who makes the coffee!¡± Behind them¡ªfarther behind them than she probably should have been¡ªDassah grinned and wondered if the bat barista knew what he had started. When Stella suggested they meet and grab coffee, Dassah had tried to stop them from going there¡ªto little avail. At the very least, she thought to herself, I can get some good coffee. ¡°It seems more crowded today...¡± Dassah noticed as Bahena and Stella claimed one of the only empty tables with their things. ¡°It is Saturday. Think they hired someone with manners?¡± Stella asked, but Dassah just shrugged. ¡°May he isn¡¯t even here today¡ªnow that would be a shame. How to torture an absent victim?¡± ¡°What in Spirits¡¯ Will are you two on about?¡± Bahena asked. ¡°Oh, trust me,¡± Stella told her. ¡°Assuming that he¡¯s here, you will know.¡± Snickering as Bahena ¡°Hmm-ed,¡± Dassah looked to the front where two young valkyrian girls were serving the customers. Guess he¡¯s not here today... she started to think, then scolded herself for caring. But as she turned to grab her wallet from her pocket, she saw the earar man come out from the staff door with a tray of pastries in his hands. ¡°Ah!¡± Stella exclaimed, pointing at him with an excited smile and hitting Dassah¡¯s arm at the same time. ¡°Look, see! Look at him; he looks so serious!¡± Serious? Dassah instead thought that he looked angry. Just then, a jikak in nice clothes sauntered up to the cash register. ¡°Oh?¡± Bahena said as Dassah saw her body lower and her tail start to sway. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked as Dassah slid into her chair at the table. The jikak looked to be talking to one of the young female baristas¡ªbut both of them were looking more and more uncomfortable as time passed. ¡°Trouble?¡± Bahena said. Dassah looked at the jikak man and cringed. ¡°S-Should we do something?¡± Stella asked, but Bahena shook her head. ¡°No,¡± the garule woman said. ¡°Engaging without knowing the situation is stu-oh?¡± Dassah was stunned as she watched the angry-looking earar came out from behind the counter and calmly grab the jikak by one of his three fingers, swiftly wrench the arm back over the man¡¯s own head, and drag him out the cafe door¡ªadding a kick for good measure. ¡°Fuck. Off.¡± Dassah heard him say before slamming the door and walking back inside. Apparently unaffected by the whole thing, the bat-like man made his way back behind the counter to a course of claps and cheers, picking up some empty cups and trash along the way¡ªuntil he turned around and glared at them all. Dassah stifled a laugh as the cafe went silent. ¡°Order coffee, drink in silence, and leave,¡± he growled. Bahena tilted her head. ¡°Well...He¡¯s an odd one, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Hey, maybe he¡¯s really the bouncer!¡± Stella wondered out loud. ¡°What kind of coffee shop needs a bouncer?¡± Dassah asked. Stella shrugged. Then exclaimed, ¡°Ah! Maybe it¡¯s not a cafe at all!¡± Shifting behind Dassah, she continued in a low, exaggerated hiss: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a secret hideout for a super secret organization! Or! Maybe they are all criminals!¡± ¡°Ah, but then the question is: do we care if they make good coffee?¡± Bahena asked with a wink. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to have some guns around,¡± Stella admired Bahena¡¯s muscular arms with a pat. Grinning, Dassah waved to the register and said, ¡°Shall we?¡± The three women walked up to the counter, all trying not to laugh. Dassah noticed that about half the cafe was like them, holding wry smiles and looking like they had forgotten about the bat barista¡¯s command in a very short amount of time, while the other half seemed scared shitless and was starting to pack their bags. The young valkyrian woman behind the counter seemed happy to take their orders under the earar man¡¯s watchful eye. Dassah had tried to put up a more confident front, but as he eyed Dassah and the other two, she took to chewing at her fingers as a distraction. ¡°You know,¡± Bahena faced him. ¡°I have never heard an earar bark quite like that. You have my respect, sir.¡± Dassah looked up quickly to see the man yawn, ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± Baneha¡¯s tail flickered back and forth, but she said nothing. ¡°P-Please have a seat,¡± the worried young woman behind the counter said with a slight bow. ¡°We will bring your coffee when it is ready...¡± ¡°Oh yes, of course,¡± Bahena said pleasantly and went to their table. Stella and Dassah ordered their coffee and then joined her quietly. After a moment of awkward silence between them, Stella said, ¡°Isn¡¯t he just the most charming one out there?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t find it unattractive,¡± Bahena said, eyeing the barista. ¡°Though... something about him seems familiar.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Stella went. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just imagining things. The bat barista came over with two cups and a bowl of coffee and set them down in front of the girls, eyeing them with disgust and curiosity¡ªpresumably because of Bahena¡¯s presence at their table. After all, who would hang out with humans here? Dassah tried to ignore the negative vibes that began to emanate around them again. After taking a lap from her bowl, Bahena gave a strange face and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know earar made good coffee.¡± She looked at the bat man¡¯s face with a raised eyebrow. ¡°And I generally thought they were... well. More polite.¡± The man looked at her with bored eyes. ¡°And I didn¡¯t know garuli associated with such bottom feeders,¡± he said, his monotonous voice grating on Dassah¡¯s nerves. ¡°And I thought females like you were far more rude.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± Bahena smiled. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t we both failures, then,¡± he answered dully. ¡°Okay,¡± Stella slammed her cup on the table. ¡°Fuck off, asshole, and let the customers drink in peace.¡± ¡°Customer, if you break that cup, you will be charged an additional one hundred creds,¡± he informed her as he walked away. Stella raised a fist at his back. In a calm, stern tone, Dassah warned, ¡°Stella. Don¡¯t feed the trolls.¡± ¡°He really is a troll,¡± Stella spat in an unusual display of bitterness. ¡°Look at that face...¡± ¡°Now, now,¡± Bahena thrust her muzzle down toward Stella¡¯s cup. ¡°Drink your coffee; you¡¯ll feel better. Oi, look at that face from a girl who wanted to come here...¡± Though she was grumbling, Stella did as she was told. Turning her attention back to Dassah, Bahena asked, ¡°How has TheirWorld been treating you?¡± ¡°Oh... Um. Okay, I guess,¡± Dassah said. ¡°I¡¯m still in the tutorial.¡± As Bahena looked into her her coffee bowl quietly, Dassah almost felt bad but couldn¡¯t come up with anything to say and began tracing the lip of her cup with her finger. ¡°Still in the tutorial?¡± Stella intervened, giving Dassah a nudge. ¡°I thought you would have been out of there by now! Even I managed to navigate my way through it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t,¡± Dassah told her. ¡°There are just a few quests I want to finish before I move on.¡± Making a face, Stella asked, ¡°Quests? Do quests in the tutorial even matter?¡± If only you knew, Dassah thought, frowning down at her coffee. ¡°What about you, Bahena? You started a little later than us, but I¡¯ll bet you¡¯re a powerhouse.¡± Perking up, Bahena said, ¡°I¡¯ve been mostly playing with my brothers. It seems that we have a different tutorial zone than you guys. I should be out of the tutorial soon, though; maybe we can meet up soon?¡± ¡°Brothers?¡± Stella asked. ¡°More than one?¡± ¡°Three of them,¡± Bahena said in a miserable voice. ¡°And all three of them are little shits.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Siblings, huh?¡± ¡°Yes, well,¡± Bahena started, a sour look on her face. ¡°Let me tell you¡ª¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Dassah jumped at the sound of the bat man¡¯s voice shouting loudly. The coffee she had just been taking a sip of spilled onto her shirt. She glared at him as she started to mop up the coffee that was now soaking into her clothes, but her gaze quickly turned into curiosity. Thus far, the man¡¯s face had been varying shades of stoic; now, it looked full of anger and pain as it faced the doors of the cafe. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Stella asked, looking around as the cafe went quiet again. ¡°More excitement? Is that weird jikak guy back?¡± Looking over at the door, however, Dassah saw that it wasn¡¯t the jikak man at all. Instead, there was another, much smaller earar standing in the entrance with a rather expressionless look on its face. A sense of familiarity dawned on her as she recognized the girl from their floor. What was her name? ¡°Shen?¡± Dassah murmured. ¡°Where the hell have you been!¡± the bat barista shouted, slamming the gate as he came out from behind the counter again. The shorter one¡¯s ears twitched, but it said nothing. ¡°Shen!¡± the man shouted, but Shen seemed to ignore him as it stood there. Stella leaned into the table and quietly whispered: ¡°Secret organization!¡± Bahena and Dassah both snorted, trying to hold back their laughter in what looked to be an otherwise serious event. Dassah watched as one of the other customers, who must have been a regular, waved her hand at the him as he glowered and said, ¡°Now, now, Grim....¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± he growled at her. Dassah wasn¡¯t sure what to make out about the situation, but everyone in the cafe seemed to be in the same boat. Shen started walking to a door next to the counter that said ¡®PRIVATE¡¯ in big, bold letters. ¡°Shen!¡± But the warning that was in his voice went unheeded as Shen just did as she pleased. Suddenly looking exhausted, Grim put his hands on his hips and let out a big sigh. The customer that had spoken to him before walked over and knocked on the counter. ¡°You really need to relax,¡± she said in a soothing voice. ¡°She needs time.¡± Dassah gave the woman a quick once over... She¡¯s a tivarys, Dassah thought in wonder. Her skin was a jade color, with skin so translucent that one could see her veins running through her body. Her ears were pointed in two places, and her large, almond-shaped eyes were almost the same teal color as the valkyrian grass. Tivarys themselves were a species that specialized in agricultural studies. Dassah couldn''t help but think of them as elves or faeries; beautiful, delicate, unearthly creatures; they were wise, with an unparalleled connection to nature. Or so it was said. Dassah wasn¡¯t sure trying to tell the earar man¡ªGrim, it seemed his name was¡ªwhat to do was a very wise decision. Predictably, Grim didn¡¯t seem to like what she was saying. ¡°It¡¯s been almost a year,¡± he growled. ¡°How much time am I supposed to give her?¡± ¡°As much as she needs,¡± the tivarys woman told him. ¡°Great.¡± The woman then looked around the room, but her eyes fell on Dassah¡¯s group. Dassah forced her eyes down. She didn¡¯t want to be caught staring and eavesdropping on the situation¡ªthough it should have hardly been surprising. To her surprise, however, the woman¡¯s voice asked, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Sav¡¯s sister?¡± Stella and Dassah looked and her, then at each other, and then over to Bahena, who looked more anxious than surprised. ¡°You know Sav?¡± Bahena asked, tilting her head. Grim groaned loudly as the woman laughed. ¡°Well, it is a small world, isn¡¯t it!¡± she said. Dassah wondered if she understood what she was really saying as she went on with a sly voice. ¡°Guess that means he¡¯s back from the homeworld then? You¡¯re in luck, Grim¡ªShen¡¯s always liked him more than she likes you.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Grim said, returning to his monotone self. ¡°He can have her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you Leegrim Grimnar?¡± Bahena asked him, a surprising bit of irritation to be heard in her voice as her tailed flicked. Dassah closed her posture a little. ¡°And if I am?¡± ¡°Then you and I really are going to have a problem,¡± Bahena warned. ¡°Stay away from my brother.¡± Grim glared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking need this right now,¡± he growled and went back to work tidying up behind the bar. Bahena¡¯s gaze shifted to the tivarys woman, who shrugged. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m Syringa Oleaceae¡ªmost people just call me Syr,¡± She pointed to the bored-looking earar and introduced him too. ¡°This is... well. I¡¯m just regular who plays TheirWorld with him occasionally. Do you guys play?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Grim told her. ¡°Go back to the counter and leave the real customers alone, would you?¡± ¡°I will when you learn to take your own advice,¡± Syr gave him a coy look that made Dassah smirk. ¡°And to correct the lying liar over there, we do play TheirWorld,¡± Stella said and introduced them each in turn. ¡°We are just getting started. Bahena was just talking about the fact her brothers play...¡± Stella trailed off and looked at Grim with sharp eyes. Dassah knew exactly what she was thinking and was thinking along the same lines: This asshole has friends? ¡°Well,¡± Bahena stood up. She was clearly upset. ¡°Speaking of him, I should probably make sure he¡¯s settled in all right....¡± As Bahena stood and picked up her things, Dassah looked over to see Syr looking confused. ¡°What the hell did you do, Grim?¡± the tivarys woman asked, looking at Grim whose face held a slight frown. Bahena shook her head. ¡°He knows what he did,¡± she said, though her pleasant tone rang false from Dassah¡¯s perspective. ¡°O-Okay,¡± the tivarys woman said uncertainty. ¡°We should probably go too,¡± Stella said. ¡°We have to get Dassah up to speed in the game!¡± Extremely uncomfortable, Dassah picked up her things at Stella¡¯s urging and bowed to Grim and Syr slightly as she went to follow the other two, who had already made their way to the door. ¡°Ms. Sul,¡± Grim called as Bahena put her hand on the door. ¡°If you see your brother before I do, tell him to keep his nose where it belongs and his tail out of trouble¡ªI don¡¯t care who he is. Maybe if he hears it from you, he¡¯ll listen better.¡± Dassah watched as Bahena hesitated before giving a slight smile. ¡°You don¡¯t know Sav very well if you think that¡¯s true,¡± she said. But the earar just snorted, yawned, and turned away. Syr waved at them as they went out the door, but her gesture was stiff. Dassah bowed to them once more before turning her back to the little cafe. ¡°Hey, Bahena,¡± Stella went her hand on her chin. ¡°Is your brother a member of their secret organization?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bahena answered shortly. ¡°Is he a criminal then?¡± ¡°Stella...¡± ¡°Is that a ¡®yes¡¯ then?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± ¡°How sad...¡± ¡°Silly girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet he is a member of a secret organization, and you just don¡¯t know about it!¡± ¡°... Is there any way to stop you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Dassah couldn¡¯t help but laugh along with them, bantering as they walked back to the monorail station to go their separate ways. Chapter 33 Guin logged back in, ready to go. Tik-Tak greeted her by prancing around her legs while Liorax watched them both from his perch on the statue of the woman. After playing with him a little, she looked down one of the paths near the marble statue, where her quest indicator was pointing. Checking her map, she traced the path she would need to take to get where Tik-Tak¡¯s mother was. Deep inside the territory of another Border, she would likely have to be prepared for another fight. Is there going to be another boss battle like the Lore Master? She wondered, her eye twitching. ¡°Nothing for it, I guess,¡± Guin mumbled as she closed her map window. Combat was one of the largest parts of an MMO. She would have to get used to it sooner or later¡ªand, pain aside, she might as well do it while she couldn¡¯t die. There was a high probability that what awaited her ahead was more than simple beedants or moarbits. ¡°Guiiin!¡± Tik-Tak called to her, bouncing up and down as he waited for her on the path. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! Momma is waiting!¡± ¡°He is an impatient creature...,¡° Liorax mused, then yawned widely. Guin snorted as she cast her [Spirit Armor] and [Fox Form]. The way the cat reacted reminded her a bit of the bat barista. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Guin told him, and he floated down to her shoulder. ¡°Onward, chariot,¡± he said, sitting on her back. Chuckling, she caught up to Tik-Tak, who tagged her with a nip at her ear before he shot off down the path. As she took off after him, Liorax flew off in front. It took them about twenty minutes to get across the border, where dozens¡ªif not hundreds¡ªof beedants and moarbits meandered around the forest, bringing a smile to Guin¡¯s face as she took out her dagger. She went to work, turning the bugs and rodents into treasure. Several dozens of corpses later, though, Guin noticed that the forest had begun to change. ¡°What the hell..?¡± Guin muttered. Vibrant greens turned grey, then faded to purple, until the grass became a substance that resembled tar. The trees looked like they were rotting¡ªbut not a typical rot. The black tar-like substance was crawling up the trees, eating away at them. A dull fog hung over the area, blocking out the sun. The air was moist and thick and smelled foul, like a summer¡¯s eve in the middle of a bog. Ducking her head as she stepped into the area, Guin asked, ¡°Is it supposed to look like this? Oh shit¡ª!¡± Guin ducked behind one of the trees quickly, though almost immediately, she yelped and pulled away from it when her hands touched the tree¡¯s gooey trunk. Her prey had changed. Considerably. The beedants had grown larger, had grown hands, and learned to walk on their hind legs alone. Their sharp pincers gnashed together with horrible, echoing sounds. They look like Blee, Guin thought distastefully. As for the moarbits, they were a little less intimidating, but they, too, had changed. Their size increased, and they now sported large antlers. ¡°Corruption,¡± Liorax growled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Guin said. ¡°Yiiiii... Momma...¡± Tik-Tak made himself as small as he could and started to circle Guin¡¯s legs. ¡°Momma... I¡¯ll fix it... I-I¡¯ll take care of Momma....¡± Guin knelt and petted him, trying to calm him. But Liorax snorted. ¡°We should count ourselves lucky that it¡¯s only spread this far,¡± he said. ¡°This kind of corruption... I can smell it. Your mother was powerful for a Che Land Fox. Or...?¡± The roan-colored cat¡¯s attention shifted to Tik-Tak, his eyes reflecting a new respect for the anxious little fox. ¡°What should we do?¡± Guin pressed. ¡°Can I even fight these things by myself? Those bugs are bigger than I am!¡± There was no way for her to tell what the power gap was between the two. If it was as big as the gap between the gobos and the Lore Master, she was screwed. ¡°I can only offer minor help, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Liorax said, sounding almost genuine. ¡°All you can do is try. I¡¯ll give you one of my auras, but know that my spell is me, and I am my spell. I won¡¯t be able to communicate with you, but I will hear your commands. Should you require my physical presence, merely speak my name.¡± Nodding, Guin clenched her dagger and stared her enemies down. After making sure that her spells were in place, she gave Liorax the go-ahead. He spun around, glowed green, and disappeared. A light shone over her, and she saw that she had gained the [Battle Ready] buff again. ¡°Stay here,¡± she told the cowering little fox. ¡°Yiii...¡± seemed to be the only response he could give her. Entering her fox form, she stepped closer to one of the Corrupted Moarbits, but this creature didn¡¯t just ignore her. Shit! Guin began to scramble back as the Corrupted Moarbit glared at her and roared. Antlers down, it started after her. Her brain working as fast as it could, she dodged, and the creature ran head-first into the tree in front of it. Guin¡¯s eyes narrowed. Some sort of [Rush] technique? Unfazed, the creature turned around and glared at her, its eyes emitting an odd, black smoke. Its mouth dropped open, revealing all of its sharp, pointed teeth, and¡ªAre those... like... snake fangs? Guin froze. She had to admit that the antlers were far less intimidating than the pincers were - but if these things could poison her... Her first instinct was to run away, but Guin clenched her teeth. Why would you run? She asked herself, fixing her stance. The only thing she could do was to try not to get bitten. But how would she do that? Ultimately there was no reason why her tactics from before shouldn¡¯t work on these guys. The rush attack wasn¡¯t too different from the one that the Gobo Club Thugs used¡ªand those had been far more intimidating. These guys were just jack-a-lopes. The moarbit rushed at her again, but this time she was better prepared. Dodging just enough for the creature¡¯s attack to miss, she human shifted, grabbed it by the antlers, and pulled it down hard, slamming it into the ground. Disoriented, it struggled against her grip and pawed at the air. Taking advantage of its prone state, Guin executed several stabs and and backstabs until its body, at last, grew limp. It was quite the hardy creature. Had she been unlucky, the outcome of that fight could have been much different. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But with a strategy in development for the Corrupted Moarbits, she turned her attention to the Corrupted Beedants next. Feeling far more comfortable after her experience with the moarbit, Guin didn¡¯t hesitate trying out her tactics on the nearest beedant¡ªand they worked to fair effect. Their evolution made things difficult when trying to reach the creature¡¯s underbelly, but it really did seem to be the kind of creature that traded power for defense. Confident in her ability to handle them, she called to Tik-Tak, and they continued at a much slower pace. Unlike before, she couldn¡¯t just leisurely kill the enemies in her path; she needed time to kill them, all while looking out for back attacks. With practice, Guin found herself able to take on two or three enemies; adding a fourth was asking just slightly too much without some kind of CC to back her up. For now, while Liorax was keeping her buffed with his powers, Tik-Tak nimbly drew the agro of a least one of the pests and parade them around until Guin could safely take it. As they pressed on, Guin started to see were traps in the area. With furrowed brows, she saw so many untriggered ones that she had to assume that the humans must have been in the area quite recently. Surely, they knew about the corruption, then? Occasionally, she saw that Corrupted Beedants and Corrupted Moarbits had been caught in the traps. More frequently, however, the victims were other kinds of animals. Weasels. Squirrels. A deer. She even saw another red fox. Guin turned her head away. ¡°Yii... G-Guin,¡± Tik-Tak stopped with his tail between his legs and asked her. ¡°C-Can we free their bodies at least?¡± His eyes were full of sorrow. Guin went over and looked at one of the traps. Trying not to stare directly at the broken corpse of the squirrel that was in it, she fiddled with it, but she honestly had no experience with such things. ¡°Mmm,¡± she started, shaking her head. ¡°I have to be honest, Tik-Tak, I don¡¯t know how to disarm this thing.¡± Tik-Tak lowered his head as she spoke but perked up when she added: ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to your mother¡¯s spirit first. If we can clear the corruption, it won¡¯t be as dangerous for us. Then, I¡¯ll go into the village and see if I can learn anything about the traps. I promise you that I will come back and get them out of these traps¡ªand I¡¯ll disarm the others while I¡¯m at it.¡± A new determination grew on the little fox¡¯s face as he nodded. Guin stood and looked in the direction of her map marker. Not far now, she told herself and started off. However, sensing that Tik-Tak was not following, she turned. ¡°Tik-Tak?¡± The little fox put a paw on the broken squirrel¡¯s head. ¡°I-I promise that I will come back,¡± he said softly. Puffing out his chest a little, he made his declaration: ¡°I promise... I¡¯ll protect this forest. Just like Momma and Papa...¡± With that, he turned and shot off toward the cave. He¡¯s a good boy, Guin thought, a smile flickering across her face as she went off after him. About ten minutes later, they found themselves at the cave¡ªwhich was in an even worse state than the rest of the forest. Tik-Tak ran into the cave with a cry: ¡°Momma!¡± but Guin was not so eager. The mere sight of it made her stomach churn. It was like a black monolith of pestilence. Around it, the whole atmosphere had shifted as the Veil and Che had merged on a gloomy, stormy day. The cave was set into the side of what Guin suspected was once a rocky bank but was now like melting coal; it was tar-like and wet like the ground and trees had been, and it reeked of sewage and decay¡ªfrom the cave wafted such a horrid wall-like stench of rot and decay that Guin bounced back and retched. She pulled her robe up to her nose and started walking, but it was hard to bare. A light shone over her head at that moment, however, and she began to feel better. Looking up at her status bar, she saw that Liorax had changed his buff to the de-buff [Dull the Senses: Smell]. ¡°Thank you, Liorax,¡± Guin said in a weak voice, both impressed by and genuinely grateful for his abilities. Taking her torch out and lighting it, Guin stepped into the cave. Everything was damp and dark and... sticky. The walls, and the cave floor, were all covered in what seemed to be a thick black goo sticking to her shoes, causing her to slip several times. When she lost her balance, she would lean on the cave walls for support, but each time she did, she had to struggle to get her hand to come off. What the hell is this shit? She wanted to ask, but it didn¡¯t seem harmful. Shoving her feelings down into her stomach, she made way one foot at a time. Tik-Tak wasn¡¯t that deep inside the cave. Guin found him quite quickly, pacing back and forth in front of what looked to be the corpse of an animal. Assuming it was his mother, Guin walked over slowly and knelt, but as she did, she covered her mouth with her hand, and tears came to her eyes. If it was Tik-Tak¡¯s mother, it was hard to tell, for the creature had been robbed of its skin and left to rot, with all manner of maggots and bugs crawling over the unidentifiable, greyish-black remains. ¡°M-Momma!¡± Tik-Tak was crying as he paced in front of the corpse. ¡°It¡¯s me! It¡¯s Tik-Tak! Momma? Where did you go? Yiii...¡± ¡°Tik-Tak...¡± Guin started to reach out, but then there was a bright flash. Wide-eyed, Guin watched as sparks flew off from the corpse and started to catch. ¡°Tik-Tak...,¡± went Guin, edging back as the cave walls came alive with light and shadow. The little fox jumped away as the flames grew. Higher and higher, they rose until they took up the whole width and height of the cave and turned bright green. The cave felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time, and Guin folded her arms, feeling feverish as she watched a pair of red eyes open from within the fire, mad in rage. As the fire died down, it looked rather like it was melting into the outline of a vaguely fox-shaped spirit. Guin moved her mouth, but in her fear and shock, there were no words. ¡°Ah... Ahhh! Momma! D-Don¡¯t be mad!¡± Calling out with a pleading voice, Tik-Tak jumped in front of Guin with his tail between his legs. ¡°T-This is Guin! She¡¯s my friend! She wants to help! She¡¯ll help you! P-Please, Momma!¡± The fox made of the strange liquid fire made no motion; the rage seemed rather painted on her face. It did not move as Guin heard, ¡° A Che-kind dares to enter this place¡ªmy home?¡± The fox¡¯s voice echoed in her head, similar to the Webspinner¡¯s and Wise¡¯s, but rather than having a gentle, ethereal quality, every word the fox spoke gave a sensation similar to nails on a chalkboard. ¡°I care not for such things as motives. Those of the Che who enter here are only begging for death - and I shall be happy to oblige!¡± Raising her head proudly, the fox¡¯s expression flickered into a smile as cruel laughter rang out. Guin to shuddered. Flames spread out from the corpse, threatening to engulf them both. ¡°Momma!¡± ¡°P-Please wait!¡± Guin shouted. ¡°Wait, I¡ªI just want to help you and the spirits of White Fox Forest! Please listen to me!¡± The fox stopped laughing and flickered back into a look of displeasure. ¡°Yiiii!¡± Tik-Tak cried as he scuttled back from the flames licking at his paws. ¡°Hey!¡± Guin stomped her foot and glared at the fox in the flames. Scooping up the frightened Tik-Tak in her arms, she shouted, ¡°Isn¡¯t this kit yours? How could you threaten him like this? He brought me here to help you!¡± Another screeching laugh rang out through the cavern. ¡°Then more the fool he! A child who brings another child and calls it ¡®help.¡¯ Tell me then, who are you to help me? How, exactly, do you propose to... ¡®help¡¯?¡± ¡°How do you expect me to ¡®propose¡¯ anything when you resort to violence first!¡± Guin shouted back angrily. ¡°...You funny little Che creatures, living in your wooden houses with all your pretty words and false civility¡ªare we not the same? This is my house; you stand it. It is my house you and yours have defiled. Were the situation reversed, would not you be like me?¡± the fox spirit asked. ¡°If my stupid child were to stumble into even the sight of your little village, would your people not skin him too? Would they not? Well then, why should you expect anything less from me?¡± The flames grew hotter and brighter. ¡°So what?¡± Guin twitched. The fox was not wrong, but the words irritated her. ¡°You think that that¡¯s an excuse be just to like them? A handful of them have wronged you, and now it¡¯s everyone¡¯s fault? Everyone should die in your little quest for vengeance? Even your own child? Shouldn¡¯t you want to be better than them?¡± Tik-Tak struggled out of her arms and landed clumsily. She was afraid that he had hurt himself, but the little fox walked forward with a series of ¡®Yii¡¯s, moving closer and close until his little nose touched the flame. ¡°Tik-Tak¡ª¡± Guin moved to stop him, but before she could, the little fox darted into the fires. ¡°Tik-Tak!¡± Guin screeched, getting ready to run in after him, but the flames burned her hands. ¡°Shit!¡± Searching for him in the flurry of oranges and reds, yellows and greens, the flames began to retract. Curious and optimistic, Guin walked forward as the fires drew back. Sure enough, there was the little fox, crying atop the skinned corpse of his mother¡ªthe green fox spirit looking over him¡ª with a pained but kind look upon her face. Chapter 34 Relief washing over her, Guin knelt next to the little fox, petting him as he mourned. The fox spirit looked over at her, ¡°Have you truly come to help?¡± Guin glared but allowed herself to relax a bit as she saw a bit of softness in the fox¡¯s expression. After Guin nodded, the fox sat in the air and returned to her unhappy, haughty look. ¡°Fine,¡± said the fox. ¡°We will see what you can do.¡± ¡°How?¡± Guin asked. An exasperated look appeared on the fox spirit¡¯s face. Clearing her throat, Guin asked, ¡°Who killed you? Was it the same hunters that killed all the other animals out in the forest? Is that why you are so angry and the Che?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± scoffed the fox. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so angry even if they had killed my kit. No, silly girl, death is not a cause for anger. Death is a natural process, the flow of energy and life. It is how those who hunted me and the others have treated death in their ignorance. Never, in the history of this forest as I know it, has the Great Law been so profaned!¡± ¡°The Law?¡± Guin asked, furrowing her brow. ¡°The Great Law! The Great Law! The Law that has existed since the gods first created the creatures of the land!¡± The fox spat. ¡°How times have changed¡ªto think that you do not even know of the Great Laws! Allow me to educate you, ignorant creature. This forest is sacred to both veil and che-kind, but it belongs to the spirits! To the veil! To the land! In the past, even your kind and others like you knew and acknowledged the Law. It is something that even the most basic of beasts understands, and yet you, with all your books and clever little tools, you know nothing! You are not even children in this world¡ªyou are devils!¡± ¡°Forgive me,¡± Guin said flatly, impressed with her own nerve. ¡°I have not been taught about such a thing. Please, teach me. Tell me, what is the law that has been violated?¡± ¡°The Law that Death is sacred,¡± the fox spirit¡¯s voice was lined with venom. Liorax then appeared in a flash of green light and landed on Guin¡¯s shoulder. His appearance, of course, meant that the buff that had been keeping her senses at bay dissipated, leaving her coughing and gagging on the deathly sweet air in the cave. Her eyes stung with tears as she watched the fox spirit¡¯s eyes narrow as they laid eyes upon the floating cat. ¡°Harbinger,¡± the fox spirit acknowledged curtly. ¡°Indeed,¡± answered Liorex with a grim voice. ¡°I see that it is as I thought. Feel honored, Candidate. This is no mere Land Fox.¡± ¡°¡®Candidate¡¯?¡± the fox spirit repeated, setting her eyes once more upon Guin. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Guin asked. ¡°In life, she was not so common a creature as Land Fox you might find anywhere. Those things are no stronger than the beedants and the moarbits you have so recently mastered,¡± Liorax explained. ¡°Rather, this Lady before you is a Che-Bound Spirit Fox. ¡°In the White Fox Forest, the Spirit Foxes are, for all intents and purposes, the nobility. They enforce the laws and guard the land from those who would seek to pollute it. Descendants of the Amikavi, they are mighty. The Che-Bound Spirit Foxes are a rarity indeed; they''re the ones that have been placed in the Che to mediate between the realms,¡± Liorax told her, nodding over at Tik-Tak, who was still ¡®yii¡¯-ing at his mother¡¯s spectral form. ¡°This fox child, too, then. He is, like his mother, a Che-Bound Spirit Fox¡ªand if it is as he says that his father, assuming that to mean his blood father, is following the Frost Wyrm, it would not be unremarkable if that father of his was one of the great-tailed children of Amikavi herself. The most remarkable things about him is that he seems himself to be naught but a Land Fox with little to no power and that he was born at all.¡± The spirit fox remained quiet as they looked at her confused, crying cub. ¡°...I say that,¡± Liorax added with distaste. ¡°But he is a pitiful thing...¡± ¡°Hush!¡± the spirit fox snapped at him. ¡°You may be a Harbinger, but I shall not allow such words!¡± Liorex snorted at her but otherwise ignored the provocation. Guin looked more closely at her little fox friend. Little to no power? She thought to herself. She had never considered Tik-Tak a ¡®mere Land Fox,¡¯ partly because she hadn¡¯t known the difference but more because it simply didn¡¯t feel true. Wasn¡¯t simply having the power of speech an unusual trait? And what about that time she had gone to look for him in the woods? She had felt as if the world were being crushed. That had also been Tik-Tak¡¯s doing, had it not? Of course, the one who had been there with her during that time wasn¡¯t Liorax, but the Webspinner. Would the Webspinner know the truth behind Tik-Tak¡¯s power and lineage? ¡°The Law that has been violated,¡± Liorax was saying, seeming to be deep in thought. ¡°It is not something to do with the traps and death itself. I sense that while your spirit is the cause of the greater corruption¡ªscaled, I imagine, to the size of your powers¡ªit is not your malevolent spirit alone that resides within this cave. Guin. Take your torch deeper.¡± Nodding, Guin did as she was told. The fox spirit followed them, but it didn¡¯t take them long to find what Liorax had been referring to. As she drew a hand up to her mouth and nose, she couldn¡¯t tell if the tears in her eyes were from the smell, or the horror, as she looked upon a pile of dozens of corpses, all stripped of their skin and left to rot. Liorax nudged Guin¡¯s face and turned back into a buff. ¡°Oh my god...,¡± Guin managed to murmur before turning away, but she nearly fell into the pile herself as she found herself face to face with the bright green fox spirit¡¯s face in hers, eyes blazing. ¡°Turning away?¡± the fox spirit asked. ¡°Do you not have the stomach to handle what your kind has done to our forest? To my kind? My people? Cower away, would you, from this grotesque monstrosity that defiles even the laws of simple beasts?¡± Guin glared, stubbornly trying to keep her own pride in the face of the adversity she faced, but she had no answers. This was a video game. The same was set up to be this way, she reminded herself. No animals were killed in the making of this game. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Guin slammed her eyes shut, gathering the strength to regain her composure. ¡°What can I do?¡± she asked, opening them with determination. ¡°You?¡± the fox spirit sneered. ¡°You can do nothing. You can only cower away back to your village with your tail set firmly between your legs!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Guin shouted. Her frustration growing, she demanded to know: ¡°Why won¡¯t you help me? Hate me and my kind all you want, I don''t care. Do it for the forest, the animals, whatever! Even if it¡¯s only for Tik-Tak¡¯s sake, help me to help you! I am asking for nothing in return¡ªnot even forgiveness!¡± Tik-Tak then appeared behind his mother¡¯s spirit, looking pitiful with his tail between his legs and his head lowered. ¡°Momma...¡± The fox spirit sighed at her cub. ¡°...Very well. If you want to help, even a little, perhaps there is something you can do¡ªfor his sake.¡± Success!--was what Guin wanted to feel, but her emotions and mind felt so toyed with up to this point that she couldn¡¯t exactly see it that way. The fox spirit looked back and began floating back in the direction of her corpse and spoke: ¡°We are all hunters. Humans. Beasts. Spirits. We all hunt for something, be it happiness, food, love, or general survival. There are some, however, that hunt only for the joy of killing. These, we do not accept, even among our own.¡± Guin and Tik-Tak followed her back out to the mouth of the cave, where she continued. ¡°When you kill an animal in these woods, your heart and reason should be pure. One should use all the parts of the animal that can be used if possible, and if not, then what is left should be left for others to partake in. This creates the circle that has maintained these woods for centuries. Had these che hunters that took my life followed this rule, then we would have nothing to say.¡± The green flame that made up the fox spirit¡¯s body turned hot and violent. ¡°But these, they took our pelts alone and left us in the cave to rot!¡± The flames died down as she looked back. I cannot speak for them, but if you wish to show me your sincerity, go to these hunters who have failed in their ritual and find my pelt. You will know it is mine, for my color is shared by my son, save for a perfectly white diamond upon the middle of my back. Bring it to me, human girl, and I shall teach you how to purify the corruption and the spirits of these woods.¡±
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Guin gave a determined smile and nodded, ¡°This I will do!¡± Tik-Tak excitedly bounced around and nuzzled the flames. ¡°Thank you, Momma!¡± he cried as a faint smile drew across the mouth of the fox spirit. ¡°Wait for me, Lady Spirit Fox,¡± Guin told her. ¡°I will find those hunters, your pelt, and give them all a piece of my mind while I¡¯m at it!¡± Kneeling next to Tik-Tak, she patted him on the head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to town, so you stay here with your mother, Tik-Tak.¡± ¡°Yiii,¡± Tik-Tak squeezed out, though his disappointment was obvious. ¡°Be careful, Guin! Don¡¯t let the hunters get you!¡± ¡°You too! Stay hidden!¡± Guin waved at the little fox and his miserable-looking mother, who couldn¡¯t seem to believe that she had just promised such a thing to a human. Putting up her [Spirit Armor] and entering her fox form, she began a second great culling of the corrupted beasts. By the time she had gotten beyond the Border, she had leveled all of her skills at least once and gained several stat points. It took her nearly an hour to reach Bade. It was getting late, and she needed to log off soon, but she at least wanted to see about finding the hunters before she went to bed. She would have all day tomorrow to see about the rest of it. Liorax appeared on her shoulder with a yawn as he was no longer needed as a buff. Night was falling in-game now too. Not knowing where the hunters were to be found, Guin asked around town. Many of them seemed to ignore her; others told her that she should go home like a good girl. Those who were rude ended up being pounced on or tripped but Liorax, who had nothing better to do, and as they were unable to see him, he got away with everything. Though she wondered briefly why he seemed to have some power over the che realm, she was enjoying it too much to care. As she was thinking of her options and laughing at the cat¡¯s antics, a familiar voice called up from behind her. ¡°Guin?¡± she turned to see Pastor Jormund walking steadily towards her with his hands behind his back and a gentle smile across his face. ¡°What are you doing out here so late?¡± Bowing to him, Guin lied: ¡°I was looking to talk to the hunters about getting a pelt, but I can¡¯t seem to find them....¡± Giving a pouting face, she added, ¡°I¡¯ve been at this for hours!¡± Screw the game. Liorax floated around her, grinning quite wide as she spoke her childish words in an attempt to gain sympathy. She had to try very hard to keep a straight face. The pastor gave her a rather strange, amused look. ¡°Is that so?¡± he said. Then, his eyes seemed to glimmer as he asked, ¡°...Guin, did you go into the woods earlier?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± she tilted her head. Did he see me? ¡°...Nevermind,¡± he said, shaking his head. Though his expression hadn¡¯t changed, he seemed to think for a moment. Pointing a finger at her in a stern voice, he offered, ¡°How about this: I will take you to the Hunter¡¯s Guild if you tell me why you really want to go see them.¡± ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Guin gave an awkward chuckle as he gave her an all-knowing smile. Annoyed, she sighed. ¡°Is that the only way I¡¯m going to get any help in this town at this point?¡± she asked no one, rolling her eyes. ¡°At this time of night? Probably,¡± he told her, crossing his arms and putting on the face of a man who knew he had won something. ¡°Well then, out with it.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I told you the truth?¡± she asked skeptically. ¡°It¡¯s quite the tall tale....¡± ¡°Most tales worth telling are,¡± the pastor said with a shrug. ¡°Just look at the Book of the Lady. It¡¯s filled with quite the most wonderful adventures.¡± ¡°...Is that supposed to be a suggestion?¡± she asked him dubiously. ¡°Should I have been more subtle?¡± he laughed with mischief in his eyes. ¡°At the end of the day, I am still a pastor, you know.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Guin felt herself smiling, finding him far more endearing than she thought she would have. Though she had been weary of him when they first met, he had undoubtedly grown on her. The more she thought about it as they walked, she realized why. ¡°Why do you seem to treat me differently than everyone else?¡± He gave her a blank look. ¡°Do I?¡± ¡°Uhn.¡± ¡°Well...,¡± he started, then frowned at her. ¡°Let¡¯s not distract from our deal, miss.¡± Guin snorted. ¡°Find. I¡¯ll tell you...¡± And so she did. Chapter 35 With the dirt of the road they walked on softly crunching under their feet, the pastor had his brow set deep in thought. ¡°Is the corruption of the woods so bad?¡± he asked her with astonishment. Though she had only told him what she thought was necessary¡ªthe earth dying, the new forms of the beedants and the moarbits, the traps in their great number¡ªit seemed that he had accepted her story all too quickly. Guin nodded and told him, ¡°The forest looks like it¡¯s turning into a swamp, and there are more dead animals than I could count....¡± The pastor stopped and pulled her back by the shoulder. ¡°Guin, what do you intend to do about this?¡± ¡°... You aren¡¯t going to say something about staying out of the forest now, are you? Because with or without your help, I¡¯m going to find the hunters and... do whatever it is I can!¡± She had left her bargain with the fox spirit out of the story she had told him. But Pastor Jormund shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I am saying,¡± he told her, his eyes showing a peculiar sharpness Guin wasn¡¯t sure she liked. ¡°Spirit Corruption is extremely dangerous. An amateur shouldn¡¯t be getting involved with¡ª¡± ¡°What else am I supposed to do? I have a chance!¡± she cut him off. ¡°If you were the only one with the power to do something, wouldn¡¯t you do it?¡± The pastor¡¯s eyes went wide, but he said nothing as she continued. ¡°If I don¡¯t, then what? What happens to the forest? What happens to the spirits and the animals there? And let¡¯s not pretend that if the forest dies, this village won¡¯t be affected!¡± Guin watched as his expression went dark. ¡°I told you the truth. Don¡¯t turn away and betray my trust now.¡± Pastor Jormund remained silent as he began walking again at a much faster pace. Guin followed with growing curiosity. She could tell that he wasn¡¯t just upset at her words; he was angry at something. There was a pang in her heart as she realized that her relationship with this NPC had probably taken a nosedive, but as there was no official way to check relationships, there was no way for her to know how much. Not like I was trying to score brownie points with the Imperial church, anyway, she thought bitterly. The Hunter¡¯s Guild was on the far edge of the town, nestled in a hidden little area against the woods, not far off from Alta Noin¡¯s cottage. The area had several connected buildings, many of which were alight with firelight. Loud noises and chattering could be heard from the outside, and Guin could see that there was a space where several animals were hung to dry and several tanning racks where pelts were strung up. Guin¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked over everything she could see, trying to find a pelt that matched the fox spirit¡¯s description. The pastor walked her up to the door of the main building and then stopped, sighing heavily at the door. ¡°Thank you, Pastor Jormund, for bringing me here,¡± Guin said, feeling slightly ashamed of herself for acting the way she had. The pastor made no response. Guin tilted her head and started, ¡°Pastor Jormund? Pa¡ª¡± Without so much as an acknowledgment of her words, the pastor walked up to the door at a swift, determined pace and banged on the door. Shaking her head to snap herself out of the shock the action gave her, she ran up and tugged on his arm. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she hissed. The grim expression on his face took her further aback, but the door swung open before either of them could say anything. ¡°Eh? Whaddya want? Pastor?¡± an unkempt-looking jikak man reeking of alcohol and body odor asked. Guin wrinkled her nose and wondered if he was related to the horrible gatekeeper from before. ¡°We don¡¯t be needing no pastor here¡ª¡± ¡°I am here to speak with Master Euen Dawl,¡± Pastor Jormund demanded curtly, his eyebrow twitching. ¡°Master Dawl?¡± the man at the door turned into the building and bellowed: ¡°Oi! Master Dawl! There be a little spreader of the Lady¡¯s legs here to see yeh!¡± The man looked back at Paster Dawl and let out a big burst of laughter, spraying both the pastor and Guin with his saliva and wash of breath that rivaled the corruption in the fox spirit¡¯s cave. Guin coughed and waved a hand in her face, ¡°Was that necessary? Asshole,¡± Guin muttered, but the pastor put a hand out to silence her. Liorax hopped up over to the man¡¯s shoulder and disappeared in a flash of green light. Guin snickered. Just as Liorax vanished, a thin, roguish-looking man with long, curly black hair tied back into a tight bun appeared with a large dog at his side. A set of four small green mystricks on the left side of his face glittered in the firelight of the building as he approached them. The man was lean and walked with as easy a grace as his wolfish hunting dog. Dressed in greens and browns with tanned golden skin and a faint goatee, he quite fit the image of Master Hunter in Guin¡¯s mind. Or Captain Hook crossed with Robin Hood. The man looked down at the drunk jikak, though he stood a few inches shorter, and sneered, ¡°Try saying my name, his, and The Lady¡¯s, with the dignity that they deserve next time.¡± ¡°M-Master Dawl...¡± The jikak man visibly paled as he attempted to defend himself. ¡°This here fool comes here with his little bitch and dares to¡ª¡± Dawl simply set his face into a deeper glare. The jikak man licked his lips and turned to Pastor Jormund. ¡°For¡ª¡± Whatever he was about to say seemed forgotten in an instance, as, with a look of great concern on his face, he suddenly broke out into a ridiculous dance, spinning and bowing, hitting his head on the door multiple times, and the other three around him watched in mild horror. ¡°Wha-What-What the! Ahhhh!¡± He fell flat on his face. Master Dawl¡¯s hound looked down at him with just as much disgust on his face as the rest of them. Guin snorted as Liorax appeared, doubling over in laughter as he floated back to her shoulder. She gave him a subtle grin of approval. Master Dawl glared down at his man. ¡°Worthless,¡± he muttered, his lip curling. ¡°Get off the floor¡ªno more drinking for you tonight.¡± ¡°Ah, but, Master, it wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± went the jikak, covering his nose. ¡°Git!¡± the Master shouted at him with a kick to his ribs. The man on the ground scrambled up and ran out from the entryway with a terror-stricken face. Master Dawl sighed and looked over to the pastor with deep wrinkles in his brow. Pastor Jormund raised a brow at him but said nothing as they turned and walked back out into the night. Dawl shooed his dog away and followed, sparing Guin a glance before he closed the Guild House¡¯s door. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What brings you here, Jormund?¡± Dawl asked first as he walked out to meet the pastor. ¡°Why bring a girl out here?¡± Though she wanted to bite back at him for his comment, her irritation was quickly quelled by the anger emitted from the pastor. What the hell is this? Guin wondered, unsure of what her role was in this scene. ¡°What is going on in the forest?¡± Pastor Jormund asked. Dawl adopted a lax pose and crossed his arms. ¡°What do you care about the forest?¡± Master Dawl asked, apparently annoyed by even the suggestion that Jormund could have a right to. Sighing, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be needing you to be a little more specific than that. The forest is big and strange¡ªeven on a normal day.¡± Pastor Jormud ran a hand through his hair and adopted a very boyish stance as opposed to the usual dignified one that typically oozed from the man of the cloth. ¡°Euen, why I am I hearing about corruption in the woods?¡± Guin stepped closer to them and observed Dawl as he tilted his head. ¡°Corruption?¡± he repeated, furrowing his brow. ¡°Spirit Corruption? In the forest?¡± The entitled air that he had been giving off before faded. Understanding and sadness flickered across his face, but he gathered composure quickly, shaking his head. ¡°I swear to you, Jormund, I¡¯ve heard nothing about corruption in the woods. My hunters haven¡¯t spoken of seeing anything unusual of late; corruption would be noticed. How did you hear of this?¡± Suspicious, Guin chose to cut in, ¡°The root of it is in a cave. From here, it¡¯s about twenty minutes or so to the northwest. It¡¯d take another ten minutes to fight through the corrupted creatures that guard it, depending on the fighter''s skill.¡± Dawl looked at her in shock as she continued. ¡°There are dozens of traps set throughout the area¡ªvery close to one another¡ªand in them, dozens of animals, all dead. Many rotting. Then there is the cave which hides the many corpses left to rot.¡± ¡°Y-You..?¡± the hunter began. ¡°I was the one that found them and told Pastor Jormund. If you want to argue with someone, let it be with me.¡± Dawl looked her over, his hand resting on the hilt of a dagger on his belt. ¡°... If it is as you have said, then the Law has, indeed, been broken. Grounds enough, perhaps, to start a corruption¡ªbut powerful enough to feed it?¡± Looking directly into his eyes, she told him, ¡°One of them was a Spirit Fox.¡± The man¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bounced as he swallowed. He was hiding something, but Guin didn¡¯t like how obvious it was. Dawl¡¯s eyes glistened with understanding and hatred as they shifted to the ground. ¡°I see,¡± he said, looking out into the forest surrounding them. ¡°A grave error has been made. And this time, there is no one left to bargain with them.¡± ¡°How can this be happening, Euen! How can this be happening again, and on your watch, when you know what is at stake!¡± Guin¡¯s eyes flickered over to him where he stood with clenched teeth and balled fists. Again? Dawl chuckled. ¡°What would you have the like of me do, Jormund?¡± Dawl asked, his voice accusatory. ¡°Even if I find the one who broke the Law and cast them out, you know as well as I that without the backing of the Dragon King, we have no voice!¡± ¡°And who¡¯s fault is that I wonder,¡± growled the pastor, his voice thick with bitterness and loathing. What is going on here? Guin wondered, looking between the two men as they stood opposed to one another, a great rift between them. As she realized that everything they were talking about was likely to be the next quest for her questline, her heart sank with the conclusion: ... I¡¯m never going to get out of this tutorial, am I? Graduate to the main game, or see the questline to the end. Her personality lent her to the latter. Sorry, Stell. ¡°Shut up,¡± Dawl bit back. ¡°As if you have the right to talk.¡± There was a moment of silence until Jormund spoke, ¡°Then what? We let the corruption spread, then? That¡¯s it? The forest they gave their lives for dies just like this?¡± ¡°Why do you ask me?¡± Dawl asked. ¡°I have no power. You should ask yourself these questions, O¡¯ Holy Man! Blame me all that you want, Jormund, I understand what it was that I did, and you¡¯ve lived with yourself all these past years¡ªbut I am powerless! At most, I could remove a hunter license¡ªif the culprit is a hunter. If not, well then. Shall we both attempt to convince our flocks and the law enforcement goons your mother trained that spirits are real and are destroying the forest because a fool broke Laws that your Lady speaks nothing of? And while you¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you tell them what really happened to Melora and Master Rew!¡± Looking sick, Jormund¡¯s face fell. Melora and Master Rew? Deciding she had heard enough, Guin shook her head and interjected. ¡° Stop this. I don¡¯t have a clue what¡¯s going on, but in this case, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± The pastor looked at her. ¡°Guin, henceforth, I forbid you to go into the forest!¡± ¡°Fat chance,¡± Guin snorted at him. ¡°Technically, I was forbidden until today, and that never stopped me.¡± Jormund bit his lip with eyes of panic. She sighed. ¡°Look. I did leave out a significant detail earlier. I have met with the spirit causing the corruption and struck a deal with her.¡± ¡°Guin!¡± Jormund scolded, but she spoke over him. ¡°If I can give the pelt that was stolen from her back, she says she¡¯ll be willing to help purify the damage that she and the other degrading spirits have caused,¡± she explained. ¡°It may sound ludicrous, but I happen to have run across a bit of leverage over her in my travels, so I have chosen to trust her. If nothing else, I guarantee you that this fox spirit loves this forest¡ªand I don¡¯t think she wants it to rot away because of greed and hate. You can choose to trust and help me or not. I don¡¯t care. But you aren¡¯t going to stop me.¡± The two gave her and each other awkward glances. ¡°Guin...¡± Jormund started. ¡°Exactly what is there for you to lose?¡± Guin asked him, growing frustrated. ¡°...A lot,¡± he answered, looking down. ¡°We will lose more if we let her act alone,¡± Dawl growled back at him and looked up at Guin. ¡°You are a precocious brat; I¡¯ll give you that,¡± he said. ¡°Give me a few days, and I¡¯ll see about finding the pelt. You¡¯d best prepare yourself for the worst, though, child. Spirits aren''t pets, and they are more dangerous than any wild animal.¡± With a bow, Guin said, ¡°I think you for your aid, Master Dawl.¡± ¡°This¡ª¡± the pastor started, but Dawl cut him off. ¡°You rolled over last time, Jormund,¡± the hunter warned. ¡°Don¡¯t do it again.¡± Dawl gave a curt bow and walked back over to the house. The tension in Pastor Jormund¡¯s body visibly released as he walked over to her. ¡°Nothing I can say will stop you?¡± he asked her in a soft voice. Guin shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡± The pastor sighed and egged her to walk toward the village. ¡°Within the next few days, before you go back to the woods, I implore you to visit Alta Noin¡¯s cottage. I will wait for you there. If there is nothing I can do to stop you, then I cannot justify abandoning you to your cause. This is, after all, the role of such useless adults as myself. Those who cannot do, teach.¡± ¡°Please never say that last bit again,¡± Guin said, cringing. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s true for some people, but not all¡ªand even then, for many of them, it¡¯s because they lacked the means to do otherwise, be the cause lack of access to resources or the simple fear of stepping out from the shadow of their doubts. Such rubbish.¡± After staring at her for a moment, he burst out laughing. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said. ¡°Indeed. Now, you run off home. Apologies, I should have kept better track of the hour.¡± Guin looked at her clock. It was nearly midnight in-game and out. With a sigh, she bid the pastor farewell and began her walk back to her mother¡¯s cottage. She had learned many things this night. She glanced back at the Hunter¡¯s Guild, her mind busy, her heart sinking. Master Dawl has said he would get the pelt for her, but which pelt would he bring her, she wondered. Lifting a hand as if to hold the Guild house in her hand, she enclosed her fingers around it as if to trap it within her palm. Guin snorted. Never underestimate anyone. Chapter 36 When her alarm clock went off, Dassah cursed it but went about performing her usual Sunday morning routine. She flipped on the coffee maker and helped make breakfast. Allowing herself a good hour of catching up with Stell and Bahena made her feel a little less guilty about diving into the tutorial for the rest of the day. Once she logged in, she looked over her quests and stats and planned out her goals for the day. Assuming that it would take some time for Dawl to find the pelt, she decided to use some time to finish up her [Receiving an Education] quests, then work on information mining from the Hunters¡¯ Guild and Pastor Jormund. It would not be hard for her to forget about the conversation she had witnessed the night before, but every event had a purpose. Sitting on the floor in her house, Guin pulled up her in-game browser and looked up Pastor Jormund by name. Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw the information the posts brought up. He wasn¡¯t just some nice innocent Pastor of a backwater village. He was Jormund the Pale, one of the four generals of the undead armies of the Void Lord¡ªand a major raid boss when attacking the Dark Citadel. How did that happen? She wasn¡¯t the only one surprised that the warm, gentle pastor turned into the infamous monster that he was known as in the main game, but a post from someone who started in another city brought something to her attention: a different meaning behind Crossroads Quests. Guin looked at the Crossroads quest that had been given to her by Jormund. It seemed harmless enough, but the poster suggested that that was part of the trick the developers played. They wrote: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite so simple as ¡®he turns evil¡¯. I had a crossroads quest when I was in the Jade starting town of Roane when a girl asked me to do a series of stupid tasks, but they ended up leading me to a pretty serious Fate Quest and Class Quest later on. While doing the crossroads quest, it actually changed a few times and involved another couple of characters that I got pretty close to; they also offered me Class Quests. The girl ended the Crossroads Quest and attained a class called ¡®Emerald Huntress,¡¯ while the other two were just an Alchemist and a Ranger. ¡°When I got into the main game, though, I found out that that girl grew up to be Idiad, Heart Eater, Mistress of the Vampire Lord Hetharas. Meanwhile, the Alchemist and Ranger were just a trader and a farmer. I asked a beta friend about it, and he said that he had seen raid bosses change before, and she was one of them. Originally Hetharas¡¯ mistress was a woman named Reitha, the Pestilence, who is now High Priestess Reitha, the Ever Burning, of the Imperial City¡ªthe ¡®Ever Burning¡¯ class being an outcome of her tutorial city¡¯s Crossroad Quest. She had a third outcome, too: ¡®Grey Lady.¡¯ My guess is that the world bosses and monsters are based on the popular choice that players make during these crossroads quests, and that goes for main game ones too. I¡¯ve heard of some people meeting ¡®Jormund the Celestial Paladin¡¯ in the Imperial Citadel if they hit the timing just right after The Pale dies in a raid. Sure makes it hard to get those special classes, though; I think they are the only trainers for those classes.¡± Guin bit her lip and flicked the screen away. So that¡¯s how it is... She couldn¡¯t imagine that there would be many people who would find and follow those quests considering how much time needed to be put into them. Most people were like Stella and Bahena¡ªrushing through the tutorial as fast as possible so they could get into the main game. Could it be an average-pass-fail system? Wouldn¡¯t that affect the game¡¯s canon? She made her way to the school house, where the first to greet her was the Gatekeeper, who gave her a holey grin. Remembering the bottle of wine from the gobo cave, she took it out and handed it to him, much to his delight. In exchange, he gave her a fistful of Tutorial Tokens. As they clinked into her bag, she realized she had dozens upon dozens of such tokens, all of which needed to be used before she left the tutorial. All of the delicious character customization... She was nearly salivating at the thought. Her eyes fell upon Qii and his students, who were fighting in the training ring again. A pang of guilt shot through her heart. Now she understood. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t too late. With images of dead animals and the pile of corpses running through her head, she carefully walked over to the shirtless valkyrian she had offended earlier. ¡°E-Excuse me? Mr. Qii?¡± she asked rather timidly, hoping that her honesty was getting across and that it was worth something. Though he appeared to ignore her presence, Guin went on: ¡°I wanted to apologize to you. You were right to send me away. I was... ignorant. I-I don¡¯t really want to be a killer. What I want is the power to protect. Protect my friends. Protect the forest. Can you teach me how to do that?¡± Qii glared at her. ¡°And just why the change of heart?¡± ¡°I... went into the forest. I killed as I needed. But, I also saw the work of someone who killed not as they needed, but as they wished,¡± she half-lied, hoping he wouldn¡¯t catch her with Liorax¡¯s presence buff supporting her charisma. ¡°The forest... something is happening to the forest, and as I am, I am too weak to help my friends. Please,¡± she begged. ¡°If there is anything you can do to help me help them...¡± ¡°You should not have gone into the forest at all. You were lucky you weren¡¯t killed,¡± he told her. Guin fought the urge to argue with him as he said those words. ¡°Nevertheless,¡± he went on. ¡°It is good that you seem to have learned valuable lessons¡ªnot only about combat, but about the value of life and the consequences of death. You ask for a lesson¡ªvery well; I will give you a lesson.¡± Guin nearly jumped for joy but contained herself and bowed instead. ¡°Thank you, Master Qii!¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He gave an amused snort. ¡°It seems as if you have already gained the ability that I would have taught you, but if you still want to learn, let¡¯s see what you can do. Will you do anything I say?¡± Though the glimmer in his eye suddenly made her nervous, she nodded. She deserved any flak he might give her, anyway. So she said, ¡°I will do what is asked of me. I want to be stronger.¡± ¡°Connor!¡± he shouted and waved over one of the boys that had been in the ring. Qii nodded his attention over to Guin and said with a sly grin, ¡°Teach this girl how to dance.¡± Guin blanked as the boy walked over to her and offered her his hand. ¡°Haa?¡± ¡±You said that you would do anything,¡± Qii told her, a rare grin playing about his lips. ¡°Now, Dance.¡± ¡°Dance,¡± she repeated. ¡°I can¡¯t dance.¡± ¡°For shame,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a good time to learn then. Simply follow the steps that will appear before you after you take Conner¡¯s hand, and he will help with the rest. One cannot teach grace, however, so I hope you are better with your feet than your manner.¡± Twitching, she nodded. The boy Conner gave her a knowing smile as she walked over to him. Jerks. ¡°Hey,¡± she said when she was closer. ¡°So I just told your boss I can¡¯t dance, and he didn¡¯t seem to care, so... sorry in advance.¡± Conner laughed and told her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡ªjust follow the steps! Here!¡± He poked her in the head, and a screen popped up:
<> <<[Dance]>> <> <> << You gain grace and poise. >> << Ritual Requirement: Follow the step guides. >> << Your [Reflexes] increase by 1% while this ritual is active. >> << Cast Time: 5 seconds - Duration: 10 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Second >>
¡°Eh?¡± she went, eyes going wide and then narrowing as she read the tooltip. Honestly, she had taken the whole thing as a joke, but the ability may actually have been worth something, depending on how she used it. ¡°How does this even work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you! First, take my hand. I will teach you some basics,¡± he said, holding his hand out. She took it. ¡°Look down. You¡¯ll see some footprints on the ground. The brightest are the ones you need to execute first, while the dimmest are the ones you need to be at last. Line your feet up with the first ones.¡± Indeed, there were a set of bright yellow footprints, which she slid her feet over to. ¡°You can look at them for now, but over time, you won¡¯t need them anymore. Each dance you learn will have these guides. You can turn them off in the skill menu once you learn the dances well,¡± he said as he started to lead her around. When they had finished the dance, he left her go and backed away. Step by step, Guin followed the guide, letting him lead her as she worked on her balance. When the first set was complete, they tried again at a faster tempo. It was hard, but she could do it. ¡°Well done!¡± Connor said when they finished the second round. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you try on your own, as if I were an opponent in a combat situation? First, target me and activate the skill. When you do, steps will appear to guide you through the ritual. The goal now is to be continuously casting it in a loop,¡± he told her, then laughed at the look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; the base dance is very simple.¡± Skeptically, she activated the skill via the shortcut menu. The glowing steps appeared, flashing in the ritual¡¯s specific order that went around his body. It was a very different pattern than the one she had practiced with him, and she wondered if the game calculated the dance to fit the situation. Scrunching her nose, she began. After about ten tries and running into him more than once, Conner seemed satisfied and applauded her. ¡°Very good!¡± he said. ¡°Next, we will dance together again, but this time, we will just dance around one another.¡± Another ten tries later; she succeeded in not running into him through the dance. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± she asked, hoping there wasn¡¯t anything else. ¡°Watch me!¡± he told her and began his dance. Guin was impressed by how into it he was. His eyes were sharp, and his movement graceful. As he grew closer to her, she felt increasingly uncomfortable. His eyes met hers as he began to spin around, and then, at the last step, she was suddenly on the ground with him, laughing as he stood over her. He had tripped her. Rubbing her butt, she cursed under her breath, but he kept dancing. ¡°Don¡¯t glare,¡± Conner chuckled. ¡°Come at me! Dance!¡± Is this for real? Guin glared at him, but she had to admit, it looked fun. Pulling herself up, she observed him a bit more before beginning her dance. After completing the steps of the ritual the first series of times, she began to mix in some combat abilities against him, which prompted him to do the same. In this way, they ended up sparring with one another quite a bit.
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Dance]>> <> <> << You gain grace and poise. >> << Ritual Requirement: Follow the step guides. >> << Your [Reflexes] increase by 2% while this ritual is active. >> << Cast Time: 5 seconds - Duration: 10 Seconds - Cooldown: 1 Second >>
Conner backed off as her skill leveled and smiled at her. Qii walked over and nodded to her. ¡°The [Dance] ability is a ritual,¡± Qii began explaining. ¡°Rituals are different from regular abilities in that they do not have ranks. Instead, you can sacrifice a Base Ritual¡¯s level to learn or create a new Ritual Ability. In this case, you can sacrifice one level of [Dance] to learn a new Dance ability from me. I can teach you the Blade Dance, or you can choose to save your levels for another time. There are many kinds of dances out there, and there are even dances that link together to form a greater dance combination. Keep in mind that the more powerful the ritual, the higher the level cost to acquire it will be.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Qii!¡± Guin bowed. The shirtless man still looked unimpressed and walked away. Having no expectations of the man, Guin shrugged and thanked Connor as well. ¡°Come back and practice anytime!¡± the boy told her. ¡°Master Qii is a lot nicer than he lets off, you know!¡± Guin snorted and laughed and waved him goodbye. While she was bubbling with curiosity about Qii and the connection to the [Dance] ability, she had no confidence in dealing with his personality and gave up the thought. Instead, she headed back into the schoolhouse, where Grimhai was surely waiting for the results of her quest to learn her combat abilities. Chapter 37 Guin found Grimhai working at his desk as usual¡ªawake this time¡ª and he gave her a faint smile as she walked up to him. ¡°Well, well,¡± he said wryly. You took your time this time. Should I ask Qii or a progress report?¡± Looking down, Guin shook her head. ¡°I admit I have done wrong, teacher,¡± she told him, then looked back up. ¡°It is a wrong that has been righted, however, and I have learned more during this lesson than one lesson than all the others combined!¡± Grimhai chucked and stood. Walking over, he patted her on the head. ¡°Very good! Now let¡¯s see how you fared...¡± He waved his hands in the air and looked over her abilities list. She watched with concern as his smile faded into a troubled look. ¡°You have been busy, haven¡¯t you... [Fox Form] level 6, [Spirit Armor] level 5, [Backstab] level 4, [Trip] level 4... [Dance] level 2....¡± Tilting her head, Guin asked, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Grimhai shrugged with a forced smile as he looked at her over his spectacles. ¡°Where is it that you went to train? Surely there aren¡¯t that many rats in the village¡ªand if there are, the proper authorities should be notified.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± Guin gave a nervous laugh, relaxing a bit. ¡°I-is that the point, teacher? I mean, I came back with abilities, didn¡¯t I? Wasn¡¯t that the requirement of the quest?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said hesitantly, then sighed. ¡°Yes. I suppose. Still... It is curious indeed that¡ªah, never mind. You are young yet, and you have indeed done as I asked¡ªif not in the way that I intended you to do it. Let¡¯s take a look at what you have and analyze it. Come sit!¡± With that, he went back around and sat at his desk. What was all that about? She wondered as she watched him wearily and sat in the chair. Surely it wasn¡¯t that uncommon for people to achieve higher levels of abilities in the tutorial. Was the AI just programmed to behave that way? He had had a peculiar reaction to the [Dance] ability that she had just learned from Qii and Connor. I haven¡¯t even finished the spirits¡¯ quest line or been around the village yet. I¡¯m taking my time, but I haven¡¯t been playing that long. I¡¯m only a few days into the game... ¡°You have a good selection of abilities here at your disposal! Good!¡± Grimhai said, seeming to return to his usual self as he rubbed his hands together. ¡°First, the basic attack skills. Everyone can pick up a weapon and attack in TheirWorld, but some are better at certain things than others¡ªespecially those who choose to specialize. Attack abilities go one step further, often adding bonuses to an attack or sometimes just causing status changes. [Trip] and [Backstab] are examples of this, but this also covers things like basic attack magic. ¡°Next, let¡¯s cover Enchantment and Curse abilities,¡± Grimhai went on. ¡°You don¡¯t have a Curse ability, but Curses and Enchantments are very similar to one another. Enchantments, like your [Spirit Armor], are abilities that cause beneficial status changes to the physical entity of a person, place, or thing. Other examples might include the Warrior enchantment [Battle Ready], the Magician¡¯s [Haste], and the Battle Mage¡¯s [Flaming Blade]. Curses, on the other hand, are the opposite. They cause negative status changes to the physical entity of a person, place, or thing. Examples might include the Shaman¡¯s [Haunt], the Warlock¡¯s [Fear], and the Dream Seer¡¯s [Nightmare]. ¡°These three are the basic kinds of abilities,¡± Grimhai explained. ¡°There are more advanced ones that don¡¯t fit so neatly into these categories, but I will not address them all here. Let¡¯s remain focused on the present you.¡± ¡°Shapeshifting abilities are rare and, if used properly, are extremely powerful,¡± he told her. ¡°They are not without cost, however, and should be used with discretion. Depending on your skill at casting, you could harm yourself and your mental capacity. While TheirWorld has built-in protections to keep your real-world self safe, it is highly recommended that any and all shapeshifting abilities are used with great care. Practice them when you can, with great concentration and effort, so that you do not enter a state of shock mid-combat. Examples of Shapeshifting abilities are your [Fox Form], the Druid¡¯s [Bear Shape], and the Keeper¡¯s [Eagle Form].¡± ¡°Ritual abilities are not so rare but can be powerful if you can master them,¡± he said. ¡°They are quite different from other abilities in that they do not have rank trees, and you use their levels to purchase new rituals. Rituals also have the ability to link those of the same kind together to create Grand Rituals, as well as the ability to link with other players who know the same or complementary rituals to perform collaborative rituals. Examples of these rituals are your [Dance], the Bard¡¯s [Song], the Beast Master¡¯s [Summon], and the Traveler¡¯s [Portal].¡± ¡°In the case of all these abilities, save the Rituals, just what an ability is, can be changed as you become more experienced.¡± ¡°To explain, let¡¯s take a look at [Trip]¡¯s tooltip:
<<[Trip]>> <> <> << You are adept at tripping people. When you trip someone, you have a chance to knock them off balance. >> << 4% Chance to cause [Unbalance] for 10 Seconds. >> << Cast Time: Instant - Duration: Instant - Cooldown: 10 Seconds >>
¡°Here, you can see quite plainly. First, the name of the ability. Then, ¡®Rank 1, Level 3¡¯. This means that you have accrued enough experience using this ability to be at the third level of the most basic form of this attack. At Level 10, abilities Rank Up, allowing you to progress down an ability tree based on skill and class. Ranking Up an ability can do many things, but at the most basic, it replaces an old skill with a new one which it grows into.¡± Grimhai took out a paper and a quill and began drawing as he spoke, ¡°There are basic branches, class branches, and special branches. Using [Trip]¡¯s tree as an example, let¡¯s look:
<> <> --------| <> --- <> --- <> <> <> <>
¡°These are some branches of [Trip]. If you are a caster class, when you rank up, you will have the option to turn [Trip] into the spell [Raised Roots]. If you are not a caster, you will rank up to [Leg Swipe]. If you fall into a special category, however, you can acquire [Tail Swipe]. Bear in mind that acquiring a special branch skill is far more unpredictable than the others, and there are a vast number of requirements and exceptions that factor into their acquisition. Of course, the tree will only expand when you are taught or discover abilities.¡± ¡°Once an ability ranks up, you gain the new ability, which has its own rank tree, at level one, and your root ability goes back to level one, and the process is thus gone through again until the ability can no longer rank up.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Guin acknowledged. Many of the special class abilities still applied to common sense¡ªfor example, in the case of [Tail Swipe], you had to actually have a tail in order to unlock it. While this was mostly applied to garule, it also could apply to shapeshifting abilities, though it was usually only limited to one form or another. ¡°If there are no other questions, let¡¯s move on to the last of your tasks!¡± Grimhai rubbed his hands together, and a screen popped up:
<> The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. UPDATE: The Fifth Requirement: Talk to Grimhai to Graduate from the tutorial when you are ready. <>
¡°Just kidding!¡± he smiled at her. ¡°Well, almost. Your lessons here at the School of Good Books are complete. When you are ready to graduate and move onto the main game, all you must do is initiate a graduation ceremony where you will be gifted the rewards you earned before meeting with the Second of the Fates. You have done well, little Guin. For now, I suggest that you spend your tutorial tokens on training and finish any quests you may have. Be careful, though¡ªthe choices you make here will affect you the rest of your time in TheirWorld.¡± His voice was stern, but Guin thought nothing of it. After she thanked him, she pulled up her notification window to clear it and see the state of things. She knew she had quite a few tokens to spend, and she might as well do it while she could.
<> <> <> <> <<>> << Tutorial Tokens: 616 - 72c, 6s, 0g, 0p >>
Guin¡¯s jaw dropped at what she saw on her screens. Those corrupted creatures had dropped two tokens each! As far as she was concerned, for the tutorial, she was rich! Seeing that, she turned back to Grimhar and asked, ¡°Teacher, are there things that I can purchase from you with my tokens?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± he said thoughtfully. He took out a paper from his desk, on which was written the things he had available. There were several books, like the Cryptozoology book from before, but one thing she was surprised to see was that he taught the ability [Magic Circle], one of the standard set of caster-class abilities one needed before advancing on. Another thing she noticed was that the nice stuff wasn¡¯t cheap. Well shit, Guin thought to herself. She had a lot of tokens because of her choice to fight monsters rather than do chores. What did other people do? Frowning, she looked over the list. She had over 600 tokens. She needn¡¯t be too thrifty, but she could spend them anywhere, and who knows what other people had to offer. Though she eyed the books, she decided, ¡°Teacher, could you teach me [Magic Circle]?¡± The ability was arguably the most valuable thing he sold, and even if she didn¡¯t end up as a caster, the spell would be handy to have at her disposal. ¡°Certainly, if you have the tokens to trade for it,¡± Grimhai nodded. Counting out thirty tokens, she handed them over. With a nod, the teacher proceeded to take out a piece of paper and began to draw a ¡®simple¡¯ magic circle. Made of geometric shapes and a kind of script of some writing she had never seen before, it actually looked quite complicated. The paper also listed a handful of directions and ingredients. ¡°This is the base ritual [Magic Circle],¡± Grimhai told her. ¡°No magic circle is easy to create, but they are very powerful. Magic circles are the root of complex spells of protection, transformation, and enchantment. Should you desire to become a mage in the future, the [Magic Circle] ability is invaluable.¡± ¡°What are the requirements to activate it?¡± she asked. ¡°[Magic Circle], though perhaps a more difficult skill to master than others, is highly malleable according to your needs. No matter the state, you should only require a means of imprinting the circle on the surface that you desire¡ªsuch as chalk or paint¡ªand a simple catalyst. For now, that catalyst should only be your meditation within the circle. As you become more powerful and gain access to more resources, you can change, add, and mix catalysts and enhancers to increase the effect on the circle. This is true of many circles, though it cannot be said of them all. In my time, I have seen magic users use only willpower to create and activate circles, though, as with anything, this comes with many risks.¡± Guin nodded, and the teacher went on: ¡°As for this particular circle, it is also called the ¡®Meditation Circle.¡¯ Meditating on this circle allows you to gain and recover mana at high speeds and can also help improve your abilities to control and manipulate magical energies. Other than that, though,¡± he went with a shrug, ¡°It¡¯s basically useless. Why do you try it? First, memorize the circle¡ªor use your ability button to place a guide¡ªand take this chalk,¡± he handed her a piece of chalk from his drawer. ¡°Draw the circle on the floor next to you, large enough that you can sit in the innermost circle.¡± Guin took the sheet, and after reading it over, it was committed to her database and the paper flickered into nothing as a screen popped up:
<> <<[Magic Circle]>> <> <> << You can draw power from meditating in this design. >> << Ritual Requirement: Use the guide to draw the circle. >> << Ritual Requirement: Catalyst: Meditation. >> << Ritual Requirement: Enhancer: Currently Unknown. >> << You recover mana while meditating in this circle. >> << Cast Time:-- - Duration: -- - Cooldown: -- >>
Excited, she placed a guide down on the wooden floorboards of the school and began to draw. It took her about five minutes to do it properly¡ªway too long to be used in combat if she were to hand draw it every time. Even with practice, it would take her at least 30 seconds to a minute to do it properly. ¡°Good!¡± he said again. ¡°Now, sit in the triangle and meditate. This meditation doesn¡¯t have to be specific; focus on gathering the energies of the world around you. It might take some time and practice, but it shall be well worth the effort.¡± Guin stepped into the circle and began, vaguely aware that Grimhai was giving her further instruction, but she was mostly ignoring it. It was strange, feeling a very real rush of energy go through her body, but as it did, with her mind''s eye, she caught hold of it and spun it around like she was making a ball of yarn, attempting to purify it and make it her own. Over time, it formed a ball, constantly spinning and growing bigger with each layer she laid into it. Eventually, however, the flow became slower, and the energy became more difficult for her to manipulate. Her mind and body felt great pressure, and she was forced to stop. Opening her status window, she saw that her mana had hit its cap, and she sighed. ¡°Well, that was rather fast,¡± Grimhai said. Not terribly happy with the results, but knowing that the more she used the ability, the more mana she would gain, Guin shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not my first time,¡± she told him, then bowed. ¡°Thank you, Teacher, for everything!¡± He gave her a smile. ¡°You were a good little student,¡± he told her, patting her on the head. ¡°I will look forward to your future accomplishments. Should you need anything else, you know where I¡¯ll be. Oh,¡± he added just as Guin was about to leave again. ¡°Should you have the time, there are a few people in town who are looking for some assistance...¡±
< > <> <> <>
< > <> <> <>
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Grimhai detailed three very chore-like quests for people around the town and where she could find them. Though she wasn¡¯t sure about taking the time to do them, she gratefully accepted them and added them to her roster for the day. If nothing else, they could be a way of gathering information. Her reputation being so low in the town certainly wouldn¡¯t help any of them gather information about the people behind the corruption in the forest, and it might be better to have her own information to offer before heading back out to the hunter¡¯s guild. Plus, there was also the potential that these quests could give her other benefits, like faction bonuses, skill acquisitions, and quest and class connections. Since it was the Schoolmaster giving the quests, there was a very good chance that they weren¡¯t totally dead-end quests. With a wave, they bid each other farewell. With renewed determination and new abilities at her disposal, Guin headed off in the direction of the first of her new quests. Chapter 38 ¡°Euen Dawl? The Master Hunter? He¡¯s as good as any man, I¡¯d say. His parents were a good sort, too¡ªalways lookin¡¯ out for the other kids in the village. His grandmother is a respected member of the community, a very respectable family. His grandfather, though, was an odd sort. Quite the recluse.¡± ¡°Oh! Pastor Jormund is a sweet boy. A good man, I¡¯d say. Even throughout all the tragedy he faced... But you don¡¯t need to know anything about that. You stay out of those woods!¡± ¡°Euen is a little shit, he is. Even as a child, he was. Always tagging along on Jormund¡¯s heels, begging for attention. I guess I¡¯d be, too, given a family like that.¡± ¡°Euen and Jormund? Friends? Oh, those two were thick as thieves once upon a time. They stopped talking to each other, oh, four or five years ago. Back when Jormund¡¯s poor wife and Euen¡¯s grandfather passed. Those were sad times. No one likes to talk about it much. Ah! I¡¯ve already said more than I should!¡± ¡°Jormund¡¯s mother warned him not to trust that family, and look what it did to him. Lady watch over him....¡± ¡°Rew Dawl¡ªEuen¡¯s grandfather¡ªnow, he was strange one. Always claimed to be some caretaker of the forest. As if he could be¡ªbloody old coot. Worse, he filled the heads of all those younguns with all that nonsense¡ªnearly got them all killed¡ªand it did kill Melora!¡± ¡°Melora? She was Pastor Dawl¡¯s wife. A lovely young woman, much loved in the town. Unfortunately, being good doesn¡¯t exempt a person from a bad fate... Poor girl. Jormund doesn¡¯t talk about her anymore, but it must torment him....¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them others around town¡ªEuen does what he can for this village. He¡¯s just like any other, living with the sins he sowed in his young life. Moreso, even. Jormund, too. They grew up with magic in their hearts just to have it ripped out by reality. Just you stay out of those woods, you hear?¡± Within a couple of hours, Guin completed roughly ten quests in the village, gathering bits of information about the pair as she went. What she did hear painted a picture much larger than she anticipated. It would seem that the connection between the Pastor and the Hunter was far deeper and more intricate than she had thought¡ªand pieces were missing. No one wanted to tell her anything. ¡°Hmm?¡± Guin looked around, not having paid attention to where she was going. She was supposed to be delivering some apples for the horses, but she had found her way to the fields instead. Clicking her tongue, Guin turned on her heels to correct herself till she noticed Alta Noin¡¯s cottage out of the corner of her eye. She supposed it was still too early to meet Jormund there; she didn¡¯t want to meet him yet, anyway, but her feet found themselves wandering over, lured by the smell of something baking. Moments after Guin knocked, Mrs. Noin opened the door for her, her smile once again lighting up all the wrinkles on her face in a way that gave Guin a sense of joy she felt she hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time. ¡°Ah! Guin dear, you came to visit! Lovely¡ªlovely! Come inside! My first batch of cookies is just coming out of the oven!¡± Thanking her, Guin went inside and took out three extra apples she had taken from the orchard. ¡°Mrs. Noin, I have some apples here that I thought I would share with you! Can I help you with anything?¡± ¡°Oh, how sweet of you, dear! Why don¡¯t you put them on the table,¡± Mrs. Noin told her in her soft, gentle way. ¡°Do you know how to bake?¡± ¡°Um,¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°A little, but not very well.¡± Alta Noin smiled and laughed, ¡°Well, since you have come all this way to visit this old woman, why don¡¯t I teach you some things? I¡¯ll get my baking done faster, and you can take some bread and cookies back with you!¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Together, they baked their sweets, and Guin earned herself the cooking skill through Mrs. Noin¡¯s tutelage. Even though many of the things she was being taught were things, she had learned in the past, being able to spend time with Mrs. Noin reminded her very much of her family and her own grandmother, who had taught her how to cook when she was younger. It was one of those thing that people tended to take for granted. When they had finished and cleaned up, they sat down for a cup of tea. They talked a bit more about Jormund and his mother, the Paladin. ¡°I heard that he had had a wife,¡± Guin mentioned, fiddling a bit with her cup. The old woman¡¯s eyes turned soft and sad. ¡°Melora,¡± Mrs. Noin said fondly. ¡°A lovely child with a strong will and nature to temper Jormund¡¯s own inner fire. You remind me of her,¡± the old woman reached over and patted Guin¡¯s knee as she spoke. ¡°She was a good girl, but though her heart belonged to Jormund, her soul belonged to the land. To the wild. I should know¡ªI was placed in charge of teaching her her wife duties when she was barely older than you. But it wasn¡¯t sewing and cooking she took from this house. No,¡± she nodded back to the wedding portrait over the fireplace. ¡°It was my husband¡¯s tales she learned best.¡± ¡°His tales?¡± Her smile was a bit mischievous as she said, ¡°Oh yes. He had many tales. A Servant of the Dragon King shall always have tales. Tales of awe and wonder. Tales of horror and fear. Tales of sadness and the deepest sorrow. For these tales delight the Dragon King¡ªand, of course, children and young women who long for adventure.¡± Guin snickered. ¡°Is that why you married him?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Men with tales do make for the best husbands,¡± she nodded sternly, then smiled. ¡°But it is no matter. You are so young, yet¡ªyou have your own tales to spin. For know that the same is said of wives!¡± ¡°What kind of tales did he used to tell?¡± Guin asked, her mind wandering a bit. The Dragon King... He was another figure that seemed to come up a lot. Alta Noin might have had more information than she gave her credit for. ¡°Tales of so many adventures more numerous than the stars,¡± she said wistfully. ¡°Traveling the woods. The world beyond this village. He did not come from here, you see. He was born in a city far from here, with water that tasted of honey and a sea made of gold. He traveled from there, from that treasure country, as a merchant. From city to city he went, accumulating vast riches at a young age. One day, he was lost in the woods when he met a beautiful man¡ªand that man was the Dragon King.¡± It was obvious that Alta Noin had spent year years learning the craft of storytelling from a master, her voice rising and falling in a natural, lyrical way. ¡°Joining the Dragon King as a Servant, he followed the Dragon King back to the White Fox Forest, where he met a beautiful woman. He fell in love, married her, and lived out the rest of his days happily. Or so he said,¡± she smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t care if all those fanciful tales of glory and wonder were real. He was a good man. A good man. No matter what this village says...¡± ¡°It sounds like he lived a full life,¡± Guin said. Mrs. Noin¡¯s eyes sparkled as they went over to the picture on the mantle. ¡°What happened to Melora?¡± she asked but saw that the old woman had once again been lost to her memories. After a little while of watching the woman lost in her dreams, Guin washed her teacup and bid the tiny old woman farewell. It was evident that if she wanted to hear more of the story, she would have to follow through on the quest that Jormund had originally given her: to visit and keep her company. This wasn¡¯t something one was expected to do in an afternoon of tea. Guin left quietly¡ªdoubting the old woman had noticed¡ªand made her way over to the Hunter¡¯s Guild. As it was only ten minutes down the way, she set her mind to do two things: one, build a reputation and a relationship with Dawl and the hunters, and two, try to find out more about the corruption that had happened before. Anything at this point was a clue. While she wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from the guild and this Master Dawl, Guin was ready, to some degree, to give them the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty, I suppose. She may have seen guilt on Dawl¡¯s face the night before, but she had also seen shock and pain. If there was more to the story than her interpretation, she had to know what it was before she could make any kind of sound judgment. However, she had to make whatever she did count. There was sure to be a risk in overstaying her welcome. The Hunter¡¯s Guild was a lot busier during the day than it had been at night. It was still quite early in-game time, but the area was alive with people working various jobs from weapon upkeep, to the tanning of skins, to the caring of hounds. Guin¡¯s eyes fell upon the rude jikak man from the previous night, and she crossed her arms. ¡°Shall I play with him, Guin?¡± Liorax appeared, lounging lazily on her shoulder. ¡°It does ever so please me to toy with pigs....¡± She watched him as he cared for the hounds. The pig man¡¯s face made her cringe, but the look of mortification on his face made her pity him, and the dogs seemed to love him. ¡°I wish I could say yes,¡± Guin told the cat on her shoulder. ¡°But I have another job for you.¡± Taking to floating in the air uncomfortably close to her face, Liorax¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Oh? A job? ...For Death?¡± ¡°... Can you actually kill people?¡± she asked, genuinely uncertain. ¡°... No,¡± the cat said in a disappointed voice, then gave a mischievous grin. ¡°Not directly, at any rate.¡± Guin shook her head, ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about it for now. What I need you to do is see if you can find the pelt. Don¡¯t touch it, just see if it¡¯s around here somewhere.¡± ¡°Snooping, is it?¡± Liorax did a lazy spin in the air. ¡°An easy task¡ªthough a better one for dog, I¡¯d say...¡± ¡°Please?¡± Guin poked his nose. ¡°And if you hear anything relevant, try to get it back to me.¡± His tail flipped around. ¡°What do I get out of it?¡± ¡°Uh...¡± Guin paused. She hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°A cookie?¡± ¡°Oooh,¡± went the cat. ¡°Very well. I shall accept your offering upon my return. With that, he left in a flash. Offering, huh? Scanning the area, she found Dawl talking to a group of men dressed all in furs as they walked through the yard. The Hunters¡¯ Guild itself wasn¡¯t a bad place; there were plenty of people there who looked quite satisfied with their lots in life, practicing their trades and living peaceful lives. It seemed like a nice community. When Dawl saw her, he sent the men he had been talking to away and approached her with his easy grace. ¡°Hail, young one,¡± he said with a curt bow. ¡°I fear that we were not properly introduced last night. I am Euen Dawl, Master Hunter of Bade¡¯s Hunters¡¯ Guild. I bid you welcome.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Guin Grey,¡± she told him. ¡°How do you seem to know Pastor Jormund so well?¡± She played. He smiled wearily. ¡°That is a long story and not one for this day,¡± he said. In her head, Guin tsked as he went on. ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance, however. If you are here for the pelt, though, I am afraid that I will have to disappoint you; no one has yet come forward, and my investigation thus far hasn¡¯t led to anything.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Guin frowned. She did not like his tone, but worse, what he was basically telling her was that she needed to raise her relationship with him to get anywhere. Is this what the main game is going to be like as well? It made her want to tear her hair out. ¡°Then, I have little else to do while I wait,¡± she began, putting her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have anything for me to do around here, would you? I can run errands, or if there is something about the pelt, I can look into....¡± ¡°For you?¡± Dawl crossed his arms and stared her down. ¡°Well. We are always in need of hands, I suppose, and mine are tied at the moment. Though I want to stop the corruption before it spreads any further.... Tell you what,¡± he told her. ¡°We are very busy now because of the town festival soon¡ªironically,¡± he began to mutter, ¡°One to pacify the spirits of the forest no one in this bloody town believes in anymore. ¡°Nevertheless, there are quite a few mundane tasks to be done on our end. Why don¡¯t you help Garren gather wood in the forest; he can teach you how. You can find him over there,¡± he pointed to where a muscular man was splitting wood. ¡°If you finish with that, then you can pretty much talk to anyone here, and they¡¯ll have something for you to do. A few might even teach you their trade; since it¡¯s just a small-town affair, the quality isn¡¯t so important as it is to get things done. In the meantime, perhaps doing these jobs, you can get a few of them to tell you what they know. What say you?¡± The quest screens popped up, and Guin accepted quickly. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go talk to that guy over there!¡± she waved in the direction of the woodcutter. ¡°Off you go, then,¡± Dawl said with a nod. Not paying him much mind, Guin set off to loosen a few tongues. Chapter 39 After spending a good amount of time helping around the guild, Guin learned a lot of skills and gained quite a bit of faction credit¡ªbut nothing came up about the missing pelt, the traps, or even the corruption in the woods. Just where did these hunters hunt that no one had noticed anything? The cook called everyone to sit for a late lunch of meat pies, roasted potatoes, leek stew, and several batches of sweets, compliments of Guin, who had become the hunters¡¯ new pet, it seemed. Everyone gathered around a long table¡ªwhich had appeared like magic when her back was turned¡ªand began talking excitedly to one another, laughing and filling their bellies with good food and cheap ale. A set of giddy men off to the side began to play small instruments, and people sang jolly tunes of hunts and other things. Keeping her eyes and ears peeled, she went around talking to those at the table, building as many connections as she could. ¡°Would you like a tart, Master Euen?¡± Guin offered the Master Hunter a plate of the sweets she had made. The man¡¯s lips curled into a tight smile as he took one gingerly and said, ¡°Thank you, girl.¡± He began to turn away but instead glanced back at her as if deep in thought. ¡°Tell me,¡± he started, ¡°How does a girl like you go so deep into the woods? The beasts aside, the corruption... changes them. The ones there now wouldn¡¯t be difficult for hunters like us to deal with, but you? Who are you?¡± Guin laughed. ¡°Trial and error, I suppose. And maybe just a bit of luck,¡± she said. ¡°The hunters haven¡¯t said anything about the corruption. Do they think nothing of the corrupted beasts?¡± Dawl shook his head. ¡°They do, yet they do not,¡± he told her, looking into the woods. ¡°These woods are always strange, even on the most normal of days, but the most obvious signs of corruption are not for the eyes of ¡®normal¡¯ men.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Guin asked, putting her plate of tarts on the table and taking one to nibble at. ¡°What do you think the corruption is?¡± he asked. ¡°Death,¡± Guin told him. ¡°Darkness. Sticky, rot. A disease that spreads over the land.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Dawl went, starting to walk toward the forest¡¯s edge. Guin followed. ¡°It is death, in its way. Rot¡ªbut not as I think you believe it to be. This kind of Corruption is not like an illness that you can catch. It does not simply spread over the grass and kill the physical body. What you have called ¡®corruption¡¯ is simply a description of what you see¡ªnot an explanation of an event. The darkness you see? The rot that you smell? We¡ªthe hunters; I¡ªknow nothing of it except the tales of our elders. Our betters.¡± Guin looked up at Dawl as he cast his eyes to the ground, hate and sorrow reflecting in them as she realized what he was saying. ¡°The Corruption, you see, is a spirit itself, created by the malice of other spirits¡ªmalice so strong that it has gained the power to influence the thoughts and minds of souls and drag them into its own power. The more souls it gathers into itself, the stronger it becomes. But it is not darkness or evil, girl, nor is it anger. It is very depth of sadness.¡± Gaping, Guin looked into the forest, clenching her fists. ¡°You said you cannot see it... But then, how do you know all of this?¡± ¡°I am a hunter,¡± he gave her a wry smile. ¡°A hunter of White Fox Forest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the real answer, though, is it?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve talked to people around town, the hunters, the teachers, and even Pastor Jormund¡ªnone of them know anything. They think it¡¯s all superstition and folklore. Why do you seem to believe it when they do not?¡± Dawl sighed. ¡°Jormund, Jormund... that fool,¡± he muttered, a slight grin appearing on his face. ¡°Bloody walking contradiction, that one is. He will talk till day¡¯s end about the Lady and fill your head with nonsense¡ªall the while denying his reality. I say this, but you would do well to heed Jormund¡¯s words.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a girl?¡± Guin asked bitterly. ¡°Because he is one of the few left in this village who knows what this forest really is,¡± Dawl told her grimly. ¡°Once, Bade was a bastion of peace and prosperity between the Che and Veil kinds, but now it is just another outpost institutionalized by outside forces. Even before the Paladin came, people had already forgotten the true history of this land. More¡¯s the pity; all good intent became spite. The appearance of Corruption is not unusual in this land¡ªIt just hasn¡¯t come for a long, long time.¡± ¡°And you and Jormund?¡± ¡°Jormund and I... suffice to say, we know the dangers of these woods better than most.¡± Yes! Guin exclaimed in her head. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was progress. She would take what she could, so she asked, ¡°How is that? Pastor Jormund didn¡¯t seem too keen on the woods when we talked about it...¡± Dawl looked a little uncomfortable, but he told her: ¡°His¡ªours¡ªis an old story.¡± He stuck a finger in her face and said, ¡°Understand: There is nothing in this world that is all good, just as there is nothing in this world that is truly evil. Life has never been about good and evil; there is only life and the laws of nature¡ªlaws that are to be obeyed.¡± But as Guin started at him expectantly, he folded his arms. ¡°But you aren¡¯t just going to accept my wisdom, are you?¡± he said bitterly. ¡°Fine. The village would know most of it anyway, though I doubt they would tell you much. Jormund and I are¡ªwere¡ªold friends. I would be yet if I felt I deserved it, but... We made many memories together in these woods. Some were good; others were not. That is the way life goes.¡± ¡°One of those laws, I suppose?¡± Guin asked with an amused snort, which he returned in kind. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you friends now?¡± ¡°You will learn as you grow older that people will naturally drift apart,¡± he told her, but she didn¡¯t like this answer. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said. ¡°But people don¡¯t ¡®naturally¡¯ become angry at one another, not without reason. When you were speaking last night, it sounded like you two had some experience with Corruption that appeared before. Did something happen?¡± The question made him look even more uncomfortable, and he went over to sit at a nearby workstation. This time, when Guin went over, he began to speak softly. ¡°Something did. Many years ago¡ªthough not so many as I wish it were.¡± Dawl looked out over the area where the guild was merrymaking, laughter, and dancing, giving such vibrant air in sharp contrast to the shadow that seemed to weigh down the Master Hunter¡¯s shoulders. There was silence between them for a time. They watched and listened to the sounds of life in front of them, around them. Then: ¡°My grandfather loved these woods,¡± he started, his voice cracking slightly. ¡°When we were children, we would go to my grandparent¡¯s cottage and listen to his stories¡ªwhat stories he had! We hung onto every word. So often, he spoke of the spirits and the magical creatures that lived in the woods. In the air,¡± he lifted his eyes to the sky. ¡°The adventures he went on¡ªI can only dream of them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°The stories of his youth were our favorites; how he lived, traveling here and there with his friends from the Veil, serving his lord and master until one day, he met a beautiful woman who loved the Lady and joined this village.¡± Guin¡¯s eyes narrowed. This story sounded familiar. ¡°My father and Jormund¡¯s mother hated him and how he filled our heads with ¡®nonsense,¡¯ but together, we learned to love the forest. Be at peace with it¡ªeven if we couldn¡¯t see into the Veil like Grandfather did. ¡°After a while, though, Jormund began to change,¡± Dawl went on. ¡°He started siding more and more with his mother, a Paladin sent by the imperial church to change us ¡®heathens¡¯ into devout followers. Eventually, he, too, began to send cruel words in my grandfather¡¯s direction.¡± Dawl¡¯s hands gripped his knees tightly as he continued. ¡°In those years, we grew apart. He, bound to the path his mother set him on, and I, keeping at the heels of my grandfather. Grandfather would take me to the woods and teach me the ways, even as he spoke to things that I could not see. I accepted that I, like my mother, simply did not have the Gift. I would never be like my grandfather. I could never be the Servant to the forest as he was.¡± ¡°Servant...¡± Guin muttered. Could it be? ¡°Your grandmother wouldn¡¯t be Alta Noin, would she?¡± Dawl looked at her in considerable shock. ¡°H-How...?¡± Smiling fondly, Guin sat down on the grass, ¡°Pastor Jormund asked me to visit her. She¡¯s told me stories of your grandfather.¡± ¡°D-Did he?¡± he stuttered, but then the silence returned. ¡°Did he often visit your grandparents? Jormund?¡± Guin asked. ¡°He did. Back then, I didn¡¯t know why. Every time I saw them together, Jormund would look nervous, then angry, often lashing out at me or my grandfather. Grandfather himself would treat Jormund with a strange, uncharacteristic coldness. I know why now, though it does little to undo the pain we went through then. With each passing day, I grew more hateful toward him¡ªand Jormund let me. Time passed, and rather than enemies, we merely became strangers. ¡°Eventually, Jormund married Melora, my grandmother¡¯s disciple. Melora was well suited for Jormund; a devout servant of the lady, and she was well in love with the noble, pious Jormund.¡± Guin stared at him. ¡°...If you are about to go into some woeful tale of a woman who chose him over you of her own volition, I will have lost all the respect I have for you,¡± she said before he could continue, but Dawl just chuckled. ¡°No, no,¡± he waved his hand in the air. ¡°Melora was a lovely young woman, but to me, she was only a sister. At that time, I had had the misfortune of falling in love with a garuli trader who wanted nothing to do with me.¡± Guin smirked a bit as she imagined this man with someone like Bahena, but rather than being upset about his spurned love, he seemed quite content and continued his story: ¡°Soon after they had wed, Melora conceived a child. Everything started when she lost it,¡± he said, his voice turning sad. With a sharp pain in her heart, Guin looked away. ¡°It¡¯s not an uncommon thing, but Melora... did not handle it well. Not wanting to be alone, she would visit with my grandparents every day, busying herself by taking care of them while Jormund buried himself in his work. She had no family of her own, you see, and my grandparents were quite fond of her. For a while, everything was all right¡ªor so we thought. Melora had listened well to the stories of my grandfather, but there was one she most longed to hear¡ªthe story of the Che-bound spirits.¡± Guin furrowed her brow. ¡°The Che-bound? What about them?¡± Dawl hesitated, but decided to tell her what she wanted to know. ¡°The Che-bound are rare, powerful creatures. The stories tell of them wielding the powers of the great beasts themselves, even in our mortal realm. One such story that Grandfather often told was how he had captured a Che-bound spirit and forced it to grant him a wish in exchange for his freedom.¡± ¡°A wish...¡± Guin¡¯s heart began to sink as she predicted the next parts of the story. ¡°Melora believed it all and believed that she had found a Che-bound Spirit Stag in the woods,¡± Dawl¡¯s voice grew tight. ¡°When she did not return, he came to me and asked if I had seen her. Together, we went to my grandparent''s house, where my grandfather was preparing to leave. He had sensed corruption in the woods.¡± ¡°Melora caused the corruption by trapping it?¡± Guin asked in surprise. Dawl shook his head. ¡°No. While she had managed to trap it, she did not anticipate that the hunters in the wood would have also found it first¡ªand her. By the time we got there, it was already too late. We found her with the stag, both covered in blood. How she was still conscious at that moment... I can only imagine that it was the spirits¡¯ will. It was then, as I shook in fear in anger while Jormund stood, an image of calm serenity, that I realized the part of him that I had always overlooked.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°That is not my secret to tell,¡± he told her. ¡°And I can tell you no more, for I could not see what happened in the forest that night. I could only sense the powers as they ebbed and flowed. Grandfather told us of the Corruption, and in order to cleanse the spirit, who had since turned malevolent, Grandfather summoned his master and pleaded with him. In the end, my grandfather gave his own life in exchange for the forest.¡± Heart jumping to her throat, Guin exclaimed: ¡°What!¡± Did that mean that even if she got the pelt of the fox spirit, nothing could be done? ¡°What about Melora?¡± Shifting uncomfortably, Dawl stroked his beard. ¡°She died. According to Jormund, she had died long before we got there. It was a hunter¡¯s arrow through her stomach. It was the power of the spirit that had kept her in the... half-living state she was in.¡± The man looked considerably older at that moment as he looked out over the woods. ¡°They... They loved this forest. We loved this forest. I wish I, too, could see the world my grandfather knew. Perhaps then I could have taken some of the burdens back then rather than just have... stood there.¡± Thinking about them, Guin felt a deep regret. Among those still living, they all blamed themselves more than they blamed each other¡ªeven Alta Noin. ¡°Ah,¡± went Dawl with a soft laugh. ¡°Listen to me, going on. The sun is already starting to set. How foolish of me, telling a stranger such a tale..¡± Shaking her head, Guin told him, ¡°No. I appreciate it. After all, I am the one that is now fighting that corruption.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be,¡± he said. ¡°Who else, if not me?¡± she asked happily. Dawl cleared his throat, ¡°Haven¡¯t you got someplace better to be than hanging out with old men like me?¡± ¡°Well,¡± she said, standing and stretching. ¡°I have a few more errands to run before the day is finished. You can find me around town if you hear anything about the pelt. I want to avoid what happened to your grandfather. If there''s a chance, we should resolve the situation before anyone else dies.¡± He nodded absently as she turned and left him. When she was a good few feet away, Liorax appeared on her shoulder with an unhappy smile on his face. ¡°Well?¡± she asked the cat. ¡°The pelt belongs to our dear Master Hunter¡ªbut you already knew that didn¡¯t you?¡± he said in his sly, bemused tone. ¡°Should we retrieve it?¡± Guin paused and looked at Dawl, still sitting at his table, his face holding a lost expression that reminded her of his grandmother. After everything he had told her, after everything that she had heard and seen, the one thing she wanted was to believe in him. In his heart. In the love he had for his friends and family. For the forest. But how far could she really trust him? She patted Liorax on the head as he purred. ¡°Give him till tomorrow,¡± she said. ¡°If he fails, then.... Guess I have no choice but to be a thief. Ahh. Totally not my style. Tch. Stupid game.¡± Liorax gave her an amused look, then disappeared into a buff. For now, it should be a proper time to meet with Jormund. The pastor had quite a lot to answer for in her book. Just what was he hiding? There was only one thing left for her to do: Ask him herself. Chapter 40 She found Pastor Jormund sitting in front of the door of Alta Noin¡¯s cottage like a lost little boy. Learning more about the person he was made her look at him in a slightly different light. Everyone had secrets and skeletons in their closets. She wished that she didn¡¯t have to worry about uncovering his. Walking up to him at a slower pace than usual, she tried to think of a way to bring up what she knew without offending him. Yes, Guin, because bringing up a man¡¯s dead wife is the perfect conversation to have over tea, she thought to herself with a snort. How was she supposed to do this without destroying her relationship with him? Standing over him, Guin called softly, ¡°Pastor Jormund.¡± He lifted his eyes, which seemed happy to see her even though much of their light seemed lost. ¡°You came,¡± he said in a tired voice. ¡°I rather hoped that you wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You waited.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to call it.¡± His eyes turned downcast. Guin pursed her lips and went up to the cottage door. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± the pastor started, standing up quickly, but Guin knocked on the door anyway. ¡°Mrs. Noin!¡± she called out. Next to her, the pastor shifted his feet like a child caught doing something wrong. When Mrs. Noin answered the door, her face went alight with joy, just as it had earlier. ¡°Oh, welcome, child! Twice in one day¡ªI wasn¡¯t expecting any more company! Come in, come in!¡± She quickly took up Guin¡¯s hands and started leading her inside when her gleeful old eyes fell upon Pastor Jormund. Wet, glittering tears formed. ¡°Oh... Oh! Jormund!¡± her voice turning breathless with a hand on her chest; the change in her face almost made Guin cry. It was as if she had seen a son sent away to war returned to her. Her hands left Guin¡¯s and moved up to Jormund¡ªcautiously as if she were afraid that she might scare him away. But the pastor smiled softly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been a long time, Mrs Noin.¡± Rather than speak, the fragile-looking old woman took him in her arms and hugged him tight as she could. Sobbing into his chest, she cried. ¡°Too long. Too long...¡± They stood together in the twilight, holding each other. Even Pastor Jormund¡¯s face was wet. Leaning against the doorframe, Guin stood by and watched. It¡¯s a nice scene, she thought. Too bad I¡¯ll have to ruin it... She turned on her camera mode and made a frame with her fingers to take a screenshot. ¡°Oh! Come in, come in! I¡¯ll put on some tea¡ªah! Guin and I made some sweets and loaves of bread earlier!¡± Mrs. Noin said. Jormund laughed, ¡°Please, don¡¯t fuss.¡± Little Alta Noin turned around with an angry face, a wooden spoon pointed at him. ¡°Ten years! Jormund! You haven¡¯t been to this house in ten years! Are you a stranger? Let an old woman be happy fussing over you a bit!¡± she scolded with a shaky voice¡ªbut the happy grandmother could not maintain her angry image for long, and she gave one of her great smiles that lifted all her wrinkles and patted his face. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you and Guin go sit over by the fire? Go, go!¡± She shooed him in her kind, soft voice. Guin giggled as Mrs. Noin winked at her. Jormund smiled for her, then slouched over with a sigh as she turned her back to him. Staring at the chairs by the fire, Jormund looked helpless. Instead of sitting in them, he took to sitting on the floor in front of the fire. Guin opted for her usual chair, and they watched as the happy little old lady busied herself making tea, humming with a little swing to her hips that she hadn¡¯t seen the last time she came. ¡°Ten years? In this small town?¡± Guin asked the pastor, who was fiddling with a part of his clothing. With a faint smile on his tired face, he said, ¡°Mhmm. What can I say? I am a coward.¡± ¡°A coward...¡± Perhaps it¡¯s better if I just let him talk... She watched him expectantly. The pastor nodded. ¡°I asked you here today to share with you a story¡ªa warning. Your desire to cleanse the forest is noble, but it is not such an easy thing. It is... Not without consequences.¡± ¡°Like death?¡± Guin asked quietly. ¡°Like death,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°And worse than death.¡± ¡°What is it that you are so afraid of?¡± she asked him. ¡°You are young, Guin,¡± he told her. ¡°Young and hopeful. I envy you.¡± Guin chuckled and told him, ¡°That¡¯s not something a good priest should say.¡± ¡°I never said I was a good priest,¡± he told her, then laughed. ¡°I never said I was a priest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the pastor here, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked, confused. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I am,¡± he struggled to say. ¡°By Bade¡¯s standard.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s... complicated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m smart.¡± ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with intelligence.¡± ¡°Just uncomplicate it then.¡± Jormund chuckled. ¡°If only the world worked in such an easy way,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not... I am a pastor here only because I inherited the role of my mother. I am not ordained by the Imperial Church.¡± Blinking at him, Guin asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because.¡± ¡°Because why?¡± ¡°Because I am who I am,¡± he said firmly. ¡°I am... what I am.¡± Guin gave him a hard look over, trying to seek out the hidden meaning behind what he said. ¡°And that means?¡± ¡°Is everything all right in there, dears?¡± came the voice of Mrs. Noin. Jormund looked over as she came over to put the teapot over the fire. ¡°What... I am...¡± Silent teardrops fell down his cheeks. Wiping her hands on her apron and looking at his face, Mrs. Noin exclaimed, ¡°Why, child! Whatever is the matter?¡± ¡°I-I...¡± Pastor Jormund got on his knees and kowtowed deeply, his forehead on the ground. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry... so sorry...¡± ¡°T-There, there,¡± she told him in a warm voice. ¡°Get up off the ground now, silly boy¡ªyou aren¡¯t going to make an old woman pull you up, are you? It¡¯s dirty.¡± ¡°I am undeserving of kindness!¡± Jormund cried. ¡°Then I will not be kind,¡± Mrs. Noin huffed, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯ll not accept your apology. Really. You and Euen¡ªeven Rew-you all are full of the greatest nonsense. Oh, look at you!¡± The pastor looked up at her, his face drenched. The old woman took a dishcloth she had in her hand and whacked him with it. ¡°Wipe that face of yours off. Tea will be ready soon enough!¡± As she walked away, Pastor Jormund sniffled. Grinning, Guin looked up at the picture of young Alta Noin and her husband. ¡°Was Rew the name of her husband?¡± she asked. Jormund nodded. ¡°Master Rew was a good man,¡± he said, looking at the ground. ¡°One that would still be here if it weren¡¯t for my foolishness.¡± Mrs. Noin Scoffed as she brought a plate of biscuits and tea over. ¡°Are you still on about that? Lady knows that there was nothing you could have done, little Jormund.¡± ¡°I could have done more...¡± ¡°Then do more,¡± she told him. ¡°Come have tea with me now and again. Bring Euen, next time. That fool is no better than you. The pastor shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there for Melora as I should have been. I should have been with her¡ªtaken care of her, stopped her¡ªand Master Rew. Everything would have been different if I had been honest with everyone!¡± Mrs. Noin¡¯s smile was both proud and sad as she told him, ¡°Don¡¯t do that to yourself. She was so very proud of you, following your path. The only thing she wanted was the love that you gave her. As for Rew, he understood that you and he walked different paths. For him, becoming a Servant was simple; he knew no other life. He may not have understood you, but he loved you all the same.¡± ¡°Corruption has returned to the forest,¡± Jormund said quietly, sitting on his knees. Alta Noin looked at him knowingly. ¡°It always does. It always will. There is nothing for it, child,¡± she looked out a window that opened to the forest. ¡°Perhaps it is inevitable in any era.¡± Gripping his knees, Jormund¡¯s knuckles went white. ¡°I would like to believe that that¡¯s not true¡ªnot this time, at least,¡± Guin said, sipping her tea. Dawl¡¯s story may have been frightening, but Guin still had a trump card. Several, in regards not only to the circumstance but her position as a player. This was the tutorial, and she, at least, was immortal. Not that they would ever consider that, of course. They looked at her with curiosity. ¡°The fox spirit causing it asked for a pelt. I intend to bring it to her. Myself.¡± ¡°I cannot let you!¡± the pastor growled. ¡°Dealing with spirits is never so simple¡ª!¡± ¡°In this case, I rather believe that it is,¡± Guin told him flatly. ¡°I didn¡¯t just stumble on this spirit¡ªI was asked to save it. Do you not understand? The spirit herself is not yet completely corrupted. There is still time to prevent further tragedy.¡± Mrs. Noin looked at her with shining eyes. ¡°Guin dear, you can see them?¡± Guin nodded. ¡°The spirits of this forest¡ªthe ones I met, at least¡ªare kind and caring, and I feel that this spirit is the same. Her anger grows daily¡ªbut if only for the sake of her cub, she would not see the wood taken so easily. ¡°Oh, child!¡± went Mrs. Noin, clasping her hands together. ¡°You must tell me your stories one day!¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t encourage her¡ª¡± Jormund started, but Mrs. Noin hit him with the dishcloth again. ¡°You hush,¡± she told him. Getting increasingly frustrated, Jormund shook his head and shouted, ¡°You don¡¯t understand! No matter what those spirits have told you, there are powers here that you cannot even dream of. They will kill you¡ªand even if they don¡¯t, they will drain you of all that hope of yours¡ªall of your life¡ªand they. Will. End. You.¡± ¡°Why is it that you keep telling me that what I see is wrong?¡± She glared at him. ¡°What is it that you know exactly? A man of the cloth, in service of the Lady. As I see you, your job would imply that you should squash any mention of the supernatural¡ªyet here you are. You aren¡¯t telling me they don¡¯t exist. You aren¡¯t telling me to kneel before an idol and seek forgiveness. You are telling me that the spirits are powerful, fickle, and otherwise inclined to cause hurt and pain. What is it that you have seen that I have not?¡± The pastor¡¯s face darkened, and out from behind his deep blue eyes, a power and a knowledge far greater than her own emerged. There was power in this darkness. Controlled yet, but knotted up and squirreling, like the face from the fear test, trying to escape from whatever cage he had contained it in his mind, and the forum posts that she had read about Jormund the Pale came up in the back of her mind. ¡°Because I have seen it,¡± he told her, his words soft but strong. ¡°I have seen it all since I was younger, even than you¡ªthe things that were not supposed to exist. Things that tricked me into sin. I have been to all the doctors and wisemen my mother thought she could trust to cure whatever curse she believed me to have. She prayed to the Lady and took up her whip to beat out the demons that possessed me¡ªyet still they came. They came, and they whispered in my ears over and over; no matter how hard I tried to ignore them, they came. They still tormented me. They still lied to me.¡± His smile was bitter, and his eyes icy cold with a touch of madness as he spoke. ¡°Why do you think the church sent us here?¡± he asked as if it were a ridiculous question. ¡°The Imperial Church had no place for a monster who talked to demons.¡± Guin gaped at him as things that should have been so obvious began to click in her head. Forget the death of his wife¡ªthe landmine had been the spirits all along. So. That was the secret. Pastor Jormund could see the spirits. Chapter 41 ¡°Jormund,¡± Mrs. Noin voiced his name, but he did not react to it. His eyes locked on Guins, and fear began to creep into her heart. ¡°Every day,¡± Jormund continued. ¡°Every day I pray to the Lady, asking her ¡®Why? Why have you done all of this to me? Who am I to deserve such a test?¡¯ But no answer comes. Not from her. Not from her¡ªfrom them. They have always spoken to me...¡± His voice trailed off, and his eyes broke away. ¡°As a child, I was always afraid. And that fear consumed me. Fear of the Church. Fear of the spirits. Fear of my mother. Fear of the Lady. And then I met Master Rew. ¡°I had been tricked into going into the woods one day. A spirit in the shape of a puppy had led me astray into the woods. When it revealed itself and attacked me... I was so tired... I wanted it to kill me. But Master Rew saved me. He just hit it on the head, gave it a good scolding, and it just ran off with its tail between its legs. How many times did he save me and laugh it off? I don¡¯t remember. He helped me. I know, Guin, that the spirits... there are spirits out there that are genuinely kind, but there are also those whose kindness is false. You must never forget that.¡± ¡°I won''t,¡± Guin murmured, thinking of what it must have been like for him. ¡°Once my fear lessened, he began to teach me. His grandson¡ªEuen¡ªand I became fast friends; the first I had ever really had. He worshipped the ground Master Rew walked on and loved his stories, but I was the reason those stories were told to us. I was the reason that Master Rew taught us the ways of the forest,¡± Jormund said. ¡°He was training you,¡± Guin realized. ¡°He wanted you to take his place as the Servant of the Dragon King.¡± Jormund nodded and looked into the fire in the fireplace. ¡°There has always been guilt toward Euen. He wanted so desperately to see into Master Rew¡¯s world. Would that I could give my eyes to him that he could,¡± he said. ¡°At the same time, though, I was happy. I felt it was my answer. ¡®Ah. So this is what the Lady intended for me.¡¯ I had found my place. Until Mother found out.¡± ¡°The Paladin...¡± Guin looked into her tea cup. Of course... ¡°I had no choice...¡± Jormund choked. Alta Noin knelt beside the pastor and stroked his hair. ¡°Oh, my boy,¡± she said. ¡°You were only a child....¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t matter,¡± he said bitterly. ¡°Time passed, and I gave up. I never told anyone again¡ªI was so careful! Even my wife never knew about any of it,¡± his voice cracked as more tears fell down his face. ¡°Things would have been so different... Euen is right. He always was. If I wasn¡¯t such a liar!¡± He doubled over, sobbing, with Mrs. Noin cooing softly, bringing him into her lap. It seems that everything is coming together, she thought, watching him cry. ¡®Jormund the Celestial Paladin.¡¯ ¡®Jormund the Pale.¡¯ Perhaps, ¡®Jormund, Servant of the Dragon King¡¯ was his third outcome. Guin ran a finger around the lip of her cup. The first felt redeemed and forgiven for his sins, finding peace in the Lady whom he loved. Perhaps this was an outcome common for people seeking to become healers or other such holy classes. The more common outcome was the ignored, left to be eaten by the madness buried deep in his mind; corrupted by sin, he shouldered the burden for all on his own. Alone... Guin shot up in her seat and stared at him. What was it that Dawl had told her? ¡®The Corruption, you see, is a spirit itself, created by the malice of other spirits¡ªmalice so strong that it has gained the power to influence the thoughts and minds of souls and drag them into its own power. The more souls it gathers into itself, the stronger it becomes. But it is not darkness or evil, girl, nor is it anger. It is very depth of sadness.¡± Gripping the arm of the chair tightly, she felt sick to her stomach. ¡°I-I am sorry,¡± Jormund started again. ¡°I-I did not call you here for this¡ªa story. Yes,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°There has been corruption here in my life before. My wife... She always believed in the good hearts of the spirits and sought a Che-bound spirit to grant a wish of hers. Silly girl. She was a good, wise woman, but her childish nature often led her to dream of the impossible. She had asked me to meet her at the crossroads that day, but I... I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want to go into the woods. I didn¡¯t want to see the spirits. And because of that, I lost her.¡± Guin and Mrs. Noin sat quietly as Jormund regained composure. ¡°By the time we found her, the Corruption had already taken hold. The Spirit Stag she had caught took only a day to become a malevolent spirit. She was kept conscious¡ªjust barely¡ªby the power of the spirit. I could only go to her. Hold her. Her heart had stopped long before we got there. Master Rew called the Dragon King and made a bargain: Master Rew¡¯s life for the forest¡¯s.¡± ¡°So,¡± Mrs. Noin broke in. ¡°That was what happened. I suspected when Euen told me, but....¡± ¡°I am sorry,¡± Jormund apologized to her, but she shook her head. Turning to Guin, he said, ¡°My point is, Guin, even Master Rew could not prevent what happened. Not even the Dragon King.¡± Licking her lips, Guin considered. She could only guess what sorrow caused the Spirit Stag to change so quickly. Tik-Tak¡¯s mother seemed as if she would have accepted her death were it not for the corruption already in place. Indeed; she seemed to resist it quite strongly. Because she¡¯s angry, not sad, Guin thought to herself. The fox spirit was angry, but her love for her cub seemed stronger than that hate. Perhaps it¡¯s Jormund¡¯s faith that keeps him from turning... Looking Jormund over, she wondered if that''s what the inevitable catalyst for his corruption would be¡ªthe loss of faith. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°While I understand now, your reprehension,¡± Guin began, deciding her path. ¡°My resolution remains firm. There is nothing you can say or do that will change my mind.¡± To her surprise, Pastor Jormund chuckled and sighed. Leaning back, he smiled at her and let his shoulders sag as if a great weight were lifted. ¡°I thought you would say that,¡± he said, standing. After helping Alta Noin up and setting her in one of the armchairs, he took out a small bag from his pocket and handed it to Guin. ¡°This is the least that I can do now. Inside this bag is a special herb called [Spirits¡¯ Tears]. Carrying it should ease the effects of the corruption you are exposed to. If there is nothing I can say to stop you, then at least I wanted you to understand the risks involved and give you this.¡± Accepting the bag, Guin pulled up the tooltip.
<<[Bag of Spirits¡¯ Tears]>> << Bound - Accessory - Totem - Rank -- >> << Protects from the effects of Spirit Corruption. >> << It is said that when spirits cry tears of joy, the tears to seeds that turn into these pretty flowers. They have great healing and cleansing effects in medicines and vases¡ªand just in simple bags, too, apparently. >> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: -- >>
Equipping it, a small bag appeared on a string around her waist. ¡°Thank you, Pastor Jormund.¡± ¡°I wish...¡± he started but shook his head. ¡°No. I know that even if I don¡¯t want you to go, someone must. We must try, at least¡ªand I have a feeling that you have a better chance than anyone.¡± Guin smiled at him, but a knock came at the door before she could respond. ¡°Why, I wonder who that could be?¡± Mrs. Noin asked, wiping her tears from her face quickly. Pulling herself out of her chair, she shuffled over to the door and opened it. ¡°E-Euen!¡± Guin heard her cry and turned. Pastor Jormund nearly jumped out of his skin and backed up a little. ¡°Grandmother,¡± Dawl¡¯s voice carried over. ¡°Is there a girl here named ¡®Guin¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes! Oh, come in, dear! What a day today! So many visitors! So many lovely faces!¡± Mrs. Noin seemed to have an endless supply of tears as she pulled Euen inside. He froze the moment he saw Jormund in the room but remained expressionless. ¡°Let me put more tea on for everyone!¡± the old woman exclaimed and went about busing herself. ¡°N-No, I¡ª¡± Dawl tried to protest, but Alta Noin huffed at him just as she had huffed at Jormund. Dawl, it seemed, didn¡¯t need the lecture. ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he coughed. The Master Hunter turned to Guin with a slight bow, then, from a sack, he pulled out a fine, light orange pelt, a perfect snow-white circle on its back, and handed it to her. ¡°This...¡± Guin reached out and took it gingerly, searching his eyes for answers. ¡°Return it,¡± Dawl said. ¡°That is all I ask.¡± Gripping the fur, she smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No,¡± he told her in a low voice. ¡°Thank you.¡± Dawl looked up to Pastor Jormund and then looked back to Guin. ¡°You have heard everything, then? And you still intend to try?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Guin confirmed with determination. He snorted at her. ¡°You are a stupid girl,¡± he said, then put his hand on her head. ¡°I shall wish you all the luck.¡± ¡°What will you do?¡± she asked him. Dawl looked at her in surprise. ¡°Me?¡± When Guin nudged her head toward Jormund, he chuckled. ¡°Who knows? Perhaps it is time to tend to old wounds.¡± ¡°Try not to fight,¡± Guin told the men. Jormund gave a meek smile while Dawl grunted. ¡°Then, I shall be going! Mrs. Noin, thank you so much for having me again!¡± ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± Mrs. Noin stepped over. ¡°But Euen just got here¡ªOh, never mind. You have things to do, I know. My husband was always the same way. Here,¡± the old woman took a shawl from the back of her chair and wrapped it around Guin¡¯s neck. ¡°Stay warm. Stay safe. My husband would have liked you.¡± The old woman put her hand on Guin¡¯s face. Her skin was rough, but it felt nice. ¡°Uhn!¡± went Guin with a smile. ¡°Take care,¡± Pastor Jormund told her, his voice a little rough. Guin nodded to him and left them to have their talk. As soon as she left the cottage, she pulled up her map to set a marker, and a fox formed. About half an hour later, she found herself back on the edge of the corruption. Pulling up her map again, she frowned. It¡¯s gotten bigger... she noticed. Not only that, but it looked like the number of corrupted creatures had increased. ¡°Liorax?¡± she called. The lazy cat appeared floating around her head. ¡°I saw the hunter came through as you hoped,¡± he said. ¡°He was a useful creature, after all.¡± Nodding, Guin smiled. She wasn¡¯t sure if trusting The Master Hunter would get her anywhere, but it made her happy to see Euen and Jormund together in Alta Noin¡¯s cottage. ¡°Hey, you aren¡¯t affected by the corruption, are you?¡± She hadn¡¯t thought about it until Jormund gave her the [Spirits¡¯ Tears]. ¡°To be affected, you have to be in the area for quite a while,¡± he told her. ¡°Besides, now that you have that pouch the lying priest gave you, it shouldn¡¯t affect either of us in the slightest. If anything, I¡¯d be worried about the little fox¡ªthough I suspect his mother will protect him.¡± ¡°Leave poor Pastor Jormund alone,¡± she scolded. ¡°You didn¡¯t know he could see you, did you?¡± The floating cat grinned. ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps not.¡± ¡°Tsk. Whatever. Buff me?¡± As Liorax became a sensory buff, Guin shot off, slaying as many of the corrupted creatures as they could in the moonlight and sticky terrain. Guin had to learn quite a few new ways to battle them as the ground started to become softer and more slippery as they got closer to the cave. Then something else caught her eye. Stopping dead in her tracks, it felt like her chest was being crushed. A flurry of emotions bubbled up inside of her as she looked over the rotted, corrupted landscape covered in traps and dead things. One of those was the trapped, broken body of a small, creamsicle-colored fox cub. Chapter 42 Shaking, Guin made her way over to where the trap was. It felt as if she were in someone else¡¯s body, floating toward the body in the trap as her vision tunneled. Getting closer only made it worse, for the closer she got, the more certain she was. Tik-Tak¡¯s short life was now ended. As she collapsed in front of the trap that held his body in its jaws, tears streamed down her face. Liorax separated from her and appeared at her side. He took a paw and closed the little fox¡¯s lifeless eyes. ¡°Why?¡± Guin managed to ask. ¡°Why did this happen? I still have time! The quest... the quest time limit isn¡¯t up yet!¡± Her angry shouts echoed through the forest. ¡°It was his time,¡± Liorax told her. ¡°¡®His time¡¯?¡± She laughed through her tears. ¡°How was this ¡®his time¡¯! The hunters did this! They would add his body to that pile and let his soul be corrupted by all their ill will! This was not his time¡ªno more than it was any of theirs!¡± Liorax stared at her but said no more. ¡°I have to get him out of this trap. I won¡¯t let them have him.¡± Tail twitching, Liorax said, ¡°Wait here. Don¡¯t touch it for now. I may know someone that can help.¡± As the floating cat pounced off into the darkness, Guin reached over and stroked her little friend''s soft fur. Just how horrible could this game she was playing be? Why had Tik-Tak left his mother¡¯s side? Why wasn¡¯t he more careful? And where the hell was I when this happened? ¡°People are awful...¡± she cried. Liorax returned with a long white and black weasel racing along beside him. He landed on her shoulder and told her, ¡°This is Master Weasel. He and his spirit weasels go around the wood and disarm the traps when they can. ¡°Nasty work,¡± the white weasel said, inspecting the trap. ¡°Let¡¯s get this poor kiddo out...¡± Guin watched as the weasel went to work, and within moments, the trap sprung open. Carefully lifting the dead fox cub out from the trap, she cradled him in her arms. The weasel twitched his nose and looked around. ¡°Look at all this... Che-people.¡± ¡°Teach me,¡± Guin demanded. The Master Weasel looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Teach me. How do I open the traps?¡± she asked. ¡°Tik-Tak... He wanted to help them. He asked me. I promised him that... that I would...¡± Sniffling, she remembered what Tik-Tak had said the first time they saw the traps. ¡°All he wanted to do was grow big and strong and protect the forest as his parents did....¡± Standing on its hind legs, the weasel crossed his arms. ¡°Tell you what. You promise me that you¡¯ll break the traps when you see them, and I¡¯ll teach you anything you want. Come with me.¡± It hopped away to a nearby, unsprung trap. Guin gently placed Tik-Tak¡¯s body in her inventory and called Liorax to buff her. With the Master Weasel teaching her, they slowly made their way in the direction of the cave. Somewhere along the line, she had gained an [Engineering] skill, but she hardly noticed as they cut their way through. It felt like no time had passed by the time they reached the cave. The weasel crawled up onto her shoulder and encircled her neck. Guin stared at the entrance, so many complicated feelings coursing through her. What would she say to the fox spirit now? Even from where she stood, she could tell the pouch that Jormund had given her was doing its job, but it was more noticeable after she entered. A green flame flickered off the floor of the cave where the corpse of Tik-Tak¡¯s mother lay. ¡°Oh?¡± came the voice of the fox spirit. Without hesitation, Guin stepped toward it as the green, fiery ghost of the fox arose. ¡°The che child has returned....¡± At first, the fox spirit gave her a cruel grin, but it faltered as Guin stared her down. ¡°H-Have you retrieved my pelt then?¡± Guin pulled out the pelt and laid it over the fox¡¯s tattered body. With a satisfied sigh, the flames that made up the fox flickered into white, and her paws landed on the ground. ¡°And now, that which was stolen is now returned. I thank you, little beast. Both for your efforts and your trust. That which you wish shall be granted.¡± Her form became more stable, the fox spirit to a majestic, serene form, and her eyes turned to a pleasant shade of pink.
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Unhappy, Guin didn¡¯t care anymore and sent the window away without reading it. The fox spirit looked up at her and tilted her head. In a strained voice, she asked, ¡°I... must ask. You... you wouldn¡¯t have happened to have seen my son outside? He left to hunt this afternoon and has yet to return....¡± Trembling, Guin reached into her bag and pulled out the cold, stiffened body of Tik-Tak. She placed the little fox¡¯s body onto the pelt of his mother and bowed her head. ¡°I am so, so sorry,¡± Guin whispered. ¡°I came too late. I should have tried harder. Come sooner....¡± The now white fox spirit nudged the little fox¡¯s body. As if he was waking up, a new small, white flame-like fox spirit rose from Tik-Tak¡¯s body. Guin¡¯s eyes went wide as Tik-Tak¡¯s spirit yawned in front of her, his eyes glowing bright and pink. ¡°Ah!¡± Tik-Tak¡¯s spirit went. ¡°Momma! Guin! Guin! Look¡ªyou helped Momma! Isn¡¯t she so pretty!¡± He began to prance around. ¡°Eh? But, Guin, why are you crying?¡± Reaching out her hand, Guin patted his head. His fire-like fur was warm; the warmth only caused her to cry more. She picked him up¡ªhe was light as a feather and hugged him tight. ¡°Guin?¡± The little fox spirit nuzzled her. ¡°Ah!¡± he exclaimed, his ears going straight in the air. ¡°I died!¡± ¡°Clumsy fool of a child¡ªwhat happened?¡± Tik-Tak¡¯s mother asked. ¡°There were hunters in the woods,¡± he told them. ¡°I-I was running from them and then... and then... Ah! So embarrassing!¡± The little fox hid his face in Guin¡¯s chest. ¡°Embarrassing?¡± Guin asked, petting him fondly. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I-I tripped. Into one of the traps,¡± he admitted, looking quite ashamed of himself. The fox spirit sighed in frustration. She was not surprised. ¡°You truly are your father¡¯s child. Were, I suppose. What nonsense.¡± Looking at her little friend, Guin asked, ¡°Can you stay?¡± But the fox spirit shook her head. ¡°We cannot. These forms are not stable. We shall soon return to the fabric of the Veil,¡± she said. Tik-Tak pouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Guin. I wanted to be able to repay you for helping Momma. I wanted to look after the forest like Papa...¡± he sniffled. ¡°But I can¡¯t now. Why am I so clumsy?¡± The little fox¡¯s face was almost comically miserable, and Guin couldn¡¯t help bursting out laughing. Looking happy, Tik-Tak licked her face. ¡°Che-child, if I might have just a bit more of your time?¡± the fox spirit asked. Her expression looked thoughtful as Guin looked up at her. ¡°There is a ritual to help cleanse the corruption. I will speak to the malevolent spirits on the Che¡¯s behalf one last time, but the ritual requires some materials. Would you be willing to fetch them for me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Guin answered. ¡°First, gather some wood; We¡¯ll need to make a great bonfire to burn the corpses in this cave. Fire shall cleanse them all. Next, we need some [Spirits¡¯ Tears]. I can sense some on you now, but we shall need quite a bit more. Some grow not far from here, on a little brook that runs through the forest. Lastly, we shall need a scale from the Dragon King.¡± Guin grimaced. ¡°A scale from the Dragon King? How should I go about getting that?¡± The fox spirit sighed. ¡°Normally, I would say to find the Dragon King¡¯s Che-servant, but these past few years, none have appeared,¡± she said. ¡°In this case, you, yourself, should go to the Dragon King and pray to his alter. Tell him that I, Reili, the Che-bound Spirit Fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi, have made this request of you, and all should be fine.¡± ¡°You would be so lucky to meet the Dragon King, Guin!¡± Tik-Tak exclaimed. ¡°... all right,¡± Guin said, though uncertainty filled her. She thought of the stories of Jormund and Dawl, and wondered what they would say. ¡°I will do as you ask. Where can I find the Dragon King?¡± ¡°He is likely in his grotto, to the Northeast,¡± Relili told her. ¡°I shall mark it on your map. You shall have five days to complete this request¡ªelse it shall be too late.¡±
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¡°Thank you,¡± Guin told her. Reili shook her head. ¡°No, Candidate. Thank you.¡± ¡°Can I go with Guin?¡± Tik-Tak asked his mother, but Reili could only give him a sad grin. ¡°I am afraid that in these forms, we are bound to the locations of our bodies. Besides,¡± She licked his nose as he pouted, ¡°I would like to spend what little time I have left with my idiot son.¡± Tik-Tak giggled and licked Guin¡¯s nose. Laughing, Guin put him down and stood. ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then!¡± she said, standing and giving the two spirits a wide¡ªif forced¡ªsmile. ¡°Guin!¡± Tik-Tak called out just before she left. ¡°Make sure to come back and play, okay?¡± ¡°I will!¡± she called back and started off. Back in the forest, Guin looked at her map again with a sigh. She had managed to save Tik-Tak¡¯s mother, but she had not yet cleared the corruption in the woods. And here I thought I¡¯d be done by now... She found herself staring down at the corrupted beedants and moarbits. They were really a waste of time¡ªand worse, she would very likely never be able to kill them any faster than she already was. Still, she dove into them and started her slaughter. But as she neared the edge of the corruption, she stopped and looked around, sniffing at the air in her fox form. What¡¯s going on now? She wondered. The number of creatures in the area had grown smaller and smaller, but now there were hardly any. ¡°Liorax,¡± she called. ¡°Yes?¡± the cat appeared. ¡°Do you sense anything?¡± Liorax sniffed the air and looked around himself. ¡°Something... smells like... Che-people,¡± he told her, his hackles raising. ¡°Wait here.¡± The cat launched off her shoulder and hopped around in the air. The forest was quiet and still. ¡°Guin! Pull back!¡± Liorax shouted at her, rushing back. ¡°Back to the case¡ªwe¡¯re surrounded¡ªhunters!¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± Shifting into fox form, she dashed back the way they came. ¡°Why are they here?¡± she muttered as Liorax turned into a speed buff. Did they know she was there? Could Dawl have been in on it? Leaping over beedant after beedant, she rushed through, pulling agro of every creature that saw her. Shit! She was gathering too many creatures running like she was. Bounding off a tree, she human-formed and quickly ended the life of a corrupted moarbit behind her. There were four or five more. Activating her [Dance] ritual, she began to weave her way through the monsters, finishing them each in turn, then moved on. She gathered a good ten before going at them again, following the flow of the steps on the ground. The ability turned out to be far more effective than she could have hoped. Looking back at her handiwork, she glared at the corpses as they popped into treasure chests and thought, This is what it must feel like to be a vengeful god! If only a minor one. For now. It was inappropriate, but she grinned anyway. As she grabbed her treasures, however, an arrow swept past her face. Guin¡¯s combat-heightened instincts and buffed reflex scores had her shift away without much thought, but it had been a good foot off, to begin with. Her eyes flashed in the direction that the arrow had come from, but there was only the rustling of leaves. ¡°Hey!!¡± she shouted, backing another step in the direction of the cave. ¡°I¡¯m a person, you know!¡± she shouted to whoever was listening¡ªassuming they were listening. It would only take her another minute or so to reach the cavern¡¯s mouth, but she didn¡¯t trust her surroundings. Bugs and rabbits she could deal with. People, on the other hand, could only mean trouble. Gritting her teeth, she started walking backward. At least the cave should be able to cover her back. Another arrow whipped passed her face¡ªthis one was much closer to the target. Guin turned and bolted, and she heard another good three or four loud thunks into the trees and ground around her. Whoever was shooting at her was obviously in no mood for a chat. With the cave coming into view, however, Guin sighed a breath of relief. Flipping around with the cave mouth to her back, she made sure to refresh her [Spirit Shield: as she watched the forest. From the bushes, they came. One, two, four, six... seven! Seven hunters clothed in hooded cloaks and dark-colored furs and leathers approached her. Four held bows, two held swords, and one held a spear. Oh, and how am I supposed to get out of this stupid tutorial? Guin wondered, becoming less and less shocked that people didn¡¯t do these kinds of quests if they could help it. Chapter 43 ¡°Who are you?¡± Guin demanded as the hunters approached. ¡°What do you want?¡± She couldn¡¯t die, but that didn¡¯t mean she would ever look forward to the pain of not dying. In fact, she was starting to wish that she could die. One of the hunters with a sword stepped forward and removed his hood. He was very clean and quite handsome. She recognized him from the Hunters¡¯ Guild but didn¡¯t know his name. ¡°Little girl,¡± he started, holding his hand out. ¡°Be good now and hand over the pelt that Dawl gave to you. We will let you live.¡± Guin snorted at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± she tried to bluff. Neither Dassah nor Guin was very good at lying, and if there was a check, she failed it. ¡°Let¡¯s not play that game,¡± the man said with barely a hint of a smile. ¡°That pelt has great power¡ªfar too much for you to handle and certainly worth more than your life.¡± ¡°And this town?¡± The man chuckled. ¡°The price of that pelt would buy a mountain,¡± he said. ¡°Now, hand it over.¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t have it,¡± she told him, trying honesty. ¡°I said not to play that game!¡± he turned a bit red in the face. ¡°Give it here!¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t have it,¡± she said, crossing her arms and staring him down. ¡°I gave it back.¡± ¡°Gave it back?¡± Gave it back!¡± ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Guin said, narrowing her eyes, hoping that she would be right. ¡°You were the one who killed the fox and threw her away to rot.¡± But the man let out a laugh. ¡°Of course not¡ªMaster Dawl killed and skinned the stupid animal¡ªhe just had no idea what it was he had, the fool. The pelt should go to me, not to you.¡± Though her heart sank, she admitted it would be foolish to try and exempt the Master Hunter from all his faults. She would have to be satisfied with mere repentance. ¡°Are you thick? I¡¯ll say it again: I don¡¯t have it,¡± Guin told him, her patience wearing thin. ¡°The pelt has gone back to its rightful owner¡ªand if you missed my meaning, it should be safe to assume that you are definitely not that owner, asshole.¡± It may have been reckless, but the whole situation made her angry. The man pointed his sword at her face. ¡°Are you saying that you are allying yourself with those godforsaken spirits, then? You would turn against the Lady?¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± went Guin, her stomach churning. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s at all what I am saying, but if that¡¯s how you want to interpret it, go ahead. I only did what I believed to be right¡ªdoes the Lady teach something different? Does she say to steal and kill the forest?¡± ¡°Blasphemer!¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t see how an ignorant ¡®little girl¡¯ like myself can be a ¡®blasphemer,¡¯¡± she wondered out loud. ¡°But suit yourself.¡± ¡°Men! Bury this one with the others!¡± The men behind him seemed reluctant to do what the man said, but as he started to charge, they raised their weapons. Guin fox formed, which caused the man to shout, smile madly, and shout obscenities. Way to go, Guin. Getting ready to pounce, she lowered herself to the ground, trying to think of a scenario that would allow her to get out of this situation without getting shot or stabbed. Or, she was ready¡ª and then she saw the tip of an arrow come out from the man¡¯s throat. Shrinking back, she watched as he fell to the ground. As blood dripped from the arrowhead, the man¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head. Passed him, the other sword-bearer had also been slain, and one with the spear was going after two of the archers, covering for an archer standing behind him, lowering a bow the bow that had killed the leader. ¡°What is this?¡± A voice came on a rush of wind. Reili appeared next to Guin at the mouth of the cave. ¡°Che-people... Oh?¡± ¡°S-Sorry,¡± said Guin. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into them...¡± Reili gave a curious smile. ¡°But it seems that the results of such an encounter are not what one would have anticipated...¡± she murmured in an amused voice. ¡°That one, with the spear¡ªhe bears the mantle of the dragon.¡± ¡°The mantle of the dragon?¡± Guin wondered allowed and looked at the man with the spear. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± The cloak he wore was blue with a curious pattern to it and shined when the light hit it. It was the cloak Master Rew was wearing, the photo of him and Alta Noin. The two archers that he had been fighting dropped their weapons and raised their hands in the air. The archer who had shot her attacker went over and, in a familiar voice, commanded: ¡°Get out of here.¡± ¡°M-Master Dawl?¡± Guin said, shifting out of fox form. ¡°Then... Pastor Jormund!¡± The archer removed his hood and revealed the grim face of the Master Hunter, while Jormund removed his cloak, sulking as he walked toward the mouth of the cave where Guin stood with Reili. Dawl stepped up to Guin and knelt on one knee. ¡°Forgive me,¡± he whispered. ¡°I have betrayed your trust and the trust of the forest. I knew of what you spoke of from the beginning.¡± ¡°He is not the only one at fault,¡± Jormund said, looking at Reili. ¡°From the time Master Rew passed, I should have taken up this mantle....¡± Surprised and thrilled, Guin smiled at both of them. ¡°What matters now is that you are both here!¡± she said excitedly. ¡°I don¡¯t see how that matters,¡± Reili muttered. ¡°Unless that one is a true Servant of the Dragon, neither of them is useful to us now.¡± ¡°... I am sorry,¡± Jormund looked at his feet. ¡°Oh, shut it,¡± Dawl growled. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± Jormund glared at him. ¡°You certainly didn¡¯t do anything to Guin¡ªother than baby her.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to Guin either.¡± Dawl opened his mouth and then closed it. ¡°O-Oh,¡± he went. ¡°S-So... Ehem...¡± ¡°We have one who would be a Servant, but who is this stranger with the familiar scent?¡± Reili asked, sniffing at Dawl¡¯s face. ¡°This idiot cannot see me, can he.¡± ¡°No, my lady,¡± Jormund said. ¡°If it please you, I can relay your words¡ª¡± ¡°I do not know you nor trust you, fool,¡± the fox spirit said. ¡°Guin shall do just as well as any other. Guin. Help the fool and be my voice.¡± Nodding awkwardly, Guin told Dawl who was before him. His face visibly paled, but he bowed his head. ¡°My lady,¡± he said, breathless. ¡°I have done wrong. It was I who slew you, took your skin, and left your body to the wolves. I should have known better than to court the corruption of the forest. I understand my fate in this. It was a Servant who taught me of the woods. Though I could not comprehend the spirit world, it was not beyond me to understand one¡¯s role in keeping the laws of the forest. I have caused all this unrest, and for that, I know I must die.¡± As Reili grinned widely at his words, Jomund¡¯s jaw dropped as he fell to his knees. ¡°No!¡± he shouted, his voice echoing in the depths of the cave. ¡°No¡ªMy lady, please, have mercy on him! He knows his wrongs, and he can fix them! He can change! If a life must be had, then take mine!¡± ¡°Shut up, Jormund!¡± Dawl hissed. ¡°This is my lot, not yours!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the fox spirit said dryly, her face still in Dawl¡¯s. ¡°But it¡¯s up to me what each of your lots is to be.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Dawl, of course, noticed nothing, but Jormund brought his head up quickly. ¡°My lady?¡± Seeming to be bored now, Reili flicked her tail and looked at Guin. ¡°Perhaps this fool was the one who killed and kept my pelt, but it is as he says if he ¡®left my body to the wolves,¡¯ then no law has actually been broken. He could be lying, though, so I won¡¯t let him off just yet,¡± Reili turned to Jormund. ¡°I shall give you a chance to save your lives...¡± ¡°Anything!¡± Jormund exclaimed, but Dawl only lowered his head. ¡°Master Dawl,¡± Guin said to him in a soft voice. ¡°Please raise your head. The fox spirit will give you a chance.¡± The Master Hunter raised his head, revealing tears that silently ran down his cheeks. ¡°To gain my mercy, there are three tasks you much accomplish,¡± went the fox spirit, sitting by Guin¡¯s side. ¡°Priority will be to cleanse this cave. This quest has already been left to Guin, but I will ask you to aid her. If you could not guess, it is not my spirit that serves as a catalyst for the corruption. This cave is filled with countless restless souls¡ªsome of which have been festering for many moons. My power and anger only fed the existing corruption; there is no way to know how long the minor souls have been cultivating it.¡± ¡°D-Dozens?¡± Jormund repeated. ¡°How long has this been going on?¡± Reili shook her head. ¡°I do not know,¡± she said. ¡°I merely awoke here after I died, and I have little concept of how long ago that was as the corruption keeps bodies from properly returning to the earth. These bodies may have been here for years.¡± Guin furrowed her brow. ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°Then... Master Dawl, when did you take the pelt?¡± ¡°About six months ago,¡± he told her. ¡°I had been watching the area where I slew her in case there were signs of corruption, but there was nothing, I swear.¡± ¡°Here?¡± Dawl shook his head. ¡°I left her in the woods, a good mile to the west of here.¡± ¡°Then,¡± Guin went. ¡°The corpse was moved to this cave? Why?¡± Reili tilted her head. ¡°Now, that would be odd,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps it is connected to my second task. Of the bodies left here, most had died in traps. Your second task is to determine who is responsible for setting all those confounded contraptions. More than likely, they, and not this fool, are the true cause of the corruption. The culprit must be punished and the traps destroyed--and my third requirement: Bring them justice. Will you accept?¡± Nodding enthusiastically, Jomund answered, ¡°Yes! Of course!¡± ¡°And him?¡± Reili nodded to a confused-looking Dawl. ¡°He accepts too!¡± Jormund vouched quickly, but the fox spirit growled. ¡°He is capable of using his own voice, idiot!¡± she said. Guin relayed Reili¡¯s message to the Master Hunter, who nodded. ¡°I understand,¡± he told her, his voice sounding a little faint. ¡°I shall do as requested. I thank you for your mercy, lady.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Reili stood and began walking back inside the cave. ¡°Now, leave. I am tired, but I will quell the souls for now. Begone from here.¡±
<> This is a ¡°Crossroads Quest¡± and will only be ended at the discretion of the assigning NPC. This quest is optional. >> <>
<> For now, Jormund¡¯s only aims are to save the forest and his friend, Euen. In order to do so, the fox spirit Relli has assigned them three tasks: [Ritual Cleansing], [The Trapper], and [Put to Justice]. These quests have been upgraded to, or are now assigned as, [Crossroads Quests]. This is a ¡°Crossroads Quest¡± and will only be ended at the discretion of the assigning NPC. This quest is optional. >> <> <> <>
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Inwardly, Guin sighed. It was certainly a laundry list. The good news was that there were three of them. In theory, the quests should go several times faster than if she were to attempt them on her own. Jormund bowed deeply to the spirit fox and pushed Master Dawl¡¯s head down in the right direction. ¡°Thank you, lady,¡± he said. ¡°We shall do these things post haste!¡± Her nose in the air, Reili spared them one last glance, then trotted off. Guin faced the two men with her hands on her hips. ¡°Well, now,¡± she scolded. ¡°This is a fine mess, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dawl straightened up and said, ¡°I am sorry, Guin. Perhaps if I had told you earlier...¡± ¡°Yes...¡± she murmured. An image of Tik-Tak¡¯s body in the trap appeared in her mind, but she shook her head. ¡°We cannot change what has already happened,¡± Jormund¡¯s voice was firm. ¡°For now, we should focus on the things that we can do to fix the mistakes that have been made.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Guin said. ¡°First thing is first: Let¡¯s summarize what we need. Wood, flowers, a scale from the Dragon King, break all the stupid traps, find the person setting the traps, and punish them.¡± ¡°The wood and flowers are a simple matter,¡± Dawl told her. ¡°The traps as well, if you know how to deal with them. The scale...¡± ¡°I suppose that that will depend on me,¡± Jormund rubbed his chin. ¡°Maybe. The investigation...¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves and focus on the gathering quests,¡± Guin said. ¡°If we work on those together, you two can help teach me the ways of the forest. If I am to see the spirits and perhaps help talk to the Dragon King, I¡¯ll need to know at least the basics.¡± The two looked at each other and nodded. While it would have been easy for her to assign them jobs, she would have gained nothing for it. The quest was originally hers, and she figured that she would have to gain some kind of skills or knowledge to complete it¡ªand meeting the Dragon King seemed like a very important aspect of that, even if Jormund was a key figure in the quest line. ¡°I¡¯d say we should head to where the flowers are first and find some fallen logs to cop up along the way,¡± Dawl said. ¡°We can also break any traps we might find. It should be simple enough.¡± ¡°The Dragon King¡¯s grotto isn¡¯t far from there either,¡± Jomund said, nodding his head in agreement. ¡°Alright!¡± Guin explained. ¡°Then, let¡¯s work on finishing the corruption once and for all!¡± Chapter 44 ¡°How far till we get to the Dragon King?¡± Dawl asked as they walked through the forest. Guin checked her map and waved her hand in a northeast direction. ¡°Not long now,¡± she told him. ¡°Should be about five or ten minutes that way, barring any enemies.¡± Dawl grunted and went off scouting ahead of them. Working together, the trio had accomplished three of the goals given to them by the fox spirit easily. They had disarmed every trap they had found along the way¡ªwhich ended up being far more than the required twenty¡ªand Guin¡¯s bag was now full of logs and flowers. In doing the tasks for the two quests, she had also done quite a bit, character-wise. With all the traps and the trek through the forest with her knowledgeable escorts, she had been able to increase her [Herbalism] and [Engineering] skills quite quickly. Under Dawl¡¯s tutelage, she had managed to not only increase her [Cryptozoology] skills as he taught her more about the creatures of the woods, but she also gained the very valuable [Survival] skill as he gave her some tips and tricks to living out in the wild. Seeming to find her curiosity endearing, he also gave her a bow and some arrows, teaching her the [Archery Specialization] and a basic arrow ability. Meanwhile, Jormund seemed focused on his mission at best and distracted by his guilt at worst. Guin tried talking to him, but he would usually just smile and give a one-word answer. Dawl got fed up with him before she did and gave him a comical and self-deprecating talking-to which ended up with Jormund making more of an effort to interact with them, even if he ended up looking even more guilty. As they walked, Guin eyed Jormund. ¡°Are you all right?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said with some difficulty. ¡°I feel as if I am a liar. A fake. No matter what I do, I am always pretending to be something I am not.¡± ¡°What is it that you want to be?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he muttered. ¡°A person, I suppose. One who can live without being afraid he¡¯ll be executed tomorrow for being discovered that he¡¯s in the wrong place. One... who can live without the feeling they have betrayed everyone they have ever loved. One who could face the Dragon King with a confident heart rather than a trembling one.¡± Guin had no answer for him. She could see the gears in his head twisting and turning. She wished she could offer him advice, yet she had to admit that aside from it not being her place, she wasn¡¯t even she what she would tell herself in his situation. His wounds are deep and have nothing to do with me, she reminded herself and looked after the path they had taken. And perhaps that¡¯s the point. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good with that spear,¡± she said, pointing to it. Having time to look at it, she noticed that the spear didn¡¯t seem to be just any spear. It was a partizan with an elaborate white and silver decoration where the blade met the shaft. The shaft itself was wrapped in what looked to be white and black strings of leather. Jormund lifted it. ¡°Mmm,¡± he went. ¡°My mother taught me.¡± ¡°What happened to your mother?¡± Guin asked him. ¡°She went back to the Imperial City after I took over the church,¡± he told her. ¡°She never liked it here. She only stayed to see me safe.¡± ¡°Do you miss her?¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± Jormund¡¯s eyes looked sad, but then he smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s no matter.¡± ¡°Could you teach me?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Teach you?¡± She pointed at his spear. ¡°How to use a spear.¡± Jormund looked at her suspiciously. Irritated, Guin pulled out her dagger and, pointing it at him, said, ¡°I am big and ugly enough to take care of myself, and I¡¯m gonna do it anyway.¡± Jormund chuckled, reached into his bag, and pulled out a plain-looking starter spear. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better for you to be trained on how to use something than for you to learn bad habits on your own,¡± he said, handing the spear to her. ¡°Speaking of which, if you are going to keep using that dagger, you really should have someone teach you how to use it.¡± Taking the new weapon from him, Guin grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll learn from you well enough!¡± she said, playing with her new toy. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Dawl came out from behind a tree. ¡°Playing?¡± ¡°Jormund is going to teach me!¡± Guin told him with excitement. Dawl laughed. ¡°Is that so? Shall we take a rest then before moving on?¡± ¡°Just a short one,¡± Jormund said. They took a half-hour rest in which Guin gained the [Spear Specialization] and the ability [Spear - Strike]. Incredibly glad that she would retire her dagger to her bag, she took a quick look through her character sheet to check her progress. She was happy to see that her little character was already starting to meet her goals for the tutorial, not only in her stats but in her skills. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Now,¡± Dawl crossed his arms. ¡°We are in the right area, but how is it that we find the Dragon King¡¯s Grotto? I¡¯ve done a few rounds around the area, but there was nothing that was all that interesting.¡± ¡°If I were a real Servant, then I would be able to summon the gateway,¡± Jormund said. ¡°But you aren¡¯t,¡± said Dawl. ¡°But I¡¯m not,¡± agreed Jormund. ¡°Is there another way to summon it?¡± Guin asked. Jormund shook his head. ¡°I do not know,¡± he told them. ¡°Perhaps a powerful spirit could, but I don¡¯t want to risk any more corruption.¡± A powerful spirit? Guin tilted her head. What about¡ª ¡°Liorax?¡± she called, and the cat spirit appeared. ¡°Liorax, do you know how we can get to the Dragon King¡¯s Grotto?¡± ¡°What is a ¡®Liorax¡¯?¡± Dawl asked. Jormund stared at the cat with annoyance on his face. ¡°A troublesome cat,¡± he told his friend, who just looked at him blankly. Liorax floated over to Jormund, grinning widely. ¡°So,¡± Liorax went. ¡°The fool priest can see us. And what¡¯s this? The Servant¡¯s mantle? How quaint.¡± ¡°How is a cat supposed to help us find the Dragon King?¡± Jormund asked. ¡°This one doubts me,¡± Liorax grinned even wider. ¡°What a fool, doubting Death.¡± ¡°I told you to leave him alone,¡± Guin grumbled at him. ¡°Can you help us?¡± ¡°Oh, I could,¡± Liorax said, floating over to land on Guin¡¯s head. ¡°But it would be quite redundant. The Webspinner read your fate well, Candidate. Wise awaits you now at the Tree of Dreams!¡± Annoyed at the game, Guin went, ¡°The what?¡± ¡°Just walk on, now,¡± Liorax told her, floating off her head. ¡°Shall I lead the way?¡± ¡°I-I guess?¡± Dawl poked Jormund¡¯s arm. ¡°What¡¯s going on, exactly?¡± With a look of concern, Jormund nodded his head in the direction where Liorax was floating. ¡°Just follow Guin,¡± he said. Several dozens of Beedants and Moarbits later, the group came upon a tree with a large trunk covered in vines. Liorax turned and floated in front of it as they walked toward it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Wise would be here?¡± Guin asked. ¡°It seems that she has gone ahead,¡± Liorax told her. ¡°It matters not,¡± he said and began to glow again. The vines on the tree parted, revealing a dark path inside the trunk. Parts of the tree that weren¡¯t covered in vines and overgrowth were either glistening with moisture or sprouting moss. Wearily, Guin stuck her head inside. ¡°We go inside of this thing?¡± she wondered out loud, her voice echoing through the cave. ¡°Indeed,¡± Liorax told her as he disappeared, leaving her with a speed buff. Jormund looked around. ¡°I think,¡± he went. ¡°I think I recognize this place.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Dawl looked dubious. ¡°We should go in,¡± the pastor in the blue cloak said, his voice sounding stronger than it had before. ¡°Go in?¡± Dawl did not seem convinced. ¡°Just like that? It¡¯s pitch black in there, and from the looks of that trunk, it can¡¯t be that deep. Tell me that¡¯s not odd.¡± Jormund looked at him stupidly. ¡°We are speaking about the home of the Dragon King,¡± he said. ¡°Did you think it would be normal? Did you think it would come with a welcome sign? ¡®Enter here to see the Dragon King! Come one and all!¡¯ Lady, spare me¡ªthis is White Fox Forest, and you are pointing out that something is ¡®odd¡¯?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have to put it that way,¡± Dawl grumbled, scuffing his feet. ¡°I was only pointing it out..¡± Jormund tsk-ed at his friend with crossed arms. Amused, Guin watched the boyish interaction between the two men before turning to the cave. Dawl was not wrong, but they had no choice. Dawl made a torch and took the first step in. He was right, Guin realized as she followed. There was something odd about the cave. For starters, it was much, much bigger than it looked from the outside. From the outside, it had just been a tree; the cave had started off barely wide enough for them to walk through one at a time¡ªbut the further they went in, it became wide enough to stand a good distance apart side to side. The air in the cavern was also strange; it felt quite cool, dry, and comfortable and had the faint scent of flowers rather than earth. Ten minutes in, small, floating orbs of light began to appear, drifting toward them in peaceful quiet. At first, there were only one or two, but eventually, they filled the whole cavern, lighting up the place enough that Dawl just put his torch out. The blue lights hovered, beautiful and delicate. There was no body to them; they were just lights floating through the cave like large fireflies. Putting her hand up to one of them told Guin little more about what they were, as, though they were warm to the touch, they may as well have been wisps of smoke. Walking, walking. Does this ever end? Guin bit her lip and looked at the lights as they floated like stars through space. It gave a feeling of calm and serenity that made her want to sit down and watch them forever. They gave an illusion that they weren¡¯t even moving as it was, but she knew that their feet were all moving, as she could hear their footsteps. But as she looked at the ground, she grew curious. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... Guin started counting her steps, but her eyes rested on a little shaded outcropping in the cave wall. ¡®Shit! Guin exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. No matter how many steps she counted, the shadow only moved as the little lights passed. The other two looked at her in confusion as she turned around and looked around the cavern. ¡°What the hell...?¡± Guin¡¯s mind raced as she knelt and checked the ground around her feet. They weren¡¯t floating, but when she ran a hand across the stone floor, its appearance did not match its texture. It looked like crumbling, uneven stone, but when she touched it, it was smooth. Looking back up at Dawl and Jormund, she asked, ¡°Would either of you know how to dispel an illusion?¡± ¡°An illusion?¡± Dawl looked around. ¡°Have we been tricked?¡± Not bothering to ask any questions, Jormund simply said, ¡°I can,¡± and pulled out a piece of charcoal and a handful of leaves. He drew a magic circle on the ground and placed the leaves a certain points of it. After lighting the leaves on fire, he began to pray; his hands clasped together. The smoke from the leaves spread up and out and filled the air with the strange scent of decay mixed with tangerines. Though Guin could hardly stand the smell, the illusion was swept away as if it were dust on a wind that had begun where Jormund had prayed. Seriously, this game and its smells... With the illusion lifted, the three found themselves standing in a place they did not expect to end up in. They weren¡¯t in a cave at all but a courtyard. Warm rays of sunlight shone down on them and illuminated what looked to be a perfectly manicured garden, complete with a stone-tiled pathway. And in the center, sitting on a dragon fountain in the center of the courtyard was¡ª ¡°Wise!¡± Guin exclaimed, running over as the owl cooed warmly at her. ¡°Welcome, Candidate,¡± Wise said, her voice sounding as bemused as ever. ¡°You¡¯ve done well. I see you have found your way here¡ªand not alone.¡± Wise looked up at the two who were standing behind her, confused. Wise, however, seemed to have an odd ring of joy as she said, ¡°I bid thee welcome, Sir Jormund, Sir Eurn. The Dragon King is expecting you.¡± Chapter 45 Wise led them through a labyrinth of halls. Guin tried to make a mental map of the place, but every hallway looked like the next with such a series of complicated corridors that it made it next to impossible. She wished she had had the equipment she needed to draw as she walked, but failing that, she had to trust in the spirits themselves. Eventually, the halls gave way to cave-like walls once again, and as they walked, the path became covered in moss and fog. Guin¡¯s jaw dropped as they came to a large, beautiful grotto where a waterfall came down from an opening in the high ceiling, sparkling in the bright rays of sunlight, spilling into a lovely blue-green lake covered in lotus flowers and lily pads. The air was fresh and light and smelled of mountains and sweet fruits and flowers. It was alive with a magnificent array of colors as spirits and animals alike rose their heads from the fauna to greet the newcomers before going back to their own business of comping on leaves or scurrying about. From her shoulder, Wise asked, ¡°Do you see that blue jade tablet in the center of the lake?¡± Looking over, Guin saw and nodded as the owl continued. ¡°Go out into the lake and pray in your heart. If it is meant to be, he shall answer your call.¡± Looking back at Jormund and Dawl, she smiled a bit. Jormund was egging her on while Dawl was turning about with his mouth wide open, dumbfounded by their surroundings. Shaking her head at them, as Wise went over and landed on a surprised Jormund¡¯s shoulder, Guin walked over to the lake¡¯s edge and stared into its depths. The water was amazingly clear and blue, with koi serenely drifting in its waters. The tablet Wise had told her about was a way out with no path between it and the lake¡¯s edge. I suppose I just have to trust it, then? The worst that could happen was that she would have to swim there. Though she braced herself to get very wet, Guin stepped out into the lake. Onto it, as it turned out. Testing her steps to be sure, she started to laugh as she began to walk on the water, heading straight toward the tablet with building confidence. The tablet itself was made of a beautifully marbled, pale blue jade that was almost transparent. The image of a swirling, east-asian-styled dragon was carved into it with peaceful eyes and an elegant face. Kneeling before it, she began to pray. From her mind to her heart, she whispered, Dragon King, hear me. Grave errors have been made, and my friends and I seek to save the forest. Many lives have already been lost, and the forest is dying. Reili, the Che-bound spirit fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi, has sent us to you that we may receive a scale to purify the corruption... She waited several minutes, but nothing happened. Concerned, Guin tried to make her plea again, but still, nothing happened. Guin stared at the tablet with a sinking heart. What would happen if she was unable to get the scale? Would she fail the quest? Would the forest really die? What of Dawl? What of Reili and all the spirits that she had met so far? What about Tik-Tak? Biting back the tears that welled at the thought of her little friend who had so pointlessly lost his life, Guin considered her options. She had already put so much time and effort into this quest. After all this¡ªafter coming this far¡ªam I going to give up? Am I going to let myself fail? There was the possibility that this was some kind of puzzle, but looking around the grotto told her little that she did not already know. She stared into the eyes of the carved dragon. ¡°Please,¡± she muttered grimly. ¡°Please help me save them. I can¡¯t just give up here...¡± Anger building inside her, she shouted, ¡°Please!¡± From underneath the water, a wave erupted, spray glittering in the sunlight as Guin fell back from the tablet, which began to glow dimly. Wind and pressure whipped around her, and she fought to keep her hair out of her face as, out from behind the curtain of the waterfall, a mist flowed out, and with a rumble, a shadow appeared. Separating that curtain came a great dragon¡¯s head, sleek, with whiskers that grazed the lake''s water, causing ripples that made waves that splashed onto the land. Each of its sharp, icy-blue eyes was at least twice her size, and they felt as if they could see into her soul. Guin could only whimper a little as she tried to breathe in the sheer presence of the great being before her. A great weight had suddenly been thrust upon her¡ªone she could not escape, as if gravity multiplied, pulling her down though she could go no further. The air became thick and moist, and electric. Her sense heightened, but there was only instinct left to act of them. Her desire to flee was strong¡ªbut she knew it would be futile. She had felt this before. This fear. Guin slammed her eyes shut and jabbed her fingernails into the palm of her hand. Stay focused, Guin, she told herself. Stay focused. This is only a game, and you are here for a reason. There are more important things than fear now! She opened her eyes and faced the creature before her. It breathed a hot, moist puff of air into her face as it grinned at her, each of its massive teeth almost as tall as she was and uncomfortably close to where she had fallen. Feeling feverish, Guin forced herself up to kneel and said, ¡°H-Hail, Dragon King. I-I am Guin Grey... Sent by the lady R-Relli, s-s-servant of the Ami-Amikavi. P-Please, Dragon King... Please help the forest!¡± ¡°Why should I bother?¡± came a voice in her head, similar to how the Webspinner had communicated with her, except this one was loud and booming. ¡°W-Why should you...?¡± Guin repeated. ¡°Are you not the guardian of the forest?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Oh, for many centuries I have been,¡± the dragon¡¯s voice came in annoyance. ¡°For so many centuries, my kin and I have watched over this forest and the Mist Moon Mountains and all the little Che-kind who live there¡ªso many! Yet, the Che always do that which they know they should not. They come in search of power. Wealth. Desire. They cause corruption wherever they walk¡ªand yes, girl, I know you have come here because, once again, the forest that I have so long protected is under threat from Che-kind greed¡ªand you have only come because it has affected you, selfish creature.¡± The dragon raised his mighty head up and looked down on her with his sharp, icy-blue eyes. ¡°Here again, I find myself faced with two equally bad options: Save the forest for the Che to ruin once again, or let my people become corrupted by the actions of others.¡± Gawking at it, Guin stood. ¡°You cannot let the actions of idiots determine the fates of others so easily!¡± she cried. ¡°Should I ignore the inevitable for the sake of the insignificant?¡± the Dragon asked her. ¡°Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting something different to happen is the very definition of insanity¡ªand I am not yet that far gone.¡± ¡°Surely there must be some good the Che have done for you to consider it!¡± Guin cried. ¡°It cannot be so black and white! What of the Che who care for the forest? What of those who followed the laws? What of the Servants who have aided you all these years!¡± The dragon moved closer to her again, his great claws coming out from behind the falls and into the lake, causing the water to splash and wave, the ground shaking as if there were an earthquake. He put his head down into the water as well, leveling one of his great eyes with her. ¡°How is the good of the Che any different than my illusions? There one moment, and then gone the next, and only the horrible reality is left behind. The good may save the forest for the day, but the evil will destroy it forever.¡± Guin heard the words and could not refute the dragon¡¯s logic. But as she stood and stared into the dragon¡¯s great eye, her reflection stared back at her¡ªand her fear and uncertainty left her. Replacing it instead was an all too familiar feeling of disgust. It wasn¡¯t her dirty clothes or her disheveled hair. It wasn¡¯t even that she was like a child in this world. Look at me, she said to herself. Who would listen to... this. This small, cowering thing with wide eyes and shaking knees. This time she wanted to cry not just for Tik-Tak and the other spirits of the forest; she wanted to cry because whether it be this world of the game or her real life, no matter how she truly was, the only thing that Tik-Tak and those other spirits of the forest had right now was a scared, frightened little girl who had so little confidence in herself and others, that whether her life was on the line or not, she couldn¡¯t even stand up to a video game. Guin looked over to Jormund and Dawl. They trusted me. They followed me. They led me to this place... But what could a frightened little girl do? Slamming her eyes shut and clenching her fists, she focused on steading her breaths. This isn¡¯t a test of fear, she told herself. This is a test of courage. Though she trembled, she stared into the dragon¡¯s pupil, surrounded by its icy iris. ¡°I cannot control others,¡± she began, her voice low. ¡°I can¡¯t predict the future. But I do know this: If no one does anything to stop the bad things from happening, then, of course, the bad things will happen. If you watch something happen that you could have just prevented because you thought it would be pointless to take action, then you are just as guilty as those who committed the wrongdoing. If you do nothing to stop the corruption¡ªno matter how big or small¡ªthen you are just as guilty as the Che.¡± The dragon gave her a wide grin, the waters of the lake splashing against his teeth with an unsettling sloosh-ing sound. ¡°Is this your answer as a Candidate?¡± Annoyed at the mention of the title ¡®Candidate,¡¯ Guin said, ¡°It¡¯s my answer as a person.¡± ¡°Person, Candidate¡ªit makes little difference to me, Che-child,¡± the voice in her head said. ¡°But I wonder, do you plan to stop here with this event?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You speak such pretty, hypocritical words,¡± the dragon told her in an amused voice that made Guin¡¯s heart falter. ¡°If you are here as a person who wishes only to save a friend, then I would like you to not speak quite so arrogantly to me of things that have responsibilities that shall not be expected of you but rather ones that you expect others to take up.¡± Feeling exposed, Guin opened and closed her mouth like a fish. ¡°Candidate for the Heart, what is it you really want? Why do you think you have come here?¡± ¡°Umm...¡± Guin muttered, quickly losing her courage. ¡°To cleanse the forest. To stop the corruption. To save the spirits of the forest....¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that much is quite clear. But the spirits only led you here because you are a Candidate,¡± the dragon told her. ¡°Why do you think that is?¡± ¡°Because...¡± Confused, Guin thought about the events that led her to this place. ¡°They trusted me?¡± ¡°To do what?¡± ¡°...to... end the corruption?¡± Waves splashed as the dragon lifted their head in a booming laugh. ¡°¡®To end the corruption?¡¯¡± he went. ¡°And what is it you plan to do about it, Candidate? What do you think the corruption is? Where do you think it comes from?¡± Something about the dragon¡¯s dialogue seemed jarring to her, but at least she felt confident enough to answer, though perhaps too quickly, standing in the chaos of the lake, ¡°The corruption is a spirit that infects other spirits. It is born of sorrow; sorrow caused by evil deeds!¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes seemed to mock her as he gave a deep chuckle. ¡°Such as simple answer,¡± he mused. ¡°So simple¡ªand so very, very wrong. I wonder,¡± it went, drawing close to her again. ¡°What will happen to you once you learn the truth.¡± ¡°The... Truth?¡± Guin stammered. ¡°Yes, Candidate for the Heart,¡± it said in a quiet voice. ¡°The truth.¡± The large eye that watched her narrowed. ¡°You are an interesting one, indeed. Promise me, Candidate. Promise me that you shall become a Candidate in earnest and act out the words you speak¡ªonly then will I promise you that I will save this forest.¡± Guin looked up at the dragon with a mix of curiosity and confusion. When it spoke those words, she had expected a quest window to pop up, but none did. There was just her and the dragon, staring down at her with an intimidating stare. ¡°...You just want my word?¡± she asked. ¡°Such that it is.¡± She hesitated. What the heck does this mean? What should I do? Guin looked back over at where her friends were and sighed. If you make a promise to a dragon, Guin, you had better keep it¡ªquest or not. With a deep breath, Guin settled her heart down and made her decision. It¡¯s just a game anyway, she thought to herself with the full understanding that was basically signing a PvP contract. Maybe it will be fun? ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Guin told it. ¡°I¡¯ll act as a genuine Candidate.¡± The cavern quaked as it was once again filled with the Dragon King¡¯s laughter. Though she felt afraid, Guin did her best to hold her ground. To her surprise, however, the image of the dragon began to fade away into mist, the laughter that filled the area¡ªand even the sound of the waterfall¡ªfading with it. Spinning around, Guin searched for some answers as to what was happening. The world around her seemed to come to a stop as the mist-shrouded even the edges of the lake from her view. ¡°Behind you,¡± came a smooth, cold voice. Guin turned to see a young, androgynous white-haired man dressed in fine robes sitting on the dragon¡¯s tablet. His ears were long and looked a little bit like fish fins, and a pair of silvery horns shone from the top of its head. ¡°I am Tethaigou, Dragon King of the Mist,¡± he told her. ¡°My people have told me much about you, Candidate.¡± Chapter 46 Guin¡¯s face flushed as she stared at the beautiful humanoid form of the Dragon King. ¡°So,¡± he said candidly. ¡°Miss Reili has sent you to me for one of my scales, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Guin said with a great deal of uncertainty as she lowered her eyes. The Dragon King gave her a gentle smile. ¡°You should be proud of the way you have faced me this day,¡± he told her. ¡°You are stronger than you think, human child.¡± Feeling foolish for several reasons, Guin looked at her feet until a shining blue scale, about the size of her hand, came into view. ¡°This...¡± she looked back up. ¡°It¡¯s only a scale,¡± he said. ¡°They grow back.¡± ¡°But...¡± Its eyes were soft as it told her, ¡°Your words were not wrong¡ªbut nor are mine. There are many sentient spirits like myself in this world; Amikavi and I are even among the lesser of those. With each passing day, fewer and fewer of us have the patience for the ambitions of the Che. No matter what path you take in the future, your life will be full of corruption¡ªsome more obvious than others¡ªand you may very well have to face your foes alone. Your actions have saved the forest and your friends today, but I hope you do not think this is the end. This,¡± he said, waving the scale in front of her. ¡°Is nothing but a thread in a tapestry. The problem will still be there tomorrow.¡± Hesitant, Guin took the scale from his hand. ¡°I will do my best to serve the spirits now and in the future,¡± she swore. As her quest updated, the Dragon King patted her on the head. ¡°Good girl,¡± he said. ¡°Wise will go back with you to where Miss Reili awaits. You should have everything you need now to cleanse the forest.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Guin said, placing the scale into her inventory. ¡°We shall meet again,¡± he said, and with a great whoosh! He and the surrounding area became nothing but mist. As the mist cleared, she felt cheated. They were in the forest again. Had it all been nothing but an illusion? ¡°Guin!¡± Jormund¡¯s voice called. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± she called and ran over to where they were standing. ¡°Uhh,¡± went poor Dawl, who had probably been unable to see the Dragon King in the first place, ¡°What just happened?¡± Jormund just shook his head as, from his shoulder, Wise said, ¡°We should make our way back to Lady Reili.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Guin said and took off along with Wise. ¡°Guin!¡± Guin¡¯s heart jumped when she heard Tik-Tak¡¯s voice call her name when they arrived. He came, bounding out from Reili¡¯s cave to greet them, fluffy white tail high in the air. ¡°Guin, Guin!¡± he cried, bouncing around her feet. Guin reached down and caught him, picking him up to rub his soft, feathery fur across her face. Nuzzling her back, Tik-Tak asked, ¡°Did you find the things Momma was looking for?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Guin told him. ¡°Let¡¯s go bring them to her!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Tik-Tak exclaimed, climbing up onto Guin¡¯s head. ¡°We will stay back here and set up the bonfire,¡± Jormund told her. Leave the wood you¡¯re carrying, and we will find a place for it nearby.¡± Guin took the stacks of wood out from her bag and left them in a pile for the other two to figure out. As Guin and Tik-Tak moved to go in, however, Reili gracefully appeared in the entryway. ¡°Greetings, Candidate. I assume that your meeting with the Dragon King went well?¡± ¡°Well enough,¡± Guin said. ¡°I have brought the things you asked for.¡± From the top of her head, Tik-Tak gasped, ¡°Wow! Did you meet the Dragon King? I wanna meet the Dragon King!¡± Reili chuckled while Guin just looked away unhappily. Tik-Tak didn¡¯t have a ¡®one day¡¯ anymore, but no one seemed to want to say it. Instead, she said, ¡°Dawl and Jormund are making a fire....¡± ¡°The bodies in the cave should be placed within the logs,¡± Reili said, looking at Jormund. ¡°I will start pulling them out,¡± Jormund said, giving Dawl some instruction. Guin went in with him, and bit by bit, they moved all of the rotting bodies out from the cave and into the pit that Dawl had made. Eventually, Dawl also joined them, and things moved quite quickly. Guin was very thankful that Liorax had kept her sense dulled; she wanted to gag even through his buff. Once all of the corpses had been moved to the fire¡ªincluding Reili''s and Tik-Tak¡¯s¡ªeveryone gathered around the stack of wood and bodies. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Dawl said, lowering his head. ¡°I hope this works.¡± ¡°This one,¡± Reili said, looking at the Master Hunter. ¡°This one is a fool.¡± Jormund chuckled and patted Dawl on the shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s not so bad.¡± ¡°I never said he was bad,¡± Reili snorted. ¡°Good or bad, a fool is a fool.¡± Jormund, Guin, and Tik-Tak laughed together as Dawl stood, confused. Reili stood in front of the pyre a moment, then turned to look at Guin. ¡°It is time,¡± she said, her voice softer now than it had ever been. ¡°Light us aflame, girl. Set our souls free.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. Guin took out a flint and tinder that Dawl had given her and set the kindling off. As the fire took to wood and flowers, the air filled with the scent of a soft, sweet combination of citrus and lavender. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. And then the sky filled with spirits. One after another, the spirits of the burning bodies were set free, flying up into the sky. Pure white as they danced with one another, with the stars in the sky, with the leaves and branches, with the grass and the ground. They raced about the forest, glowing so brightly in their purity that they lit up the forest. Other animals and spirits began to appear and joined the dances of those who had been trapped so long that they had lost themselves. Everything those spirits touched, Guin saw, purified the corruption. Tik-Tak watched on with wonder until Reili nuzzled him. Looking up at her, he went, ¡°...are we going now, Momma? Do I need to say goodbye to Guin?¡± With a smile, Reili nodded. ¡°It is only for a short time,¡± she told her cub. ¡°After all, once our spirits are free, we shall continue on the great cycle of rebirth¡ªand even if we do not remember this life, we shall meet again!¡± ¡°Momma...¡± Tik-Tak looked at his mother with earnest eyes. ¡°Will I be able to protect the forest like Papa? Will I be able to meet Guin again?¡¯ ¡°I do not know such things,¡± Reili said, shaking her head. ¡°But perhaps if you wish it in your heart hard enough, the gods shall hear your wishes. Now. Say your goodbyes.¡± As Tik-Tak hopped over, Guin knelt. Their farewell was wordless, for Guin¡¯s throat had contracted in her sorrow, but she gathered his little spirit up in her arms and hugged him tightly. She kissed his head, and he licked her nose. ¡°That¡¯s enough, now,¡± Reili called. ¡°Time is growing short. I thank you, child, for your aid. You have served the forest well, and if there comes a time when the forest can serve you, know that it shall do all it can. Rewards have been arranged for you¡ªall of you¡ªbetween the Dragon King and myself. So long as you uphold the laws of the forest, let them serve you well.¡± The fox spirit, standing tall and proud, faced the fire. Tik-Tak gave Guin one last nuzzle before he joined his mother¡¯s side. As they started to walk into the flame, Guin smiled, hearing Tik-Tak continue to ask her questions about what would happen in the future. Reili was a good mother, Guin thought as she internally praised the fox spirit for her patience. Their white spirit forms entered the fire and melded with the flames. In a burst, they, like the other spirits, emerged, brilliantly white and full of energy¡ªand they joined in their celebration of freedom. They danced, and they danced. Tik-Tak¡¯s little spirit came and danced around Guin and on her head while Reili¡¯s went about cleansing the land. The other spirits seemed to gather around her; hers was a much brighter, more pure light. Dawl walked up beside Guin and asked, ¡°Is it done?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± Guin told him. ¡°The fox spirit is a peace then?¡± Tik-Tak floated over to nuzzle his mother as the spirits stopped and gathered above the flames. ¡°Both of them, it seems,¡± Guin whispered. ¡°Both?¡± Simply smiling, she turned her attention back to the fire. ¡°Go on,¡± Guin said to the spirits softly. ¡°Be free.¡± Reili¡¯s spirit nodded and bowed, and with that, they all disappeared into the night. Everyone stood, silently watching the fire. The alarm she had set to signal that it was time for her to log off and go to bed started to go off, but she ignored it. She figured game time wouldn¡¯t allow the fire to go on longer than it needed to. She was happy she had been given time to send them both away. Guin sat on the ground and hugged her knees as silent tears slipped down her face. The fire sounded like home and smelled of spring. It was peaceful, calm, and quiet, and she was allowed to reflect. He¡¯s really gone now, she thought to herself. All that was left was the memories of the time they had spent together. The feel of his fur. His childish nature. The way he would always be so excited to see her. The look on his face when she would leave him behind... Like that, an hour came and went, and the fire died away into embers. Dawl, who seemed to have wandered off when Guin wasn¡¯t paying attention, placed a couple of buckets of water by the edge of the ashes and kneeled next to Guin. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, ¡°You all right, girl?¡± The tears on her face had long since dried, but she could still feel the streaks on her face. She nodded as she rubbed her eyes, wondering if the game made her look as ugly as she did when she cried in the real world. ¡°They¡¯re really gone,¡± she said. ¡°Gone?¡± pondered Jormund. ¡°Not really. Their spirits have joined the Veil. They aren¡¯t ¡®gone¡¯¡ªthey have simply taken another form.¡± Guin laughed a little as she stood. She knew Jormund¡¯s words were meant to make her feel better, but they didn¡¯t, not really. It¡¯s not the same. Walking over to the ashes, she could feel that the heat still lingered; she held her hand over it, feeling the heat emanating from the remains. Bones. Bones of all sorts were sticking up and out, in addition to bits of log that had survived. But as her eyes lingered on the greys and blacks of the ashes, they fell upon something else. Stepping around carefully, she made out what looked to be a red and white fur. Taking out her spear, she used the blunt end and started poking at it. Somewhat satisfied that it didn¡¯t seem alive, she managed to hook it on the spear enough to lift it out. It wasn¡¯t just skin. It was an equipable cloak. Guin¡¯s eyes started to tear up again as she lifted it. The main parts of the cloak were made of a single red and white fur, with the head of a fox as a hood. Around its shoulders was attached a second skin, that of a smaller, more fluffy fox, with its head resting on one shoulder and its tail on the other¡ªa face that bore quite a resemblance to the little fox she had loved so dearly. Hugging the cloak to her chest, she pulled up the tooltip.
<<[ Fox Fur Cloak (Unidentified)]>> << Bound - Armor - Robe - Rank -- >> << Armor +2 >> << It appears to be a cloak made of fox fur. It looks ragged around the edges, but the fur is otherwise pristine.>> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: -- >>
Well, it looks perfect to me, Guin thought as she stared at the cloak fondly, even if she felt that it was just as morbid as the tokens that the Fools of the Forest had lent to her. Dawl and Jormund looked at her with curiosity but went about dousing the fire. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Jormund asked when they finished. Wise flew down onto his shoulder and cooed softly. ¡°You have two other quests that Lady Reili assigned to you,¡± Wise reminded them. Guin had almost forgotten. ¡°We need to find the trappers still,¡± Dawl said in a grim voice. ¡°You should both head home now. I will take responsibility for them.¡± ¡°The mission was given to all of us¡ª¡± Jormund started, but Dawl shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he looked at the fire. ¡°This is my fault, and yet I have been able to do anything but follow you and Guin around because I can¡¯t see into your world. The trappers are my world. Let me prove myself to the spirits of the forest, whom I have so offended with my ignorance and stupidity.¡± While Jormund just stood, shifting uncomfortable, Guin smiled. ¡°Then, we can leave it to you?¡± Dawl nodded. ¡°If you need any help,¡± she said. ¡°I am sure that Jormund and I will do anything in our power to do so. All you need to do is ask.¡± Jormund and Dawl looked at one another and exchanged a nod. These two, Guin thought, amused. ¡°Finish the quests as you see fit,¡± Wise told them, her voice warm. ¡°When you are finished, the Dragon King will be waiting for you. As will I.¡± ¡°Thank you, Wise,¡± Guin said, and with that, Wise flew off into the night. It was quickly decided that the men would walk her home. She could have gotten home faster in fox form, but she rather preferred spending her time in thought, clutching the cloak her friends had left her. Chapter 47 ¡°Whenever you speak to other species,¡± the young professor at the front of the room was saying, ¡°You must stop thinking about their cultures in terms of your own. Human, valkyrian, earar, tivarys, et cetera. Each species has hundreds¡ªsometimes thousands¡ªof subcultures. Each is defined by environmental and biological differences that vary from climate to climate and race to race. Fundamentally, it is easy to say that we are all people. We all have a soul, we have the basic needs of life; eating, sleeping, et cetera¡ªbut, questions around Moral and Cultural Relativism aside, we cannot communicate with one another knowing only this, lest you shall lose your life being ¡®polite.¡¯¡± After logging off the night before, she and the other beta testers had received notice that they would be starting to attend regular cultural exchange classes. Attendance was mandatory, much to Stella¡¯s chagrin. Dassah didn¡¯t mind so much at first; the courseload was light, and it gave her a chance to get out of the apartment, but the first few classes they¡¯d attended were just a rehashing of what they¡¯d done in orientation. Yawning, Dassah scribbled down some notes about what the teacher was saying, even though it seemed more like common sense. It would not have been the first test she failed because she relied on common sense. ¡°I think we need to start teaching the phrase ¡®No shit, Sherlock¡¯ to our esteemed peers,¡± Stella growled from next to her. ¡°All this was covered in orientation, too. Stupid, pointless required intro classes. This is the third class they¡¯ve gone on about this shit.¡± ¡°¡®This shit¡¯ is kinda what the whole class is about,¡± Dassah mumbled back at her. ¡°Yeah. Social Survival, 101: Don¡¯t insult people with your existence,¡± she replied. ¡°Hey, wanna ditch? I could go for coffee more than a lecture on how Earar speak softly ¡®cause they have giant fucking ears.¡± Mildly horrified, Dassah said, ¡°I really don¡¯t think that that¡¯s at all what this lecture is going to be about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m summarizing.¡± ¡°The class is only for another twenty minutes...¡± ¡°You¡¯re killing me, Das,¡± the blonde young woman whined. ¡°Excuse me,¡± the teacher went with a tense voice, and Dassah looked up to see her staring at them. ¡°Do you have something to add to the discussion?¡± Dassah flushed and looked down at her notes. ¡°We were just discussing some of the biological differences between humans, bats, and earar,¡± Stella said happily. ¡°The fact that they seem so closely related to Earthian bats makes them a lot more relatable than, say, the jikak, who bare a resemblance to a kind of Earthian livestock, but share no traits with them at all.¡± The teacher clicked her tongue and said, ¡°It is true that you occasionally run into cases where you can use your inherent knowledge to....¡± Stella snorted and turned back to Dassah. ¡°You really should learn how to throw other teachers off the scent of mutiny.¡± ¡°More like she didn¡¯t want to waste any more time on you,¡± Dassah muttered. ¡°Oh, fine,¡± Stella said, rolling her eyes. ¡°But after this, you are telling me how you are still in the goddamn tutorial.¡± Dassah waved her off and looked down at her watch. Fifteen minutes, she thought to herself, looking at the teacher - who, as per Stella¡¯s prediction, was going on about Earar ears. The young woman beside her gave her a cocky grin, but instead of being a pest, she started messing with her console. After scribbling down some more notes, she checked her smartwatch for notifications. Hmm? Dongsaeng? Dassah pulled up a screen for her KiTTalk App.
-Elric: Noona! Hisashiburi, ne? Choushi wa dou? Daijoubu desu ka?
-Dassah: Hai ~ Hai! Genki, genki. Dongsaeng?
-Elric: Genki desu~! :D. Noona, have you started to play TheirWorld yet? I am waiting for you! :D
-Dassah: Haha. Yes. I will hopefully finish the tutorial soon. Stella is already through. Our roommate Bahena, will be joining us, too.
-Elric: Ohhhh. That sounds fun! How is work?
-Dassah: Meh. It¡¯s work. I live with a garule woman now.
-Elric: Oh! How is that? I work with one to¡ªhe¡¯s very funny!
-Dassah: It¡¯s... interesting, haha. I am too intimidated by her... T-T
-Elric: I¡¯m sure she¡¯s very nice! Have courage, Noona!
-Dassah: I think so, haha. Thanks :)
-Elric: I have to go to class now¡ªI¡¯ll talk to you later! Hopefully, we can play together soon! See you!
-Dassah: Hopefully, your classes are more interesting than mine! See you!
Dassah smiled and put her messages away, putting her attention back on the class. Elric was a good kid. He was several years her junior, but he was a kind individual, full of energy and high spirits, even if he was a bit shy. She¡¯d met him, along with Stella, during orientation. They weren¡¯t quite as close as she and Stella, as they were both on the shyer side, but they had kept in touch on and off. They both had hoped TheirWorld would give them more opportunities to meet each other. ¡°What are you grinning about over there?¡± Stella asked, poking Dassah¡¯s cheek. ¡°Nothing,¡± Dassah mumbled. ¡°Stop the mumbling and speak, woman,¡± Stella told her. ¡°Class is over. Thank the gods.¡± Gathering up her books and papers, Dassah sighed. ¡°Sometimes, Stella, nothing means nothing,¡± she said. ¡°But if you must know, I was talking to Elric. He was asking after our progress with TheirWorld.¡± Stella¡¯s eyes seemed to light up at the prospect of a male addition. ¡°Oh! The cute one!¡± ¡°...for his sake, I am not going to encourage that.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°How exciting!¡± Stella clapped her hands together. ¡°Remind me. Is he fair game, or is he yours?¡± Dassah rolled her eyes. ¡°When it comes to you, none of my friends are ¡®fair game.¡¯¡± ¡°Such a pity,¡± she went as they started walking back to their office. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to see, then! On to the real question of the day: How in God¡¯s name are you still in the bloody tutorial!¡± Sighing, Dassah said, ¡°I got... caught up in things.¡± ¡°¡®Caught up in things¡¯?¡± the young woman repeated. ¡°You have been in the tutorial¡ªthe tutorial, mind you, which should have taken 3 hours at the most¡ªfor almost a week! And you played all weekend! I¡¯ve literally seen Bahena¡¯s brother more than I¡¯ve seen you! What the hell!¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Dassah asked. She may have been taking her dear, sweet time in the tutorial, but it was dear sweet time that she wouldn¡¯t have to take later when she entered the main game. ¡°It suits me. Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s important?¡± Pushing the academy door open, Stella scoffed at her a few times before she pointed at Dassah with her long, intricately decorated fingernails and said: ¡°Get your act together! I got you into the game to do two things: Play with you and have you participate in the hunt for Silver Hound! If you can¡¯t even get past the start in a week, how long is it going to take you to get out of the first zone!¡± ¡°Just walk, would you?¡± Dassah asked, annoyed. ¡°Hunting Silver Hound is your own business. I never intend to help you with that.¡± ¡°Oh, you will,¡± Stella grinned and pushed open the door, letting Dassah go out first. Bahena was waiting for them outside, and they went to get lunch at the shopping mall near their apartment. ¡°How was class?¡± she asked as they walked. ¡°It sucked,¡± Stella told her with a smile. ¡°But, hey, only two more months till tests!¡± Chuckling, Bahena told her, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. You¡¯ve got at least one more set of intro classes to get through.¡± Stella groaned. ¡°Look on the bright side, Stell,¡± Dassah said. ¡°At least you¡¯ll have TheirWorld.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°TheirWorld! Oh, Bahena, are you any closer to getting to Terora?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bahena said, though Dassah couldn¡¯t sense any excitement in her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon, and while Sav is finishing up a quest line in his tutorial, he¡¯ll be along soon, too.¡± Stella¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really? Yes! One of us! One of us! Wait,¡± she stopped with a frown. ¡°Your brother is still in the tutorial too? Is he nuts like Dassah?¡± Bahena chuckled but shook her head. ¡°No, he¡¯s just busy. He works in the Gathori biodome, so he can only play when they don¡¯t need him on site.¡± ¡°Ohh,¡± Stella nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± They talked a little more about their plans in the main game. Dassah listened, quietly downloading the information to memory as they went on. Terora was one of the main cities of the Rose Clan and specialized in magic. ¡°You ended up in the Rose Clan?¡± Dassah asked. Stella nodded. ¡°After the tutorial, you have to go through another fate selection kind of thing, and it gave options based on what I did or took an interest in. Even though I started in a Mist Clan territory, it shifted my story so that I moved to the Rose Clan¡¯s territory for professional reasons.¡± ¡°My brother and I were in the Treasure Territory for the tutorial,¡± Bahena mentioned. ¡°But I ended up in the Jade Territory. I¡¯m headed to Terora to become a mage!¡± ¡°A mage?¡± Dassah asked, surprised. ¡°Shocking, right?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I thought for sure she¡¯d be a front liner!¡± ¡°Who said I won¡¯t be, still!¡± Bahena said. They chattered on a bit longer about their plans before they parted. Bahena went to go pester her brother again¡ªit was no wonder the poor man was still in the tutorial if he was that busy and had his sister taking up the rest of his free time¡ªwhile Stella had a fan meeting for Silver Hound to attend that was far more pressing than TheirWorld. Finally earning some peace and quiet, Dassah returned home and flopped on her bed. Dassah sighed. ¡°Alone at last,¡± she said to herself. She thought about taking a nap, but she thought better of it and got herself a cup of coffee before honing her thoughts back in on TheirWorld. Would she be out of the tutorial tonight? She wasn¡¯t so sure¡ªbut she hoped so. She wasn¡¯t sure how much more her heart could take. Returning to her desk, she pulled up her monitor screens and searched for It was pretty common knowledge that the Graduation in the tutorial was almost a literal graduation. It was a ceremony performed for the player by eight select people in the town. However, Dassah had developed little to no relationship with the che aside from Mrs. Noin, Dawl, Jormund, and maybe Grimhai. But if spirits are eligible... Even then, the two spirits she should have had the highest relationship with were dead now. A sudden feeling of emptiness created a pit in her stomach. Stupid game. Most of the posts and pages she searched through gave the same basic information: After a player completes the lessons given by the local school, they can graduate. Then, the eight NPCs who have the highest relationship with them will perform a graduation ceremony, offering you gifts that are a form of character progression. Each gift you receive is something that is meant to be added to your character''s story in the time gap between the tutorial and the main game. When graduation ends, you will be forced into a kind of dream state where you will meet the second fate and make other character decisions and be forced to log off for twelve hours. That must be what Stella was talking about. It was a fairly simple system. But it seems there are exceptions... Dassah smiled as she stumbled across a board that included the Veil-kind. The original poster seemed to have the same concerns as her: ¡®My best friends in the tutorial were spirits, but none attended my graduation. Do they not count as possible attendees?¡¯ While the debate was largely people talking about how it was rather difficult to get close to spirits in the tutorial, one person wrote: ¡°It is hard, but definitely not impossible¡ªand it¡¯s a fair question since the two factions are very different from one another in terms of quests. My experience has led me to think that the game expects more and more people to choose the Veil Sight path, putting the Che and the Veil as equal fractions rather than the majority Che population we have now. I¡¯m a Veil player, and I can safely say that there are plenty of questlines that try to pit the Veil against the Che, or require them to specifically seek the other out. ¡°I can also tell you that spirits count in the relationships for the graduation, as three of the eight people who attended my ceremony were spirits. After being in the main game, the Veil relationships are a lot harder to build than Che relationships, though. I spent almost no time with the Che in the tutorial, but I still had Che-people attend my ceremony who I had only talked to once or twice, so depending on how things go, your relationships with spirits may be high but not high enough to have them attend. It seems to be a weird, unbalanced system that will likely see changes in future updates. I gather there are a bunch of testers that have already sent several complaints about it.¡± Several posters came in with similar stories. Should I not expect any spirits, then? If Tik-Tak or Reili had been alive still, maybe she would have expected them. Her experience with the others had been limited, and if what she read was true, she was probably more likely to see Master Qii than Wise. Still, she thought to herself. I¡¯ll have Jormund and Dawl, at least. As far as she was concerned, those were the important ones, along with Alta Noin and possibly Grimhai. Dassah flipped through a few more boards, looking for information on the possible rewards for graduation, but was disappointed with many of them. It was only the tutorial, after all. After spending an hour surfing through comments, Dassah went to her office and started filling out some of the reports she had due for Varier Co. After an hour, she was able to step back into the equipment room. Finally, she thought, tapping the top of her pod. After this, I¡¯ll finally be able to enter the main game. She didn¡¯t really care about Stella and Bahena¡¯s plans. She was ready to make her own great adventure. Chapter 48 Logging in, Guin opened her eyes to daylight streaming in from a window beside her bed. She sat up and stretched. Today, she told herself. Today she would do her best to finish what she had to do to graduate. She hoped. Crawling out of her in-game bed, Guin stepped into the kitchen, where she found a letter from Pastor Jormund left for her. Pulling out some bread and cheese from her bag, she munched for her [Well Fed] buff as she read the letter. It was short and told her nothing aside from the fact that he would be waiting for her at Alta Noin¡¯s house, so when she finished her breakfast, she directed Liorex to give her a speed buff before she left the house. Casting [Fox Form], she shot out into town, taking several shortcuts around buildings and through the wood to get to Alta Noin¡¯s cottage. Jormund was sitting out in front of the little house, quietly caring for his spear. As she approached, he lifted his eyes. ¡°Welcome back,¡± he said warmly. ¡°You¡¯ve rested well?¡± Guin shifted out of her fox form. ¡°Yes. You?¡± ¡°As well as can be expected. I¡¯ve had a little friend following me around,¡± he nodded toward the roof of the cottage, where, to Guin¡¯s surprise, Wise was nestled in the attic window. ¡°It would appear that the Dragon King is keeping eyes on us.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Guin muttered, wondering why the Dragon King would bother. It seemed even stranger as it appeared Wise had no intention of hiding from them. ¡°You really think that¡¯s what it is?¡± Jormund gave her a confused face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why else she would be around.¡± ¡°True...¡± ¡°Dawl is inside,¡± he told her. ¡°It seems that he¡¯s found those whom the fox spirit had asked us to. I wish I had been able to help more, but... I am proud of him. Maybe now, after all this, he can finally forgive himself.¡± Guin looked at him. ¡°What about you?¡± she asked. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Have you forgiven yourself?¡± The pastor¡¯s eyes fell. ¡°My sins are far worse than his,¡± he said. ¡°I need... Time, I think, more than anything else. Time, and... to be honest with myself.¡± She walked over and patted him on the shoulder. He gave her a soft smile. He had lost so much. But maybe now he can look forward, instead of being stuck in the past. Leaving him to his thoughts and his spear, Guin went inside. The now-familiar house filled her with warmth, and the smile of the delicate elderly woman always made her feel at home. ¡°Welcome back, Guin!¡± Alta Noin led her inside with her warm voice. ¡°Come, sit. Euen is waiting for you, and the tea is already warm!¡± Accepting her hospitality graciously, Guin went in and greeted Dawl, who was standing by the fire already, in his usual manner. While Mrs. Noin went about settling Guin down, Dawl chuckled and told her to stop fussing¡ªwhich was, as usual, greeted with a scowl and a scolding. Guin loved it ever so much. ¡°This boy, always telling me not to fuss!¡± said a frustrated Alta Noin. ¡°What else is an old woman supposed to do? Sit like a statue? My.¡± ¡°Forgive me, grandmother. I have no doubts in your ability,¡± Dawl laughed. ¡°But let poor Guin sit! Grandfather always used to say he was never the one in charge,¡± Dawl mused as Mrs. Noin kept muttering things as she went about her business. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, though,¡± Guin said. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Master Hunter laughed. ¡°Jormund said that you¡¯ve found the ones that set those traps?¡± Dawl¡¯s face changed as he sighed. ¡°I have,¡± he said. ¡°I can do nothing else now but beg forgiveness. Those who were involved were members of my very own guild.¡± Dawl clenched his fists tight as he looked into the flames. ¡°I have failed to teach them the proper way. I do not deserve the title of ¡®Master.¡¯¡± ¡°You can make up for it in the future,¡± Guin reassured him. ¡°As long as there is a future for the forest and Bade, you can change their paths.¡± Though the expression on his face told her he wasn¡¯t convinced of her words, he said, ¡°I can only hope that such words are true. Here,¡± he said. ¡°Hold out your arm, and I¡¯ll share the quest details with you.¡± Guin reached out, and they touched wrists briefly. The update screens for and came up. Guin went through them and sent them away. ¡°You did find them, then,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Alara and Saurin Barns?¡± ¡°They were young ones,¡± Dawl nodded. ¡°Siblings, trying to make some extra money from the furs, but had yet to be fully trained as hunters. I am ashamed of my failings as a teacher...¡± ¡°Save your apologies for the Dragon King,¡± Guin told him. She didn''t blame him; she even felt a little bad for the siblings. Who knew what would happen to them after they informed the Dragon King of their sins? Then again, she thought. They killed TIk-Tak. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Absently, Guin pet the little fox''s head on the shoulder of her cloak. ¡°For now,¡± she started as Mrs. Noin brought her a cup of tea and sat by the fireplace with them. ¡°You¡¯ve done well. We can return to the Dragon King with pride!¡± Dawl nodded. ¡°Miss Guin, if there is anything I can do for you¡ªanything at all¡ªplease, let me know. I am sure Jormund will say the same. We are in your debt.¡± ¡°Thank you! Ah¡ªActually, while we are talking about that, I was wondering if you had anything that I could purchase from you with my tokens.¡± ¡°There are some things, I suppose,¡± Dawl said and listed them off for her. He didn¡¯t have anything that was of terrible interest, as most of what he offered he had already taught to her for free. Having such a ridiculous amount of tokens as she did, though, she picked up some things just to have. He did offer the ability [Hunter¡¯s Mark] and several books that had the potential to be useful. One in particular improved around ten survival-class skills. Imagining that Jormund would likely be the same, she thanked Mrs Noin for her never-ending hospitality and went outside with Dawl. Jormund was still sitting outside, waiting. ¡°Are we ready to go, then?¡± the pastor asked as they walked out. ¡°Pretty much,¡± Guin said. ¡°I meant to ask you, do you have anything I could trade my tokens for?¡± Jormund thought for a moment and said, ¡°Only a few things. I do not know if they would be useful for you.¡± He listed off the things he could give her, and she was only a little surprised to know that the spear abilities that she had learned from him were not available through this menu and disappointed that the dispel ability he had used earlier was also not among them. He did have a handful of books for the [History and Lore] skill, but more importantly, he also offered two root ritual abilities: [Prayer] and [Song]. I can¡¯t sing any better than I can dance, but... There was no telling what abilities would be useful in the future, and she was basically learning them for free at this point. Perking up at her request to learn them, Jormund happily taught her the two abilities. When he finished instructing her on the base rituals, Jormund patted her on the head. ¡°You are a good little student,¡± he said. ¡°You have done so very much for me and for White Fox Forest, and in return, I have very little to give. There is one thing, however, that I can do for you. I can teach you one more thing.¡± ¡°What kind of thing?¡± Guin asked, doing a little dance inside her heart. Relationship reputation really does pay off in this game! ¡°I assume that you understand how abilities and rituals work,¡± he said. ¡°But they do not always have to work independently from one another. If you find the right teacher to aid you, you can combine two abilities to form a new one.¡± Guin gawked at him. She knew it was possible, but it was usually something she would have learned outside of the tutorial. He couldn¡¯t be saying that he was going to teach her an advanced ability in the tutorial, was he? Then again, I have been here forever. ¡°Now that you know [Song] and [Prayer], I can teach you the [Hymn] ritual. Perhaps this, and this hymn of the Lady, can protect you when I cannot.¡± He handed her a small book titled ¡°Hymn of the Light.¡± Inside was written a song, with the music and lyrics. As she read it, the base [Hymn] ritual tooltip popped up, but even more valuable was the skill that followed:
<<[Hymn of the Light]>> <> <> << The target gains a halo of light and begins to feel more healthy. >> << Ritual Requirement: Sing the song correctly. Every error weakens the ritual¡¯s power. >> << The target gains ten health points for every second the song is sung >> << Cast Time: 3 minutes - Duration: -- - Cooldown: 1 Second >>
¡°This is a healing ability!¡± Guin exclaimed in her excitement. ¡°It is,¡± Jormund nodded, then his voice turned stern. ¡°It is one of many in this world and nowhere near the strongest. It is, however, better than nothing¡ªthough its actual value will be reflected only by the effort you put into it. Every [Song] and [Hymn] ability has an accompanying recording that can be accessed through the ability screen. You would do well to listen and practice that they may serve you better.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Guin said, standing at attention. Jormund and Dawl laughed. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Dawl asked. ¡°We need to find the Dragon King to turn in the quests,¡± Guin said, pulling up the quest screen. ¡°But he¡¯s not marked on my map....¡± Just as Guin was about to call out Liorax, Jormund pointed his spear up at Wise and asked, ¡°What about her?¡± Guin looked up to see Wise looking down at them. The pretty white and tan face of the barn owl seemed somehow amused as she looked down at them. ¡°Lady Owl,¡± Jormund called up. Dawl looked confused for about thirty seconds before giving up, rolling his eyes at his inability. Guin snorted in amusement. Poor guy. ¡°Might you come down and join us?¡± Wise spread her great wings and glided down to his shoulder. ¡°You may call me Wise,¡± she told Jormund before looking over at Guin. ¡°Have you completed your duty then, Candidate?¡± ¡°We have,¡± Guin nodded. ¡°Could you help us to find the Dragon King?¡± ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Wise said, bowing her head. ¡°If you are ready, follow me! Keep up!¡± With great force, Wise lifted off of Jormund¡¯s shoulder with a chuckle, ruffling his hair with wing and wind. Laughing as Jormund scowled at the owl, Guin went into [Fox Form] and ran off after Wise. It was much easier to keep up with Wise in her fox form, but Dawl and Jormund still struggled. Every now and again, they had to stop and wait for them to catch up before running off again. Five minutes. Ten minutes. The way started to look familiar. I¡¯ve been through here before, Guin thought, looking at her surroundings as she zipped through them. The leaves started changing from green to reds and yellows of fall. When the marble statue of the woman surrounded by spirits came into view, Guin remembered its details well. It was where Wise had brought her the first time they had met. This time, however, waiting for them at the base of the statue was the humanoid form of the Dragon King. Chapter 49 As she approached, Guin shifted out of her fox form. Bowing, she greeted, ¡°Hail, Dragon King.¡± Behind her, she heard Jormund and Dawl huffing as they caught up. ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Dawl asked, leaning on his knees. ¡°Damn, that owl flies fast.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± growled Jormund, putting his hand on Dawl¡¯s head to force him into a bow. ¡°Hail, Dragon King!¡± he said in a loud voice. ¡°That guy is the Dragon King?¡± The Master Hunter looked up in shock, but Jormund forced his head down again. Guin choked down her laughter, but thankfully for everyone involved, the Dragon King seemed to find it just as amusing as she did. ¡°Be at ease, silly Che,¡± he laughed. ¡°I am not as uptight as most guardians. I find you all rather fun!¡± ¡®Rather fun,¡¯ is it? For you, maybe... While she grumbled in her head, she moved to ask, ¡°Y-Your... Highness? My Lord?¡± ¡°Just ¡®Tethaigou,¡¯ if you would,¡± the Dragon King told her. ¡°Ah - Then, T-Tethaigou,¡± Guin tested the name before continuing. ¡°We have finished the tasks that Lady Reili set upon us. The poachers have been caught.¡± Tethaigou smiled. ¡°They have been punished, then, Hunter?¡± His sharp blue eyes fell on Dawl. ¡°I...¡± Dawl looked at the ground. ¡°They have been... detained, milord, but...¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I beg mercy, milord. They are just children!¡± ¡°Euen!¡± hissed Jormund, glaring at him. ¡°I thought you said¡ª¡± ¡°I did say!¡± Dawl hissed back. ¡°Because I knew you would be like this!¡± ¡°You¡ª!¡± ¡°Those children have broken the law, hunter,¡± Tethaigou informed him, his face turning up into a grin that Guin did not like. ¡°It is only right that they are punished¡ªby you or I; it makes little difference.¡± Dawl shook his head, and for a moment, Guin feared for him. But he spoke: ¡°I am not saying there should be no punishment, King. I merely ask that they be given a chance to atone¡ªjust as I have been.¡± Dawl looked at the Dragon King full in the eye as Jormund gaped at him. ¡°If that entails that my choice, or any reward I might have received, be given to them, then so be it. I was their teacher; their sin is my own.¡± ¡°Dawl...¡± Guin murmured in mild shock. She shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised, she realized. This was simply who he was; regardless of the ill he had done, in his heart, he was still a good person. Jormund, however, couldn¡¯t seem to believe what he was hearing. ¡°Euen, you can¡¯t mean...¡± But Tethaigou let out a loud laugh. ¡°Master Hunter, you are amusing! And here I thought the lying pastor was going to be my favorite! Wise, Candidate¡ªI commend you on your choice of friends!¡± From atop the statue, Wise cooed warmly. The Dragon King sighed. ¡°It is no matter, I suppose. Very well. I shall leave the children alone¡ªfor now. Perhaps I shall give them a little bit of a curse, but nothing too horrible. Perhaps, I shall have its weight divided between them and you.¡± While what Guin heard didn¡¯t sound promising, Dawl¡¯s face lit up as he kneeled, ¡°I should be in your debt, milord!¡± ¡°Hm. Yes. Debt. Let¡¯s start with my name, yes? Tethaigou.¡± ¡°T-T... Lord Tethairgou,¡± Dawl stammered, his head bowed so low that his nose touched the ground. The Dragon King rolled his eyes. ¡°Close enough, I suppose. We¡¯ll work on it.¡± He turned to Guin and said, ¡°Congratulations, Candidate. You have kept your promise to Lady Reili. Let us hope that you honor the promise made with the same spirit.¡± ¡°I shall!¡± Guin said as the Quest Completed screens came up for , , and . Each came with a faction reward and a handful of tokens. ended up being a pretty lucrative quest, earning her extra stat points for [Spirit] and [Fate]. ¡°Now, for the rest of your rewards,¡± Tethaigou said. I guess not all rewards are listed with the quests? She thought, petting her cloak again. She figured that her cloak was the reward she had gotten for completing the quests¡ªbut they had been crossroads quests, which meant that the real rewards should be for Dawl and Jormund. ¡°Let¡¯s start with our good friend, the Master Hunter of Bade,¡± went Tethaigou in an all-too-pleased tone. ¡°You. You are a strange man. Growing up in these woods with Rew, you are no stranger to us¡ªyet, unable to see us, we are but strangers to you. You must have both reward and punishment, by your own will, yet, for the love I still bear for your grandparents, my hand hesitates... Alas, there is nothing for it. Know that what happens next is of your own doing!¡± The Dragon King raised its hand to his face and began muttering. His clawed hand began to glow blue. As its incantation grew louder, it reached out and pointed to Dawl. ¡°Hear my curse, mortal Che!¡± commanded the Dragon King. ¡°Henceforth, you shall no longer be the Master Hunter of Base; nay, to them, you shall be as a stranger. Only those few whom you hold your memory in their hearts as close as you do theirs will remember. I hereby grant you the Sight you need to serve. This be my curse that will bind you to me and rob you of your Che-hood. You shall not be a servant of mine but a slave of the forest itself and a stranger to the Che-kind.¡± As the Dragon King finished, Dawl doubled over in pain as his eyes began to glow a bright blue. He criest turned to shrieks as he began to claw at his face. In both fear and shock, Guin ran over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder as he fell to the ground. ¡°What have you done to him?¡± Guin demanded to know, looking between Jormund and the Dragon King in horror. Jormund looked at the Dragon King in alarm. ¡°My Lord, what is this¡ª¡± ¡°¡®Tethaigou,¡¯¡± the Dragon King told him with a bored voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯ll be just fine.¡± ¡°How is this ¡®just fine¡¯?¡± Guin shouted. In a flash of green light, Liorax appeared from Guin¡¯s body. He promptly landed on Dawl¡¯s head, and as his eyes glowed, Dawl¡¯s muscles relaxed as he slumped forward. ¡°Master Dragon, you are far too fond of these Che-creatures,¡± the cat said, flicking his tail in annoyance as he sat on his haunches and bat his paw at Dawl¡¯s hair. ¡°This one is a worthless fool, anyway.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯ll decide if he¡¯s worthless,¡± Tethaigou told him, sounding hurt. ¡°Ugh,¡± went Liorax. ¡°You are attracted to him, aren¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be your type...¡± The Dragon King snorted. ¡°This, coming from one who has taken so well to the half-Che.¡± Guin blinked. ¡®Half-Che¡¯? ¡°Of course!¡± Liorax said, hopping onto Guin¡¯s shoulder and rubbing his face against hers. ¡°Even you know how special she is! And she¡¯s mine to look after, anyway!¡± ¡°Liorax,¡± Guin interrupted. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± The cat purred loudly, staring at her with wide green eyes. ¡°Put him down.¡± ¡°Liorax!¡± ¡°Relax,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯ll wake up in a couple of hours¡ªand will probably faint immediately after, knowing him.¡± Tethaigou coughed awkwardly. ¡°Shall we continue? The next to receive a reward will be you, who wears my mantle,¡± the Dragon King pointed at Jormund. Jormund shook his head. ¡°I deserve no reward. I merely wished to fix the mistakes of the past.¡± ¡°Then, shall I offer you a deal?¡± Tethaigou grinned mischievously. ¡°Two choices are before you now, young Jormund: Will you serve me as a Servant of the Dragon King, helping to keep the laws of the forest, or will you leave this forest and never return?¡± The moment of truth, Guin thought, not at all envious of Jormund¡¯s position. Jormund¡¯s knuckles went white as he gripped his spear. ¡°Must I abandon one flock for another?¡± he questioned. Tethaigou shrugged. ¡°That is a rather singular way of thinking about it. The spirits care not about what god you believe in, so long as you fight with the balance of both worlds in mind. How you fight for your causes, whatever your causes are, so long as you seek to hold the corruption at bay, so long as you maintain the balance in the relationships of the Veil and the Che, the choice is yours.¡± ¡°It is not easy,¡± the pastor¡¯s voice went soft. ¡°But, if I may take on the role that Master Rew had intended for me to take, I would at least like to try.¡± The Dragon King grinned. ¡°Then, it shall be as Rew wished,¡± he said. ¡°Your reward shall be all the power of the Servants of the Dragon King¡ªand the knowledge kept from you all these years. My fool servant did not give his life to stop the corruption.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± Jormund asked. ¡°But then...¡± Wise flew down to the Dragon King¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Master Rew made a deal with the Dragon King. Back then, the young woman in the woods had been killed in her attempt to save the Spirit Stag,¡± Wise told them, her voice soft. Guin could see the light in Jormund¡¯s eyes fade as she spoke. ¡°The corruption was caused not by the death of the stag itself, but the woman¡¯s. In its sorrow, it tied its spirit power to her soul.¡± ¡°So,¡± went Jormund. ¡°That¡¯s why she was still alive back then.¡± ¡°Master Rew saw this and knew that he had to separate her soul from the corruption, lest it suffer a terrible fate,¡± Wise continued. ¡°Melora,¡± Jormund choked, his face pale. ¡°What happened to Melora?¡± ¡°Rew wasn¡¯t sure he had enough power on his own, so the two made a deal with me,¡± the Dragon King said. ¡°I would help separate the souls¡ªif Melora swore to serve me in his place.¡± Guin blinked a few times as the revelation set in. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°But, Melora died! How could she serve you?¡± ¡°Death is such a relative concept,¡± Tethaigou grinned. ¡°As the power of the Spirit Stag had been transferred to her, it was easy to... change her. The rest was simply her choice.¡± ¡°M-My Melora... Where has she gone?¡± Jormund pleaded to know. The great owl, Wise, landed gently before the pastor and began to burn in a white flame. Taking on the form of a thin, freckled-faced young woman in a simple dress, she put her hand up to Jormund¡¯s face. ¡°Hello, Jormund.¡± Jormund fell to his knees, reaching out to the spirit. ¡°Lora...¡± Chuckling, she knelt beside him and took his hand. ¡°I am sorry, my love,¡± she said. ¡°It was important for you to choose to become a Servant of your own volition. We¡ªMaster Rew and I¡ªdid not want to force the hand of fate upon you.¡± Wordless, Jormund wrapped his arms around her, sobbing into her chest like a child as she petted and cooed at him with a soft voice. Guin hugged Liorax as she fought tears of her own. Wise was Melora. I thought those stories she told sounded familiar, she thought to herself happily. And Jormund became a Servant all on his own! It was sad to think that Jormund the Pale and Jormund the Celestial Paladin would never have known that his beloved wife was still alive. ¡°Hmm,¡± went the Dragon King as he looked at the heartwarming scene. ¡°Che-kind are so very emotional. As for you, Candidate,¡± he said, finally turning its attention toward Guin. ¡°This. This is all your doing.¡± ¡°You make it sound like a bad thing,¡± she observed. ¡°You appear to be a granter of wishes,¡± he told her. ¡°I wonder, when will you grant mine?¡± The Dragon King¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked her over. ¡°For now, I suppose you have served your purpose and should be rewarded. What should I give to you?¡± Guin hesitated as it looked at her expectantly. Why do I get the impression that I am supposed to decline... Not that it mattered to her at this point. ¡°All I really want is to graduate,¡± she mumbled, thinking that there was probably nothing left of value she could get from the tutorial anyway. The Dragon King laughed as Guin¡¯s hand flew to her mouth. ¡°Is that so! I am afraid that I cannot help you with that, Candidate. No. Actually, though I asked, your reward has already been arranged.¡± ¡°It has?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Well,¡± he said, thinking about it. ¡°More like the responsibility has been passed to someone else. Your reward shall be far more appropriate coming from them, Child of the Gumiho.¡± Slightly stunned to hear her trait title come from the Dragon King¡¯s mouth, Guin stared at him. Liorax struggled out from her arms and instead took to resting on her head. ¡°You¡¯ve spoken to them, then.¡± Tehtaigou shrugged. ¡°I have. But their conditions were pointlessly specific. They will only meet with the Candidate during her graduation. It would be pointless before then. They say. Not me. I don¡¯t see how it matters.¡± ¡°Everything has its time,¡± Liorax replied, brushing his tail against Guin¡¯s face. Tethaigou continued to stare at Guin¡¯s face. Starting to feel self-conscious, Guin asked, ¡°Is there something else?¡± ¡°Candidate,¡± it seemed to test the word as it spoke it. ¡°What do you think the Grand Heart is?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a person?¡± she asked. ¡°Wise told me before that the Grand Heart leads the Tenmath. They make and uphold the laws of the world... or something. Like King or Queen.¡± The Dragon King snorted at her. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that story. Stories be damned. I mean what you will fight for¡ªwhat you fight to become. This task that is now thrust upon your shoulders is our hope! Do you know what it is that rests here,¡± he pointed to her heart. ¡°In this head. This soul. Surely, you must know!¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Guin went as Liorax eyed him. ¡°...You¡¯ve grown old, Master Dragon,¡± the cat spirit told him. ¡°Impatient.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Tethaigou¡¯s face fell. ¡°But to receive hope, after so very long...¡± he looked over to where Jormund and Melora were still wrapped in their embrace. ¡°I seek freedom. I seek... End.¡± Liorax looked at Guin with his head cocked but then looked back at the Dragon King. ¡°Everything has its time, Master Dragon,¡± he said in a stern voice. ¡°Everything has an end; it¡¯s time. Death comes for all.¡± ¡°I know my fate,¡± the Dragon King sighed bitterly. ¡°Candidate, forget my thoughtless words. Return now to your business. Graduate as you will. Wise shall see to these two.¡± Guin looked between the cat and the Dragon King, unsure what to think about the conversation. Is it a tie-in to the main game¡¯s story? She wondered. Still, she nodded. ¡°I will do what I can,¡± she told him. ¡°Maybe I can give you a better answer someday.¡± Tethaigou¡¯s smile looked pained. ¡°I hope I get the chance to hear your answer.¡± Though Guin wanted to ask what he meant, Liorax floated between them. ¡°If you want to graduate, we should head back to town,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to talk to that Che-bat at the school.¡± ¡°O-Okay,¡± she said. ¡°But¡ª¡± Liorax pushed her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Guin tried to resist, but Liorax kept pushing her. The Dragon King waved his goodbye, saying, ¡°Listen to Liorax. Run back now, Candidate Guin! Run back that you might graduate. Grow up well; grow up quickly. Become powerful. Become a warrior. Become a Heart and find your Tenmath. Then, after you realize who¡ªwhat¡ªyou are, come back. Come back, and grant me my dearest wish, Candidate. Come back, and set me free.¡± She looked back at him with mixed feelings. Why do I feel like I¡¯ll never see him again? ¡°Liorax!¡± she called the floating cat. ¡°Give me a speed buff, would you?¡± ¡°Yes, mistress,¡± the cat rubbed against her face and disappeared from her sight. Giving the Dragon King one last look, she took her fox form and sped back to the town. Chapter 50 When she returned to the School of Good Books, Grimhai greeted her enthusiastically¡ªbut when she asked him about her graduation, his smile faded a little. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he went, pulling out what looked to be a letter. ¡°Arrangements have been made, but I am afraid that your graduation cannot be held here at the school. It seems that you have several very¡ªunusual¡ªfriends.¡± ¡°Then...?¡± Guin inquired. Grimhai stood and directed her to the door. ¡°Walk with me.¡± Following Grimhai out of the school, her heart soared. It must be the spirits! She thought in her excitement, a thought that grew stronger as they entered the forest and headed toward the crossroads where she had first met Wise. As if by magic, Jormund, the spirit of Melora, Dawl, and Alta Noin were already standing, waiting for her, even though it had only been a short time since she had left most of them with the Dragon King. ¡°Master Hunter, what is that look on your face?¡± Grimhai asked. While Jormund and Melora were standing together, smiling at Guin, Dawl was looking at the two of them as if he had seen a ghost. Which, Guin supposed, he was¡ªthough Grimhai probably didn¡¯t know. At Grimhai¡¯s question, Dawl looked between everyone and answered, ¡°N-No reason...¡± ¡°Mr. Dawl,¡± Guin ginned, guessing what gift the Dragon King had bestowed upon him. ¡°How many people are standing here?¡± ¡°People...¡± said Dawl in a weak, uncertain voice. ¡°Jormund has told me all about it!¡± Mrs. Noin exclaimed happily. ¡°Melora is here with us now! I bet you can see¡ªisn¡¯t she lovely! If only Rew were still here! He would be so happy!¡± With a pale face, Dawl took his grandmother¡¯s arm and patted her hand. Looking at Guin, he said, ¡°The world is... an interesting place. It seems I have more to learn than I thought.¡± ¡°Interesting indeed,¡± Grimhai agreed, unfazed by the revelation. ¡°And it¡¯s about to be even more so! There should be three more meetings here...¡± Liorax appeared and floated in Guin¡¯s face. ¡°I have something to offer my Che-child pet. That isn¡¯t against the rules, is it?¡± Grimhai shrugged. ¡°I see no reason for it to be.¡± ¡°Liorax...¡± Guin said, affectionately patting him on the head. She hadn¡¯t even thought of him as a possibility. ¡°Wait,¡± she went, turning to Grimhai. ¡°Teacher, you can hear him?¡± ¡°I am a key instructor,¡± Grimhai told her. ¡°I have access to everything I need to guide you properly.¡± While Guin mocked herself for not thinking about that before, a soft, feminine voice came into her head. ¡°My webs have shown me that I am to offer the child a boon,¡± the voice of the Webspinner said. Guin couldn¡¯t see her anywhere, but it made her happy to know that she would send her off. ¡°Very well,¡± Grimhai said. ¡°And the last?¡± ¡°Would be me, I suppose,¡± came a new voice. Guin spun around, jumping back when she turned to see a horse-sized fox with cream-colored fur, nine tails flickering at its back like seaweed in the tide. The eyes that stared into Guin¡¯s were a soft, cherry-blossom pink, filled with brilliance and wisdom. The large fox began to circle Guin as she grabbed Liorax from the air and hugged him tight. ¡°Tethaigou has told me of you, fox-child,¡± he said in a threatening voice. ¡°He told me of how you aided Reili and her kit. For that, my thanks be given, but now that I see you, I see that there were... other motivations. You are not just any fox child. You are one of my blood. How rare.¡± ¡°W-Who...?¡± Guin tried to ask, though she was pretty confident that she already knew the answer. The fox raised its beautifully shaped head proudly. ¡°I am Amikavi,¡± she said. ¡°Reili¡¯s child was the kit of my kit Gomi¡ªas are you, if my nose is trustworthy, and it is. Reili¡¯s trust in you was not so blind, it seems.¡± ¡°G-Gomi!¡± Guin exclaimed, blinking. ¡°Wait. Then. Tik-Tak and I are¡ªWe¡¯re...¡± Looking down, she fought her tears. What is wrong with this stupid game? Not to mention Gomi being a part of her character¡¯s story! He was the one who had given it to her! ¡°I hate to interrupt,¡± Grimhai said, clearing his throat. ¡°It is such an honor, Lady Amikavi, but it is time to let Guin graduate. ¡°Very well, teacher,¡± Amikavi sat on her haunches. ¡°I shall be here to represent Reili, Tik-Tak, Gomi, and Tethaigou. Be honored.¡± The eight of them gathered around her. Jormund and Melora, Dawl and Alta Noin, Grimhai with Liorax on his shoulder, Amikavi, and¡ªGuin assumed¡ªthe Webspinner. Stepping forward, Grimhai said: ¡°Guin Grey. Student. Candidate. I, Grimhai Kidalmar, pronounce you as a graduate of the School of Good Books and the tutorial of TheirWorld!¡± Guin bowed as the others applauded at his words. ¡°Before you now stand eight masters and friends who will help prepare you for the journey ahead. Each, in turn, will offer their boons to you, and then, we shall send you to the Second Fate!¡± Grimhai came up to her first and handed her a large pouch. ¡°This pouch will double your inventory size. It isn¡¯t much, but it should help you on your journey. Fare thee well, Miss Guin.¡± Next came Jormund and Melora. Jormund pat her on the head. ¡°Truly, there is nothing I can give you that will ever pay you back for what you have given me. You have given to me my life, my love, and my family,¡± he told her, then lifted his spear. ¡°I never was a fighter,¡± he chuckled. ¡°For all the warnings I have given you, you have proven that you have spirit¡ªmore than I ever had. Perhaps this spear will serve you better than it ever served me.¡± Accepting it, Guin reached up and hugged him. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Melora laughed beside him. ¡°Candidate!¡± She said, leaning forward and kissing one of Guin¡¯s cheeks. She took out two books and said, ¡°These are for you. One is a history of the Compasses. The other shall give you a great stat bonus. Thank you for saving this forest.¡± Guin thanked them both again, and they stepped back to their places. Dawl stepped forward then with Mrs. Noin... The Master Hunter mussed Guin¡¯s hair as she huggled little Alta Noin tightly. ¡°You are a good girl,¡± Mrs. Noin told her as they pulled apart. ¡°As dear to me as any. There is a part of me that wishes you wouldn¡¯t go, but I know you must. You have your own adventure to come! Here, I¡¯ve made something for you,¡± The old grandmother handed her a small bag. ¡°Some bread, and cheese, and cookies. Make sure you eat them! Keep your strength up! Also,¡± Mrs. Noin slipped a necklace from around her neck and handed it to Guin. It was a piece of blue jade carved into a tree. Guin took it gingerly and looked at Mrs. Noin with tear-filled eyes. ¡°Rew gave this to me not long before he proposed. It carries all of our hopes and wishes for your safety! Make this old woman happy and wear it well!¡± Guin gave up on trying not to cry and equipped the necklace. Alta Noin gave her another tear-filled hug and kissed her on the cheek. Dawl rubbed his grandmother¡¯s back and said, ¡°It looks good on you!¡± Guin looked up at him but gaped in shock. ¡°Your eyes!¡± she exclaimed as she saw that his eyes were completely different than they had been. They were no longer the dark green they were before. Now, they were a bright, icy blue. ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Dawl scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been told they are different¡ªhaven¡¯t had much of a chance to figure things out yet,¡± he said and pulled out a bag. ¡°This isn¡¯t much, just some leather armor and tools. I figured you might find them useful. You¡¯ve done well¡ªfor a kid!¡± Guin hit him in the stomach, causing him to chuckle. ¡°If you are finished, move,¡± growled Liorax, climbing onto Dawl¡¯s head. Dawl looked up at the cat with great uncertainty but said nothing. As he helped little Alta Noin go back into line, Liorax hopped off his head and floated before Guin with wide eyes. ¡°You,¡± he started. ¡°You belong to me anyway, so I will make this short,¡± he told her. His eyes glowed, and in the air appeared a... large black cat pelt?¡± ¡°What is this for?¡± Guin asked, taking it. ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell me...¡± ¡°The foxes left theirs for you, so I thought you could add mine to your morbid little collection,¡± Liorax mused. ¡°I mean, you get to keep me anyway.¡± ¡°Gee,¡± went Guin, not altogether happy as she plucked it from the air. ¡°Thanks.¡± Amikavi came up and snorted in Liorax¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t waste time,¡± she said. ¡°Daughter of Gomi, so afflicted with Che blood, as you are, you are weak. My gift to you shall also be the gift of Reili and her kit. Pass your cloak to me that it may receive my blessing.¡± Frowning, Guin took her cloak off and held it out to her. The great fox opened her mouth wide and chomped right down on it. ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Guin shouted, tugging to get it back. Snarling, the Amikavi tore it out of Guin¡¯s hands, and smoke began to rise from her paws as they began to glow like embers. Guin fell back, the combination of the fox¡¯s nine tails swirling around with the smoke snakes obscuring her vision. When the smoke dissipated, the great fox spirit spits the coak out onto the ground without any ceremony at all. Somewhat hurt by the treatment of her friend¡¯s skin, Guin scrambled to pick it up. ¡°Yes, take it,¡± Amikavi told her. Irritated, Guin glared at her, but she was quite unimpressed. ¡°Go on,¡± she said. Guin looked at the cloak. Though she couldn¡¯t approve of how Amikavi treated the pelts, it seemed she hadn¡¯t hurt them. In fact, she had identified it.
<<[ Guise of the Untailed ]>> << Bound - Armor - Robe - Rank -- >> << Armor +2 >> << It appears to be a cloak made of two fox furs. Gives the wearer the ability [True Form]. This item can be upgraded. This item activates a quest. (Level 10) >> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: -- >>
<> <<[True Form]>> <> <> << You take the form of your sires. Can only be used with a proper catalyst. >> << Catalyst Requirement: Unknown >> << Your senses and abilities are heightened according to your blood. >> << Cast Time: -- seconds - Duration: -- Seconds - Cooldown: -- Second >>
¡°What...?¡± Guin started as a boatload of questions rose into her mind, but Amikavi just stared down at her haughty. ¡°Come to me when you are... not quite so... hopeless,¡± the fox said, flicking her tails. ¡°I shall teach you about what you can be. Farewell, child of Gomi.¡± ¡°Ah-But-What-This is¡ª!¡± Guin tried to shape her flurry of questions into something intelligible but failed as the fox dissipated into a wisp of pink flame. ¡°...Huh.¡± Looking at the cloak, it seemed unchanged, so she re-equipped it. An upgradable item? An ability that requires a catalyst? A quest? What is all this? She wondered, her shock quickly turned into excitement. ¡°Candidate?¡± came the voice of the webspinner. She would be the last of the eight, Guin remembered. ¡°Candidate, if I may¡ªyou have come far. If, however, my webs speak true, then you must know: this is only the beginning. Friends will come. Friends will go. You will meet many who pretend to be things they are not; what you do with them, that choice falls to you,¡± her soft voice told her. ¡°Remember that memories from the past can influence your choices for good¡ªand for ill. The choices you make are yours, but this does not mean you must make them alone. You have your own strength, but be not afraid to borrow the strength of others. This is my boon to you, Candidate: These words and the weavings of past and future. Believe in yourself and dare to believe in others. The answers that you seek are there, within you.¡± Guin furrowed her brow. ¡°What answers? What weavings?¡± ¡°Everything as its time,¡± the Webspinner told her. ¡°The web of fate is woven, and it is time for you to go on and meet the Second of the Fates. Say now, your farewells.¡± ¡°But, I have questions...¡± Guin started, but Grimhai came up to her. ¡°Your questions will be answered in time,¡± the earar teacher told her. ¡°This is only the beginning of your journey. I am quite confident that you will find you will make your own story out there, just as you have here,¡± Grimhai pat her on the shoulder and went back with everyone else. Sighing, Guin looked up at all her friends¡¯ smiling faces, as tearstained as her own. Bowing deeply, she said, ¡°Thank you! So very, very much!¡± ¡°Be well, darling child,¡± Alta Noin, told her, waving. ¡°Remember, we will always be thinking of you! Next time you come, let¡¯s bake sweets again!¡± Guin nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Take care of yourself!¡± Dawl said, with the others nodding. ¡°I¡¯d tell you to stay out of the woods, but...¡± Jormund started, and laughed. While she hit Jormund¡¯s shoulder, Melora gave Guin a sweet smile, ¡°We shall all await your return, Candidate!¡± Making her fingers into a frame at eye level, she took a handful of screenshots of them as they waved at her. It may just be a stupid tutorial, but... somehow, these NPCs had come to mean more to her than most real people did. Her heart sank as the mist began to flood the area, a spring-like breeze brushing against her skin. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Guin waved, jumping up and down. ¡°I¡¯ll come back! I promise! Goodbye!¡± Then, as she rubbed the tears off her face, she found herself in a world of white. Chapter 51 Sniffling, she shivered in the blank. As she looked around and down, she didn¡¯t even have a shadow. Guin rubbed her eyes. Somehow, the endless white was far more unnerving than the world of black she had been in at the start. A tiny black spark flickered into existence beside her, glowing against the seamless white. ¡°Welcome,¡± came a high-pitched voice from the spark. ¡°I am Buri Buri, servant of the Second Fate. I shall help guide you as you enter the main game. First, let¡¯s look at what you look like.¡± Like Biku Biku, Buri Buri transformed into a copy of Guin. The avatar presented her with an image of her character with all its items equipped. She didn¡¯t look like much, with her raggedy robes and starter items, but the fox skin cloak she wore had almost an ethereal look to it, even with the bright background. Buri Buri-Guin¡¯s eyes shot open, and it said, ¡°This is what you will look like going into the main game. Now, there are several choices before you. Second Fate?¡± Guin felt a warm breeze rush over her skin lightly. ¡°Welcome,¡± came a voice that somehow made Guin feel warm inside. ¡°Welcome. We are the Second Fate... We will guide you now to the next part of your journey...¡± ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Guin asked, far more prepared this time. ¡°Your journey will start as all do,¡± the fate said. ¡°As all do, you have come from somewhere. Somewhere... Where do you come from? From whom did you learn? Learning is the key to knowing¡ªknowing what only you know...¡± Buri Buri-Guin held out her hand, calling up three cards, as Gomi had. ¡°A year has passed since you left Bade,¡± it said. ¡°In this time, tell us: who are you this day? Three choices, based on your interactions in the tutorial, lay before you: ¡°First,¡± the avatar held out a card with what looked to be, appropriately, a fox spirit. ¡°You have developed a good relationship with the spirits, and they have taken you as their own. The spirits you have befriended have set you up with a place to live, or perhaps you have chosen a road of your own, and they followed you. Whatever the case, they have -¡± ¡°That one!¡± Guin interrupted. Buri Buri-Guin gave her a look of concern. Goodness, she thought, looking at the avatar¡¯s face. Is that what I look like when I¡¯m cross? ¡°It is recommended that¡ª¡± Sighing, Guin told it, ¡°Look. I understand, but that¡¯s the one I will probably choose anyway. I chose to stay with the spirits.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± answered the avatar. ¡°In which area would you like to have lived? The available areas and specializations are¡ª¡± ¡°White Fox Forest,¡± Guin said. ¡°And if foxes are a specialization, I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Well¡ªthey are, but¡ª¡± Buri Buri-Guin looked frustrated as it stopped mid-sentence to regain its composure. ¡°It is recommended that¡ª¡± It stopped again when it looked at Guin¡¯s face. ¡°Fine. After living with the spirits of White Fox Forest throughout your youth, you have come to a city seeking work. Which of the Mist Clan cities do you go to? Your options are -¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Guin held up a hand. ¡°Can I make both our jobs a little easier by telling you that I will choose options that involve the spirits? I¡¯ve been in this tutorial for a week; I want to get into the game!¡± ¡°Well,¡± Buri Buri-Guin cleared her throat and considered. ¡°Then I shall send you to Miala¡¯de Rii, City of the Dead. Should I assume that you wish for a spirit-related profession as well?¡± Guin nodded. ¡°There are three spirit-related professions: The Mist Scribe, with a general focus. The Mist Mortician, with a physical focus, and the Mist Priest, with a casting focus.¡± ¡°No cards?¡± Guin asked. Buri Buri-Guin snorted at her, put her hands on her hips, and chose the most general. ¡°Scribe.¡± ¡°Then this is how you shall, officially, appear,¡± The mist snaked around Buri Buri-Guin¡¯s body and formed some basic clothing that was just a shirt and shorts. ¡°Costume options are toggleable through your inventory. Others can be earned through quests, loot, and advancements. I wish you luck then, Guin Grey,¡± Buri Buri-guin shrunk back into a small black wisp. ¡°You are now you,¡± came the voice of the Second Fate. ¡°You have chosen; chosen to walk into the world of Uldarin with your head held with confidence. Confidence that you will step into a journey that will lead you home.¡± ¡°Home?¡± Guin asked, furrowing her brow. ¡°Is that some kind of quest?¡± ¡°Home is where the heart is,¡± the breeze told her as it brushed her face. ¡°The heart is what you seek. Seek meaning. Seek truth. Seek the answers to who you really are.¡± ¡°Who I am? But haven¡¯t you all been asking me who I am this whole time? Didn¡¯t I make the choices I needed to?¡± ¡°Who you are, you do not know. You do not know¡ªbut we know.¡± This must be part of the character story, Guin realized. After all, she still had to meet the last of the three fates eventually. So she answered, ¡°I see. What should I do then?¡± ¡°Travel,¡± the voice told her. ¡°Travel to the ends of the world and back, for in order for the story to be known, the journey must be taken. Take that journey, Guin Grey, and write your story. Their story. The story of Guin Grey and all those who would fight for her, against her; for you. You will find your truth only then, Candidate.¡± The breeze grew stronger, brushing against every bit of her body as it lifted her off the invisible ground. ¡°Go now into the world of Uldarin.¡± And so her vision faded into black, leaving her completion screen behind:
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With that, she was forced to log off.
¡°Excuse me!¡± Dassah muttered as she squeezed onto the monorail last minute again. Would it kill you to leave the apartment a few minutes earlier? She asked herself as she made her way to her usual spot near the door. She had woken up so early that she should have been able to get out of the apartment without issue, but she had forgotten the materials for her class and had to run back. ¡°Hey,¡± a raspy voice next to her made her jump. She looked up to see Bahena''s brother with his greasy, dark feathers arching over her. Dassah shrunk back against the door and did a little jump as he put out his clawed hand. He raised a brow at her. ¡°Jumpy now that you¡¯re feeling better, aren¡¯t you?¡± She looked around quickly to see if there was anyone else he could possibly be talking to, but after realizing it could only have been her, she laughed nervously and turned her attention to what he was holding out to her. In the hand with dulled claws was a familiar WristComp. ¡°Huh?¡± Checking her wrist, she realized that it was hers. Guilt creeping through her body, she swallowed. He didn¡¯t look upset. Her eyes falling to his claws, she hesitated before lifting it out gently. ¡°T-Thank you,¡± she murmured, cursing herself for her cowardice as she looked out the window. ¡°It looks like the strap adjuster failed,¡± he said with a hesitant tone. ¡°You should probably take it to get repaired before something happens. I don¡¯t know about Stella, but Bahena probably knows where it is...¡± Dassah looked up at him, surprised that he was still talking to her after how she had reacted. ¡°Um. Yeah,¡± she said, fidgeting with her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them...¡± Sathuren nodded and told her, ¡°There is an ETS outpost over by the student center. They can probably fix it for free.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she answered. ¡°Thank you...¡± He said nothing more as he pulled his book out. Dassah squirmed, rubbing the straps of her purse. Now and again, she glanced at the garule standing next to her. He stood out. A lot. Even on the train filled with other bizarre creatures. Though his expression was calm, his eyes were a bright, alert orange color, and the strange color and texture of his feathers made him look entirely different from any of the other garule on the train. She may not have known much about garuli, but she had never seen anything that looked like this one. There were different kinds of garuli; ones with colored feathers, but they were usually short; around her height. Others were like Bahena, who was easily seven feet tall¡ªbut those at that height were almost exclusively earth-toned. He was somewhere in between the two. Is it a race thing, perhaps? She wondered, but Behena''s feathers looked even better cared for than many of the others like her. Her eyes fell on a familiar little garule child holding its chicken doll. Smiling a little, she watched as the little one poked at the doll¡¯s face and threw it in the air. This time, the dark grey-scaled child was with a short garule that was maybe Dassah¡¯s height, with navy blue feathers striped with bright orange. ¡°Stop that,¡± Dassah heard it tell the child in a warm, soft voice. ¡°Your mother will be mad if you lose it again.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± the happy-sounding child answered, clutching the chicken and shaking her head. ¡°Come sit.¡± ¡°But Papa, play!¡± the little one giggled at its father, who sighed in response. The garule child looked over its shoulder, catching Dassah¡¯s eyes. Though her expression was uncertain, it seemed it decided that Dassah was safe and waved at her with a broad, toothy grin. Though her emotions were complicated, Dassah smiled back at her with a small wave. ¡°The next stop is: Tranquil Peace Terrace. Please stay clear of the doors,¡± came the pleasant voice of the monorail speaker into Dassah¡¯s ear implants. The garule parent and child made their way to the door by Dassah and waited for the monorail to stop. As they left, however, the little one dropped its doll¡ªagain¡ªin the rush of people flooding on and off. Dassah sighed as she listened to the child¡¯s screeching and stepped onto the platform to pick it up. Gotta graduate in real life too, Das. At least it¡¯s just a kid. ¡°Uushi!¡± The girl chirped happily as Dassah handed it to her. ¡°Thank you, miss,¡± the father bowed to her as he leaned over to pick the child up. ¡°Oria, thank the lady.¡± ¡°Thank you, lady!¡± it said with a wave. ¡°Sorry,¡± the father said, giving a tired bow of his head before looking behind her. ¡°Ah¡ªthe monorail¡ªdo you need to get back on? The sutak is holding the door...¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dassah turned, fully expecting that the monorail would have left already¡ªbut the grey garule was holding the door with its tail, looking at her expectantly while receiving glares from the people around him. ¡°Thanks!¡± she shouted back at the father as she ran into the car. Behind her, the little one screeched, ¡°Thanks sutak lady!¡± ¡°Oria! You can¡¯t¡ª¡± Dassah heard the father scolding as the doors closed. Cute, Dassah smiled and continued to wave at the little girl. But... lady? Snorting with laughter eyed Sathuren. Regardless of the apparent lecture, however, the little dinosaur girl was just waving happily. With the train moving again, Dassah turned and bowed slightly to the grey garule. ¡°Thanks for holding the door for me,¡± she said. ¡°Mmm,¡± was the only reply she got. After a moment, Dassah¡¯s curiosity got to her. ¡°What does ¡®sutak¡¯ mean?¡± she asked. Sathuren¡¯s feathers started to stand on end as he gave her a funny look. ¡°You... Don¡¯t know much about garuli, do you?¡± he asked her, tilting his head to look at her. ¡°N-Not really...¡± she stuttered. ¡°I mean... the word wasn¡¯t translated, so I just thought I¡¯d ask...¡± The garule sighed through his nose. ¡°There is no easy way to translate it into your language.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Dassah said in both acknowledgment and wonder. ¡°Then...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be explained in a few minutes,¡± the garule told her, though she went on at some length: ¡°If I have to give an answer of any sort, then it can mean ¡®different one¡¯ or even ¡®impure one,¡¯ but these are highly controversial translations as it fails to capture the biological or cultural context considering the¡ªahhh...¡± Sathuren looked at Dassah¡¯s face and stopped. After clearing his throat, he said, ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s not a word you should use without understanding its meaning. I highly recommend that you do your own research into the subject¡ªor better yet, take a class from someone reputable. Not Professor Jhavd; he¡¯s an idiot.¡± ¡°I-I see,¡± Dassah went, hoping that her distress wasn¡¯t as obvious as she felt it was. Sathuren grimaced and seemed about to say something when the monorail announced: ¡°The next stop is: The Da¡¯Vaire University of Language, Cultural, and Social Sciences. Please stay clear of the doors.¡± ¡°You were going to say something?¡± Dassah asked, but the garule man shook his head. ¡°Nevermind. Don¡¯t miss the stop again.¡± Dassah blushed and pushed her hair behind her heat. Well, she then thought to herself. I guess if I am going to make a total ass out of myself in front of someone, it may as well be someone I don¡¯t care all that much about. The train came to a stop, and the doors opened. She exchanged one last look with the dark grey garule before they both got off at the station. ¡°Um, thanks again,¡± she found the courage to say before she went off. ¡°Um. See you!¡± He looked her over before muttering, ¡°...Weird girl,¡± and walking away. ¡°Well,¡± Dassah muttered to herself. ¡°At least he didn¡¯t kill you.¡± She had a long day ahead of her, and she already felt as if she had accomplished something. For the next six hours, she would be just Dassah Graydon: student of intergalactic culture and beta tester for TheirWorld. After that, though, Dassah grinned. After that, she would turn into Guin Grey, and start a legend all her own. [End Book One] Chapter 52 [Book 2] She opened her eyes to darkness. Her instinct told her she was there for a reason, but she could not remember what that reason was. The air was cold and clammy; the world, empty. A slight breeze ran across the skin of her face like a breath, and with it, a question from a soft, airy voice: ¡°Who are you?¡± She thought for a moment, alone in the dark. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± she answered. She looked at her hands as they trembled. ¡°...I don¡¯t think I belong here.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Do you know?¡± she asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Looking around at the nothing, the only answer she had was, ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°What is this place? Can¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°Why have you come to this place?¡± the voice on the breeze asked. ¡°This place, where the world is made of dreams...¡± ¡°I-Whaa!¡± In an instant, she fell. Into the darkness. Through it. And then it came alive, and she watched the world shift and change from one dreamlike setting to the next. She fell through forests filled with trees as tall as skyscrapers. She fell through a sea filled with teams of sea creatures, big and small. She fell through nighttime in a desert filled with more stars than she had ever seen, ribbons of galaxies lighting up the night. She fell through cloudless skies and saw the patterns below her like a tapestry made of earth. Then the earth enveloped her, and her world flipped upside down. Finding herself on a high, wooded cliff, she watched as giant eagles danced with dragons over a white citadel. A great green dragon with yellow eyes came up to her, one of its eyes leveling with her as it landed, and spoke into her mind: ¡°Why have you come?¡± the vibrations in the air and the majesty of the creature took her breath away. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know...¡± she told it. But then its yellow eye blinked, and as it opened into an icy blue, the world around flickered into a grotto where a waterfall came down from an opening at the top, sparkling in bright rays of sunlight. The dragon¡¯s scales glimmered blue as they stood together in the middle of a lake. ¡°I know why you have come,¡± the dragon told her in her mind. ¡°Do you?¡± She pleaded, ¡°Please tell me!¡± ¡°You have come to ask me to save you,¡± said the dragon. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Save me? From what?¡± ¡°I cannot save your life. I can only ease the pain.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°I am sorry, silly girl,¡± the dragon said, blinking its icy blue eye. When it opened, the eye had turned the color of molten gold, and the world flickered into a jungle. The dragon¡¯s scales turned from blue to a beautiful pattern of white and purple. ¡°The good may work hard to save the world for a day, but evil can destroy it in a moment, for all eternity.¡± ¡°W-Which are you?¡± she asked. The dragon lifted its lips; sharp, pointed teeth, each as tall as she, barred to her. ¡°I am, that which I am¡ªand shall always be!¡± the teeth began to part, and the dragon¡¯s head raised. ¡°What? Who are you? Wait¡ªWhy?¡± She cried as the dragon¡¯s pupils narrowed on her. It felt as if time had stopped as if she should have had some kind of memories to reminisce on, but none came. Instead, there was just a wish, whispered in desperation: ¡°I don¡¯t want to die... Please, save me...¡± But the dragon¡¯s head came down to swallow her up. And then, she woke up.
The clock on her nightstand kindly informed her it was four AM. Rubbing her eyes, she took a deep breath and decided it wasn¡¯t worth trying to go back to sleep. After her experience in the tutorial, she¡¯d decided to register for a self-defense class, which started at eight. Her head hurt like hell, but she managed to drag herself out of bed with the prospect of a hot shower and coffee. Listening to the hum of the coffee maker, Dassah made herself an egg sandwich and reflected on the meaning of life¡ªhers, in particular¡ªas she did he best to piece together the nightmares. The shower had helped, but her eyes were still bleary from the lack of sleep. What the hell is this... The dreams. They had started shortly after she had finished the tutorial for TheirWorld¡ªand they were always about TheirWorld. And they always ended badly. Every night for the past four days, she had woken up just before her alarms went off. It wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world, but it sure made a good night''s sleep worthless. Dassah poured herself a hot cup of coffee, thanking God that the valkyrians had equipped the Iceberg cities with enough coffee plantations to supply a large continent of the caffeine-deprived zombies which made up their population, and scoffed down her breakfast. She warmed up her coffee again and wandered through the halls of the apartment and into the TheirWorld equipment room. She knew the basic concept of the machine had something to do with brain waves or sleep waves or something, but she never cared enough to question the technology beyond user reviews; she was a culture scholar, not a science scholar. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Should she file a report? Was it a glitch in the system, or was her brain just overreacting to what she saw in the game? At the very least, she should record it in her daily play journal. Those were reviewed once a month by the powers that be, and if there were anything wrong, they¡¯d likely contact her. As far as she knew, no bugs or updates related to sleep and nightmares had been announced since the very early stages of development. Not that she would know what any of their technical mambo-jumbo meant. Gulping her coffee down as if it were water, she took an ibuprofen and did the dishes before settling back down into her pod. She picked up her TheirWorld equipment and started buckling herself into all its little accessory-esque parts. Slipping on the bracers, she turned the machine on and opened the panel to the status monitor. She took the opportunity to set an alarm, then lay down, put her mouth guard in, and pulled down the visor.
Looking at the comforting words in their big, green letters, she closed her eyes and let the system active. Guin could get plenty done in the two hours she had before she needed to leave for class.
Chapter 53 The jikak wiggled his flat, wet, piggy nose at her as he looked between her and the wolf head that was now bleeding all over his counter. ¡°¡®n just whut do yeh expect me to do wid¡¯at, ey?¡± he asked, pointing his butcher knife at it. ¡°Ain¡¯t e¡¯en skinned...¡± ¡°Not my problem, Orle,¡± Guin growled, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°You asked me for a wolf head, I got you a wolf head¡ªand it made a bloody mess along the way¡ªquite literally.¡± The look on his face wasn¡¯t one of pleasure and Orle the Butcher sniffed it skeptically. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fresh, I¡¯ll give yeh ¡®at,¡± he said, his face brightening up. Guin wanted to cringe at the image of a pig eating a wolf¡¯s head like it was cake, but so long as she was getting paid for it, she supposed she didn¡¯t care all that much. ¡°Fine¡¯en. Here¡¯s a silver fer fetchin¡¯ it¡ªdon¡¯t say Orle don¡¯t treat¡¯cha fair, now. If yeh find any more of these ¡®ere heads, pass ¡®em my way, and I¡¯ll give yeh a silver fer each.¡± With a ding in her ear, the notification for [Quest Completion: A Jikak Delicacy] came up, staying visible just long enough for her to read it before it faded. Guin took the silver, flipped it with her thumb, and caught it midair. ¡°Thanks, Orle! By the way, do you have any jerky for sale?¡± After trading her newly earned silver piece for a good week''s worth of emergency rations, she walked down the merchant street of Miala De Ri with a skip in her step. She may not have slept well, but she had to admit that just seeing the blue sky and the green trees managed to clear her head, even if it was virtual reality. Her entry into the main game had been similar to her entry into the tutorial; she started in an instanced room that served as her base and was given a quest to start her off. Based on her chosen profession of ¡®scribe,¡¯ her housing was provided by the Bone Quill Scribes Guild, which also served as her first contact. After settling in, she¡¯d managed to explore the city and pick up quests here and there, earning herself a living and getting a few levels under her belt. It was slower going than she expected, but it wasn¡¯t a bad pace. They certainly made players work for their progression. After finishing with Orle, the last thing on her list was to turn in the quest for her guild. I should hit level 8 with that, she thought to herself as she glanced at her experience bar. With that, it was possible that she could hit level ten by bedtime. Then she could finally take on the quest attached to her cloak. As she walked along the streets of the city, she took in all the sights and sounds the place had to offer, even as early as it was. She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that the server was still busy at five AM. It wasn¡¯t as crowded as it could be, but City of the Dead or not¡ªthe marketplace of Miala De Ri was plenty full of life, with all the people around busy bartering and gossiping alike. ¡°Novice Chef selling low-level foods!¡± A young man waved a loaf of bread in the air. ¡°Bread for two coppers, Roast Rabbit, five coppers, Grilled Wolf Steaks, eight coppers each! If you fancy some meat sticks, we got those too! Three coppers a piece!¡± ¡°Repairing low-level white gear for just five coppers for each piece!¡± A player shouted, twirling his hammer in his hand. With a grin, he winked at some passed ladies. ¡°All my bangin¡¯ jokes free of charge!¡± ¡°Potions! Healing Pots, HoT Pots, Mana Pots¡ªget all your pots here!¡± A young tivarys girl called out excitedly. ¡°Never go adventuring without at least one kind of pot!¡± A small, brightly colored garuli next to her was shaking its head with a worried expression and tugging on her robe. Guin walked over to the Chef and bought a good amount of bread and multiple rabbits. Though she had the cooking skill herself, she hadn¡¯t found much time to cultivate it. I¡¯ll have to get around to it soon, she thought, handing the man his owed coppers. At least it was almost the weekend, where she could play to her heart''s content. The classes she had to take had cut into her time more than she had expected, and Stella and Bahena usually demanded a good few hours of her day for chores and socialization. Stella decided that they should eat together once a day to bond as roommates and wouldn¡¯t rest until Dassah agreed. Bahena didn¡¯t seem to mind; among the three, she was the least dedicated to the game. As long as she put in the required forty hours a week, she was far more interested in other things. ¡°Do you have anything light I can munch on on the go?¡± Guin asked him as she placed her purchases in her bag. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Just one will do.¡± He pulled out some kind of meat on a stick. ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing it to her. ¡°Since you bought so much, take it on the house. If you ever need any food, you can find me by the name TonkastuMan!¡± He struck a pose. ¡°All right!¡± Guin chuckled and added his name to a note file she had started keeping when the names and data became too much. Munching on her meat stick as she walked, she read some of the flyers that had ended up trampled on the stone of the pathway. City news, patch updates, and various faces of PKers were written up and sketched out for everyone to read. Nothing of terrible interest to Guin as she went on her way, humming until she came to the two-story stone house with the sign that read ¡®The Bone Quill Scribes.¡¯ ¡°Hmm...?¡± Guin went, observing a little gremlin toying with the sign causing it to rock back and forth with a terrible screeching sound. ¡°And just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± she asked it. The little creature ignored her. Growling, she finished what was left of her snack and took out her spear. ¡°Hey. Hey you,¡± Guin said, poking the creature gently. It looked between her and the spearhead in shock. ¡°That¡¯s right, I can see you. You¡¯d better get lost before the Head Scribe finds you out here. She can see you, too!¡± Large ears going flat against its head, it hissed at her and began biting and clawing at the spear. Guin flipped the spear around so she could knock it off with the shaft. ¡°Get. Down,¡± she told it forcefully as it scrambled to attach itself to her spear, continuously biting and scratching at it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± She had taken considerable measures to keep her reputation up with the creatures of the Veil. Killing even one of them would cause more loss than was worth it. Staring at it with one eye twitching, Guin sighed. ¡°Liorax... Get rid of this thing, please.¡± In a flash of green light, the large blue-grey cat spirit with wide, unblinking eyes appeared, gazing into hers. ¡°Shall I kill it?¡± he asked, giving her a toothy grin. Setting her mouth into a firm frown, she answered: ¡°No.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°How disappointing,¡± the cat sighed, though it did not lose its grin. ¡°Well. A little torture should be fine...¡± It lazily floated over to the gremlin and chomped down on its head. ¡°Liorax!¡± Guin shouted. The cat looked at her, pulling the struggling gremlin off the shaft of her spear. ¡°Mrph mph-fmmf,¡± he went as he floated over to her with a proud expression on his face. Harbinger of Death; what nonsense, Guin thought with a scowl. He was just another cat bringing her a present she never ever wanted. ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± Guin told him. ¡°Just put it on the ground.¡± But Liorax was not having it, floating up to her face again¡ª so close that the gremlin nearly scratched her in desperation. Growling, she put her hand out and grabbed the little creature¡¯s legs. ¡°...thing is gonna give me rabies or something....¡± she groaned as the cat released it. Head covered in saliva, it screeched at her in some language that wasn¡¯t translated and tried to wiggle out of her grasp. Liorax floated up to its face, and the gremlin froze in her hand, its ears back against its head. ¡°Oh, but it does look delicious...¡± the cat said, licking his lips. ¡°If I cannot kill it, can I eat it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Guin asked, annoyed. She should have known it would go this way. ¡°Not if you consider the creature as cattle,¡± Liorax told her reasonably as his eyes sparkled. ¡°It would be like... milk!¡± ¡°Just let it be for now,¡± Guin told him. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some milk instead?¡± The cat spirit floated up to her eye level with happy eyes. ¡°That shall do, half-Che. That shall do.¡± Guin knelt and let the gremlin go about... whatever it was, gremlins did. I suppose it¡¯s just going to make a mess somewhere else. ¡°Such a waste,¡± reflected Liorax, watching the gremlin speed into an alleyway. ¡°Now. Where is my milk?¡± ¡°Later,¡± Guin said, patting him on the head. ¡°For now, just buff me with something Presence related so I can go turn my quest into the Head Scribe without her completely ignoring me.¡± ¡°Such is the way of the Veil-kind,¡± Liorax noted. ¡°You become more like us every day!¡± Before Guin could retort, he disappeared and turned into a buff that gave her a +10% bonus to her Presence stat. A small bell chimed as she entered the quiet building of the Bone Quill scribes. Passed the entry was a long, carpeted room filled with desks and books and scribes scribbling away at one document or another like a scene from Charles Dickens ¡®A Christmas Carol.¡¯ Taking a deep breath, Guin allowed herself to feel a sense of calm. The familiar scents of dust and parchment filled the air, giving it a classic, scholarly feeling. It put her at ease almost as much as the sounds of the scribe¡¯s quills scratching against the paper did. An old, wizened woman sitting at a large mahogany desk at the far end of the room looked up at her over the rims of her glasses. Guin bowed, then walked toward her. Bowing again, she said, ¡°Greetings, Head Scribe.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve brought what I¡¯ve asked you for, I trust?¡± the old woman said in her stern voice. ¡°I have,¡± Guin said, pulling out a tray of [Vials of Wolf Blood]. Without changing her tone, the Head Scribe said, ¡°Excellent. Argor will be pleased¡ªthough heaven knows why he insists on putting blood in his ink. Gastly character. Here, some silver for your trouble.¡±
<<[Quest Completed: Argor¡¯s Ink]>> <>
¡°Thank you, Head Scribe,¡± Guin bowed in response, happy to see she was one step closer to level ten. The old woman looked her over. ¡°I know what you are,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°You¡¯re like me.¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°You can see into the Veil,¡± she said. Guin looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it¡ªat least not from me,¡± the Head Scribe scoffed. ¡°I saw you out there, dealing with the gremlin. Those things may be worse than rodents, but they are still of the Veil. But you know that it seems. You¡¯ve hidden the one who haunts you well.¡± ¡°Master...¡± Guin fidgeted. One of the things Guin found most surprising about the main game was how bad the discrimination was towards those with Viel sight. She supposed she should have expected it, given Pastor Jormud¡¯s stories, but it was still alarming. Though it seemed that, among all of the starting cities, Miala De Ri was the least critical of those who possessed Veil sight, that did not mean she would be safe within its walls. The Head Scribe was quite famous for her veil abilities, often serving as a medium in town should the occasion call for it, but even she received her fair share of criticism for it. ¡°Oh, relax. I¡¯m not accusing you of anything. Nor am I about to tell you to go running in the streets talking about spirits and monsters and ghosts and whatnot,¡± the old woman said, taking off her glasses and putting them down on the desk. ¡°No. Rather, I have a mission for you.¡± ¡°A mission?¡± A Veil quest? Guin wondered. The Head Scribe pulled out a letter with the seal of the Imperial Church. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, handing the letter to Guin. ¡°The High Priest of our Cathedral of the Lady sent me this letter the other day, going on about some carvings or inscriptions in the catacombs that he claims are now glowing. Apparently, that¡¯s never happened before¡ªI¡¯ve certainly never heard of such a thing, but there you are. I have no time to see these ruins, and I¡¯ve seen through your work that you have some artistic talent. As it happens, we also require some ingredients found in the catacombs; I thought I might send you on that mission too. What say you?¡±
<<>> <<[Quest Offered: The Glowing Carvings]>> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)> <<>>
<<>> <<[Quest Offered: Dust and Essence]>> [Bone Dust] - 0 of 100 [Spectral Essence] - 0 of 100 [Death Moss] - 0 of 100> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)> <<>>
¡°I accept!¡± Guin exclaimed¡ªperhaps with a bit too much enthusiasm as the people in the otherwise quiet room all looked up at her in annoyance. ¡°S-Sorry,¡± she said. Glaring in disapproval, the Head Scribe put her glasses back on. ¡°Excellent. Then, off you go. All the information is in there. Watch out for that priest, though; he won¡¯t like that I didn¡¯t personally take time out of my day to go into his den of mold and bones.¡± ¡°Thank you, Head Scribe!¡± Guin bowed. As she left the Bone Quill Scribes, she patted the furry head on the shoulder of her fox skin cloak. Here¡¯s to a new adventure, little brother! Guin ran back to the market, repaired her gear, and bought some potions. The Catacombs were known to be a massive dungeon that ran under the entire city. She¡¯d have her work cut out for her! But before she could go much further, her work alarm went off. Chapter 54 The apartment was still blessedly quiet when she got out of the pod. She managed to get herself dressed and ready for her class without trouble. She¡¯d given herself enough time to get another cup of coffee before heading to the monorail. ¡°Oh!¡± a peppy voice came as Dassah heard the door slam. ¡°I smell coffee! Dassah, darling! Awake already?¡± Stella called as she came down the stairs. Dressed in a bright yellow dress under a light robin¡¯s egg blue coat, she was as well put together as ever. ¡°Hey,¡± Dassah said, looking her over. Apparently, she¡¯d had a very busy night ¡°Your hair...?¡± ¡°Marvelous, isn¡¯t it? Matches my character,¡± Stella said, her now curly, brightly colored hair over her shoulder and throwing her pastel pink purse over to her chair. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it brings out the color of my eyes?¡± Smirking, Dassah shrugged. ¡°You are definitely colorful,¡± she told her roommate, who pouted at her with perfect purple lips. ¡°You don¡¯t like it, do you?¡± ¡°I like it just fine,¡± said Dassah. ¡°Coffee?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± ¡°Black?¡± ¡°Like my soul!¡± Stella answered with a loving smile, flashing very white teeth that stood out against her dark skin. Dassah handed her her cup and started sipping on her own. She tried to head back to her desk, but Stella went, ¡°Uh uh uh,¡± and grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Let me look at you. You woke up early, and you still look like you¡¯ve through the wringer. What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Oh, leave it,¡± Dassah shrugged her hand off and went to her desk. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just haven¡¯t been sleeping well.¡± ¡°You need to fall in love,¡± Stella told her as she followed. ¡°Being in love is what makes a woman a woman!¡± ¡°This, coming from a girl who falls in and out of love at least three times a week,¡± Dassah grunted as she sat and warmed her hands with her mug. ¡°Why do you think I am so beautiful?¡± ¡°I am just fine as I am. Why are you bringing this up again?¡± Stella grinned mischievously. ¡°Because!¡± ¡°I hate it when you do that,¡± Dassah told her. The young woman bit her lower lip, hiding a smile. She¡¯s definitely up to something, Dassah growled internally and changed the subject. ¡°Still level fifteen in the game?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± the young woman snapped her fingers. ¡°Sixteen, now,¡± she said. ¡°How are you doing? Need help leveling? I don¡¯t want to level too much until you and Hena catch up!¡± That¡¯s right, Dassah twitched. Bahena has also started playing. ¡°A-Ahh,¡± she went, trying¡ª badly¡ªto mask her unease at the prospect by hiding behind her mug. ¡°It could have something to do with the fact that she¡¯s a giant hulk of a dinosaur...¡± Stella frowned. ¡°I thought you were getting better with that? Weren¡¯t you just patting yourself on the back for talking to that garule on the train? It¡¯s just Bahena we are talking about - you know her; she wouldn¡¯t do anything to hurt you!¡± ¡°I know...¡± Sighing, Dassah thought back to the conversation with Sathuren. Not that Dassah had told Stella that the garule on the train was Sathuren; she¡¯d latch on to it and run when Dassah was barely ready to crawl. That brief moment in which she managed to choke down her fears long enough to talk to him voluntarily was like a shining beacon of hope in an otherwise dismal landscape. ¡°You know what? It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dassah said resolutely. ¡°I just started a martial arts class, too. I got this.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! You can do it!¡± Stella cheered. Dassah smiled and sipped at her coffee. ¡°...Why are you leering?¡± she asked her friend when she could no longer ignore her stare. ¡°I got you a present!¡± Stella told her. With dread filling her head, Dassah went, ¡°Oh?¡± and drank more coffee. ¡°Squeee!¡± she started dancing a little and then leaned forward and grabbed Dassah¡¯s hand. ¡°I got you a date!¡± The coffee that was in Dassah¡¯s mouth flew all over her the island kitchen island¡ªluckily missing anything of importance as she looked up at her friend. ¡°You did what!¡± ¡°I did! And he¡¯s super cute!¡± Stella told her excitedly. ¡°Valkyrian. I don¡¯t know what his mystriks he has yet, but¡ª ¡° ¡°Stop!¡± Dassah shouted and put her hand up. ¡°I never asked you to do that!¡± Not that she should have been surprised she did. The sparkle in Stella¡¯s eyes faded a little bit. ¡°You¡¯ll go, won¡¯t you? It will be good for you! I really think¡ª¡± ¡°Stella!¡± Dassah could hear how tense her voice was. She licked her lips and looked down at her keyboard. Taking a deep breath, she settled herself down. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have hair like you, does he?¡± Squealing in her excitement, Stella exclaimed, ¡°I knew you would come around! Listen, he¡¯s the friend of one of my girlfriends, and he works at...¡± With her eyes turning bright and cheerful again, Stella launched into the life history of a stranger Dassah would now be forced to meet, lest her best friend be disappointed.
Dassah gripped her usual monorail bar by the door and fought the urge to bang her head on it after the conversation she¡¯d barely escaped from with Stella. She looked up and down the car, trying to lie to herself about the fact that she harbored some hope of seeing Sathuren appear. Her eyes lingered a little too long on a garule of a similar grey color who returned her gaze with fierce curiosity before she turned away. Yet another day on the ¡®berg. She was getting used to it, but she wasn¡¯t quite... there yet. She rubbed her chest as she felt the weight of the flurry of what-ifs that started running through her head as if her conscience were a non-stop train she was standing just a bit too close to as it passed. With a deep breath, she turned toward the center of the car, where a holo screen was running the regular morning programs, and connected her receiver to the monorail telecast with a tap on her WristComp. Pretending to watch the news, she glanced around the car. The absence of the garule allowed her heart to settle a little down, if only because it allowed her to shoot down her hope with pessimism. There was still the usual large, drooling jikak with twitchy ears and a handful of the other species surrounding her that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Calm down, Das. Don¡¯t be stupid. She let herself smile a bit as she saw the familiar, gleeful face of the little garule girl strangling her chicken doll under her mother''s disapproving gaze. Instincts aside, even Dassah had to admit that she cared far more about them than they did about her. As if on cue, a happy song came through the micro-speaker implants in her ears, followed by a happy little cartoon on the holo screen. ¡°Welcome to the Ideala Iceberg Fleet!¡± An image of a valkyrian woman appeared, three blue mystriks shining brightly on her face. ¡°The Ideala Iceberg Flee is a magical place constructed to serve you: the scholars of the universe!¡± The woman was replaced with images of the man-made iceberg sheets that floated on the maroon waters of the Yidari ocean. It flipped to images of various university buildings, biodomes, and arenas that littered the landscape. ¡°Boasting a population of over two million scientists and scholars, the Ideala Fleet is a place for people to make their wildest dreams come true so that, as representatives of our respective peoples, we can share all our wisdom and knowledge throughout the galaxies, and collaborate on impossible projects! Work hard, scholars! Better our Universe!¡± With that bit of moral-boosting propaganda completed, it flipped back to the news. Dassah sighed. Wildest dreams, huh? More like the wildest nightmares. She still had three classes to sit through to get through the day¡ªand none of those classes would likely give her a reprieve from her feeling like... prey. Dassah shivered. All she wanted to do was crawl back into TheirWorld and stay there. Now that would be a dream come true. Chapter 55 ¡°Shit!¡± Dassah exclaimed, slamming the butt end of her staff on the floor to keep herself from falling. While there was a lot of pent-up frustration she was more than happy to take out, this was actually making things worse. ¡°You almost had it,¡± the instructor told her in his sassy, amused voice. ¡°You know, if you practice like this for another hundred hours, you just might stop tripping over your own two feet!¡± ¡°Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Sensei,¡± she growled. He shrugged. ¡°Keep in mind I never supported this in the first place,¡± he told her, stroking his small triangular beard. ¡°What you really need is to learn to crawl before you try to walk. You may understand the concepts, but your body doesn¡¯t. You need to take a step back and build yourself up before jumping headfirst into... well, anything. My words are words to live by.¡± Breathing heavily, Dassah looked at herself in the dojo¡¯s mirror. Beads of sweat mingled with her hair, making her forehead shimmer in the bright lights. The moisture made her brown hair look black as it stuck to her skin. You can do this, Dassah, she told herself, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing. In, out. In, out. Keep your rhythm. ¡°Again!¡± Dassah said in a loud voice, standing back at the base position. She set the bottom of her staff at her foot and tucked it against her armpit. The instructor clapped once, and she began, settling herself into one stance after another. Horse. Cat. Horse. Bow. Spi- Shit! Spinning too fast, she lost her balance, and the room echoed with a snap! again as she used her staff to break her fall. Damn it! Why is this so hard? I can do it in the game... It wasn¡¯t hard for her to recognize that the fact she could do things so easily in TheirWorld was serving more as a detriment to her now than a help. The VRMMORPG may have been looked on favorably by the combat teams as a tool for mental training, but the nay-sayers were right, too; the lack of physical component attached to the game itself increased the chances that some stupid idiot would push themselves beyond their limits. ¡°Take a break,¡± the instructor said, waving over to a table by the window. ¡°We can try again in a few.¡± Sighing, Dassah walked over to her bag and pulled out her water bottle. Tired hands fumbling to undo the cap, she looked at the lavender sky outside the window and wondered why she was even there. Am I really putting myself through this shit just to get better at a video game? She scoffed at herself, staring out over the city¡¯s hex blocks as they floated like lily pads on a golden sea. This place was more like a game than TheirWorld was. Who was she kidding? She was just a human in an alien world. As she leaned back against the table, her eyes flickered around the dojo, filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes. A jikak doing yoga. A tivarys grappling with an earar. And then there were the garule. Dassah felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as she watched them fight, their muscles rippling as they moved. Their claws and teeth were exposed and at the ready as they circled one another. Her eyes lingered a moment on one of them, standing off to the side. It was a familiar face to her now, but still intimidating: Sathuren. With watchful golden-orange eyes, he surveyed the room himself. It¡¯s been more of a shock than it should have been; the fact that they had seen each other so often on the monorail indicated that they probably lived in the same ward¡ªor at least, traveled there often enough. The real problem was that Dassah couldn¡¯t tell if she was happy to see the man or not. Biting at the skin around her fingernails, she wondered what the chances were that she would end up at the same dojo as he did. Worse, it seemed he was an instructor. Not hers, thankfully, but it was still a presence that made her uneasy. She had already made a fool of herself multiple times in front of him¡ªbut now, not only did she probably come off as a stalker, she might as well be advertising herself as extra stupid and weak. Her thoughts drifted to the dream she had woken up to that morning. The dream had been of TheirWorld and the complex tutorial that made her question herself numerous times¡ªeven until the end, and something about the dragon reminded her of garule. Why dream of dying by a dragon, stupid subconscious? She didn¡¯t need any more reasons to fear them. I should just leave, Dassah thought, gripping her staff tight. For all the confidence she tried to put up, the feeling that she was intruding on someone else¡¯s territory crept through her bones, eating away at her. How stupid, a more mature, logical version of her inner voice growled at her. You never learn, do you? Dassah bowed as the instructor walked over. ¡°Ishida Sensei.¡± The instructor looked her over. ¡°Your face tells me that you are ready to give up and try it my way?¡± His voice sounded hopeful, if not convinced. Dassah leveled her eyes at him and hesitated. Her gaze flickered back over to the garule. Would she surrender? No, that inner voice decided. Do not settle for being ¡®prey.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m ready to try again,¡± she told him, taking the staff and spinning it over the back of her hand a couple of times. ¡°Show me again.¡± Ishida Sensei sighed and said, ¡°Fine. Watch.¡± The instructor performed a set of movements again, and Dassah watched on carefully. When he was finished, Dassah stepped out and took a deep, focused on her breath. With her staff in hand, she attempted¡ªonce again¡ªto repeat his movements. And again, she failed. She looked at herself in the mirror as her legs gave out with her motivation. Why was she doing this to herself? Give up, Dassah, a different, more timid-sounding voice told her. You don¡¯t need to do this. You¡¯ll probably just abandon it by next week anyway. ¡°Your flow is wrong. Your stances need work.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Thoughts interrupted, Dassah started to look up, then shrank back as her eyes caught the sight of sharp, translucent claws attached to grey feathered feet. Standing tall with his long neck arching, the garuli man looked at her expectantly, but Dassah could only gape at him stupidly. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Your Horse Stance. It¡¯s sloppy,¡± Sathuren told her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Pretty Little Lady there is saying that the way you stand is shit,¡± the instructor informed her, crossing his arms. The garuli man gave him a sideways glance and, with his long serpentine tail whipping out, tripped him. ¡°Your stance is shit too, dumbass,¡± he told him in his thick, parrot-like accent as his tail wrapped up around his own shoulder. ¡°Call me that again. I dare you.¡± ¡°I deserved that,¡± Ishida Sensei said, rubbing his butt. ¡°But, I¡¯ve been telling her all along...¡± Tilting his feathered head as he looked Dassah over, the garule asked, ¡°You do know what a Horse Stance is, right?¡± ¡°Oh, she knows,¡± the instructor pointed out and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure her blank stare has nothing to do with the question. Look how small she¡¯s managed to make herself!¡± The garule held out her clawed hand. Dassah eyed it wearily, following it as it moved around, right to left, and then in a circle. ¡°Hmm,¡± she heard him go as he retracted it. ¡°I see.¡± At her words, Dassah turned back to her reflection in the mirror. It was pitiful. Deep shame washed over her as she stood and looked down. ¡°S-Sorry,¡± she murmured. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± ¡°...And this is the girl who so blatantly asked me what a sutak was,¡± the garuli sighed, looking her over. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t figured that out yet, either, have you?¡± Dassah could only stand there, the remains of her confidence washing away like a sand castle built too close to the waves. Ishida Sensei, on the other hand, was not so quiet. ¡°She did what?¡± he laughed. ¡°Oh boy, are you barking up the wrong tree, kid.¡± ¡°Nevermind,¡± Sathuren scowled. ¡°Get into Horse Stance.¡± Dassah looked at her in mild shock as he took Ishida Sensei¡¯s staff away and tripped him with it. ¡°You,¡± Sathuren said, pointing to Dassah as the instructor on the ground cursed. ¡°Horse Stance.¡± Dassah positioned her legs and staff, but even she could tell it was off. She tried to fix it, but nothing she did seemed to work. The garule circled her. ¡°Spread your feet further apart and point both of them forward to start¡ªno, too far; there,¡± he instructed. ¡°Your thighs should be parallel to the floor; try to keep your weight towards your toes...¡± With the staff, she pushed Dassah¡¯s legs down. ¡°Lower... Lower... Don¡¯t lean forward¡ª ¡± she prodded Dassah¡¯s shoulders, pushing them back. ¡°Keep your back arched; maintain your center of balance¡ªthere! Remember how this feels.¡± Dassah looked at her form in the mirror and closed her eyes, trying to absorb how it felt in her real body compared to her virtual one. Ishida sighed, ¡°Do you have to encourage her?¡± ¡°She¡¯d only hurt herself if she kept the way she was going,¡± the garule said. ¡°You should know better, Ishida.¡± ¡°I was trying to get her to go back to the basics,¡± the instructor whined. Dassah heard Sathuren growl again, and looked up just in time to see him jab the back of the instructor¡¯s knee, causing him to fall to the ground. Dassah stifled a laugh as he exclaimed, ¡°Ahh! Why do you keep bullying me?¡± Snorting at him, the garule turned her attention back to Dassah. ¡°Good. Now, shift into Bow Stance. Keep your center of balance and your body steady.¡± Dassah did as she was instructed. ¡°Now, practice the turn¡ªslowly. It¡¯s less of a free spin and more of a controlled, calculated turn. Take it step by step,¡± the garule instructed. ¡°Hmm,¡± she went. ¡°Stop. Ishida, demonstrate¡ªslowly.¡± Ishida Sensei didn¡¯t question the garuli¡¯s order¡ªprobably, Dassah snickered because he didn¡¯t want to end up on the ground again. ¡°Now, together,¡± the garuli instructed. Dassah watched the instructor in the mirror as she moved. ¡°Good. Now. Try your little routine again. Watch yourself.¡± Starting at attention and moving from one stance to another, she thrust her staff and pulled it back at the appropriate times; her heart started beating with excitement. With her turn, she finished and returned her staff to a resting position. ¡°Yes!¡± Dassah shouted and jumped with a laugh. The others in the room who had been watching the lesson laughed and clapped with her. Blushing, Dassah bowed to the room a couple of times before they went back to their activities. Sathuren clapped, his tail loosely wrapped around her feet. ¡°Good job,¡± he said. ¡°Now tell me. What have you learned?¡± Dassah blinked at her and looked down. ¡°Stances are important?¡± ¡°Stances are tools,¡± the garuli told her. ¡°Fundamentals. You cannot read without properly learning letters, and you cannot correctly perform any martial art without properly learning the stances and pillars it¡¯s based on. On the other hand, if you master those fundamentals well, you can apply them to any number of things¡ªnot just to a single art, as it appears you have in mind.¡± The instructor whistled. ¡°Pretty Little Lady, you are the best!¡± he said, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°You like the ground, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me, Master.¡± The garuli only grunted in response. Feeling both proud and ashamed of herself at once, Dassah nodded. ¡°I suppose I may have... underestimated things a bit.¡± ¡°Is it because of TheirWorld?¡± Ishida asked, sounding bored. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t think you¡¯re the first to come here demanding to be taught one style or another. People are so desperate to be ¡®heroes¡¯ in a video game. It¡¯s amazing, really.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s not really...¡± Dassah started, but she had no better answer to it, either. She may not have desired to be a hero, but her motivations to learn weren¡¯t exactly... good. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what those people came for,¡± Sathuren said. ¡°People have different reasons for learning things; and people find different things when they learn. It is the way of life.¡± The instructor gave him a distasteful look. ¡°How... You.¡± Sathuren eyed him in annoyance as Dassah bowed. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and stood straight. ¡°...Before... I am sorry if I offended you.¡± The instructor pointed at his face in confusion, but Sathuren answered: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just remember why you¡¯re here. Or, the reason you should be here,¡± he said. ¡°This is not a place for you to bumble about waiting for answers. This is a place where you must seek answers to your questions on your own. Coming here was a choice you made in order to learn; for that, you were rewarded for that effort with being taught. I hope you will make similar decisions in the future. I suppose, then, I shall see you tomorrow.¡± With that, Sathuren returned to the instructor his staff, and went off with a curt nod. ¡°...We aren¡¯t open on Fridays?¡± Ishida Sensei said, confused. ¡°I am assuming he¡¯s going to see his sister tomorrow,¡± Dassah said. ¡°She¡¯s my roommate.¡± ¡°Oh. Well. That explains a lot,¡± he said, looking at his watch. ¡°It seems our lesson is over?¡± Dassah nodded. ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I guess next time, we will try things your way?¡± Smiling, Ishida Sensei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it!¡± As she handed him her staff, Dassah spared a look for the grey garule. She distrusted the species in general, but there was something about him that made her feel a little more... at ease. Maybe it¡¯s because their interactions had been largely positive¡ªand maybe living with Bahena was helping, too. Maybe I can overcome my fear of them after all, she thought to herself as she gathered her things. ¡°See you!¡± she waved to the instructor. ¡°Otsukare.¡± Leaving the building with a grin, she found herself ready to return to a world where she was infinitely more capable. Chapter 56 In Miala De Ri, the Cathedral of the Lady dominated the cityscape. While not the most impressive of its kind she¡¯d ever seen, Guin could have spent hours admiring the structure¡¯s rich simplicity. Dark, marbled stone gleamed in the dim light of the cloudy day, covered in thick swaths of creeping vines with bright green leaves and small red flowers. Double doors set within a three-tiered archivolt were carved with a floral pattern. It framed an intricate tympanum containing a statue of The Lady. Her gracefully carved form sat among a garden of real and sculpted flora, holding a single, painted flower of red in her hand. Wings outstretched toward the city, her eyes were focused upon all those who would cross the threshold of her holy domain. Two clerics dressed in white robes stood at either side of the entry. Their heads were down, hidden underneath hoods lined with green and red embroidery. They kept so still that Guin doubted they were people at all¡ªbut people they were. Silent, each holding a single red flower in the palms of their open hands. The only evidence of life was the moving of their mouths in silent prayer, invisible from afar. Under the gaze of The Lady on high, Guin observed the statue over the door. Constructed of a lighter stone than that of the building, she stood out. Time and exposure to the elements had caused eroded her smooth form and allowed moss to fill in cracks and gaps, covering her with a velvety cloak of green. The expression on the carved woman¡¯s face reminded her of the Mona Lisa back on Earth. What secrets lay behind that smile? It was warm, yet distant, as were her eyes. Something warm and wet fell upon Guin¡¯s cheek, but she did not move to brush it off. Her eyes went wide as she saw the statue of the woman who resembled an angel seem to come alive in a flash of light. Though subtle, its expression changed. Her smile turned down ever so slightly, and her eyes narrowed as if grimacing from pain as a single tear-stained streak traced to her chin. From her wings, red feathers fell, spiraling like flower petals, falling ever so slowly down to the world below... Red feathers? Blinking, Guin wiped the droplet off her cheek. Thunder rolled in the distance. Rain began to speckle the roads with a dark, polka-dot pattern. The scent of the storm was carried in on a heavy, humid breeze, scattering petals from the red flowers of the cathedral into chaos. The statue was a statue again, pale marble covered in a bit of moss; the only red, the flower in its hand, her expression peaceful. It was then her body reminded her to breathe, and it was then she shook her head. With deep, staggering breaths, she rubbed the gooseflesh off her arms, calling herself back to her senses. Chuckling at her own reaction to the storm, she marveled at the game¡¯s natural change in the weather. She held her hand out and let the warm droplets run over her skin. It had been a long time since she had felt the rain. So long since she had heard the sound of thunder. The valkyrians controlled too much. Closing her eyes and leaning against the cathedral¡¯s doorframe, she listened to the pitter-patter as the clouds opened to a downpour. An involuntary smile stretched across her face as she listened to the players and townsfolk laugh as they ran for cover. Thunder rolled in the distance. Thick scents of earth incense wafted through the open doors, beckoning her inside where it was warm and dry. Tearing herself away, she looked within. She still had work to do. The narthex was lit with a half dozen large candelabras of twisted iron and a pair of intricate stained glass windows. Firelight flickered against the glass, bringing the images of angels and dragons and all manner of creatures to life. For a brief moment, Guin wondered about the stories contained in those glass panels but she had other things to focus on. The narthex opened to a nave, which, save for the great, vaulted ceiling, was otherwise modest in both construction and decoration. There were no carvings or evidence of wealth, which made what it did have all the more impressive. Red and white tapestries hung from the inner railings of narrow aisles that ran along the second floor. Monks and nuns diligently prayed in individual, boxed pews while a choir at the front sang soft hymns. A great organ of mahogany and gold caused the air within the building to reverberate with a hallowed air with every note the organist played. There were others there, as well; NPCs of various statuses, and player characters speaking to priests and priestesses off to the side. Some players were looking for groups there, while some groups were looking for players, but they all were seeking to explore or finish specific quests and dungeons in the extensive labyrinth that was the Catacombs. Checking her quests, she listened to players ranging from levels 10 to 25 advertising for parties. Only being level 8 was sure to be a problem. Her quests may have a difficulty level of ¡®C¡¯ for her current level, but that wouldn¡¯t take the dungeon''s whole zone features into consideration. Without a group, there was a very high chance that those elements could easily overwhelm her Before anything, she needed to find the High Priest before. Scanning the room, her eyes fell on a large, rotund man standing by the choir. Dressed in red and gold silks, he stood out against the sea of white robes that were shuffling around. His hand rested on a scepter with a blue orb encased in a molded gold setting¡ªone of the few things in this room that hinted at any sort of prosperity. When Guin approached, he looked at her with small, beady little blue eyes that she decided she didn¡¯t like. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Guin said. ¡°Would you be the High Priest?¡± ¡°I am,¡± he confirmed, his voice deep and bellowing. ¡°And who might you be?¡± Bowing curtly, she said, ¡°My name is Guin Grey, and I have come on behalf of the Head Scribe. She has sent me with the intention of entering the Catacombs to inspect a certain glowing inscription¡ª ¡° ¡°What nonsense is this!¡± he huffed, slamming his scepter on the floor, sending out a loud crack! that made the whole room look up in shock. His face turned red as he looked her over. After waiting for the room to lose interest in them, he muttered through his teeth: ¡°I asked that wretched woman to come to me herself! Who is she to deny me and sent this... you¡ªgirl!¡ªinstead! Just how many of her insults should I withstand before¡ªbefore¡ª!¡± ¡°Please, milord, contain yourself,¡± Guin told him flatly, unimpressed by his manner. ¡°Allow me to offer my apologies for not being clear. I have merely been sent ahead of her to record and report that the head scribe may research the matter before surveying it herself. I am sure no insult was intended.¡± Not that she would have been surprised if that¡¯s exactly what the Head Scribe had intended after seeing this man¡¯s behavior. The High Priest licked his lips and smacked them together as he shoved his hands behind his back and stood ever taller to look down upon her. ¡°What rubbish,¡± he spat. ¡°It¡¯s preposterous! I know exactly what kind of woman the Head scribe is¡ªand you would do well to recognize it before she tempts you into a sin that you cannot recover from. May the Lady protect and guide you from folly! The woman is a devil, making demons of unwitting youth!¡± ¡°Be that as it may...¡± she started, not wanting to indulge in his pointless tangent. ¡°The Catacombs are a sacred place, filled with history and holiness!¡± he explained, his tone making his annoyance clear. ¡°Those inscriptions are a history, a mythology! A story left behind by those long passed to remind us of our roots! It takes years of study even to begin to comprehend the markings! You cannot even imagine! The depths of knowledge, the art, the mastery! And the Head Scribe sends me... you.¡± Patience waning, Guin told him, ¡°The Head Scribe sent me because I was the best qualified at hand to understand the inscriptions and treat them with such dignity as they deserve. Aside from the fact that I can see that which others cannot, I am no novice in the studies of iconography. Rest assured that I will do no harm to such prized historical artifacts.¡± Though he eyed her unhappily, he said, ¡°If any harm should come to those was, know that you shall pay a heavy price indeed.¡± May your punishment be fair and just, my lord,¡± Guin curtseyed, half tempted to scratch them a little just to piss him off. Not that she would; the value of the art weighed far more heavily on her mind than the value of his insult, but the thought of his angry face pleased her. ¡°Fine,¡± he surrendered, pulling out a key from the sleeve of his robe and holding it in the air. ¡°This key shall allow you to enter the Catacombs. I give you fair warning, however: there is more than just dust and bones running underneath the city. Miala De Ri is the City of the Dead, a name not given lightly. Passed those mighty gates that hold the darkness at bay is a place of ancient magic, from which the Lady protects us with her Light, a blessing that will not follow you into the depths. The curse runs deep in the bones of Uldarin, as it has in all the memory of time.¡± He held the key out to her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. But as she went to take it, he held it firmly, leaning over and meeting her eyes with crazed ones, speaking to her in a desperate whisper: ¡°I know who you are, Candidate! And if I know, they shall know! Take heed! Stay no longer than you must; trust no more than you dare. The Tenmath are on the move; they seek the Heart, but you must remain hidden from them! Follow the path set before you, and gather the willing to your side! Heal the corruption of this land, and seek the crown of Heart! You, and you alone, can free us, Candidate!¡± Guin fell back a few steps as he let go, clutching the key to her quickly beating heart as the High Priest stood back in his noble stature. Shivers ran down her spine as she stared at him. Though it had only been a few days since she had left the tutorial, she felt it had been ages since someone had called her ¡®Candidate.¡¯ Clearing his throat, the High Priest said, ¡°While you are down there, you should take the opportunity to clear out some of the pests. One of them ran off with a very important key of mine; Find it before you return, would you? You¡¯ll know it when you see it. It¡¯s a job you are much more... Suited to, I am sure.¡±
<<>> [The Rodents Below] [Mice Slain] - 0 of 100 [Rats Slain] - 0 of 100 [Gremlins Slain] - 0 of 10 [Lost Key] - 0 of 1 This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
¡°Y-Yes, of course,¡± she nodded meekly. ¡°By the way, before I forget,¡± he went on with a wave of his hand. ¡°To find the inscriptions, you must follow the bones. Always follow the bones. The more bones, the better. Do try not to fall prey to the dead, lest you become one of them yourself.¡± Though his face was firmly set into a disapproving frown, he seemed sincere enough that she allowed herself to dislike him a little less. As she walked away, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of mess she had gotten herself into. Chapter 57 Outside, the storm still raged. As she stood in the narthex, watching flashes of lightning through the stained glass windows and the open doors, her mind raced. ¡®Candidate.¡¯ The title swirled around her head; all her memories from the tutorial swirling through her mind like a box of old photographs that had spilled into a puddle, melting into the darkness. How could she have forgotten? Guin bit her lip. Every spirit she had met had called her that¡ªbut back then, it meant nothing. Back then, she scoffed. It was what, three days ago? Guin pulled up the quest that had been given to her. <> [Dusk Candidate (Fate Quest) (0 Points)] > <> Tsk-ing, she ripped a few hangnails off her fingers¡ªan action which, to both her great amusement and dismay, took off several of her health points. This was a quest destined to be a lifelong curse for someone like her, who liked confrontation even less than she liked garule. In fact, that was one reason why she didn¡¯t like the garule. She hugged her arms to her chest, burying her fingers as far away from her teeth as she could. In all likelihood, this quest was the reason she had gotten the Veil quest from the Head Scribe at all. There was no way to confirm it, of course, but she was well aware that, even excluding her negative traits, a [Presence] score as low as hers should have had a considerable effect on her relationships with NPCs in the Che realm. It was possible that because the Head Scribe could also see into the Veil, she had given her the quest based on her high [Spirit] stat, which replaced the [Presence] stat in the Veil realm, and her respective Veil traits¡ªbut the implication that the inscription quest was connected to her Tenmath Candidacy could not be ignored. What did he mean that ¡®the Tenmath were on the move¡¯? As far as she understood it, the Tenmath shouldn¡¯t care about the Candidates, only the Heart¡ªand the Heart was chosen from among the Tenmath themselves. Not that it mattered. She had no desire whatsoever to become a Tenmath, let alone the Heart. She just wanted to play the game. What, then, should she do? I really don¡¯t want to have to do PvP at all, she groaned internally. The reality she had to submit to was that it didn¡¯t matter what she wanted. ¡°No use crying over spilled milk...¡± she muttered. With a blink, she found herself face to face with her favorite floating cat. ¡°Milk?¡± Liorax went, a grin spreading from ear to ear. ¡°Why, yes. Yes, please.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you,¡± Guin scowled, poking his nose. With a purr, he brushed against her face, going, ¡°Milk!¡± ¡°Can it wait?¡± ¡°Can I curse you?¡± Growling, she rummaged through her inventory. ¡°I have jerky?¡± Liorax floated up to stick his wide eyes in her face. ¡°Milk!¡± ¡°It¡¯s raining,¡± she pointed out. ¡°And milk¡¯s not actually good for cats, you know?¡± He simply stared at her with great expectation. ¡°Fine,¡± she sighed and pulled out a paper and ink from her bag. In messy handwriting, she scrawled: Level 8 Scribe, LFG for Cats. PST, and sent it up into the air, where it would go to wherever the game felt the appropriate place was. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Pulling up the fox-headed hood of her fur cloak around her face, Guin ran into the rain outside, making her way out to the marketplace. Liorex, meanwhile, made a nest in her hair under her hood. Though she wasn¡¯t sure how happy she was to have been drenched, it wasn¡¯t a terrible detour. She was able to appease the Harbinger of Death¡¯s milk addiction and stocked up on that and a few other goods in preparation for her trip into the Catacombs. With Liorax happily lapping up a bowl of milk that was somehow magically balanced on her head, she stopped and got herself a shiny new dagger she saw as they passed the armory. She wasn¡¯t a fan of rouge-style combat, and she had the spear Jormund had given her, but she figured that having the small, flexible backup weapon on hand would bring far more good than harm. Just after she slid the dagger into her belt, a ding rang in her ears, and a message symbol appeared like a tattoo on her arm. Tapping brought it into focus in a small window similar to a WristComp screen. She read: ¡®Hi there! I¡¯m Athariel Goldfeather! I am forming a party for the Cats! We have a group of three right now, and we are waiting on a few responses. It¡¯s first come, first serve, so please reply if you are still looking for a party!¡¯ Guin quickly responded, and a party invite popped up. When she accepted it, three names and character images popped up to the left-hand side of her line of sight; Athariel Goldfeather¡¯s portrait took the leadership position at the top, followed by a serious-looking bald man with the name ¡®Zen,¡¯ and the image of a blue and orange garule named ¡®TeaforaDragon¡¯. A video screen with the image of a blonde-haired, brown-eyed valkyrian woman with green mystriks freckling her face came up. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m Athariel!¡± The woman said with an elegant voice. ¡°You should be able to see us on your map. We are in the back of the cathedral, in front of the dungeon entrance! Still waiting to hear from one more.¡± ¡°Okay, cool,¡± Guin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way in a few.¡± The woman nodded, and the video closed out. She ran back to the cathedral through the rain. Taking a moment to let the system dry her off before meeting up with the party, she took a minute to check her status and abilities.
<<>> <> <> <> <> <<>> Points to Spend: 10 <<>>
The progress of her stats had slowed considerably since she had left the tutorial. Her abilities had each gained a few levels, though it was becoming clear that there was no way she could level everything she learned. Only the abilities and skills that she used the most had any consistent progress; [Spirit Shield], [Dance], [Fox Form], [Trip], [Backstab], and [Spear - Strike] were her best abilities, each at level 8 or 9. Those were followed by the quickly growing [Magic Circle] and [Hymn of the Light], which had served invaluable to her while she quested alone. When she closed out her window, she saw another image appear in the team roster: a pure white garule by the name of Ibraxis Soulkeeper. Guin paused and nibbled on her fingernail as she looked at the portraits of the two garuli. What she had told Stella wasn¡¯t a lie; she was getting better¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean that she was entirely confident that she could accept them completely. Then again, she considered. ¡®Guin¡¯ and ¡®Dassah¡¯ aren¡¯t necessarily the same people... Coming to terms with her existence as a character, she made her way to the entrance where the party was waiting. When they came into view, she matched her portraits to their avatars. Athariel stood confidently, a few inches taller than Guin from the looks of it, dressed in greens and browns with a bow strung across her chest. She had a certain noble air about her that could have easily fit an image of a classic elvish archer. On Athariel¡¯s left was Zen, a lean young man who wasn¡¯t much taller than her. His lack of mystriks told Guin he was probably human, like herself. Much more of an imposing figure, he stood out in his bright orange shirt and loose, navy blue pants. His fists were wrapped in white cloth, and Guin guessed he was some sort of monk class. Standing at the other side of the elfish woman looking to be about Guin¡¯s height, was Teaforadragon. The blue and orange feathers of their scrawny bare chest were vibrant against the dull brown of the rest of their attire. They carried a short sword at his waist and a lyre on their back. Next to Zen was Ibraxis Soulkeeper. Their feathers were pristine, almost gleaming white, though much of their body was covered in colorful patterned cloth. A veil of bones and painted beads were draped over their head, covering their snout and falling down their shoulders. The veil was matched by various accessories it had on its arms, legs, and tail. He eyed her with wary curiosity through vibrant orange-gold eyes. Seeing no visible weapon, Guin assumed they were probably a magic user. Athariel saw her first and held up a graceful arm to wave at her. The others turned and looked to where Guin was, though the only other one to make any sort of gesture was the blue and orange garule, who started jumping up and down excitedly. ¡°What a lively-looking group,¡± Liorax yawned from her head, flicking his tail into Guin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Behave yourself,¡± she muttered up at him, waving back to them as she went over. ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± the smaller garule went first, taking up her hand. Startled, Guin started at them in shock, but they didn¡¯t seem to notice and went on, their tail whipping back and forth excitedly. They were speaking Isoli-Valkyrian which was translated to a rather boyish voice, which Guin took as a safe indication he was male. ¡°I¡¯m TeaforaDragon! You can call me Tea! This is Ath, Zen, and Ibraxis! And we are gonna go hunt mice! Isn¡¯t it exciting? I¡¯m excited! ¡± ¡°A-Ahh...,¡± Guin went, her mind unable to parse his exuberance in a reasonable time. ¡°I couldn''t tell...¡± Athariel laughed and slapped the garule on the back, causing him to yelp and look at her with pitiful eyes. Frowning, she said, ¡°Tea, down.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± he giggled, rubbing his shoulder with a sheepish grin. ¡°Sorry about him,¡± Ath said. ¡°He¡¯s a little excitable. He¡¯s small for his kind, something he makes up for with his good nature.¡± Guin nodded. ¡°Now, introductions! You probably know our names already, but let¡¯s give the official run down! I am Athariel Goldfeather¡ªas Tea said, you can call me Ath. This is Zen, a Monk. He¡¯ll be tanking for us today. You¡¯ve met Tea. He¡¯s a bard; count on him for support. The bigger garule there is Ibraxis, a shaman. He¡¯ll ¡ª He¡¯ll?¡± Athariel looked to the white garule for confirmation, and he nodded. ¡°He¡¯ll serve as our main healer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only classless one then, huh?¡± Guin noted. Tea gave her a toothy grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± he went. ¡°As a bard, I¡¯m pretty useless too! Just wait, though. Once I hit my twenties! I¡¯ll be the strongest and coolest one on this team!¡± ¡°Having a class only adds what one cannot make up for with skill and knowledge,¡± Zen said. ¡°Combat is not about ¡®cool.¡¯¡± Ath pat him on the back, ¡°Yes, yes, very monk-like, Zen. Let¡¯s not get off track now, hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a game!¡± Tea reminded him, sticking his tongue out. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want!¡± Ibraxis snorted. ¡°Shall we start moving? Nice as this is, I do not think any of us have all day to chit-chat.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ath nodded. Tea took up his lute and pointed it toward the door, cheering, ¡°Onward! To Battle! To Treasure! To¡ª¡± ¡°Shut. Up.¡± Zen told him, walking passed. ¡°Spoilsport,¡± Tea grumbled as Ath laughed. Tea followed them, wiggling his tail, which suddenly turned into a spread of peacock-like feathers, flaring out in a brightly colored pattern of blue and orange and green. Guin felt her mouth fall open as she watched Tea disappear into the dungeon with Ath and Zen. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Ibraxis asked in a deep sonorous, translated voice that carried over a simultaneous translation in her ears, overlapping the sounds of the bird-song language of the garuli he was speaking. Still dumbfounded, she pointed at the dungeon entrance. ¡°T-That... There were feathers,¡± she looked up at him. ¡°Is that normal?¡± He blinked at her, then burst out laughing. The bones and beads that covered his body jingled as he moved. ¡°J-Just go!¡± he told her between his laughter, pointing at the door. ¡°B-But,¡± she went. ¡°Is that normal?¡± ¡°It is perfectly normal,¡± Ibraxis assured her. ¡°If anything is abnormal in this group it is me. Now go. Shoo.¡± He waved her forward, a bemused expression on his face. ¡°You? What¡¯s weird about you?¡± ¡°Go.¡± ¡°This one is pushy,¡± Liorax observed. She had forgotten he was there. Guin saw Ibraxis¡¯s eyes flicker to her head. ¡°¡®This one¡¯ can hear you, cat,¡± Ibraxis told him. ¡°Oh!¡± Liorax drawled, sounding very unimpressed. ¡°So it can.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± the white garule went, his pupils contracting as he motioned Guin forward with his snout. Keeping her eyes on the snickering garule who stayed behind her as she walked, Guin went forth into the dark of the Catacombs. Chapter 58 The second that they entered the dungeon, however, Guin¡¯s [Fear of the Depths] trait kicked in. ¡°Shit,¡± she muttered. ¡°Hold on...¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ibraxis asked. ¡°Trait stuff, just give me a sec,¡± she told him, looking at her stat sheet with the 5% reduction across the board. Clicking her tongue, she looked up and went, ¡°Liorax¡ªLiorax?¡± She pat her head, but the cat spirit was missing. Confused, she looked at her status bar, but as she saw no buff or debuff from him, she spun around looking. ¡°Liorax?¡± Ibraxis was also looking back, his long serpentine tail flicking back and forth in an irritated manner. ¡°What on Mother Mountain...?¡± he trailed off. With green eyes glowing, the blue-grey cat was floating in the air, his tail puffed and stiff. ¡°Something is here,¡± Liorax said slowly. ¡°Lots of things are here,¡± Guin told him, approaching him cautiously. ¡°I do not speak simply of the living or the dead, Che-child,¡± Liorax said with whiskers twitching. ¡°Among the dust and among the bone, there is something here that does not belong. A powerful scent. A familiar scent. A scent, my human, very much like your own. The Che have overstepped their bounds; rampant runs the River of the Veil from a rift torn open by what can only be Corruption.¡± ¡°Corruption?¡± Ibraxis asked with a look of concern. ¡°Here?¡± There was a slight chill in the air as Guin exchanged a glance with Ibraxis. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Liorax looked oddly contemplative as he floated in the air. ¡°Investigation is necessary to know,¡± he said. ¡°Or not. The choice of discovery, half-Che, is yours; but know that the longer you stay here, the longer that you remain in the presence of this power, the more it shall become a part of you. For better, or for worse.¡±
<<>> [The Lost Spirit (Fate Quest)] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
Guin looked over the quest that Liorax offered her with a great deal more apprehension than she thought she would have. ¡°I have not heard of any corruption in this area,¡± Ibraxis said, crossing his thick, lean arms. ¡°Is it some kind of event? A quest?¡± Inhaling through her teeth, Guin nodded. ¡°Probably. My tutorial quest chain¡ªwhich is where I got Liorax in the first place¡ªwas very focused on Corruption and my character background choices,¡± she explained, looking into the bright, wide eyes of the harbinger. ¡°He¡¯s giving me a quest for it now, but I¡¯ve never seen Liorax act like this...¡± ¡°Do you accept, Candidate?¡± Liorax urged her, his voice strained. ¡°I¡¯ll....,¡± she hesitated. Fate quests were a good deal more dangerous than most quests, and she already had one that was bound to make her miserable. But maybe it¡¯s connected, she thought, or maybe it has something to do with the fox spirits... Maybe Gomi... Guin had questions¡ªmany questions¡ªfor the fox spirit she knew as Gomi. The gumiho. Her kin. Amikavi, the great nine-tailed fox spirit had told, her that Gomi was the father of ¡®Guin¡¯, as well as the father of Tik-Tak, her good friend in the tutorial who had lost his life while she had been trying to defeat the Corruption of the forest in which they lived. Memories of White Fox Forest rushed through her head, the brief time she had spent with Tik-Tak and his mother, Reili, Liorax, and the others. There was the Great Owl Wise, who had helped guide her, the Dragon King of the Mist Moon Mountains, who aided her, and Amikavi, who told her of her heritage, furthering a character quest line that she could only continue at level ten. There were also Pastor Jormund and Master Hunter Euen Dawl, who mentored her and found new roles of their own in saving their forest. But Gomi himself never came. Brushing her hand through the soft fur of the small fox that made the shoulder of her cloak¡ªthe cloak that Reili and Tik-Tak had left her after their bodies had been burned, purified of the Corruption that ate at them. Tik-Tak loved his father. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± she decided, looking straight at Liorax. ¡°I¡¯ll investigate. I¡¯ll find out what they have sealed away in here.¡± Liorax closed his eyes. ¡°Truth,¡± he started. ¡°Truth is a dangerous thing.¡± The cat¡¯s eyes opened up and shifted to Ibraxis. His expression turning bright and bemused once again, he said, ¡°In the end, truth is the only thing that matters, is it not?¡± Ibraxis¡¯s body went rigid, a low growl coming from deep within his chest. The air in the hall seemed to grow colder as Guin watched. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Oh!¡± she went, suddenly clapping her hands together. ¡°Liorax! I wanted to know if you could do anything to offset my [Fear of the Depths] trait.¡± With her abrupt change of subject, the tension between them mercifully dissipated. Breathing an internal sigh of relief, she watched the muscles in Ibraxis body loosen as he did a little shake, the feathers on his body rising and falling a few times. Liorex, also turned his attention back to Guin and floated over, blinking his eyes with affection. ¡°Ahh,¡± he went, circling around her head. ¡°I suppose I can do a little something. Yes... I cannot remove it all, but let us see...¡± With that, he disappeared into a flash of light. When Guin checked the buff he had given her, he was able to cut the stat reduction by 2% for each, but there was still a hefty deduction. Her choice to join the party had been a good one. As if on cue, a screen popped up with the displeased face of Athariel. ¡°Where the hell are you guys?¡± she asked. ¡°The mice we went through have already started respawning....¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Guin apologized. ¡°I had to set something up and it took longer than I thought. I held Ibraxis up too... You guys made it through okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ath said. ¡°The mice aren¡¯t much to worry about with us three. Do we need to come back for you guys?¡± Looking down the hall, Guin asked, ¡°It¡¯s just mice?¡± ¡°Yeah. Hordes of them, but yeah.¡± ¡°Should be fine,¡± Guin told her with a shrug. ¡°Mice are easy prey, and I have the healer, so...¡± She trailed off as she looked Ibraxis over. It dawned on her that not only had she forgotten that she¡ªor rather, ¡®Dassah¡¯¡ªshould have been afraid of him, but that it hadn¡¯t even registered with her that he was garuli at all. It¡¯s like a video game race, her bemused inner voice said. Just like elves and dwarves and lizardmen. The garuli were kind of like lizardmen, weren¡¯t they? Lizardmen in a video game. The image of a pixelated komodo dragon on its hind legs danced across her imagination. Li-zard, li-zard, li-zard. Clasping her mouth with her hand, she stifled a laugh. Ibraxis looked at her with great curiosity, tilting his head with a raised brow. ¡°Guin?¡± Athariel¡¯s voice called her back. ¡°S-Sorry,¡± Guin coughed. ¡°You can probably keep going; I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll catch up. If we have a problem, we¡¯ll contact you.¡± ¡°Ibraxis?¡± Ath asked. The garule shrugged. ¡°I am sure it will be fine,¡± he said. ¡°I can usually solo the start of this dungeon without much issue, so it is no feathers off my tail.¡± Ears perking up at his words, Guin leaned over to check his tail for said feathers. Sure enough, though his tail was longer and more snakelike, similar to Bahena¡¯s there was evidence of a feathered tip, hidden, mostly, underneath some patterned cloth. When she looked back up, Ibraxis was staring at her with an odd expression, causing her to blush and give a half-hearted chuckle. ¡°Do I make you nervous?¡± Ibraxis asked her with a bemused voice. ¡°If you are honest, I promise I will not think anything of it. Unless you get us killed because of it. Then I will judge you,¡± he said, starting to walk down the hall. Figuring that she had missed Ath¡¯s sign-out, she followed. ¡°Does it happen to you often?¡± she asked him. ¡°People getting nervous around you?¡± Scratching the feathers on the back of his neck, he said, ¡°Fairly. I guess I have come to expect it at this point. Even among my own kind, I am considered a bit of a circus creature.¡± ¡°¡®C-Circus creature¡¯?¡± she blinked. ¡°Mhmm,¡± he went, then grinned and leaned over to her. ¡°But since you don¡¯t seem to know why, it makes things rather simpler between us, does it not? This world is such a magical creation.¡± ¡°I guess so...?¡± As they walked, their conversation became more natural. They discussed their tactics and abilities amiably enough that Guin felt she could trust him, at least for combat¡¯s sake. It didn¡¯t take long for the mice to appear. Ibraxis noticed them first, stopping her as he flicked his tongue out. Guin cast [Spirit Shield] and shifted into her fox form. With the level gain for her [Fox Form] ability came a sharp improvement to her senses. The air was musty, but traces of incense were carried through, along with the smell of warmth and damn fur. Like a lion stalking its prey, Ibraxis moved forward. His steps were silent, and he moved with power and precision that the beads and bones that covered him barely moved. Moving alongside him¡ªwith much less grace, she was ashamed to admit¡ªGuin¡¯s ears twitched with the sounds of the crypt. Hollow sounds. Bright sounds. Chains clanking. Water dripping. Fire burning. Small squeaks. The skittering of tiny claws against stone. Her sharp eyes fell upon them: writhing, black and brown bodies emerging, their eyes bright as they reflected the light of the torches lining the walls. Exchanging a quick glance with Ibraxis, she shot off. Paws hitting the stone floor of the hall at a swift pace, the intense glee at the thought of ripping into their soft, crunchy bodies filled her with a thrill that was hard for her to grasp. She had the mind to blame Liorax¡¯s haunting, but she relished the rush of the hunt. And they stood no match for her as she dove into the horde, her [Fox Form] proving its worth as her heightened reflexes made the match terribly one-sided, even with the vast majority the mice possessed. Any who managed to escape her wrath were quickly met by Ibraxis¡¯s claws. Licking the blood off her muzzle, her tongue tingled with the familiar warm, metallic aftertaste of it as she watched the remains turn into bubbles and treasure boxes. She and Ibraxis split the loot, then moved on wordlessly. Two more batches of mice later, the winding hall led to a large, square-shaped chamber with a high ceiling. Guin shifted back into human form. Each wall of the chamber had a door, and each door had its own image. On the right was a door with a red flower. On the left was a door gilded in gold. Going straight was a door made of bones. ¡°What do we do now?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°Just how far ahead could they have gotten?¡± ¡°They should not have gotten too far,¡± Ibraxis muttered, licking at the air again. She saw him pull up his map. ¡°All evidence suggests they went that way,¡± he said, pointing in the direction of the door of bones. ¡°The spawn rates down here are pretty fast since it is a starting zone; they may be moving at the same rate as we are.¡± ¡®Follow the Bones.¡¯ That was what the High Priest had told her. Guin pulled up her notepad and made a quick map and sketch of the area. ¡°Should we ask?¡± Guin asked. Ibraxis shrugged. ¡°Only if you want.¡± Scrunching her nose, her eyes leveled with the door of bones. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. If we really run into trouble, then we can ask.¡± The white garule nodded, and together, they pushed open the door of bones. Chapter 59 Each step she took was taken with a great deal of apprehension. It wasn¡¯t only the door that had been made of bones, but the whole hallway was made of thousands ¡ª perhaps millions! ¡ª of bones, all lined up in patterns on the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor. Skulls set into the walls peered into the hall, watching those who passed. I am so, so sorry¡ªGods, please don¡¯t wake up and try to kill me! Mice she could handle. Mice were fun. Skeletons, on the other hand, she imagined were much less so. Wearily, Guin watched the skulls in the walls as shadows flickered in the torchlight. She knew it was only a trick of the eyes, but she still felt like they were watching her. Judging her. ¡®You don¡¯t belong here,¡¯ they seemed to say. ¡®Turn back.¡¯ A warm wind brushed the back of her neck, and a shiver ran up her spine. Feeling a light tug on her hair, she jumped. Turning, she almost lost he footing on the smooth but uneven flooring. She put her hand out to the wall to catch herself, but feeling her finger slip into the eye socket of a skull she withdrew it with a yelp. Laughter echoed throughout the hallway as she saw Ibraxis double over. ¡°Y-You¡ª!¡± Guin gaped at him, hand on the hilt of her dagger. ¡°How high you jumped!¡± the garule went through his laughter, pointing as his tail whacked the ground like a clap. ¡°May want to watch your head next time!¡± Glaring, she growled, rubbing her warm cheeks. ¡°Yeah. Next time. Next time maybe you should watch your head! Ass.¡± Taking a deep, satisfied breath, he said. ¡°Relax. It is only a game, after all! Those bones belong to no one.¡± ¡°Is that something a Shaman should be saying?¡± she asked, hands on her hips. ¡°Real or not, they deserve respect all the same.¡± ¡°Yes, but do you think that your pretty words are going to get them to forgive you for stepping on them?¡± ¡°You¡ª!¡± ¡°Keep walking, keep walking. But the others did get far ahead, didn¡¯t they...¡± On all fours again, he went passed her. ¡°Maybe if someone would stop playing around...¡± Guin muttered, following him. ¡°Don¡¯t think we are done here...¡± ¡°Healer privilege?¡± he went with a smirk. Rolling her eyes, she ignored him. When the bone path changed back to the stone floor again, she breathed a sigh of relief¡ªbut as she looked around the room, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. ¡°Well, this is horrifying,¡± she muttered to herself, not that she should have been surprised by anything here, given that they were basically raiding a crypt. Ibraxis let out a high-pitched whistle sound as he looked up. A massive construction of a black-boned creature stood ten feet high in the room¡¯s center. Bared teeth glistened through shadows that it seemed to emerge from. There must have been something in its skull or eye sockets, as the firelight from the room¡¯s torches glinted off something from within. Guin tilted her head as she looked up at it. The angle of its head... She blinked, and the creature grew flesh. The darkness turned to jungle. Flesh turned to scales, and golden eyes looked down on her. Trembling, she stared up as the dragon-like creature raised its head. It shot down to swallow her up, and she shrieked, falling to the ground, her arms hugging her head. ¡°Guin?¡± Ibraxis¡¯s translated voice carried over to her. ¡°W-What? What do you want?¡± she shouted, clutching her dagger to her chest and looking up in alarm. But there was nothing but what should have been there: darkness, bones, dust, and a concerned white garule sitting on his haunches in front of her, his head cocked like a dog that didn¡¯t quite understand its master¡¯s command. Tears stung her eyes as she told herself it was okay to relax. Ibraxis scratched his chin. ¡°You... All right?¡± he asked hesitantly. She gave a single, stiff nod, then chuckled. ¡°S-Sorry. I seemed to have spaced out there.¡± Standing on his hind legs, the garule took a stick of bone from his side and offered it to her. Her eyes lingered on it a moment, wondering why he hadn¡¯t just lent his hand but shook her head and took the offered stick. You did basically admit he made you nervous before, she reminded herself as she let him lift her up off the ground. ¡°You sure you¡¯re all right?¡± he asked. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Guin looked into his yellow-gold eyes, their pupils dilated in the dark. ¡°Are gold eyes common among garuli?¡± she asked. ¡°Uh,¡± he went, his face blank. ¡°Yeah, I guess. They are clan trait, like feather color,¡± he explained. ¡°Why?¡± She shook her head again. ¡°No reason,¡± she told him, wondering if that meant he was a part of the same clan the Sathuren and Bahena were. ¡°Just... Thank you.¡± Brows furrowed, he looked like he was about to say something, but his head shot up. The sound of clattering echoed through the room. Clack. Clack. Clackity-clack. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to talk later,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Skeletons.¡± ¡°Oh good.¡± Re-casting [Spirit Shield], Guin put her dagger away and brought out her spear. Spinning it in her fingers once, she brought it into her shoulder to lean at the ready. ¡°Something to take my annoyance out on.¡± ¡°Stand by for buffs. These guys aren¡¯t like the mice,¡± Ibraxis told her. He pulled out another stick. Looking at the sticks more closely, she noticed that they were hollow and that each came to a sharp point on one end. Guin watched in fascination as he put a leg out and started hitting the bones in his hands against the bones on his thigh, speaking what she could only assume to be an untranslated incantation as he hit the bones like a drum. Small green and black lights appeared around them like fireflies, drifting towards her, enveloping her in a thin veil. [Blessing of the Life Spirits], [Embrace of Shadows], she read when she check the status indicator that followed the animation. One was a heal-over-time spell; the other increased her evasion rate. Still enthralled with his playing, she observed as, now and again, his tail shook, with little bells chiming. It was entrancing¡ªand not at all a style she would have thought to attribute to the garuli. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a movement of pale in the shadows surrounding them. Red eyes glimmered. She looked to Ibraxis and whispered, ¡°Ready?¡± With his nod, Guin took up her spear and ran forward, grasping the shaft in both hands and tilting it toward the enemy. Bone dogs¡ªor more appropriately, ¡®Bone Hounds¡¯¡ªcame at her first. She caught them trying to flank, racing toward her from either side. Activating [Dance], she sidestepped the one on her left, quickly spinning around and initiating [Backstab]. Hitting the hound in the joint of its shoulder blade, she twisted her blade into the socket, causing it to fumble and flip over as the leg fell apart. Knowing the second hound would be coming up behind her, Guin danced back¡ªbut it leaped at her face. Using her spear to block, the bone creature¡¯s teeth caught and gashed at the wood of the spear shaft, causing it to splinter. Westling it off, Guin jumped back. ¡°Wrong way!¡± Ibraxis called, and Guin looked behind just in time to dodge the sword of a Skeleton Master behind her. Two dogs¡ªthere should be two masters! She quickly computed, but she didn¡¯t have the time to stop and look for it. Diving to the ground, she used [Leg Swipe] to trip the one in front of her as the hound with three legs clattered toward her with a voiceless howl. ¡°Shit!¡± Guin muttered, rolling out of the way ¡ª right to the underneath of the second Skeleton Master¡¯s raised blade. Oh, god damn it! Slamming her eyes shut, she braced for the pain. But what came was a sharp crack! and a shattering sound. ¡°Idiot,¡± came Ibraxis¡¯s voice from over her. ¡°Do not close your eyes in combat!¡± Guin opened her eyes to see him waving the skull of the skeleton Master around, skewered on his drumstick bone. ¡°Get up,¡± he told her, his tail lashing back and forth. ¡°I will not let you die so easily.¡± Gathering herself, she used her spear as a crutch to stand. ¡°Dying and experiencing pain are two very different things,¡± she growled, eyeing the two hounds¡ªone with four legs, one with three¡ªand the two masters¡ªone with a missing head. ¡°...Does losing a head hurt a skeleton¡¯s accuracy?¡± The garule shrugged. ¡°You know, I do not know,¡± he told her, lifting the skull off his stick and breaking it in his hand. ¡°Why do you not find out? I will take the hounds.¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± she shouted, stepping forward. She lifted her spear to block the sword of the Skeleton Master who still had its head, kicking it square in the pelvic bone. It shuttered as it staggered back and screamed at her voicelessly. The headless Skeleton Master was just flailing around; evidently, being headless did serve to muck things up for them. Smirking, Guin ran at the headless one as the other followed. Dancing around the aimless flailing skeletons was a simple matter with her [Dance] ability¡ªbut apparently not something the other one was capable of doing, as the back of the headless skeleton cracked the other¡¯s skull right open, just as it went to lunge at her. At the unexpected friendly fire, it fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the AI¡¯s confusion, Guin swept her spear at the back of the headless one, breaking its spine and causing it to fall to the ground like a beaded necklace that had snapped. The other tried to stand back up but comically tripped on the bits of the defeated one and fell to the floor again, allowing Guin to deliver a finishing blow. From the side, Ibraxis clapped. ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all,¡± he said. ¡°You too,¡± she said. With the bones of the hounds scattered about, she felt a little disappointed that she hadn¡¯t seen him fight. The remains soon turned to bubbles, leaving behind unexciting loot aside from some needed [Bone Dust] Ibraxis let her have. ¡°Did they really come this way?¡± Guin asked, pulling up her map. He hadn¡¯t been wrong; they should have been just one chamber over. ¡°A warning would have been nice...¡± Grunting, he wondered, ¡°Maybe they avoided them?¡± In a single, smooth motion, he tucked his bone sticks back into their place. With a bang! A large pair of doors to their left burst open. ¡°You guys!¡± Athariel shouted, bow and arrow in hand. ¡°Are you alright? I forgot to tell you to avoid the¡ªOh?¡± her expression turned to confusion. ¡°Where did they go?¡± Both Guin and Ibraxis burst out laughing. Chapter 60 ¡°Wait,¡± Athariel said, waving her hand in the air. ¡°The two of you took on a pair of level 15 Skeleton Masters and their Bone Hounds by yourselves? A 14 Shaman and a classless level 8?¡± ¡°Those things were level 15?¡± Guin asked, scrunching up her nose. Either that was incredibly disappointing, or Ibraxis was a much better support player than she gave him credit for. Seeing the impressed looks on their faces, though, Guin decided not to play up the disappointing angle and said, ¡°I¡¯d give the credit to Ibraxis; those buffs of his are no joke.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Tea looked at Ibraxis with a curiously starry-eyed expression that did not go unnoticed by the object of his attention. The white garule kept shifting uncomfortably as he edged behind her. When he noticed her stare, he twitched his nose with a shrug. Zen snorted at her. ¡°They¡¯d have to be to keep you alive.¡± ¡°That said,¡± Ibraxis contemplated. ¡°With that trait debuff of hers, the only thing my buffs were doing was healing damage she barely took. Do not give yourself so little credit; your instincts are not bad.¡± ¡°Trait debuff?¡± Zen asked, his face going a little red. ¡°That¡¯s why you were late, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Ath asked. Nodding, Guin gave a brief explanation about what happened¡ªleaving Liorax out of the conversation, of course. ¡°Sorry to keep you guys waiting!¡± she finished. ¡°You got here yourself, so it¡¯s no issue,¡± Ath said. ¡°We are just about to Zen¡¯s quest location. What quests do you two have? Guin, you probably have quite a few, considering your level...¡± ¡°Right now, I have,¡± Guin opened up her quest screen to show them the relevant quests. ¡°[The Glowing Carvings], [Dust and Essence], [The Rodents Below], and [The Lost Spirit (Fate Quest)]. Two of them are gathering quests, so I¡¯m not terribly concerned. The other two are a little more complicated, probably.¡± Ath and the others looked through the list as she linked them out. Zen twitched. ¡°Those quests are awfully cryptic. How do you have a fate quest at level 8?¡± The human monk looked her over with great displeasure. Better not tell him I have two... ¡°The biggest one I aim to complete today is the one about the glowing carvings. That one is from my profession quest line,¡± she said, ignoring what she interpreted as jealousy coming from the proud man. Regret crept into the back of her mind. Perhaps she should have held the fate quest back from them. Tea tilted his head. ¡°You are a scribe, right?¡± he asked. ¡°I was as well, but I don¡¯t recognize that quest about the inscriptions...¡± ¡°I do,¡± Ibraxis said. ¡°It¡¯s a quest given to those with the [Veil Sight] trait.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Athariel went. ¡°That makes sense. The fate quest is connected to that, too, isn¡¯t it?¡± It was more a statement than a question, and without a better answer to give them, Guin simply affirmed her thoughts with a nod. Athariel then turned to Ibraxis. ¡°And you?¡± The white garule shrugged. ¡°Do not worry about me; I am mostly just down here to level right now. I do have a couple of collection quests¡ªthe same as Guin¡¯s, actually; I got them late¡ªbut like her, I am sure we can pick things up along the way.¡± Guin looked at him in surprise. She had gotten all her quests at roughly the same time; it didn¡¯t seem like there was another route to get them. How, then, did Ibraxis know about the glowing carvings quest without getting the others? Raising his hand, Tea said, ¡°I have those gathering quests too! But I finished the mice a while ago. I¡¯ve gotten some [Bone Dust] and [Death Moss], but I can¡¯t solo the areas to get them very well. Haven¡¯t had much luck finding rats or [Spectral Essence].¡± ¡°If you do not have [Veil Sight], [Spectral Essence] is impossible to find,¡± Ibraxis told him, shaking his head. ¡°Quests like that one serve as one of the balance mechanisms for Veil players in exchange for the fact that they often have to fight a lot more enemies than Che players.¡± Guin¡¯s eyes flickered toward the white garule again. She could understand what he was saying because of her journey through the tutorial, but the way he said it caught her attention. The others just gave him blank looks. ¡°The what and what now?¡± Ath blinked at him. ¡°TheirWorld, or Uldarin, depending on how you want to refer to this world, is essentially made up of two planes,¡± Ibraxis explained, making motions with his hands to demonstrate his point. ¡°Though it is incorrect, the easiest way to explain it is that there is the ¡®physical¡¯ realm, which the valkyrian call the ¡®Che,¡¯ and the ¡®metaphysical¡¯ realm, called the ¡®Veil.¡¯ Really, it¡¯s more like two parallel, overlapping realities that are in a bit of a push-pull relationship. There are those that can see into the other side, if you will, making them exist in both worlds at the same time. There are also a rare few that can exist in one realm or the other. The creatures that drop the [Spectral Essence] exist only in the Veil; meaning, of course, that only those who can see into, and manipulate the Veil, are able to achieve success in these quests.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Athariel¡¯s eyes were glazed over, but Tea looked excited. ¡°So, if we want to finish these quests, we need to party up with people with [Veil Sight]?¡± ¡°Why the hell would they do that?¡± Zen asked, looking a bit ticked off at being lectured. ¡°Do what?¡± Ibraxis asked. ¡°Make a system like that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it part of the cultural aspect of the game?¡± Guin asked. She had thought that part, at least, was rather obvious. And indeed, Ibraxis nodded along with what she said. ¡°It is,¡± he affirmed. ¡°Every world has some version of a Veil-type concept, and it helps to create a cohesive, diverse world that accounts for the beliefs and cultures of many. But for the more practical individual, it also helps to promote teamwork. Either you are bound to the Che and need someone with Veil Sight to help on certain quests, or you have Veil Sight and have two or three times as many enemies interfering with quest goals.¡± ¡°And why isn¡¯t it all over the forums?¡± Ath asked, tilting her head. ¡°I feel like there must be a ton of people who haven¡¯t figured it out and have a ton of quests they haven¡¯t completed.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a whole lot of information out there yet, even for the game being out for six months,¡± Guin said dismally. ¡°Trust me. I¡¯ve looked.¡± ¡°That plays into it,¡± Ibraxis said. ¡°Right now, people¡ªincluding Varier Corporation itself¡ªdo not want other people to know the secrets of the game.¡± Tea¡¯s eyes, as they started at Ibraxis, were filled with awe, but he said nothing. Ibraxis awkwardly pat the smaller garule on the head, and the little male¡¯s feathers flared out again. ¡°Well,¡± shrugged Athariel. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand a word of that. Let¡¯s move on?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± went Zen distastefully, pointing down the hallway. ¡°The tomb should be down this way. Be ready for anything. Ibraxis, heals on me. You got any range, level 8?¡± Guin gave him a taut smile. ¡°Not any worth talking about, but I¡¯ll do my best to stay out of your way.¡± The warrior monk continued to look unhappy, but he pulled the group along. ¡°Sorry about him,¡± Ath shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s had a long day. He¡¯s cranky.¡± Tea visibly shivered and hugged his lute. ¡°Scary, scary, Zen.¡± While they followed the Monk through the halls, Guin watched Ibraxis carefully. Aside from the fact he was a garule, she had found him easy to trust and play with thus far¡ªbut his lecture made her uneasy. Could he be a Candidate, too? she wondered, recalling the tense interaction he had had with Liorax earlier. Driven by curiosity, she pulled up his public character window. It didn¡¯t give her much information beyond level, class, and gear, and the only thing worth noting was that all his gear was white-class; normal. There wasn¡¯t a single magical item among his possessions. Cursing under her breath, she wished that she had thought to pick up a detect ability to see if he was hiding anything. How unusual would it be for a player over level ten to wear not to have a single enchanted item? All six of his accessory slots were filled, and they, too, were white-class. Closing it out, she looked him over. The closer she looked, the less she liked it. Not only was his class magic-based, but the appearance of his gear also looked far from ¡®normal.¡¯ She could see the material was finer cloth than she had seen so far in the game. The bones and beads that covered him were delicately carved or intricately painted. The rings on his fingers looked to be of simple construction, but she knew enough about gemstones to know that, normal or not, they must have been costly acquisitions. Striding up to Tea, she asked, ¡°What do you think of Ibraxis?¡± ¡°Ibraxis?¡± the blue and orange garule looked nervous. ¡°You tend to look at him like you admire him...¡± Tea laughed. ¡°Oh. I guess so. There aren¡¯t many like him, after all.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Eh? I-I mean...¡± he threw a glance in Ibraxis¡¯s direction, then leaned in. In a hushed voice, he said, ¡°He¡¯s a Sutak, after all. Not only that, but he¡¯s a Sutak daring to play at being an Undying. Every traditional garule in this game is bound to attack him without mercy!¡± Tea looked at him, his eyes filled with longing. ¡°I wish I were half so brave...¡± ¡®That term again. ¡®Sutak¡¯, she bit her lip. ¡°What¡¯s an ¡®Undying¡¯?¡± she asked instead. ¡°Mmm,¡± he went. ¡°An Undying is like a garuli Shaman. A special kind of Shaman, one of the very few positions of power a male can rise to in most of our culture. I don¡¯t know what they are like in the game, but the Undying in our mythologies are very, very powerful. Maybe like... like human wizards!¡± Tea¡¯s eyes seemed like a child¡¯s as he spoke, alight with wonder. ¡°Is that so?¡± Guin murmured, looking over at the increasingly mysterious Ibraxis again. ¡°What about Su¡ª¡± Before she could ask any more, Zen shouted down the hall about a horde of mice. Not caring to be mistaken as an enemy in Zen¡¯s power game, she forgoed using her [Fox Form], and instead used her dagger to try to slice them. It was a rather fruitless endeavor. She and Ibraxis alone made a much more efficient team when they were working together back at the start, but at least she had been able to improve her dagger proficiency. Chapter 61 It took them about half an hour to find their way to Zen¡¯s quest location, and it was disappointingly dull. Guin expected there to have at least a tomb guardian, but it was actually set up for private meditation. So, while Zen went into the tomb alone to fulfill his quest requirement, everyone else sat around, trying to decide where to go next. Though Guin suspected that her quest was in a similar area, there was no way to find out just how close they were, so it was decided that they would do Tea¡¯s quest next, which had a very specific location. ¡°I think all I have to do is go to the Hall of Music and find the score of ¡®Dance of the Necromancer,¡¯¡± Tea was explaining. ¡°I hope it¡¯s as easy as Zen¡¯s quest is. I don¡¯t want to meditate, though. That¡¯s boring...¡± Plucking her bowstring, Athariel said, ¡°Considering that the most powerful enemies we¡¯ve seen so far were those skeletons that Ibraxis and Guin took out earlier, it seems the ¡®C¡¯ ranking of these quests was pretty right on.¡± ¡°The quest difficulties are pretty fair unless you start to deviate from the path,¡± Ibraxis nodded. ¡°Sometimes you would not even know you did. Best to stay on one¡¯s toes.¡± Ath shrugged as Zen came out from the tomb with his head held like he conquered a nation. ¡°All set?¡± she asked him. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve pinged the location on the map,¡± Tea said, and they pulled out their maps. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to back through to the room with the different doors,¡± Guin noticed, looking where Tea¡¯s marker took the for a pixelated blue garule head. ¡°I think it¡¯s through the gold doors,¡± Ath said. Together, the group made their way back through the halls. The mice hordes had all respawned, but they had slowly become more efficient at killing them. It helped that Ibraxis had apparently gotten bored of his healer role and had started just stomping on them all. Zen was none too happy about having his role get intruded upon, but Ath managed to keep him in line. Happily ignorant of the fuss, Tea just ran around strumming his lute and singing rather off-key. The skeletons had also respawned, but the larger targets with their fewer numbers had been much easier to deal with for the larger, more diverse group. Tea had far less fun with them, however, as Guin had to save him from the Hounds, which apparently had support agro. Still, they went down without much fuss. Coming upon the doors, they took a moment to take a bit of a breather. They saw several groups go in and out, some looking more haggard than others. The golden doors were about the same height as the door of bones, but they seemed like they had quite a bit more heft to them. Guin went over, looking over at its construction. Scrawled across it were inscriptions and pictograms detailing a story of what looked like a hero or king of some kind entering the door and leaving vast amounts of treasure in the rooms beyond it. Running her hand across the indentations, she tried to make out what the door might have said, but the script was both unfamiliar to her and untranslated. ¡°Watch it,¡± Zen said, nudging her away and pressing his body against the door. It didn¡¯t budge. Smirking, Guin watched him struggle, enjoying the view of his bare, bulging muscles as he applied more and more force. As he huffed and puffed, her gaze fell on a stone next to the door''s frame. A familiar inscription was scrawled on it. Though she had no notion of its meaning, she looked back at the top of the door, where she assumed the story began. In front of the hero king¡¯s outstretched hand was the same inscription. Wiggling her nose, Guin leaned in and pressed it lightly. With barely any effort on her part, the stone pushed in, and the doors swung inward. The Monk fell forward with it, gracelessly landing face first onto the golden floor of the other side. Tea and Ath snorted with laughter. ¡°Hmm,¡± Guin went, looking at her hand. ¡°I guess strength isn¡¯t everything down here. Imagine that.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Zen grumbled as he stood and brushed himself off. The hallway glittered with the warm glow of golds and reds reflected against the polished gold it was covered in. Rows of carvings, just like those on the doors, lined the hall, along with paintings and gemstones of various kinds and colors. ¡°Whoa!¡± Tea exclaimed breathlessly, his mouth falling open. Ath¡¯s eyes glittered with ambition. ¡°Now, this place I like...¡± ¡°Let us not get ahead of ourselves,¡± came Ibraxis with his words of warning. ¡°This is a dungeon, not a museum.¡± Narrowing her eyes at him, Guin asked, ¡°Whose mind goes to a museum in this scenario?¡± Guin stepped forward, her eyes locked on the artistry of the walls. Images of painted animals and people of various races danced and marched in patterns around different colored stones. The closest stone to them on either side of the hall was the golden stone, probably a kind of pyrite, from what Guin could tell. Around it, the animals and people seemed to be celebrating with hammers and hoes, and other tools in their hands. There was one drawn to stand on the gem itself: a man in plain clothes, holding a large hammer over his head. Further down the hall, she spotted another set of stones, darker ones. Guin stepped forward to inspect them, but she felt the ground underneath her foot give way. ¡°What¡ª?¡± she went, looking down at the square-shaped indent where her foot was. ¡°Guin! Look out!¡± she heard Tea¡¯s cry as she was jerked back by a quick, strong tug on her cloak. In front of her, a trio of arrows shot out from the wall on one side and disappeared into the other. Gawking, Guin looked up to see Ibraxis¡¯s disapproving face, his long neck arched as he stared down at her with a single raised brow, his pupils contracting into narrow slits. Tea came over and tugged on her arm. ¡°Guin, are you okay?¡± ¡°¡®N-Not all that glitters is gold,¡¯ I guess,¡± she muttered weakly as Ibraxis released the hood of her cloak. ¡°Thanks..¡± ¡°Let us not get killed by traps, yeah?¡± the white garule said. Zen glared at him. ¡°If you knew they were there, you should have said something!¡± he growled. Ibraxis shrugged. ¡°I forgot.¡± ¡°You¡ª!¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Ath stepped between them. ¡°Let¡¯s not get killed by each other, either, okay? No harm, no foul. You good, Guin?¡± Guin nodded, and the blonde woman turned to Ibraxis. ¡°Do these traps reset after they are set off?¡± she asked. ¡°They do not,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Or rather, I think they are on the same respawn timer as everything else. Roughly five minutes, give or take.¡± Guin exchanged her dagger for her spear, and poked the floor before she tried to go forward again. Turning back to him, she asked, ¡°What kinds of traps are there? Are they all traps high reflexes could easily avoid?¡± Ibraxis thought for a moment. ¡°If I remember correctly, they are,¡± he said. ¡°In fact, if you are thinking what I think you are, you are probably right. It would work. There are not any enemies until after we clear this hall.¡± Curiosity was written all over her face, Ath looked between them. ¡°What are you two talking about this time?¡± ¡°I can shapeshift,¡± Guin explained. ¡°In my fox form, I can run forward and set the traps off. You guys can just follow my path. Ibraxis¡ª¡± He waved her on. ¡°I will make sure you have a healing buff, just in case. Go.¡± Zen moved to protest, but Guin watched as Ibraxis placed a hand on Zen¡¯s shoulder, his eye twitching and mouth curling as if he didn¡¯t want to soil his hands. Changing into her fox form, she looked up at her party members before turning back toward the hall. But before she could act, she felt hands slip around her small body. ¡°So! Cute!¡± Tea happily twittered in garuli tongue while the translation tried to convey a childish tone. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone do that! I wanna do that!¡± Dazed, Guin looked over at Ibraxis, hoping that the more level-headed male might say something to the unbridled one, but the white garule looked just as stupified as she was, with his jaw hung open in mild horror. Ears falling flat against her head, Guin started struggling in Tea¡¯s grasp as he hugged her tightly to his chest with a playful giggle. ¡°U-Um,¡± Ath cleared her throat. ¡°T-Tea, you know that¡¯s Guin, right? I don¡¯t think she¡¯s happy with that..?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Tea looked up at the ranger as she reached over and took Guin up out of his arms and set her on the ground. He started to protest but then seemed to become aware of what he had done. Falling to all fours, the small garule crouched before Guin, belly on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he exclaimed. Unable to speak to anyone but Ibraxis in her shifted form, she snorted at him and shot down the hall, making sure to hit as many of the floor tiles as she could as she pranced through. Chapter 62 Invertitably, Tea¡¯s hopes for his quest to be as simple as Zen¡¯s went dashed as the group wandered the halls passed the golden hall of the catacombs¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t awful. In fact, they had handled it rather well, Guin thought. Though she hadn¡¯t been paying attention to it, she dinged level 9 soon after the third or fourth round of skeletons and was already a good way to level 10. The experience from killing the monsters may have been shared, but she was so low-level compared to them that she was practically a sponge. Then at ten, I can take the quest Amikavi put on my cloak... ¡°Stop daydreaming, Guin, on your left!¡± Athariel shouted. Sharp cold grazed her as a Skeleton Warrior¡¯s short sword slashed her arm. Pulling back just in time, she avoided any significant damage, but it still stung. Ibraxis¡¯s HoT quickly stitched the wound together in a green light as she moved into a defensive position, gripping her dagger. Fighting in narrow halls was not her forte. ¡°Wahhh!¡± Tea came running back from the other side of the hall, shouting, ¡°Two skeles, inc! Two skeles, inc!¡± ¡°I told you not to run that way!¡± Zen shouted back as he did a leg swipe to knock the warrior they were already dealing with off-balance¡ªin bad combination with Ath, as just seconds after, her arrow went flying, now targetless, as the skeleton struggled on the ground. Ath stomped her foot. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have waited, like, ten more seconds? I told you that shot has a ten-second cast time!¡± Punching the Skeleton Warriors head, breaking it into pieces, he answered, ¡°I told you, your methods aren¡¯t efficient.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t going to become efficient unless I get the chance to use them!¡± the blonde woman shouted. ¡°Uhh, guys?¡± Tea went meekly as the archer and the monk argued. ¡°In-Incoming?¡± As he shook his head, Ibraxis walked over and finished the Skeleton warrior off with a quick stomp on its spine. ¡°What kind of skeletons?¡± ¡°Not more of these warriors, I hope...¡± Guin grumbled. ¡°You are shit with that dagger,¡± Ibraxis noted. ¡°In the future, you should probably look into... something else. ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± she muttered. ¡°But using it against these things isn¡¯t exactly the best way to display my talents.¡± He grunted. ¡°U-Uhhm,¡± Tea went, hugging his lute. ¡°A warrior and a rouge. I think.¡± Sighing heavily through his nostrils, Ibraxis asked, ¡°How much further till your quest location?¡± Ducking his head, the little garule answered, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure... I¡¯ve never been this way before...¡± ¡°This seems... a little beyond a ¡®C¡¯ rank, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Guin asked, looking down the hall from which she could hear the clattering of the skeletons echoing through. ¡°Zen¡¯s was much easier. Disproportionately so.¡± ¡°I am wondering if we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere,¡± Ibraxis scratched at his chin, then looked back at Ath and Zen, who were still fighting. ¡°Are you two going to keep this bickering up all day, or do you want to fight the enemy before us?¡± Though Zen glared, he took a rare moment to think before he spoke and conceded. ¡°Let¡¯s do this...¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ath grumbled. ¡°If there is one thing that makes him happy, it¡¯s hitting things with his fists. That fixes everything.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°And I¡¯m stopping this conversation here,¡± Guin put up her hands between them. Ath¡¯s face was indignant, while Zen¡¯s expression clouded over. ¡°Put that negative energy out over there,¡± she pointed to where the skeletons finally jiggered over to save them from the awkwardness that had fallen on the team. Without a word, Zen pushed forward toward them, shouting obscenities as he ran at them. ¡°If I hit you, I¡¯m not sorry!¡± Ath called behind them. Guin exchanged glances with the two garule, who stood on either side of her. ¡°D-Do we get involved in this?¡± Tea asked, his head tilting. ¡°...Every now and again, I am reminded of the reasons I left home,¡± Ibraxis said, crossing his arms. Tea snorted with laughter, ¡°You think he lost that badly, huh?¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Guin asked, raising an eyebrow. Ibraxis yawned. ¡°I am far too lazy¡ªand tired¡ªto lecture anyone anymore today. Come. The faster we finish these quests, the sooner we get to sleep!¡± ¡°What are you, an old man?¡± she asked, though she didn¡¯t wait for him to respond as she ran forward toward the skeletons. The hall afforded her very little room to maneuver, so she focused on using her [Dance], [Trip], and [Backstab] abilities to distract and mostly annoy the skeletons, mitigating the damage done to Zen as he served as a wall between Ath, Ibraxis, and Tea. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Getting through the hall involved a few more skeletons and a few more mouse hordes, but Guin¡¯s experience bar was getting nice and filled. ¡°What class are you going to take once you hit level ten?¡± Athariel asked as they entered a wide, dark chamber. The boys fanned out with torches to explore the ill-lit room, and Guin switched out her dagger in favor of her spear. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure,¡± she chuckled nervously. ¡°Most of the abilities I have are very roguish-based, but I am quite fond of my spear. I¡¯ve also been considering magic classes. The Witch class looks like fun¡ªbut I¡¯m not so keen on the outfits...¡± Ath laughed, ¡°Yeah. I have a friend who plays a Witch; she doesn¡¯t really understand how they ended up the way they did.¡± ¡°Who does, in games like these?¡± Guin smirked, looking down at her current attire of short shorts, worn brown leather shoes, and a simple tank top. Her fox skin cloak was the most adventurer-like thing that she was wearing, and she couldn¡¯t keep the hood up because she didn¡¯t like how it restricted her vision. Guin¡¯s nose twitched, catching the sickly sweet scent of rot as she and Ath stepped further into the room. She tried to ignore it; it was a catacomb filled with dead and dying things, after all. It was safe to assume that the whole place would have stank if not for the incense that seemed to burn from the torches. Now, however, it had started to become overpowering. She tried to ignore it, even as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand. ¡°Goddess,¡± Ath went. ¡°What¡¯s that smell? Where is it coming from?¡± Guin clamped her lips tight and struggled to maintain her breathing. She knew that her senses would adjust if she let them, but the smells in this game had always been too much for her. For a girl who could barely stand around people with perfume without going dizzy, smells of this potency served as a far greater detriment to her ability than any game-given trait she may or may not possess. Her eyes fell on Zen who, a few paces in front of them, froze in place. In the dim light, she caught his body visibly jerking and stumbling back. Guin grabbed Ath¡¯s arm and lightly tugged her back as they watched the monk turn and run back passed them, near the entrance of the hall they had come in from. ¡°Z-Zen?¡± Ath went, pulling herself out of Guin¡¯s grasp as they returned to him. He propped himself up against the wall, coughing, gagging, and sputtering nonsense as Athariel rubbed his back. Her face was pale in the firelight. So it¡¯s not just my sensitivity, Guin noted, looking back into the room, but the strength of the smell was taking its toll on her as the world warped, ever so slightly, at her quick movement. She let her eyes focus on one of the flickering torches along the walls to steady herself. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Tea and Ibraxis backed toward them slowly. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± She started to ask, but Ibraxis held a hand up, clenching it into a fist as he glared at her, his head half-cocked in her direction. ¡°Shh!¡± he went, placing a finger on his lips, hissing, ¡°Back. Slowly. They haven¡¯t noticed us yet. They are still docile.¡± ¡°Who are ¡®they¡¯?¡± Guin hissed back. ¡°We went the very, very wrong way,¡± he answered in low, warm tones, motioning her attention forward with his nose. The room was mostly filled with shadows, but she could just make out what it was Ibraxis and Tea were being so careful about as they edged closer. The corpses lurched slowly towards them, their limbs at awkward angles; shoulders limp, feet dragging. Though their eyes were clouded, shining like glass, their expression seemed oddly curious, seeking, probing as their mouths gaped like fish. Patches of movement across greyish flesh pronounced the presence of maggots swarming on the rank feast they rode on. There were areas on each of the three Guin could see the pale color of bone where rotting flesh had been gnawed away. Purple and brown ichor glistened in the light, seeping out through every hole in the corpses¡¯ bodies. Horrible splooshing sounds echoed with every movement. Guin¡¯s stomach churned, and her vision swam as the smell crashed over her in waves with each inch they got closer. ¡°You. Have. Got. To be kidding me!¡± she muttered as she took an uneasy step back. ¡°Uh uh. Nope. Mmm...¡± ¡°It¡¯s only some zombies,¡± Tea chuckled nervously. ¡°Not too bad once you adjust to the smell...¡± ¡°And the sound. And the... sight,¡± Ath whimpered from just behind Guin. ¡°And the fact they are level 20,¡± Ibraxis mumbled. ¡°I mean,¡± Tea went. ¡°Aren¡¯t they kind of... Cute?¡± Guin narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°I am starting to doubt your tastes...¡± ¡°And his sanity,¡± Ibraxis added as he moved further back toward them. ¡°Ath, get Zen up and slowly¡ªquietly!¡ªhead back into the hall.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zen went, staggering toward them at his name. ¡°What the hell¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ibraxis snapped a bit too loudly. The Zombies perked up. ¡°Mother Mountain from which I came...¡± Instantly, the zombies straightened up, though their limbs were still at awkward angles. They hummed a dull ¡®huuuuuu¡¯ that grew into a hungry growl. The one in front lifted its hand toward them, bones protruding from its fingertips like claws. Frozen, Guin waited for someone to act, but no one did, and she watched as one of the creatures fell in closer. ¡°Hhuuuuuuuun...,¡± it breathed out, the putrid stench of its breath washing over them as it stepped forward. Guin felt her body sway, and she summoned out her spear, more for its use as a crutch than as a weapon. ¡°Hhhhuuuuunnnnn.....Guhh... Guhhhhh... Hunnnnguuu ¡ª UURY!¡± The creature¡¯s face turned sharp as it screamed, its jaw-dropping unnaturally wide as it unhinged like a snake. It charged forward, moving faster than Guin thought it could¡ªbut it could have simply been the state of her condition. She saw Ibraxis dodge out of the way as she went to step back¡ªbut she tripped over her own two feet, falling back to the ground. ¡°Tea!¡± she heard Ibraxis shout, and Guin¡¯s eyes snapped to where Tea was standing, seemingly fascinated by the horrific creatures as they rushed toward him. Clenching her teeth, Guin took her spear and went to whack the smaller blue garule on the leg to break his apparent daze. She wasn¡¯t fast enough and instead ended up watching in horror as Tea was knocked beneath the leading wretch. Scrambling to her feet, Guin took her spear in hand, stabbing the creature in the head with an unsettling squelch. The zombie reared with a screech, and Tea squirmed from under it. ¡°Not cute!¡± Tea shouted, scrambling to hide behind Guin. ¡°Not cute at all!¡± The zombie quieted and grabbed the spear lodged in its skull. It stared at her. Her vision was swimming, and her stomach twisting, Guin tried to pull her spear out. It wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Hungry?¡± it went, jerking the spearhead out all on its own. Guin yelped and stabbed at it again¡ªthis time, though, losing her balance and falling to the ground. A loud crack resounded through the room as she tried to break her fall with her spear. She watched as brown and yellow seepage dripped onto her hand, her body freezing over. Looking up, the zombie looked at her. ¡°Huungry?¡± it asked her. ¡°G-Guin...¡± Tea whimpered behind her. They had gone the very wrong way indeed. Chapter 63 A high-pitched screech from the other side of the room caused Guin to jump. The zombie¡¯s attention was drawn to the sound. Breaking out of her dazed state, he saw Ibraxis down on all fours, his mouth hung open, a volatile hissing sound coming from deep within his chest. A firm tug on Guin¡¯s arm caused her to look back at where Tea was trying to pull her to her feet. Using him as a crutch, she struggled up while trying to keep a firm grip on her spear. The zombie noticed her movement and went to attack her again, but she managed to slash at its legs in a way that caused it to lose its balance. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tea urged, pulling her toward the door. The zombie moved to pursue, but Ibraxis charged between them, screeching another challenge. They screamed back at him¡ªa ghastly, grating sound that made Guin want to cover her ears. Guin tried to pull herself together enough so that she could fight again, but the large white garule snapped, ¡°Run!¡± and swiped at the creature with his clawed forepaw. Biting her lip, a sense of helplessness washed over her. Looking over at Ath as she pulled Zen up and Tea staring at her with worried, pleading eyes, she knew what the right choice was. It just wasn¡¯t the one she wanted. ¡°Guin?¡± Tea said, his brown eyes wide. ¡°We need to go,¡± Guin started in a low voice, then turned to Ath and Zen. ¡°We need to go now! Get him up!¡± Ath pushed Zen up and said, ¡°Dude, I can¡¯t carry you; you need to get up.¡± Relying on the wall to walk, Zen coughed, ¡°I hate this game...¡± ¡°Fall behind, and I¡¯m leaving you there.¡± ¡°I hate you too.¡± Ath slapped his back and readied her bow as she ran into the hall with him following her close behind. Ibraxis jumped back like a cat, his back arching as his tail whipped. ¡°Go!¡± he shouted again, snapping and hissing to take the agro from all three. Without warning, he pounced toward them, then took off opposite to where Guin and the rest were focusing on the retreat. Guin growled to herself as she watched him disappear into the shadows, followed by all three zombies. It had probably been the best tactical decision for the survival of their group; Ibraxis was the highest level and best-equipped character among them, so far as she could tell¡ªbut she still didn¡¯t like it. She wanted to do something. She wanted to help. She wanted not to be a simple bystander. ¡°Guin? You okay?¡± Tea went, tugging on her arm again. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Guin reassured him. ¡°Go help Zen and Ath.¡± While he didn¡¯t look excited about the prospect, he nodded and ran off on all fours. Guin gave Tea a couple of minutes head start, then pulled up a video chat window with Ibraxis. ¡°What!¡± he shouted with a disgruntled look on his face that she could barely make out. The vague walls of the halls zooming by in the background. She could hear the zombies behind him growling and screeching loudly. ¡°Everyone is out of the room,¡± she told him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He gave her a funny look. ¡°Other than the fact that I did not realize that you cared so much,¡± he growled. ¡°Do you think I look okay?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She snorted at him. ¡°I guess a better question is, how the hell are you getting out of this?¡± ¡°Basic plan is: Do not stop running,¡± he told her. ¡°I am going to pull back soon. You guys should be far enough away now for them to rubberband. I do not see you moving. Go.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± she went as he glared at her again. ¡°Watch for respawns. Don¡¯t die.¡± His glare intensified as he said, ¡°Bye,¡± and signed off. She pulled up her map. Walking down the hallway, she called up her chat window again to touch base with Ath. The blonde ranger cursed when she heard Ibraxis¡¯s plan and shut down the window without answering. Guin sighed. Though she didn¡¯t appreciate the woman¡¯s attitude, it was far more satisfying to know that while it may not have been possible for her to help fight, the least she could do was make sure everything was in order. Fox forming, she started down the hall, forcing her little fox legs into a sprint. Staying behind as she had, she had quite a bit of ground to make up for¡ªand she knew that the mice and skeletons would start respawning at any moment. The mice had started to respawn, but having recovered from the dizziness the zombies had caused, she dealt with them as quickly and efficiently as she could and avoided the skeletons by simply outmaneuvering them in her small form. She enjoyed the flexibility running solo afforded her as she pushed through Click. Click. Click. Guin¡¯s ears twitched at the odd new sound. She paused and sniffed the air. Moisture. Stale air. Wet fur. Click, click, clack. Gur. Gur. Kuchuk. Sounds came over the din; sounds of gnawing. Sounds of breaking. And then, silence. Narrowing her eyes to the darkness, she saw four sets of eyes glimmer in flickering light. Four large rats were hunched over, greedily gnawing on a corpse. Her heart leaped to her throat, seeing the body and remembering the zombies from earlier, but she relaxed when she saw its state. There was no life in the thing. She could tell from the gear that the thing was no monster. For better or worse, it was a dead player character. The rats watched her wearily, seemingly unsure of what to make of her in her fox form. They were each about her size, several times bigger than the mice she had been fighting until then, and she assumed them to be several times stronger as well. The player character they had taken to gnawing on appeared to have died by stabbing¡ªa long, rusty blade stuck out of his chest that was very much a kin to the blades that the skeleton warriors used¡ªwhich meant that these rats had, at worse, only aggravated an already existing problem. But could she take them solo? Is there harm in trying at this point? She wondered. You¡¯ve already pulled their agro... The lips of the rats raised, making chattering sounds through exposed teeth. She had dealt with the mice purely in her fox form; they were easy to crush with her jaw strength. These ones, however, were quite large. They reminded her of a creature she had fought in the tutorial¡ªthe Moarbits. The Moarbits were some kind of carnivorous rabbit that nearly tore her face off the first time she had experienced combat in TheirWorld, and she wouldn¡¯t have been shocked if these things were much on the same level. But if that¡¯s the case... If that were the case, these things would be easy enough for her to handle. Choosing her first target to the right of the body, Guin wiggled her little fox butt in the air. Breaking out into a run, the rats reacted by running toward her. Instead of aiming for the rat itself, however, she jumped up and launched herself from the wall, landing atop the creature from an odd angle, catching it off guard. It let out a shriek as her teeth bit into its thick fur. The other rats quickly went to the injured rat¡¯s side, trying to bite at her paws, but she pranced away. Their defense is quite a bit higher than the mice, she noted, spitting wiry, oily fur out of her mouth. The teeth of her fox form wouldn¡¯t be quite enough to break the skin. Her dagger should have had no issue, however. Grinning to herself, Guin ran at the wall again, human forming just as her feet touched the wall so she could leap off of it to get behind the rats again, using [Backstab] with her dagger. The rat she hit cried out and hissed loudly as blood began to spill from the wound. Her plan was going just as she expected. What she did not expect, however, was a certain pleasant, tingling sensation that caused a shiver of anticipation to run down her spine. Casting [Spirit Shield], she crouched, her dagger in hand, she looked at the rats. ¡°Well?¡± she purred in a low voice and a tone that shocked even herself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± Chapter 64 She almost felt it was a shame that the rats could only answer with a hiss. Had they been spirits, then perhaps that would have been even more entertaining. Crouching into an attack stance, she let them start charging toward her first. Taking advantage of their forward momentum, she quickly spotted the injured ones lagging behind and danced her way to them. Their little lives ended with a handful of quick slashes to their small bodies. A flurry of bright yellow emergency notifications sent her mind into chaos as she observed the remaining two rats:
<<>> <<>>
An item has been lost? Traits? An activated quest? Guin jumped back as the rats skittered toward her with their high-pitched little battle cries. She would have to deal with the notifications later. They went to move. The little muscles under their dirty, oil skin caused the fur to ripple in an unruly way as their claws made sounds against the stone of the catacombs that were very much like nails against a chalkboard. The pair scurried to her, nipping at her ankles with such pitiful amounts of damage that Guin stood and looked down on them. The futility of their actions brought a smile to her face. Her tongue craved the sweet, metallic taste of the blood of her enemies¡ªand her will was quickly surrendering to it. Reaching down, she picked up one of them by the scruff and looked at it in square in its black, beady eyes. There was no true intelligence there, only instinct. Instinct and a power that would never match her own. With all her strength, she threw against the wall. It hit with a loud thunk! and collapsed. The other she simply stomped on, stopping its movement save the squirming beneath her feet, and stabbed at its neck, watching it bleed out with a combination of joy and curiosity. The one she had thrown was still alive, but it was injured to the point that it could barely move. Guin walked over and ended its misery with a swiftly executed [Backstab]. Looking at the havoc she had created, a sense of satisfaction washed over her that her mind wanted to reject yet, at the same time, wished to embrace. As she looked around the hall, she knit her brows together. Her eyes were sharp, and her vision was clear even through the shadows. Her ears, too, were picking up on sounds she had never associated with her human form. It was as if she had the benefits of her fox form but in a human form. The rats turned to bubbles, revealing their treasure chests. Not wanting to lose the potential loot to the spawn timer, Guin went over and collected a few rat teeth and rat skins from the chests and happily lifted out the [Lost Key] for the High Priest¡¯s quest. ¡°Lucky!¡± she sang as she threw it in her bag, double-checking to make sure she hadn''t missed anything. Her eyes fell on the corpse of the player character that the rats had been nibbling on. Player bodies left only a small portion of their gear behind when they died. Though she didn¡¯t like the idea of disrespecting the dead, she could use any gear and supplies she could get her hands on. It was only a game, after all. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Kneeling down to investigate, she brushed its black hair from its face. It was the body of a valkyrian female, who, from what she could tell, was a warrior class. What remained on her body wasn¡¯t worth much, but she took what she could and packed it into her inventory to sell. Her gaze then drifted to the woman¡¯s stomach, fixating on the area just under her ribcage. An urge came then, strong and unfamiliar, drawing her in closer. Her mouth watered as she leaned forward, sniffing at the body. It smelled of sweat and sweet¡ªbut not deathly sweet; rather, the woman must have been wearing a perfume that gave an image of a flowery meadow. What are you doing? She scoffed at herself, coming to her senses and sitting back. But her eyes traced back, her hand reaching out. She touched the cool flesh. There was no way for her to know how long they had been dead¡ªnot that she cared much¡ªthough she had a brief thought that it would be better if it were fresher. Tracing the outline of the ribs, she pressed in at the peak. With her free hand, she took out her dagger. She paused, asking herself, What are you doing? Stop! She screamed in her mind once, twice, a dozen times as her body acted without her. As if possessed, she took the dagger and began to open the woman¡¯s stomach. One slice. Two. While her mind fervently protested, she dug her hand through the corpse, shifting through it, seeking something. Finding it, she grinned. She withdrew from it the large, deep red organ that she craved. The player¡¯s liver was firm in her hands, and her fingers were dripping red from her graceless scavenge. While there was some part of her that was wondering how a video game avatar even had a liver, what she was really concerned with was the sense of awe, admiration, and glee that ran through her body as she gazed at the thing in her hand. Don¡¯t you dare! she shouted at herself. But she drew the organ to her lips and bit down. It was like she was watching a horror film; as if she were inside the head of a person who was not her. The voice left inside was shouting and screaming as she hungrily ate it up until there was nothing left. Guin stared at her blood-covered hands. Slowly, her eyes lifted to the corpse she had just desecrated, and she shuttered, breathing in deeply. Looted and torn apart, the remaining body turned to bubbles, leaving no evidence behind but her own blood-stained self. Her body was cold, even colder, it seemed, than the dead player¡¯s skin had been. Regaining agency over her body, she rubbed her arms, feverish with distress. There was one other time that she had felt like this. Back in the tutorial, back before she knew that it was Liorax who haunted her¡ªand it had been his doing. That horrible experience caused her to go through nightmarish delusions as she was only just adjusting to the game. But this was ten times worse. ¡°Liorax...¡± she muttered, slightly dazed. ¡°Liorax... What did you just make me do? What just happened?¡± For the first time since she had befriended him, however, he did not answer. ¡°Liorax!¡± She screamed, rocking back and forth, holding herself. She wiped the tears from her eyes, then looked at the red that covered her hands. She saw the blood that now covered her arms and her legs; she knew her face must have been covered as well. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me...¡± she whimpered. ¡°It wasn¡¯t...¡± Gasping for breath, she put her head in her hands. Fingers going to clutch her hair to pull on, she yelped and fell back. It hurt. In shock, she looked at her hands. She had naturally long fingers and often had long nails because she forgot to cut them¡ªbut they had never been quite so thick¡ªor sharp. Long, pointed, and slightly curved, they were now far closer to being small daggers than simple nails. Running her hand along her head, feeling the firm but supple cartridge of the large, cone-shaped ears that had sprouted from her head, she held her breath. She felt them twitch beneath her hand and quickly buried her hands in her armpits. She was so distracted by the blood on her hands that she had failed to notice the physical changes to her own body. What is happening to me? she wondered, her eyes brimming with tears. Stumbling up, she leaned against the wall staring at her claws. Claws.... Claws. Ears. Livers. Child of the Gumiho. Child of the Gumiho. Child of the Gumiho. ¡®...but know that the longer you stay here, the longer you remain in the presence of this power, the more it shall become a part of you; for better or worse.¡¯ Chapter 65 Through a haze of tears, Guin looked at the ceiling. Where should she go from here? What should she do? What¡¯s the big deal, Guin? She scoffed. It¡¯s not like you killed anyone¡ªand in this game, killing people is actually a thing! But eating their livers wasn¡¯t. Doing it against her own will was worse. What the hell is wrong with this game... An incoming call from Ibraxis came up to the side of her screen, but she looked at his avatar image dully. How should she explain this development? How could she? The more she stared at his picture, the more ironic she felt it was. ¡°Well, Guin, there you have it,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Karma served up on a delightfully morose dish.¡± She had always feared the garule because of their claws and violent natures¡ªyet there she was, covered in the blood of a woman whose liver was now in her belly. If her avatar had a belly, she supposed. The image disappeared as the call hung up. But he called again. She ignored it again. Nibbling at her fingers, she looked at the all portraits of the group on the side. In theory, she shouldn¡¯t have been far from them now. But like this, should she return to the group? Surely they wouldn¡¯t miss the fact she had grown ears. Would I want to eat them too? she wondered, shivering. Her character screen reminded her that she had turned level ten, so she decided to take a peek at it, but what really got her attention was her avatar. ¡°What the hell!¡± she shouted, her hand flying up to her shoulder. Her headgear slot was empty. Guin pulled up the notification bar and went through a flurry of emotions that almost made her forget her trauma. Her cloak¡ªthe cloak made of the fur of her dear friend Tik-Tak and his mother¡ªwas gone. The item she had lost when she leveled was her cloak, the [Guise of the Untailed]. The ability that she had lost was [True Form], an ability attached to the cloak that she had never figured out how to use. The thing that had been all that was left to remind her of her friendship with the little fox Tik-Tak was gone. More upset than she had been before, she began looking through the other notifications. Trait upgrades? She opened her trait window.
<<>> [Awakened: Child of the Gumiho] >
<<>> [Gumiho] <<>>
Guin blinked, trying to make sense of all the positive and negative aspects of the new [Gumiho] trait. She wasn¡¯t sure if she should laugh or cry. What she did know was that she was effectively no longer human in the game. Shaking her head, she looked through her quest journal and found the new quest:
<<>> [A Quest has been Activated: Untailed] << You have gained much power since the last you met the fox spirit who gave you this quest, and now you have the option to continue your journey. Do you wish to summon < The Lady Amikavi >? (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
Summon Amikavi, is it... Guin took another glance at the portraits on the side of her screen. Aside from the fact that she had been waiting to take the quest offered by the [Guise of the Untailed] that she assumed activated this quest, Amikavi might be able to tell her more about what the Gumiho trait meant. To have time to do that, though, she would have to leave the group. Rummaging through her bag, she found a cloak she had looted off the player¡¯s corpse and pulled it over her head to hide her ears. While she wasn¡¯t sure if her face had changed at all, she felt the ears made things even more obvious. Three screens popped up with the faces of Tea, Ath, and Ibraxis, respectively. ¡°Guin! Where are you? Are you okay?¡± Tea was the first to speak, waving his arms wildly in the air as if he were trying to grab the holo screen. ¡°Congrats on hitting level 10! Now you can get a class!¡± She smiled. Of the group, Tea was probably her favorite, claws and teeth aside; even though Ath was the leader, she wanted to apologize to him directly. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ibraxis, apparently having escaped the zombies but predictably not yet with the rest of the group, had his mouth set in a deep frown as he glowered at her. ¡°I have attempted to call you twice,¡± he informed her. ¡°Why did you not answer?¡± Guin looked away. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, looking down and shuffling her feet. For some reason, the white garule made her feel a bit like a child. Even though she wasn¡¯t sure what to think of him, she felt that didn¡¯t want to disappoint him. ¡°Things happened...¡± ¡°What ¡®things¡¯?¡± he enquired with a flat tone, but Ath shook her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡± She said, her voice taut. ¡°You should both be on your way now. Let¡¯s meet up at the mouth of the golden hall so we can find Tea¡¯s quest location.¡± ¡°A-About that...,¡± Guin started, looking over at Tea. She hated to disappoint him, too. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to drop out of the group...¡± Tea¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°B-But why? Did I do something wrong? I didn¡¯t know about the zombies, I swear!¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°There is just something I have to take care of. I don¡¯t know how long it will take or what it even involves, and I don¡¯t want to hold you guys up.¡± Ibraxis cocked his head. ¡°I should be headed towards your location now,¡± he said. ¡°I could give you a quick hand...¡± Guin shook her head quickly. ¡°N-No, i-it¡¯s okay,¡± she ducked her head. ¡°If it were something else, it would be fine, but... It¡¯s a bit... personal...¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Ath asked, then waved her hand. ¡°Ah, whatever. It¡¯s not my problem. You are free to leave as you wish. I can¡¯t say much, as we probably don¡¯t have time to work on your quests at this point, anyway.¡± ¡°B-But...¡± Tea went, his face downcast. ¡°You can add me as a friend, Tea,¡± Guin told him warmly. His head shot up with wide, happy eyes. ¡°Look me up a little later, and I¡¯ll help you with any quest you want!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Tea exclaimed, waving his tail high in the air. Still looking unhappy, Ibraxis just sighed through his nose as Ath gave a side glance to the blue garule. ¡°Thanks, you guys,¡± Guin bowed. ¡°Take care,¡± Ath said, waving half-heartedly and closing out her chat. ¡°See you, Guin!¡± Tea finished and signed off, too. Ibraxis just continued to stare at her. ¡°What,¡± she pouted. ¡°That thing on your head looks stupid,¡± he said, his brow twitching. ¡°What happened to your fur? That cloth can¡¯t be better than the leather.¡± Guin put her hands on her head and felt her face flush. ¡°G-Goodbye!¡± she shouted and closed the window. With a click, she was gone from the group. It had been a fun little gang while it lasted. But she had other things to worry about. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the quest description on her journal screen. The button glimmered with a dim, whitish aura. Time for some answers... She reaching out. It clicked with a dull pang, and a flash of pink enveloped her. Chapter 66 Several minutes passed before Guin looked around the space skeptically. She double-checked the quest in her log, but the summon ability was greyed out. Tsk-ing, she looked around. ¡°Hello?¡± she went out loud, shrugging. ¡°Anyone there? Amikavi? Yes? No?¡± She clicked her tongue. The quest was supposed to have summoned Amikavi, was it not? She reread her quest log to see if there was anything she had missed, but there was nothing more enlightening than what she already knew. Removing the cloth from her head, she put her ears up, then back, then up again. She was familiar with their mechanics because of her fox form, but it was a surreal experience to have them in her human form. Standing tall, she moved them around, listening to the sounds that may have been her new reality. Skittering and scattering. Scratching and clawing. Clinking and scraping. Dripping. Thunking. She pulled her ears back. The sounds were dizzying¡ªperhaps more now than they had even been in her fox form. Her sense of smell, too, seemed stronger than it had been. Luckily, the hall she was in smelled more like a Buddhist temple than gangrene, though there were traces of sickly sweet and feces-like odors that still occasionally reached her nose. She tried to focus on one thing at a time. The smells, the sounds; she tried to envision how close or far away they were, what shape they took. Mice with light paws. Rats with heavier ones. Skeletons with clinking bones sounded hollow and dull, while the chainmail their warriors wore clinked like shattering glass with every rickety step they took... The torchlight whirred and crackled, sputtering slightly as a gentle breeze carried a strong aroma of the earthy incense. Guin lifted her head. A breeze? She looked in the direction it had come from and met the gaze of a small, glowing white fox. Its pink eyes stared at her as it sat perfectly still. ¡°Friend or foe?¡± Guin asked, facing it fully. Its nose twitched, and it stood, turning from her to go in the opposite direction. ¡°Are you going to help me find Amikavi?¡± she called. After looking back at her expectantly, it started down the hall with soundless steps. Sighing heavily through her nose, Guin muttered, ¡°Fine. I can take a hint,¡± and went off to follow it. The fox trotted through the hall like it owned the place; its head held high, and its feet set a purposeful march. Feeling more comfortable that she had found a direction, Guin went about her investigation of her newly acquired character oddities. Able to follow the fox easily in stride, she started with her stats. They had been shamefully neglected since she entered the catacombs. She still hadn¡¯t spent her skill points from level nine, so she had a good boost to her stats from that, in addition to the increase in combat-based stats she had gained from fighting.
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Her [Body] and [Reflex] scores were quickly catching up to her prized [Intellect] and [Spirit] scores. With the group, her more magic-based strategies had been picked up by Ibraxis and Tea, so her benefits from using those skills had decreased. I guess that¡¯s what I get for not having a class... Guin sighed internally. She was level ten now; she would have to stop playing around. Keeping a careful eye on the fox in front of her, she clicked through her other screens. TheirWorld was an extremely free-form game with very few limitations on what a player could or could not do. Though there were certain skills you could only learn by having a class, for the most part, the game had no issue with people playing a sword and shield-wearing mage class. The distinction, Guin well knew, was that your real ¡®class¡¯ was defined by the abilities that you put time into leveling. In other words, even if she chose a caster-based class, it would do her little to no good if she never used her magic. Even during the tutorial, she saw how out of control it got. She had a long list of skills and abilities, but compared to the skills she had used over the last ten levels that were now on the verge of evolving into more powerful versions of themselves, they were already incredibly weak. She could only imagine what kind of imbalance there would be after twenty or more levels. Sure, it would be possible to take the time to raise a few abilities in late game, but why bother? She would have to decide what abilities were worth putting time into carefully¡ªand the more she chose, the slower they would level. Sucking on her lip, she considered. TheirWorld was a game that advertised freedom, the ability to be whatever one wanted. But what it really was, Guin was slowly discovering, was a game to find out who one was in the first place. Though I never considered myself someone who wanted to rip people apart and eat their livers, she twitched as her eyes fell on the [Gumiho] trait. What rubbish. She nearly tripped over the fox as it stopped dead in its tracks and looked up at her. Guin closed her windows and watched it turn its head down a new hall. It repeated this movement a few times, and Guin stepped forward, going down the hall alone. It ended with a set of heavy-looking wooden doors with no handles. Guin pushed on them, but they showed no signs of moving. Knocking on them only confirmed for her that they were quite solid. Hands-on her hips, she stepped back. The last door puzzle she had solved had had a clue¡ªmaybe this one did too. It was a simple thing; a door you may have found in any classic medieval castle. It wasn¡¯t intricate like the door of gold had been, so her skills as a scribe and art appreciator wouldn¡¯t help her this time. Her newly sharpened eyes looked carefully around the door frame and the walls and floors. There has to be something... A small hole on the right-hand side of the wall made her pause. Among all the cracks and crevices in the bricks, she may have overlooked it without her enhanced sight picking up on it; its unnaturally perfectly shaped form stood out. Kneeling, she peered at it closer. It was a keyhole. A keyhole? Guin furrowed her brow. It couldn¡¯t be... She pulled out the key that the rats had dropped earlier. It was the key that the High Priest had lost¡ªa treasure door key? Her mind wandered as her mouth watered over all the potential loot she could get exploiting this quest if that were true. Then, lining the key up to the hole and sliding it in effortlessly, she turned with a grin as she watched the doors swing inward violently, hitting the hall walls with a shocking but firm smack! All the blood drained from her face. Had anyone been standing in the path of those doors, they would have walked away quite flat, if at all. Safe over by the keyhole area, she carefully took the key out and placed it in her bag. The High Priest had lost quite the treasure indeed. Walking through the doors, she was greeted by a large, open room, well-lit and seemingly constructed of fine marble with golden inlays. But what caught her eye was in the center of the room, on a diaz of glistening gold hung the snow-white pelt of a large nine-tailed fox. Chapter 67 A half dozen white Spirit Foxes with glistening pink eyes watched her as she approached the diaz. Images of the same hero king she had seen on the door before the golden hallway were carved into its base. Guin knelt and ran her hand over the cool metallic edge as she took a closer look. It looked to be the story of some kind of hero-king fighting against a group of spirits. As she looked closer, she recognized a blue dragon and a white nine-tailed fox standing to defend some sort of white and blue cavern. As she followed the story, she saw the hero-king defeat each in turn, taking the skin of the fox to wear and taking the horns of the dragon as his crown. The hero-king then entered the cavern, revealing a shrine where some kind of claw or horn was displayed with reverence. Taking the item, the hero king stood triumphant and journeyed back to the capital city with an entourage of a hundred knights, bringing the bodies of the defeated creatures back as their prize. A great feast was held in the city, the people celebrating the victory of their hero. Guin¡¯s heart sank. ¡°His name was Octarius Impriori,¡± came a firm, feminine voice. Startled, Guin looked up to see the brilliant, fiery white image of the nine-tailed form of the lady Amikavi looking down at her as she lounged across the diaz. ¡°He was a fool Che Prince who sought what was not his¡ªand received his penance. Unfortunately, so too did his people.¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Guin asked in a soft voice. She knew there was a time jump between the tutorial where she had first met Amikavi, but surely, it can''t have been that long. ¡°What of White Fox Forest?¡± The spirit flicked her tails and sighed heavily through her nose. ¡°Gone, I imagine,¡± she said. ¡°Thousands of years we protected those lands. There were good times and bad. Corruption and purification. Of course, any of us could have told you that it would only take one self-righteous, power-mad idiot to ignore the warnings of the stories that preceded him. History, you see, is only consciously relevant to the period it occurs in¡ªif you¡¯re lucky. After that, it¡¯s all just a cycle of people thinking they are better than those who attempted the feat before. Who are the immortal to argue with the logic of those who prize immortality?¡± ¡°But...,¡± Guin started, struggling to find the words. ¡°I haven¡¯t been gone that long...¡± ¡°Time passes, child,¡± Amikavi told her in a sad, warm voice. ¡°Time does not stop for those who close their eyes in death or sleep¡ªand you have been asleep for far too long. Longer yet, then you realize, for the world is much changed. What takes decades to build can end in a moment.¡± ¡°What of the Dragon King?¡± she asked, pressing her hand against the blue dragon. Tethaigou, the Dragon King, and its servant Jormund had been of great help to her during the tutorial¡ªbut she knew that her choices in the tutorial would not have been reflected in the main game. The characters that she once knew would be gone. She knew the fate of Jormund, at least, and her ears laid flat against her head as she asked, ¡°What of Jormund and Dawl?¡± Lady Amikavi¡¯s pink eyes held an expression of sadness as she looked off into the distance. ¡°I remember you, you, and the path you walked as a child. I remember the feat that you accomplished, the purification that you brought to the forest that I once protected. Tethaigou and Relli spoke well of the child of my child, Gomi¡¯s blood. That story I remember, but so too do I remember a thousand others; each reality created in my mind as an echo. A possibility. A dream.¡± The fox spirit closed her fiery eyes as she continued. ¡°But this is not that life. This is not that story¡ªand eventually, that is a story I will forget, just as I have so many others in my old age. Luckily, you have come to me now while the story is still fresh, else it would be lost in the chaos of my flooded mind.¡± Guin sucked on her lip as she listened to the words of the fox spirit. So, the NPCs do have some sort of residual memory, she thought to herself. She looked up at the spirit in her glory, the pure white of her flame-like body flickering calmly as they stared at one another. Standing, Guin looked up at the pelt that hung behind Amikavi. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. It was splayed out, hung against a gilded backing that made the pure, glistening white fur stand out in the room even more than it might have otherwise; in many ways, it stood out even with the ethereal visage of the spirit of the fox¡¯s owner beside it. As if it had come from a different dimension¡ªwhich, Guin supposed, it did¡ªit gave off an otherworldly presence that felt like even time could not touch. Divine, made real by the crossing of the Veil. Simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by the artifact, Guin stepped back and looked at the spirit of Lady Amikavi. A great sorrow filled her. Something that beautiful had once been alive, and now, it was lost. Kept now in the darkness of a tomb. ¡°You told me to come see you when I had grown into my power,¡± Guin reminded her. ¡°Here I am,¡± she said. ¡°What would you have of me? What can I do?¡± The spirit smiled. ¡°It pleases me that you have come into your blood,¡± Amikavi stood over her. ¡°Gomi¡¯s smell is strong one you, and though he wanders the land as I do in this state of eternal dreaming, I am sure it would make him proud as well. Look up, girl. Let me see your face.¡± Guin did as she was told, but the force behind the spirit¡¯s eyes caused her to look away. ¡°There is power in you,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Little, but it is there. Were I weaker, I might be fooled by you. Were I younger, I would have mocked you for it. As it stands, I do not hate potential¡ªand the world, as it is now, relies on such fragile things.¡± ¡°M-My lady,¡± Guin went. ¡°I¡¯ve little interest in your humble nonsense,¡± Amikavi frowned. ¡°There is only one thing that I am interested in: Shall you pledge your life to the Veil? To your kin? Do you desire the power to change the world?¡± Guin placed a hand on her shoulder where Tik-Tak¡¯s head had once been. ¡°... Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°I suppose Ido.¡± Her eyes lifted to the mighty nine-tailed fox spirit that looked down at her, her tails fluidly dancing behind her. Back by her pelt and the golden background, she was a frighteningly impressive figure no matter how at ease her gaze was. ¡°Try it with conviction, child,¡± Amikavi said in a lazy voice. ¡°Once you make this choice, there is no going back.¡± ¡°I do want such power,¡± Guin affirmed. ¡°I want to be able to protect my friends. I want to be able to be free without fearing the will of others. I want the power to live in the world in peace. I want to be able to protect those like Tik-Tak, and even you. How then, My Lady, do I accomplish this?¡± Amikavi laughed.¡±Better. Much better¡ªbut I am afraid I have no easy solution for you. No matter your path, you will only gain power equal to the amount of work and effort you put into it. I can, however, offer you a chance.¡± ¡°A chance?¡± ¡°It is my blood that runs through your veins,¡± the fox spirit went, lifting her head proudly. ¡°The bloodline of the Mist foxes¡ªand not just any Mist fox; you are the grandchild of the great Amikavi, Nine Tail, Yipva of the Dusk, Kitsune of the Gale, Gumiho of Thunder Tails. I am power¡ªand you are born of this power. As such, you should be able to wield it. ¡°This world is broken,¡± Amikavi continued, her voice filled with sorrow as she looked at the other spirit foxes in the room. ¡°There is a war that has been building beneath the surface between the Che and the Veil for centuries¡ªa war that has happened before yet has been lost to memory. In the ignorance that has befallen the world, the cycle of pain and suffering has been born anew. Corruption spreads across the land¡ªCorruption that now bears the face of many a friend and foe alike. ¡°You are a half-Che. You can walk in both worlds; bridge the gap between them. All that is left now is this choice: Will you take action? If I lend you my power, will you take up the mantle of the one who walks between the light and the dark of the world? Will you gather the tales of the lands and be a voice between us, reminding us of all the good and evil in the world?¡± A gong-like sound rang in Guin¡¯s ears as a golden window came up, reading:
[Class Offered: Tatterskin]
Chapter 68 Guin¡¯s read the screen a few times. She looked between Amikavi and the screen with shock and awe.
[Class Offered: Tatterskin] << The blood of powerful spirits runs through your veins. It has called out not only to you but to them as well, and they flock to you with tales of mystery and magic. You now walk the path of the collector of the lost, keeping the tatters of their memories and shreds of their dreams. The Tatterskin walks the boundaries between what is real and what is not. They are great shapeshifters, borrowing power from the tales they collect to protect the mysteries of the world by being one of the greatest mysteries the world has to offer. Powerless and powerful, so lives the Tatterskin. >> << PLEASE NOTE: Accepting this class unlocks the unique features of this class. A unique class, once you take it up, you cannot change it, for its secrets are bound to you.>> << Accept>> << Reject>>
A hidden class¡­ Guin bit her lip. It was a secret class that she wouldn¡¯t be able to change even if she wanted to. There was no real indication as to what type of class it was, either. ¡°W-What kind of powers does a Tatterskin have?¡± Guin asked, but the fox spirit simply smiled. Taking a deep breath, Guin nodded and hit the [Accept] button. Well, here goes nothing.
<< I agree. >> << I reject. >>
Inhaling through her teeth sharply, Guin skimmed over the warning, and his the agreement button. She was well aware of the side effects of being stupid about shape-shifting, and she¡¯d been using [Fox Form] since she started playing the game, anyway. Several new things appeared in front of her all at once, but she moved them to the side of the screen as she looked up at Amikavi, grinning down at her. ¡°Well done,¡± the fox spirit said. ¡°Tatterskin you are now and shall always be¡ªbut what is a Tatterskin without a skin? Yours has been lost to the flipping of realities, it seems, so perhaps first we must remedy that¡­¡± Slightly confused at Amikavi¡¯s words, Guin tilted her head as she watched the fox spirit turn back to the skin behind her and tug it off the wall with her teeth. In mild shock, Guin went to protest, but with a fluid motion, the fox spirit through it into the air and let the skin land lightly upon Guin¡¯s shoulders, the head becoming the hood of a cloak just as the one she had received from Reili and Tik-Tak. It shrank a bit as it hugged her body, the paws falling down her front to the tips of her breasts as she turned to see the nine tails turn to one. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°Rise now, Tatterskin, for your journey is just beginning. It is time, now, to earn your tails.¡± Gripping her new cloak around herself tightly, she could already tell it was a more powerful item than the one she had had before. But¡­ ¡°M-My Lady,¡± Guin went. ¡°I very much thank you for such a precious thing but¡­ What of the one that was left to me by Tik-Tak and Reili? Is it gone now, forever?¡± Amikavi shook her head with a slight smile. ¡°It is, and yet it is not,¡± she said. ¡°That cloak was made not only of skin and fur but of how that mother and son felt for you. Their feelings have now become part of your power; they are in your ears, your eyes, your claws¡ªbut their physical skins have now returned to them. This world is not as simple as you might think¡ªand you might have yet a chance to save what has been lost to you.¡± Guin¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You mean¡­ Tik-tak¡­ Tik-tak might still be alive?¡± ¡°I know not for sure,¡± the fox spirit shook her head. ¡°Even before my death, I knew White Fox Forest had begun corrupted beyond what any of us could have cured without the help of outside forces. It is possible that he lives. It is possible, but he will not be the fox you remember him to be¡ªand if you seek to fight against the corruption, if you seek to save those souls corrupted by their sorrow, you shall need far more power than you have now.¡± ¡°How do I gain that power? By training as a Tatterskin?¡± ¡°Training, yes,¡± Amikavi said. ¡°But even more, it is not a task that you accomplish alone. The Tatterskin is not a class of one but of many¡ªand there are many kinds of Tatterskins in the world, each using the blood of the Veil they possess to unite their kin, granting them strength, power, and wisdom. You are of the blood of the Fox Spirits. One tail you have, but nine you need before you can truly reach your potential.¡± Guin toyed with the paws of her new cloak. ¡°How do I go about gaining these tails?¡± The fox spirit grinned, ¡°In short, you must find them and convince them of your worthiness.¡± ¡°Convince¡­ tails?¡± Guin furrowed her brow. An amused chuckle accompanied by a flash of green came from beside her. ¡°Oh half-Che, how much you have to learn,¡± Liorax¡¯s voice came from beside her. The blue-grey cat beside her floated, with emerald eyes glimmering. She was shocked to see that he no longer had one tail but two and a third eye on his forehead. Putting a paw to his chin, he mused, ¡°Why yes, what a pleasing reaction. Your eyes can now see past my simple trickery¡ªand I¡¯m sure that you will find that there are other things they¡¯ll see now too. Truths and lies run rampant in this world.¡± ¡°L-Liorax?¡± Guin asked. ¡°This fool comes from the Darklands, in the territory of the Rose clan,¡± Amikavi said with a great amount of distaste. Liorax smirked and shrugged as she continued, ¡°He was one of many of the wards I kept in the forest. One of particularly troublesome parentage¡­¡± ¡°I do like to think that I have made myself useful to you, my Lady,¡± he half bowed. ¡°But, as it stands, I am no longer a flea in your fur. I now own the half-Che, as she owns me¡ªand, should she desire it¡ªmy tails. My tails, and my tales, that is.¡± Liorax gazed at her expectantly. Guin simply started back, tilting her head, ¡°What?¡± she asked. Liorax cleared his throat. ¡°My tails,¡± he pawed at her. ¡°They¡¯re yours.¡± She looked around, and he sighed and pointed. ¡°In your bag. I gave it to you when you graduated from the tutorial.¡± ¡°What?¡± she mumbled, then clapped her hands. ¡°Oh! You mean literally!¡± ¡°Yes, literally, silly half-Che,¡± he grumbled. ¡°You owe me milk.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°No, not now! Tail now! Then milk!¡± Guin grumbled, ¡°You can keep your milk.¡± ¡°The Tails!¡± he shouted, circling her. ¡°My, my, embarrassing us both in front of the Lady¡­ How shameful¡­¡± ¡°Yet not entirely unexpected,¡± Amikavi said. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t need to be so cryptic,¡± Guin complained as she went through and pulled Liorax¡¯s pelt out of her bag. Indeed, Liorax¡¯s pelt had changed to match his new visage. ¡°So, what do I do with this?¡± Liorax grinned at her, his same old Cheshire-cat style grin, and said, ¡°Wear it, of course.¡± Chapter 69 ¡°Wear it?¡± Guin asked. ¡°How do I do that? I¡¯ve already got a cloak...¡± Guin pulled up her character window and looked at the cloak made of Amikavi¡¯s pelt.
<<>> <<[ Guise of the Tailed]>> << Bound - Armor - Robe - Rank -- >> << Armor +5 >> << A cloak made from the skin of powerful fox spirits. This cloak contains the skin of the Lady Amikavi, who once ruled over the White Fox Forest. Legend portrays her as a great trickster and fierce protector of the Veil. Hers is a skin filled with powerful magic to summon storms, ride the wind, and beguile creatures great and small. This item can be upgraded. This is a class item. See [Tatterskin Settings].>> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: Tatterskin - Fox Spirit Focus >> <<>>
¡°What the hell is this,¡± she muttered, clicking the [Tatterskin Settings] button at the bottom of the flavor text button. It opened to a class screen with a four-ability chart, each with two sockets attached. There were three locked abilities, one that was unlocked and one with a fox head shape on it. She went through and looked at each one, but the locked skills only told her that she needed to unlock the abilities before she could gain more information. The unlocked skill was considerably more enlightening:
<<>> <<[Form: Tatterskin - Fox Spirit Focus]>> <> <> << You are but a person wearing a fox¡¯s skin. How appalling. >> << All stats are reduced by 40%. Running Speed is reduced by 40%. Damage Reduction 40%. Health and Mana Reduction 40%. Players inspecting your character window will be met with false stats and character information. You are restricted to Tatterskin specific or cloth armor. Crafting and Gathering abilities have an extra 40% bonus success rate. Crafting and Gathering abilities have a 40% bonus experience rate. From this form, all shapeshifting forms become instants.>> << Cast Time: -- seconds - Duration: -- Seconds - Cooldown: -- Seconds >> <<>>
Filled with a new sense of dread, Guin exclaimed, ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Liorax chuckled as he floated around upside down. ¡°Are you shocked? You are, aren¡¯t you? Look at you! Your face!¡± ¡°How am I supposed to fight with a class like this?¡± she demanded to know as she reread the details. ¡°This is a laborer-type class, not a combat or even adventure-type class!¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± the two-tailed cat went. ¡°If it is a combat class you seek, then you must simply dress more appropriately! ...After you make such attire yourself, of course. So long as you gather the materials yourself, your pretty little constructions should be... viable, at the least. Don¡¯t get me wrong, little princess, I¡¯ll not be your fairy godfather and do all the work for you?.¡± Guin stared at him. ¡°I sincerely hope that¡¯s all code for dropping this pelt of yours into one of these slots here.¡± ¡°Hmm, something like that, I suppose,¡± he considered, then shrugged. ¡°But not really.¡± ¡°Liorax...¡± Guin growled. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. You¡¯ll see! You must attach my pelt to the lady Amikavi¡¯s,¡± he told her. ¡°You can drop it into the slot after that, you see? Look, there should be an area where you can see the lady Amikavi¡¯s pelt appears on your class screen¡ªbut it takes two pelts to give yourself a new dress and, therefore, form.¡± A new form? With Liorax¡¯s words, she returned to the chart with new eyes. The warnings had said that the Tatterskin class was a shapeshifting class... Was each of the locked abilities a new form? But in that case, does that mean that the Tatterskin class is one with only three actual class abilities? It was hard to know what was normal in this game. She knew that, for the most part, abilities were locked only by the amount of work a player put into gaining them. Classes, as they were, generally served to help build certain skills faster in addition to having a few select skills that masters would only teach to those specific tracks. You could find ways to discover them, of course, but this was considered more work than it was worth for the most part. Looking at the details of the current form available to her, this Tatterskin class reduced her to a crafting and gathering class. This was the base form, and it was the only thing she really had to go off of to know what this class was. But if the other forms are like the base form with a different set of bonuses... If that were the case, and one of the three forms was a combat form after all, then this base form would be far more important and powerful than her initial reaction after seeing the ability. Guin sucked on her lower lip, then made a loud pop! sound as she breathed out, she said, ¡°All right. Well, I guess I¡¯m stuck now, so let¡¯s do this. How do I attach your cloak to Amikavi¡¯s?¡± Liorax grinned his special grin that was somehow far more creepy and unsettling in his new form. ¡°The half-Che must sew her own dresses. I¡¯m the godfather, not the godmother. I don¡¯t sew. There is more worth in you doing it yourself, anyway, don¡¯t you think, Lady?¡± Liorax rolled around to face Amikavi, whose face twisted in displeasure as she glared at him. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°The dark lander speaks correctly,¡± Amikavi said. ¡°Unfortunately, this is something we cannot help you with; it is something you must build on your own. Your Tatterskin form should help you in building the skills that you need in order to construct your coat of skins. An apprentice leatherworker can suffice, but as you grow in skill, you can rework the seams to make them stronger, giving your forms more power. Each of the spirit skins you gather and attach should be of powerful spirits and can, therefore, each hold a different enchantment to increase their power. Take care with the skins you use, however, for if you damage them, the spirits who use their power to aid you will lose trust in you, weakening both bond and power. Should you destroy a skin, you shall lose a great amount of reputation amongst the Veil.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Guin looked down at Liorax¡¯s pelt in her hands. ¡°So, the first thing I should do is gain a crafting skill?¡± Amikavi nodded. ¡°I shall assign you a quest,¡± she told her. ¡°First, gain the crafting skills [Skinning] and [Tanning], and the crafting skill [Leatherworking]. When you have achieved [Leatherworking - Intermediate], sew Liorax¡¯s pelt onto mine. At that point, return to me here, and I shall explain more about your job and your abilities as a Tatterskin.¡±
<<>> [To Sew a Dress of Fur and Leather (Class Quest)] < You have become a Tatterskin, but you are still like a baby. In order to use your class to its full potential, you must learn how to use it. The first step is to learn the basics: sewing! Quest Dialogue: ¡°First, gain the crafting skill [Skinning] and the crafting skill [Leatherworking]. When you have achieved [Leatherworking - Apprentice], sew Liorax¡¯s pelt onto mine. At this point, return to me here, and I shall explain more about your job and ability as a Tatterskin.¡±> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
This class is so weird, Guin grimaced as she sent the quest window away, trying not to regret what she had agreed to. ¡°How should I find you after I have done these things? I was only able to get here because the foxes led me to you,¡± Guin asked. ¡°My foxes shall lead you once they sense your arrival,¡± Amikavi said, flipping her tails. Guin nodded. ¡°All right. So... how do I get out of here and back into town?¡± Amikavi nodded to one of the small pink-eyed foxes that had been waiting in the room. ¡°You¡¯ll show me out, then?¡± Guin asked it, but it only tilted its head at her cutely. It reminded her of Tik-Tak, and she smiled as she reached down and pat it on the head. That she might have the chance to meet Tik-Tak again made the whole thing worth it. Turning back to Amikavi, she bowed. ¡°I thank you again, my Lady.¡± ¡°Take care, Tatterskin,¡± the fox spirit bowed her head slightly. ¡°You do not know what you mean to us, who have already passed. There is much ahead for you, but to us who have waited for what seems like forever, you need not rush in your quest to become what you truly are.¡± Uncertain about what to make of the words, Guin nodded curtly and turned towards the hall again. ¡°Shall I buff you?¡± Liorax asked as he floated. ¡°Please,¡± Guin said, and he disappeared in a flash of light. Looking at how late it was, she would be better off starting the quest tomorrow, even though she was eager to see what the Tatterskin class was capable of. Even though she had such horrible stats in this form, she should still have no problem dealing with smaller creatures like the Moarbits to skin. Still, it was bound to take quite some time to level her skills high enough to be worth anything, and it was already eleven o¡¯clock at night. Should I call up some friends tomorrow? Elric and Stella have been wanting to help for a while. Bahena too... But now that she had even more positive experiences with the garuli, she felt a lot more confident about working with them. It was even possible that she could call Tea up for help. She was sure he¡¯d be excited to do just about anything he could. The little white fox led her out uneventfully as if it were somehow enchanted to have no enemies appear in its presence, and with that, she logged out.
Dassah stretched as she took her gear off. She was more tired than she had thought she was, but she was pleased with the progress that she had made. After storing her equipment in its place, she checked her phone. Ah... she went, seeing that Stella had spammed her KiT Talk with messages about the date she wanted to send her on. Her friend Elric had also sent messages about wanting to join up in ThierWorld. Other than that, though, the world seemed quiet and peaceful. Dassah walked into the kitchen where Bahena and Stella were sitting at the breakfast bar munching on takeout from the sandwich shop down the way. ¡°Oh, she is alive,¡± Stella said through a mouthful of sandwich. ¡°You¡¯ve been in the pod for so long Hena, and I were starting to take bets.¡± ¡°Who won?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°Hena.¡± Bahena chuckled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly a fair bet. Here, we got you a seafood sandwich,¡± she said and handed her a package. ¡°Thanks,¡± Dassah said and sat down with them. ¡°I just feel like you forget that the real world needs you just as much as the game world does,¡± said Stella, passing her a soda and a pack of seaweed chips. Food on Yidar was fascinating. She had to be careful using Earthian terms for things, but the sandwich she got was closer to a tuna sandwich than a seafood sandwich¡ªbut it was definitely not tuna. As she chewed, Stella¡¯s eyes bore into her. ¡°What?¡± Dassah asked after she swallowed. ¡°I promise, I¡¯m just about ready to meet up...¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet,¡± Stella said. ¡°About?¡± ¡°The guy! I sent you like a dozen messages! You seriously need to set your game up to receive app notifications.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about now?¡± Behena asked. ¡°Stella¡¯s trying to get me to date someone,¡± Dassah told her. Behena rose a brow. ¡°Oh? Who?¡± ¡°Finally, at least someone asked!¡± Stella exclaimed and pulled her phone out. Dassah cringed as her WristComp started to ding. ¡°His name is Jake, and you¡¯ve actually met him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve... what?¡± ¡°He lives down the way,¡± Stella said. ¡°Him and his roommate Onyx. They¡¯re valkyrians. Remember?¡± Dassah blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m following. You are sending me on a date with a neighbor who could have asked me himself but didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I mean, he could have,¡± Stella said, chewing, then pointed at her. ¡°If you ever came out of your pod at a convenient time.¡± ¡°I got out with you guys all the time!¡± ¡°Which is not the time he¡¯s around. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said, swallowing. ¡°I got it all set for you.¡± ¡°Stella!¡± ¡°It¡¯s at the Perch. You know, the cafe with the cranky bat man? Figured he¡¯d be a good conversation starter if he¡¯s there. Plus, coffee motivation!¡± ¡°Would you listen to me?¡± Dassah growled, glaring. ¡°I would, but, see, you don¡¯t need to speak when I already know what you¡¯re going to say!¡± ¡°Stella!¡± ¡°I,¡± Stella started, ¡°Am going to bed! Have a good night, ladies!¡± Dassah gaped as Stella sauntered up to her room. On the other side of the countertop, Bahena chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s got your number, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Bahena said. ¡°She¡¯s impossible!¡± Dassah exclaimed. ¡°What am I even supposed to do with that?¡± ¡°Need backup?¡± ¡°I just might take you up on that!¡± said Dassah, exasperated. Then she sighed. ¡°No... It¡¯s all right. I can handle it, it¡¯s just... What the hell.¡± Bahena shrugged and cleaned her space up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go, you know.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she said sourly. ¡°But at the same time, I do. What are the chances he flakes?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, but you can always shoot me a message if you need something.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bahena.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± At the very least, there were worse things in life than meeting someone for coffee. Chapter 70 Ba-Dum. Ba-Dum Ba-Dum-tak-dum-tak-dum. Ba-dum-tak-dum-tak-dum. Drums echoed in the dark¡ªnear, yet far as if they carried across a cavernous lake. A deep, reverberating sound it was, beating against her chest, accompanied by a sharp, vibrant beat that grew more complex as the sounds grew louder. Intense. Growing, growing, until the world was filled with color. But when she opened her eyes, all sound ceased. The world was empty. Quiet. Hollow. The air, still. A light, glowing, flickering like a candle against dark waters, pulsated; each pulse sparkling, bringing the light close to where she sat. Bright and silvery, it waxed and waned and danced until it took the shape of a white fox. Its knowing pink eyes stared back at her, serene in their wisdom. With a blinking, she found herself standing before the creature as it if had summoned her. To this, she could only kneel and ask: ¡°Why am I here?¡± Pink eyes lovingly squinted at her, but they did not answer. A gentle wind came from behind, causing her to look back¡ªbut when she did, she saw a long, golden hall that seemed to lead on for miles. The hall glittered with a warm glow of yellows and reds and other bright colors reflecting against polished gold. The walls, covered with thousands of carvings, colorful paintings, and sparkling gems in simple settings, came to life in the flickering of dozens of torches that lined them. Standing in the hall, her eyes darted from place to place. She knew it all. She knew it all like the back of her hand¡ªyet, she knew none of it. Stepping forward, she ran her hand against the smooth of the stone, feeling the etchings under her fingers with a sense of nostalgia. Images of painted animals and people with no like-like resemblance danced and marched in rings around colored stones. Sharp awareness of how each line moved did nothing to help her recognize them, however. No matter how closely she stared or how many times her fingers ran over them, it was as if she could not perceive them. Memory told her that the carvings were of animals and people, celebrating, tools in hand¡ªyet though they were there, so clear to see, the details her heart so longed to know were lost to her, faded by some unknown power. All, save for one. The etching of a man, standing tall and proud atop a black gold orb, wore plain clothes as he proudly held a hammer high above his head. The more she looked at him, the more she saw. The neatness of his beard. The patterns in his clothes. On the hammer¡¯s head, a small symbol was carved with great care and in detailed precision: an eight-pointed star. With a finger, she ever so gently wiped away the dust that time had left, but from her finger, this time came to light. Radiant gold, the light poured like liquid through the riverways of the carvings, running through them like electricity. It flowed out from the eight-pointed star until all the walls shone in golden glory. And then the carvings came to life. All around her, the characters in their patterns began to dance and twirl, peeling away from the golden walls and entering a frenzy of freedom, joining together as they flew through the air like schools of fish. Around her, through her¡ªthey danced¡ªa golden menagerie of light. Tall and proud and life-sized stood the man before her, his hammer held loosely at his side. Golden eyes made up of the light stared passed her, through her. They were sad eyes, kind, in a tired face. Well pronounced crows feet wrinkled around them, and the dark, heavy bags beneath them drooped. His body looked leaner than she might have expected¡ªtoned, though perhaps malnourished, as his shoulders looked burdened by what weight of the world she could not begin to know. The urge to open her arms to him, to hug him, to hold him, to cry in his arms washed over her¡ªbut she did not know why. ¡°Who are you?¡± She begged desperately to know, but there was no indication that he had heard her. He made a motion as if to sigh deeply and shook his head. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. His mouth began to move, and his expression changed. It was as if he were arguing with someone, but there was no voice, no sounds. There was only the movement of the image before. Alone he argued till the world began to swoon and spin, and then the floor came up around her, swallowing her, causing her to fall through the dark and the waters and the caverns she thought she had left. Slamming her hands against her ears, she pressed her eyes shut in hopes that the darkness would return once she opened them again. Then, there was sun against her face. Warm. Soft. The air, moist against her skin. Bird calls of some exotic nature sounded in the distance, and the gentle babbling of running water set her mind at peace enough to open her eyes. This time, the sound remained, but the world was black as a pool of ink. Ba-dum-tak-tak. Ba-dum-tak-tak, went the drums. A soft, deep-voiced humming accompanied it¡ªthen turned to warm laughter. She sat up and looked over at the dark grey garuli sitting in the air as if there should have been a surface to rest upon. ¡°Why did you close your eyes?¡± the visage of Sathuren asked. ¡°I was scared,¡± she answered. ¡°Were you playing music?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± it said. ¡°I know why you have come.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°I¡¯ve come to ask you to save me,¡± she answered. ¡°Will you?¡± But the garule reached behind itself and pulled out a small, well-worn book, the cover of which was as blurry to her as the inscriptions had been. When she looked at the white and purple garule in confusion at the appearance of the text, however, she saw that its mouth was moving wordlessly. ¡°I... I can¡¯t hear you!¡± she cried. In its hand, the book turned to ash. Claws grew and grew sharp, and suddenly the garule had changed into a dragon. She had been here before. ¡°I am sorry, silly girl,¡± the dragon said, a single large, molten gold eye staring at her as the world turned into a lush green jungle. ¡°The good may work hard to save the world for a day, but evil can destroy it in a moment, for all eternity.¡± Ah, she thought, standing tall and clenching her didst as she closed her eyes and said, ¡°For you are what you are, and shall always be.¡± ¡°For I am what I am and shall always be.¡± When her eyes opened this time, she stared into the dragon¡¯s cavernous throat as the world, once again, turned black. *** This time, Dassah simply took a deep breath. Groggy, she sat up and slumped over, her head falling into her hands without much resistance. She was starting to get used to them. The dreams. A little more control. A little more memory. And yet, with each bit more she recognized, she felt as if the dream threw a hundred more things at her to learn. It was an odd combination of familiar places and daces that she sometimes wasn¡¯t sure if they were truly familiar to her or if it was all a trick of the dream world. It was like a puzzle or a game. Perhaps it was two truths and a lie¡ªbut which part was which? And why was she getting the dreams at all? Dassah pulled herself up and out of bed and followed through on her morning ritual, starting with a good stretch and the warm hum of the coffee maker. Checking her phone told her that Elric had sent her several messages as she had slept. Was he playing all night? She snorted, thumbing at her phone. Elric: Noona! Will you be on today? I want to play with you! :3 Elric: My character name is [Drakov]. I am a hidden ranger-type class! :3 Elric: Pew, Pew! Smiling, she sent an affirmative reply to him before hopping into the shower. Hot water caused steam to cloud the room up thick with moisture, but it was a comfortable kind of feeling, like a hug. She hoped the running water would clear her mind. Lifting her face into the streaming water, she let it wash over her as she worked through the images in her dream. This one had been different. Before, the dreams had always repeated the same events over and over¡ªbut now, with her trip to the catacombs, they had changed. Least surprising was the addition of the fox, nor had she been surprised to see Sathuren. The fox was easily dismissed by the lack of context, but her mind lingered on the change in the role of the garule. The drums in the background had been very reminiscent of bone playing of Ibraxis. Likewise, the golden hall had been taken straight from her experience in TheirWorld¡ªbut what bothered her wasn¡¯t the images or the sounds; it was the feelings that those things stirred up inside her. Even though she was no longer in the dream, she could see the face of the man with the hammer so clearly. Though his eyes had been gold in her vision, the color rang oddly false. Though his expression had been sad and angry, she could easily imagine him with a kind, soft smile; the kind of smile that could set her at ease in a moment. But who was he? Who was he to her? Why did she have such strong feelings about him? Dassah looked up at the large, disc-like shower head hanging about her, pouring water over her like rain. What am I missing? She wondered, biting her lip. TheirWorld. Everything seemed to come back to TheirWorld. Scoffing at herself, she turned off the water. You just want a reason to play more. Like you needed the excuse. What she needed was to get dressed. Dassah wrapped herself in her towel and checked her phone. Elric hadn¡¯t responded, but Stella was now checking up on her progress regarding the date even though she was in the next room and clearly knew that Dassah hadn¡¯t left yet. Cursing under her breath, she once again reassured the easily excited young woman and dressed herself. At the very least, the blind date would distract her from thinking too much more about the dreams. Chapter 71 ¡°I¡¯ll have a Caramel Macchiato, please,¡± Dassah said, pulling out her card as she leaned into the counter of the coffee shop. Grim¡¯s large, satellite-like ears twitched behind the counter as he stared at her with an unsurprising degree of bored familiarity that questioned her presence before him¡ªbut such things no longer phased her. ¡°One Caramel Macchiato. Anything else, bottomfeeder?¡± he repeated, his eyebrow twitching. ¡°Some sanity, if you have any of that to spare,¡± she grumbled, almost appreciating the bat man¡¯s typical unwelcoming behavior in the current state of events. ¡°That kind of morning?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°Five creds,¡± he said, sliding her card over the reader and leaning over the counter to hand it back. ¡°Your friends coming around today? Am I prepping for an invasion?¡± Dassah gave him a half grin. ¡°No, but a friend of one of them is coming to meet me. Feel free to your regular, charmingly rude self to him at any time.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± Grim rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s that sort of morning.¡± She nodded and sat at the sidebar, watching him as he busied himself with his fancy coffee maker. ¡°Hey, Grim?¡± she went, toying with the loosened skin around her fingernails. The earar barista flicked up his dark eyes. ¡°Why do people insist on ¡®helping¡¯ people who don¡¯t ask for help?¡± ¡°Am I a therapist?¡± he grumbled as he set her coffee in front of her. ¡°I got my own problems, ugly girl.¡± ¡°So what if I¡¯m ugly,¡± she grumbled and circled the rim of the cup with her finger. ¡°I¡¯m ugly. I don¡¯t like people. And I¡¯d rather be reading a book or playing a video game than have a social life. Is that so bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a bartender, either; I couldn¡¯t care less about your sob stories and self-image,¡± he snorted, then sighed and put his elbow on the counter. Looking at her flatly, he said, ¡°If you can¡¯t tell, I am not the biggest fan of people either. They are stupid, loud, smelly, ugly, and usually don¡¯t know how to take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. Annoyingly, most of them are pretty good at something called ¡®caring,¡¯ too. And when they care about things, they tend to want to ¡®fix¡¯ them. Obviously, even though you are this ugly, someone cares enough about you to think you need fixing. Silver linings.¡± ¡°You kind of suck at this cheering up thing. I could argue with at least half that if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Yeah, well.¡± Dassah burst out laughing and took a sip of her coffee. ¡°Thanks,¡± she told him. He shot her a crooked smile before moving himself off to the register where a new customer was waiting. All things considered, it was pretty quiet there for a Saturday morning. She hadn¡¯t even needed to wait in line. Did something happen again? There were a few groups of people and casual coffee drinkers who were reading books and working on their computers. Because of TheirWorld, she hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to the news, but it also wasn¡¯t like this place was in some kind of tourism district; most of the goers had to be locals. Still, she was curious. ¡°Did you scare all you customers away with that shotty customer service of yours?¡± she asked when Grim had finished with the customer. He shrugged. ¡°If I were trying harder to run this place into the ground, then I would say ¡®absolutely,¡¯¡± he told her, looking around. ¡°Unfortunately, though, one thing has nothing to do with the other.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Dassah winced. ¡°More murders?¡± ¡°Three more bodies were found in Io,¡± he informed her. ¡°Chief Landau may end up being the cause of the next body we find if things don¡¯t get settled soon.¡± ¡°This mess can¡¯t be good for public relations,¡± she said, sipping her drinking. Grim shook his head. ¡°No. And Sai¡¯s already working so much damn overtime to make up for it,¡± he said. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed bitterly. ¡°Why did I take this damn job...¡± ¡°¡®Sai¡¯?¡± Dassah questioned. ¡°As in Corvex Sai, the Silver Hound? What¡¯s that got to do with you?¡± ¡°Nevermind,¡± he growled, his ears flat against his head. ¡°Where do you live, anyway? I know my coffee is good, but you shouldn¡¯t be walking far from wherever you live¡ªespecially alone.¡± ¡°I live down in the hollow city.¡± ¡°Ah. One of Varier¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yeah. This place is actually really close, by the elevators.¡± ¡°Varier sucks, but their security isn¡¯t the worst.¡± ¡°Reassuring.¡± The earar looked her over and tilted his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but a customer at the register called him over with an ¡°Excuse me? Service?¡± that made Grim¡¯s face twist unpleasantly. She watched in amusement for a bit as Grim dealt with the customer who had clearly never been to the Perch before. The other customers in the shop who knew better were also risking looks and chuckling to one another as they watched the red-haired man almost wilt away from the earar man¡¯s oppressive gale. Opening her WristComp holo monitor and keyboard, she did a quick search about the state of Io. The previous week saw several ¡®bergs in chaos as authorities went on a manhunt for a suspected serial killer. Four bodies had been found then, and the police made a big deal about catching the criminal¡ªor criminals¡ªbehind it. It hadn¡¯t gone too well. Now, several dozen new headlines were coming up about police incompetence as more bodies were found. Indeed, Detective Corvex Said, the ¡®Silver Hound,¡¯ seemed like he was the sacrificial lamb of the agency''s PR department, even though his Virtual Crimes Unit wasn¡¯t supposed to have had a direct connection to the investigation. Dassah looked over at Grim, then back down to her screen. Grim had told her that three new bodies had been found, but all the articles coming up for her had left the number as vague or unspecified as they could, saying that the police had yet to make an official comment on the situation. Sucking on her lip, she looked up at the misanthropic earar again, his ears flat against his head and his wings tucked behind his arms as he yawned at the frustrated customer. It couldn¡¯t be... and I just told him where I lived... she thought to herself in a panic, then shook her head. While it probably wouldn¡¯t have shocked anyone if Grim killed someone, it hadn¡¯t taken her long to realize that he was probably far too lazy to make a habit out of it. With three new bodies found, it would bring the total body count to 32¡ªnot a small number. Right? But he was always standing and yawning and complaining about this not being his real job. If this wasn¡¯t his real job, then what was? Killing people? Snorting to herself, she chuckled. Since when did the real world turn into TheirWorld, Dass? Thinking your coffee shop barista is a serial murderer out to get you... How arrogant can you be. Drink your coffee. ¡°Why is that guy so scary?¡± The customer that Grim had been dealing with up to that point came over and sat on the stool next to Dassah. She gulped her mouth of coffee down in mild shock as she looked at him. He was a fairly youthful-looking valkyrian man with reddish brown hair and green mystricks freckling his cheeks in a random pattern. ¡°Sorry?¡± she went. ¡°That guy is... kinda... not very nice,¡± he said, looking at her worriedly. ¡°How does he still have a job when he¡¯s like that?¡± ¡°Ah-Ahh...,¡± she murmured, looking down at her coffee, then up at Grim¡ªwho was staring at her with an all-too-pleased expression. Frowning, she fiddled with the coffee cup in her hands. ¡°W-Well, I think it¡¯s just his personality. Other customers don¡¯t seem to mind...¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± he said and pushed his silver-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. ¡°You¡¯re Hadassah Graydon, right?¡± the man went, light blue eyes gazing at her nervously. ¡°You don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡± She blinked at him several times before looking at Grim again, who was grinning as if to himself, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he was quite focused on their conversation. ¡°What? Oh...¡± Dassah turned her attention back to her coffee as she internally cursed the bat barista. Looking at him again out of the corner of her eye, she realized he was, in fact, familiar to her. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°She told you about me, didn¡¯t she?¡± the new man asked, holding out his hand. ¡°It¡¯s Jake, from we found out apartments last month.¡± Chapter 72 Dassah stared at the offered hand. The corner of her eye twitched a little, but not wanting word of any rude behavior reaching Stella she smiled. Taking the offered hand, she said, ¡°Nice to see you... again.¡± He returned her smile with a charming grin. ¡°Very nice to see you again,¡± he said. ¡°Have you settled into the apartments?¡± ¡°Just about,¡± she told him. ¡°I spend most of my time in TheirWorld, though, so.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jake said, looking around the place. ¡°Looks like a nice place, that earar is... a bit much, isn¡¯t he. I wonder where the manager is that he lets his staff act like that. You come here often?¡± He is the manager, she snorted as she buried her nose in her cup. ¡°One Latte,¡± Grim put a cup on the table and slid it over to the red-haired man. Jake cowered back a bit as he looked up at the bat man. ¡°Also, if you are looking for a manager, you can just send all your complaints to me. She¡¯s in class, for once, thank the sky, and probably cares less than I do, anyway. At least I have the cops on speed dial if need be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary,¡± Jake said with a half-hearted laugh, going a bit red around the ears. Grim snorted but didn¡¯t give an answer. He smirked in Dassah¡¯s direction and left again. Seeing a twinge of worry in Jake¡¯s expression, Guin chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s just who he is.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked, then took a towel from a nearby dispenser, and Dassah held in her amusement as she watched him wipe down the sides of the cup in front of him. ¡°If you say so, I guess I¡¯ll trust it.¡± Dassah pushed a stray hair out of her face and took another sip of her coffee. Trying to subtly look around the room to gain hints from observing other people in the cafe, she tried to think about how to proceed with the concept of ¡®small talk.¡¯ Next to her, Jake cleared his throat. ¡°So. Hadassah. That¡¯s an unusual name, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Dassah answered, looking up. ¡°My mother really liked biblical names.¡± ¡°Biblical?¡± ¡°From the bible,¡± she told him. ¡°Earthian religion... stuff.¡± She fumbled with her fingers in her lap. ¡°I see,¡± he nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t say that I know too much about religion, let alone Earthian religion.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a valkyrian, right?¡± ¡°Full-blooded,¡± he nodded with a smirk. ¡°¡®Jake¡¯ is a very Earth-sounding name,¡± she returned. He laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a nickname. My full name is Jaekaar. What about you? ¡®Hadassah¡¯ is a bit of a mouthful. People call you Hattie?¡± Dassah snorted. ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me that,¡± she told him. ¡°It¡¯s just Dassah.¡± ¡°Dassah!¡± he smiled with a nod. ¡°I like that. ¡®Dassah.¡¯¡± Blushing, Dassah looked into her coffee cup. ¡°So... are you enjoying TheirWorld?¡± he asked. ¡°Mmm,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I see...¡± he went, then stared into his cup. ¡°Y-You¡¯re also in the program, right?¡± Dassah asked. ¡°Oh,¡± he said quickly. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Dassah said with a nod. So why couldn¡¯t she at least do this in-game where it wouldn¡¯t be so awkward? Dassah cursed Stella a thousand times in her mind as she peered into the safety of her coffee cup. Taking a deep breath, Dassah sighed and licked her lips as she choked down her gut reaction to drive the conversation further into the murky pit of awkwardness it was headed in the direction of. ¡°Do you do anything else?¡± she asked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Do you just do TheirWorld?¡± she asked. ¡°I know a few people who do other things.¡± ¡°O-Oh!¡± he went, brightening up. ¡°I¡¯m also a medical student and intern,¡± he told her, pushing up his glasses again. ¡°I¡¯m writing my thesis on the medical science involved with the system behind TheirWorld, looking at some of the side effects of the way it can affect the brain. It¡¯s really interesting stuff.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Dassah nodded. She¡¯d been expecting something more along the lines of hobbies; it was surprising to find that working a sub-job was turning out to be daily common. His excitement about the subject made her think of a puppy, but he had to have a good head on his shoulders to be a medical student. Sathuren had told her he was a researcher as well. Settling down her nerves a little, she asked, ¡°If you¡¯re a student, does that mean you¡¯ve been on the ¡®bergs for a while?¡± ¡°Four years,¡¯ he said, then chuckled. ¡°Bet it doesn¡¯t seem like that, huh?¡± ¡°Why say that?¡± He smiled as he nursed his latter. ¡°I¡¯m a little... Shy. Awkward, I guess. I admit I am not... great with people.¡± Dassah laughed out loud. ¡°Seems to be a common affliction around here, people not being great with people. Stella seems to be an exception,¡± she said. ¡°Though I imagine in your professions, it¡¯s not a great trait to have.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Shrugging, Jake said, ¡°It''s not too bad. I struggle sometimes, but I think the biggest thing I run into is that I get far too attached to my patients. Many of my coworkers kind of make fun of me for that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing,¡± she told him. Her gaze clouded over a bit as she stared into nothing. ¡°It¡¯s just... it¡¯s a hard thing. Letting go is hard. For things we love and for things we hate.¡± Her thoughts drifted to Tik-Tak and the White Fox Forest again. She had only known them for such a brief time, yet that sense of attachment and loss was still quite real to her¡ªmore real, perhaps, than she felt for most real people. TheirWorld had always seemed more real to her than the Yidar did, though. Forget that White Fox Forest resembled her home on Earth; for all the monsters and magic and mayhem that made up her life game, it seemed far more grounded in reality than this place was. Dassah looked around the cafe. A jikak was furiously typing away at his holographic keyboard with his three fingers, piggy nose wiggling whenever he paused to think. A blue and yellow feathered garule was lounging, peacefully sipping his tea or coffee or whatnot as he sat people watching out the large front window of the cafe. A handful of green-skinned, elf-like tivarys women sat chatting away, showing each other pictures and giggling like school girls as they fawned over various musicians. It felt less like they were aliens and more like fantasy races in a sci-fi world. Maybe that was why TheirWorld always felt less jarring to her; it was a fantasy world. Giggling to herself, Dassah finished her coffee. ¡°Uhm,¡± Jake coughed. ¡°Dassah?¡± ¡°Hmm? Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who¡¯s shy and awkward.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s good to know it¡¯s not just me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± she said. ¡°How do you know Stella?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really say that I know her, to be honesty,¡± he said, then laughed. ¡°Onyx and I ran into her in-game, and she remembered us. We played a little bit together and... well. You came up. ¡± Dassah scrunched her nose and attempted to hide her blushing face by looking away. ¡°Playing with her must be colorful,¡± she said. ¡°It is!¡± Jake said, seemly relieved. Dassah held back a grin as she looked up to see Grim standing over them. ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked. ¡°Mmm,¡± he went. ¡°Take this sickeningly sweet conversation away from my bar. Shoo. There are tables aplenty. Want more coffee to prolong it? Pay for it, and it¡¯s yours. She looked at her almost empty cup and pushed it over with an order for a second one. Jake politely rejected the offer and led Dassah to one of the tables on the other side of the cafe. She found it curious that Grim had taken such initiative; when it came to his hearing, it probably didn¡¯t matter how far away they were as long as they were still in the cafe. Is he... being considerate? She wondered, amused. People do come in all sorts, I guess. ¡°Stella said that you liked playing games?¡± Jake asked as they sat down together. Dassah paused and slowly lowered herself down into the seat. ¡°What else did Stella say?¡± she asked, looking him over. He flushed a pretty shade of pink. It was much easier to see him now that she was sitting across from him and not next to him. He had a very classic suave-professional look to him. His eyes were clear, with long lashes, and his skin was the kind of pale white a person can be only when they don¡¯t go outside very often. The style of his clothes was very relaxed but still quite smart, with a dark green button-down shirt complementing the bright mystriks on his face, khaki slacks, and comfy-looking shoes. But his aura made her hesitate. The way he felt; the energy he gave off didn¡¯t match the persona he presented. His body language, his voice, his words¡ªthey were all laid back, soft, easy. His eyes, however, a bright, sky blue, were sharp, alert, and clever¡ªthough he seemed to be making considerable effort to force them to be otherwise. You¡¯re just imagining things, Das, she told herself, trying to shake a feeling of unease. You just aren¡¯t used to situations like this. ¡°Just basic things,¡± he said. ¡°She didn¡¯t mention anything about me?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± she started, being drawn out of her thoughts, then shook her head. ¡°Only that you were a friend of a friend.¡± Though he seemed a bit disappointed, he chuckled. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all she really knows anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost certain that¡¯s not it,¡± Dassah grimaced. ¡°More likely, she expects me to find things out for myself. I¡¯m guessing what you heard about me didn¡¯t come directly from her. She tends not to think about those lesser of us that haven¡¯t been born with the gift of easy communication.¡± Laughing, he said, ¡°That sounds right, knowing her.¡± ¡°The joy of not being Stella¡¯s friend. You got to come here without being threatened.¡± He paled. ¡°Threatened? You were threatened to meet me?¡± Chuckling Dassah shook her head and leaned back. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way,¡± she waved it off. Well, I don¡¯t really mean it in a good way, either, but, she thought and said, ¡°Her heart¡¯s in the right place, and I¡¯m not unhappy to have come.¡± Jake smiled a bit at the last bit as his watch started buzzing. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m on call¡ªI have to take this. ¡° She motioned for him to go ahead and started browsing through her own phone as he walked away. She had to admit, it wasn¡¯t that bad, but she didn¡¯t get the impression that he was all that happy with the meeting himself. Was he lying about being on call? She mused. Did his friend call him to get him out of this nonsense blind date? Does he even know that that¡¯s what this is supposed to be? Stella had left her several messages, but Dassah chose to ignore them in favor of Elric¡¯s.
  • Elric: Noona! Will you be on today? I want to play with you! :3
  • Dassah: Yup yup~
  • Dassah: I am just running an errand now, but I will be on soon, I hope.
  • Elric: What city are you in? I will head there now!
  • Dassah: Miala De Ri. It¡¯s in the Mist kingdom.
  • Elric: Oh! That¡¯s far from me.
  • Elirc: But I just got a caravan ticket! :D I will be there soon!
  • Dassah: Okay! I will look forward to it! :D
¡°Sorry for this,¡± Jake said as he returned and started collecting his things. ¡°There¡¯s been a bit of an emergency back at the hospital. I¡¯m going to have to cut this short... Can I have your number? I promise I¡¯ll make it up to you!¡± Nodding, she gave him her number, and he went off hurriedly. Grim came over and sat across from her with a cup of coffee of his own. ¡°If you have something to say,¡± she said, glaring at him. ¡°Say it.¡± He took a sip of his coffee and stared at her flatly. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I hope you aren¡¯t too invested.¡± Chapter 73 ¡°Take a seat anywhere,¡± one of them said. ¡°The Master Hunter will be with you in a moment.¡± They then closed the door softly behind them, leaving her to her own devices. Small but cozy, the well-decorated sitting room smelled of a mix of dried, sweet-smelling, earthy potpourri; far be it from the office she had been expecting. Instead, it looked as if the second floor was actually a small apartment that she was now standing in the living room of. The walls were filled not with trophies but with paintings. A large, detailed portrait of a family hung over a small fireplace. Four faces smiled back: a tall, dark-skinned valkyrian man with a bright, laughing face stood next to a small, delicate tivarys woman, with an otherworldly beauty. She hung on his arm, her cheek touching his shoulder as she stared out of the canvas with a soft, stately look in her green eyes, well captured in the paint. A pretty young girl had the woman¡¯s eyes and the man¡¯s skin tone, a giggly smile on her face as she held a small, pale-skinned toddler. They were dressed well: The father in a maroon shirt and an embossed leather vest¡ªthe mother in a simple yet elegantly styled lavender gown that complimented her translucent white jade skin. The little girl wore a dress of white and green, and her dark hair was clipped back with ribbons of similar colors, and the toddler was dressed in a way to match his father. ¡°They¡¯ve all gone and left the nest, now,¡± came a sweet voice from the side. ¡°That was done many years ago.¡± Guin looked up to see the tivarys woman from the portrait¡ªthough she hardly resembled the noblewoman in her finery now. Her skin was less white and more translucent. Guin could see the veins running around her pointed ears and bare scalp. Wrinkles were now more prominent, leaving an almost marbled appearance to her skin. Her green eyes, soft in the painting, were hard now, with a sharp pride that made it feel like she could overcome a threat in a moment, rather than the motherly pride in the painting. Perhaps the biggest changes of all, however, was the way the woman dressed and how she stood; she now wore the clothes of a hunter and stood straight, her hands behind her back at attention. ¡°Your family?¡± Guin asked. The woman nodded. ¡°My children live with my parents in the Imperial City now,¡± she told her. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them in many a year since they came of schooling age.¡± ¡°You must miss them.¡± ¡°Very much, but now, all the hunters here are my family,¡± she said. ¡°I am Master Hunter Lemania Lithe. My boys told me that you wish to speak with me?¡± ¡°Ah¡ªYes,¡± Guin went, standing straighter to match the Master Hunter¡¯s commanding presence. ¡°I wish to learn the art of skinning and tanning.¡± ¡°Then I welcome you,¡± Lithe nodded. ¡°Hunting is an honorable profession. Shall we walk? I¡¯ve been trapped inside all day.¡± The Master Hunter held out her arm toward the door, and Guin followed. She nodded to the two at the door, telling them to take a rest for a while. Guin followed her down the stairs as she continued: ¡°Every city and small town has hunters; I¡¯m sure you know this. We provide leathers and bones for tools and clothing, fur to keep the townsfolk warm in the cold months, and we provide meat year-round. ¡°Here in Miala De Ri, we hunters take particular care to use all parts of our kills, and those parts we cannot use are taken to a shrine behind the complex and buried or burned. Thus is the nature of our good city to appease the spirits of the land, and so long as you should operate within our borders, you would do well to adhere to our rules. If nothing else, be thankful for the profits that the kill provides those who benefit from its death.¡± Walking her back out to the yard where the hunters were working diligently cleaning their skins, Lithe nodded or waved elegantly to everyone she passed. They came to a space where an older man with a bushy beard was just starting to string up a Moarbit to one of the poles. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Lady Lithe,¡± the man nodded to the Master Hunter as they strode up to him. ¡°Can I be of service to ya?¡± ¡°Gorseth,¡± Lithe nodded, then turned to Guin. ¡°This young lady here would like to learn how to skin. Do you mind showing her the proper steps?¡± The man nodded gruffly and eyed Guin, ¡°I can, yeh. Does the girly have a name?¡± ¡°Guin,¡± she said. ¡°After you watch Gorseth skin this Moarbit, have him watch over as you do one yourself. When you are finished, return to me with your skin, and I shall tell you your next step.¡±
<<>> [Quest Offered: To Skin a Moarbit] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
Gorseth grunted as Lithe walked away with a curt nod. Waving his skinning knife in Guin¡¯s face, he said, ¡°Now, you listen good, ya hear? I¡¯ll only show ya this once, ¡®n then you¡¯ll have to do it fer yerself.¡± Guin nodded, but her eyes fell on the spirit of the little Moarbit, who was staring up at the man expectantly, its little nose twitching. ¡°Where ya lookin¡¯ at? Look here!¡± he growled. ¡°First, ya gotta string the catch up by the feeties here¡ªlike this,¡± he pointed at it as it hung by one leg from a pole. ¡°When you do this out in the woods, you can find a tree to hang it from, but here, we got poles and what-not. First, you gonna give the kid a good brushing to get all the dirt rubbish out of it. Makes it nice and pretty and easier to deal with later. ¡°Then, ya take yer knife here, and look here at this leg,¡± he ran his knife along the leg of the Moarbit where white met its striped red fur. ¡°Use this here line as your guide and make yer cut, right ¡®bout from the ankle here to the bum.¡± Guin watched with a mix of horror and fascination as he made his cut. ¡°Cut along the ankle here to detach the foot from her fur and pull that skin off. Try not to hurt the tendon...¡± he pulled the skin off the meaty flesh of the animal with delicate but firm tugs. He continued, ¡°Then, you can move on to the tail. Yer gonna make a cut near around the base of the tail here, just about the bum, then pull the tail out if it got one; this here Moarbit don¡¯t get much of one, so there''s nothin¡¯ to worry ¡®bout. Now we can switch legs. You can use that tendon from earlier to hang it up by.¡± And he did so. ¡°And repeat...¡± he made the same cuts to the new leg as he had before. ¡°Then we cut the bum here to separate, then all we do is pull. Remember, gentle but firm.¡± Gorseth started pulling the fur down the flesh with relative ease, letting the fat separate from the skin from the muscles. When he got to the head, he stopped and picked up his skinning knife. ¡°The head takes a bit more negotiating, but just take it slow and steady. You¡¯ll have to put a little elbow grease into cutting the ears off.¡± He worked his way around the head with his knife. It seemed to offer little resistance as he cut through and pulled, cut and pulled, cut and pulled. A bit of blood dripped and rand down his hands. ¡°When ye come to the mouth, yeh don¡¯t need to worry so much. Cut them lips off.... Then, there you have it!¡± Guin grimaced, sucking her lips as she watched him make the final cuts and pull away the inside-out skin. Holding it up proudly, he said, ¡°And so, this is the first step to making useable fur. From here, we¡¯ll give it a light wash, get rid of any leftover residue and blood from the skinnin¡¯. The remains here we send to the tavern, where they will do what they like with it and distribute the parts they don¡¯t use to the people who do.¡± The spirit of the Moarbit did a little satisfied shake, then pranced off into the woods. ¡°Now, let me get this here pelt to Aaron for washing, and the carcass to Millie to take to the tavern, then we can see about getting you set up. Whaddya say?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Guin nodded. He eyed her again. ¡°Don¡¯t you be wantin¡¯ to take off that pretty cloak of yours? Skinnin¡¯ is a bit of a messy business.¡± Shaking her head, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, ¡°No. I¡¯m good, thanks!¡± ¡°A¡¯ight, then. Sit tight. I¡¯ll be back in a moment with your fur.¡± Chapter 74 Beady, black eyes stared up at her expectantly. The faded orange and white, tiger-striped Moarbit spirit wiggled its nose at her as it started floating out from its stiffened, physical body. Gorseth was reiterating many of his earlier points and pointing out the knots he was using, but Guin couldn¡¯t help but be slightly unsettled as she watched the spirit rub its antlers against the post its body was now hanging from. ¡°Well? What¡¯re you waitin¡¯ for?¡± ¡°Sorry, what?¡± Guin said, looking up. Rolling his eyes, Gorseth growled, ¡°One more time, then.¡± Pointing a the antlers, he said, ¡°This kid here is male and still¡¯s got his antlers, so the first thing that needs doin¡¯ is we need to saw them off. So put that brush down and get it done!¡± ¡°A-Ahh...¡± Guin picked up the saw from the table and went to position herself. ¡°Get as close to the base of the things as yeh can without damagin¡¯ anythin¡¯ else now,¡± the man with the bushy beard pushed her saw down a little, and Guin sawed through the two relatively quickly. She then picked up the brush and brushed out the remaining dirt and grime from the fur. With that accomplished, she swallowed and looked at the Moarbit¡¯s spirit, who was watching intently. Gorseth chewed on a piece of dry bread as he pointed. ¡°Start you cuttin¡¯ then. We aren¡¯t even at the tough parts, let alone the ones that yeh need a strong stomach for.¡± Eyes locking with the spirit¡¯s, Guin tilted her head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not... that... per say....¡± ¡°Get on with it, then!¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered to the creatures as she picked up a brush from the tool table. Moarbits had very thick, wiry fur rather than the soft fur that she knew bunnies to have on Earth. The process went smoother than she thought it would. Maybe it was because she had already grossed herself out so much when she had eaten the liver of the player in the dungeon. In contrast, skinning the creature was a relatively simple task once she got over the fact the spirit of the creature was watching her. She struggled a bit with the head, but Gorseth told her that she had done well, and that it would get easier in time. The lips were probably the worst part of it. ¡°You¡¯ve got a stronger stomach than I¡¯d given you credit for,¡± he said, actually looking a bit disappointed. ¡°Normally, people have a reaction to the remaining blood, at least.¡± Normally, people don¡¯t have the instinct to desecrate remains bare-handed and eat their livers, but here we are... Guin thought to herself as she brushed herself off. Blood had splashed on her shoes and clothes, but it faded away as she looked at it in mild disgust. A small bit of blood had gotten on her fur, but it beaded up, and brushed it off easily. She was a bit curious that she hadn¡¯t felt like eating livers as of yet. Is there a set of requirements that need to be met? She wondered, looking at the now naked moarbit body, trying not to see the glassy eyes. It didn¡¯t have much in the way of meat. ¡°Shall I take the pelt to the Master Hunter?¡± Guin asked. He nodded and said, ¡°Before you visit our Lady Lithe, give it a quick wash and dry. You don¡¯t want to drip blood everywhere. While the pelt is drying enough to take it, you can clean up here...¡± Finishing her cleaning, she fetched the pelt and wrapped it in a bit of cloth at the behest of Gorseth. ¡°This time ¡®round, me an¡¯ the others here will take care of the rest of carcass,¡± he told her as she placed the wrapped fur in her bag. ¡°In the future, however, you¡¯ll need to find your own ways to take care of the other parts. Back in the days, I was a driftin¡¯ hunter, I had a lot ¡®o luck in marketplaces and the like. You¡¯ll not want to trade in the area of a town¡¯s Hunters¡¯ Guild. We supply most of em quite well.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Guin told him, thinking of the list of people she was keeping and wondering if any of them would be willing to buy the spare parts of hers. ¡°So long as you behave and treat your kills right, you¡¯ll have the benefit of being affiliated with Miala De Ri¡¯s hunters,¡± he said, crossing his arms. ¡°If yeh fail to follow those rules, then, well... you¡¯ll end up on that there tavern board.¡± He nodded his head in the direction of the Nocked Arrow. With a huff, he looked her over. Pulling a leather kit from a satchel around his waist, he hesitated a moment and handed it to her with a grunt. ¡°Ya did good, brat. Take this,¡± he said. Guin took it from him gingerly and opened it. It was a set of simple skinning tools. ¡°This was mine, from back in those days. Not worth much, aside from sentimental value; you¡¯ll wanna be replacing them when you can, but they should serve yeh well for a while.¡± ¡°Gorseth,¡± Guin started, looking up at him. ¡°Thank you!¡± Gorseth¡¯s cheeks went a little pink as he sputtered, ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯. Just make sure yeh take care of ¡®em. Shall I show yeh how?¡± They talked briefly, then Guin saw the time and forced herself to depart. After thanking him again, Guin took the pelt and returned to the building. Just as she was heading up the stairs, she received a party invite and text tell from Drakov, saying that he would be questing in the area until she was ready to meet up. Guin sent him a quick reply before the guards let her back into Lithe¡¯s suite. Sitting poised and proper in a large, leather-bound chair near the fire, the Master Hunter looked up at her with a thin smile. She placed a clunky metal mug that didn¡¯t seem to match her easy grace on a coffee table next to her before leaning forward. ¡°You¡¯ve skinned your first, then?¡± she asked, her eyes alight. Guin took out the pelt package from her inventory and handed it to her. Lithe looked it over with a rather stoic look on her face before nodding. ¡°Not bad, for a first. Much better than I did; hesitation and fear left so many holes and scratches in my pelt that it was of rather awful quality. But this, this is not bad. You have earned your skill.¡±
<<>> [Quest Completed: To Skin a Moarbit] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
<> <[Hunting - Skinning] Rank - Beginner>>
¡°Thank you, Master Hunter,¡± Guin bowed. ¡°For what? The effort was yours, not mine,¡± Lithe shrugged. ¡°Allow me to give you a test. Go to the woods and bring me back the pelts of a dozen Moarbits, six Rat Weasels, three Cat Foxes, a Rabid Wolf, and a Blubear. You may do as you like with the rest of the parts of the animals, but remember, all parts are to be treated with dignity, do you understand?¡± Guin nodded. ¡°I do,¡± she said. Probably more than most...
<<>> [Quest Offered: Skins of All Sorts] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
¡°I accept your quest, Master Hunter,¡± Guin said, bowing again. ¡°On that note, I would also like to ask about learning how to tan the skins?¡± Lithe nodded. ¡°When you have come back with the skins from my quest, I will have you trained on the tanning process. Tanning is a time-consuming process that can only be done with the proper tools and setup, and it is advised that you have several pelts lined up before you begin those steps.¡± ¡°Then I will come back when I have finished gathering them!¡± ¡°Be careful out there,¡± Lithe called as Guin waved from the door. Once the guards had closed the apartment door, Guin started heading out toward the Hunters¡¯ Guild entrance and summoned up a window to see Drakov¡¯s face light up when she told him to meet her in front of the Nocked Arrow. Chapter 75 Elric¡ªor, rather, Drakov¡ªwas a couple of years younger than her, but he had a mature face that often made her forget that fact. His black hair was spiked up and sticking up wildly, and his almost black eyes were warm as he gave her a friendly hug. ¡°How did questing go?¡± she asked him as they pulled away. ¡°I got quite a bit done; I assume you¡¯ll have some of the hunting quests I just finished, but more XP for us!¡± he told her. ¡°Did you get credit for the things I killed while you were doing your thing?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± Guin asked, checking her experience bar. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get any credit, but maybe I did?¡± She didn¡¯t know where her experience bar had been before, but it certainly seemed like she might have gotten something for it. Drakov gave her a sheepishly perplexed look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°N-Noona...,¡± he went, scratching the bit of dark scruff that shadowed his jaw. ¡°You look a little... weird.¡± ¡°Weird?¡± Drakov pointed at her face. ¡°Your eyes... are a bit... And your teeth... did you get cursed? Or something?¡± Dread filled her as she felt around in her mouth with her tongue and opened her character window. Zooming in, she cursed under her breath. ¡°Of course...¡± she growled. ¡°But... the NPCs didn¡¯t notice?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t look like this when we talked before,¡± he told her. ¡°Is that so...¡± Furrowing her brow, Guin clicked through the windows, then checked her status. [Hungry for Livers]. ¡°Oh, what the hell...¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Debuff: Hunger (Gumiho Trait) ¡ª (2 Stacks)] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡°What a stupid... Argh!¡± Aggravated, she waved the windows away rather violently. ¡°I thought that was just going to be a debuff¡ªand why two stacks?¡± Was it in-game days that affected it? Drakov shrunk back a bit. ¡°N-Noona?¡± Guin grabbed him by the collar of his leather jerkin and tugged him toward the wood line. ¡°Come on,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I need to find a liver.¡± ¡°H-Haaaa?¡± Drakov went in shock and confusion as she dragged him into the woods. Just off the main trail, sharpened sight caught movement. ¡°There,¡± she muttered, pointing, then pulling her spear out. Tugging his arm back, he hissed, ¡°What are you doing? Noona!¡± Ignoring him, Guin went ahead. It was the first time she had hunted with her new traits and being a Tatterskin. Her nose twitched, and her ears fought against the hood that kept them. In her vision, the slightest movements informed her about her surroundings. Yellow guides tracking along the ground told her where she should place her feet, but she hardly noticed them as all her attention focused on the Moarbit, going about its life as forest cannon fodder for players. Both her eyes and guides showed her what to do¡ªwhere she could step without making noise and where she could go to get a clean shot. The creatures she hunted were alone. Vulnerable. They knew nothing of what was about to happen to it. Their back was turned. They knew nothing. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Gentle steps, quick along the ground. And then¡ª A few feet away, Guin raised her spear and angled it. Just. Right... With a speed she didn¡¯t know she was capable of, she thrust the spear at a downward angle¡ªright through the creature¡¯s spine with a [Backstab]. Even with her reduced status, there was no way for it to withstand the critical hit. ¡°Nice hit!¡± Drakov exclaimed as he made his way through the bushes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you were going for there, but you were awesome! Like a jungle cat! Rawr!¡± ¡°Or a fox,¡± she mumbled, kneeling down next to her kill. Drawing out her dagger, she apologized to the creature before slicing it open. With her hand, she rummaged, pulling the organs out till she found what she was looking for. Her stomach churned as she lifted it to her face. The liver of the Moarbit in her hand, Guin contemplated the choices in her life she had made thus far. How had it come to this? It had been a kill of convenience¡ªa single Moarbit, just off the main road. Without much thinking, Guin had rushed it. Killed it. The corpse, inside now its outsides, stared at her through dead eyes. She hadn¡¯t bothered to skin it. She was only after one thing: Normalcy. And for normalcy, she needed the poor, pitiful creature¡¯s liver. As it turned into bubbles and left its chest behind, Guin shook. The deep red organ was still warm against the skin of her hand. Blood, dripping from her hands, faded before it hit the ground, as her face twitched in disgust. But she couldn¡¯t walk around the city¡ªespecially around a place like the Hunters¡¯ Guild¡ªlooking like a Gumiho. It simply wouldn¡¯t do. Wrestling her conviction into line, she drew the thing to her mouth and chomped down¡ª ¡ªthen spit it out. The taste itself was bland and nondescript as it met her lips, but something about it made her want to vomit the moment the liver touched her tongue. Her whole mouth went numb as if a dentist had given her a shot of novocaine. ¡°W-What the¡ª¡± She cursed, and she spat, and she washed out her mouth with water from one of the skins she kept in her bag. As the feeling returned to her mouth, a taste that reminded her of the smell of pesticides in a garden shop was left behind, and she tried to rinse it out. ¡°N-Noona...¡± Drakov¡¯s voice was filled with horror, and when she looked up, he was cringing back away from her, hugging his bow. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± Guin stared back down at the liver. The Moarbit that it had come from had disappeared long before. Why had she had such a reaction to the Moarbit? When she had eaten the first liver, its as if she had been drawn to it. What was the difference? Biting her lip, she opened the trait description.
<<>> [Gumiho] < You can move +5% faster than the average person. ¡ª You have a permanent [Hunger] debuff that stacks every day that you are logged in that can only be dismissed temporarily by eating Livers. ¡ª Going against beasts or humanoids grants you +2% damage. ¡ª You learn natural abilities 5% faster than your peers, and you have a natural bonus in addition to levels. ¡ª Gain +2% experience when an enemy dies. ¡ª If you go into a church, there is a 20% chance they will try to rally the village to burn you at the stake, and you will become a temporary enemy of the town. ¡ª Upon eating, the livers of corpses will earn a [Livers Are Delicious!] buff for 30 minutes. ¡ª You now have the physical traits of a Gumiho, and receive the benefits appropriate for those features.> <<>>
What am I missing? She wondered. Unless... ¡°Oh, no... No...,¡± she moaned. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Drakov asked, ducking his head. ¡°I think... I think it needs to be humanoid livers,¡± she told him, rubbing her face. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°W-What does?¡± ¡°This,¡± Guin waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°I need to eat livers to keep this from showing. Which means... Gods... I hope Gobos count because otherwise, I could be in big trouble...¡± The pallor of Drakov¡¯s face had turned a bit grey. ¡°Yeah,¡± she grumbled in agreement. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°So...¡± Drakov looked away. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Guin pushed back her hood and drew out her spear. She saw Drakov¡¯s jaw drop as he started muttering something in surprise, but she ignored him. Her ears twitched as they picked up on the sounds of the forest. Leaves rustling. Bees buzzing. Birds. Beasts. On the air, she smelled them and more. Her heightened senses served her better than even her map did, easily locating dozens of prey all around them. ¡°For now,¡± she said, gripping the shaft of her spear. ¡°We hunt.¡± Chapter 76 ¡°Noona,¡± Drakov leaned over, inches from her face as they walked deeper into the woods. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can I touch them?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But I just watched a horrible scene of you trying to eat a raw, bloody organ, and it was gross and disturbing, and I deserve this.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Noona!¡± he whined in a higher-pitched tone. Guin leveled her eyes at him, unimpressed by the aegyo that was being expressed as he brought his hands up to his chin and half-pouting, half-smiling expression. ¡°You¡¯re pathetic, dongsaeng,¡± she told him, rolling her eyes. ¡°Fine. Once.¡± ¡°Yata!¡± he exclaimed and started petting her ears and smooshing them around. Guin felt her face grow warm as they twitched under the touch. They were extremely sensitive, and it was a whole new feeling. She didn¡¯t hate it; she didn¡¯t love it, either. Drakov, being the respectful young man he was, giggled a bit and soon stopped¡ªlooking extremely satisfied with himself. A small part of her didn¡¯t want to reveal her fox form to him for fear of his reaction being similar to Tea¡¯s, but she also trusted him to act with a little more propriety than Tea had. ¡°Happy?¡± she asked him, though she didn¡¯t need his answer to know what the grin across his face meant. ¡°Good. There¡¯s a pack of Moarbits over to the side. I don¡¯t know what this new class of mine can handle, so I am depending on our teamwork to keep us from dying.¡± ¡°You did pretty well on the one you ripped apart,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°I got lucky,¡± she mumbled, not really wanting to be reminded of what she had done. ¡°I got a crit before it noticed me. I doubt I¡¯ll have the same luck with more than one enemy.¡± Drakov nodded and started casting a few buffs on each of them. ¡°I don¡¯t think those traits are gonna affect you as much as you think they are,¡± he told her, then shrugged. ¡°My buffs should help mitigate them a bit. You need to physically skin them, too, right?¡± ¡°Thanks, and yeah,¡± she said, then called Liorax out. The two-tailed cat appeared, grinning in her face. ¡°You have need of me, Tatterskin?¡± ¡°Combat buff, please,¡± she asked flatly, and he poofed into nothing again. ¡°That¡¯s a weird spell,¡± Drakov said. ¡°Why do have a pet? I want one...¡± Guin blinked. ¡°You have Veil Sight?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he grinned. ¡°How else could I be a dragon master?¡± ¡°...Is that your class name?¡± Drakov shook his head, looking a bit sad. ¡°I wish,¡± he said and puffed out his chest. ¡°Nah; I¡¯m a ¡®Servant of the Dragon of Jade Spire Peaks¡¯!¡± he said with vigor, then relaxed with a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s a cool class, but man, oh man, does it need a better name.¡± ¡°A... Servant?¡± Guin asked as the face of the kind, sad Pastor Jormund flashed through her head. ¡°I see,¡± she looked down. ¡°But, the servants of the Mist Moon Mountains are spear wielders. Are the Jade Spire servants a ranger class?¡± ¡°Oh! You know about the Servant classes!¡± he exclaimed. This one and Tea would get on well, she thought in amusement, checking her friends list quickly to see if the little garule was on, but he wasn¡¯t. ¡°It seems that the Servant classes can use any kind of style; it¡¯s just augmented by the power of the dragon that they serve, which applies to the elements of the clan whose territory they inhabit.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Then, for yours?¡± ¡°The Jade Clan elements are earth, wind, and light.¡± ¡°Interesting...¡± she muttered. She couldn¡¯t remember the Mist Clan¡¯s elements. Perhaps the same could be said of her class. Since it was given by a legendary creature from the Mist Clan territory, would those elements be the strongest for her, too? ¡°Well,¡± she went. ¡°No use worrying about it now. Shall we have a go at these things? I want to get my professions up so I can upgrade my class.¡± Drakov nodded. ¡°Okay! What tactics should we use?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the idea that I¡¯ll tank for you until that proves to be a bad choice,¡± she told him. ¡°Let me pull and do some damage before you attack. If you start getting attacked, let me know, and I¡¯ll pull back and try to regain agro. If you start dying, start kiting, okay?¡± ¡°Wakarimasu!¡± Guin cast [Spirit Shield], then found a group of three Moarbits. Like the tutorial, the Moarbits in this area weren¡¯t aggressive and would generally ignore players unless the players attacked first. They were, however, now pack aggressors; If you attacked one, the others in a certain area circumference around the attacked creature of the same species would attack as well. Crouching on the ground, Guin did a quick surveillance of the area. According to her estimates, there were three in the immediate area and a few solo pathers they could pull by moving, for a total of seven possible mobs. The weaknesses that her class gave her aside, these Moarbits were level-one critters; they weren¡¯t anything like their corrupted cousins. In theory, level 15 Drakov should have been able to one-shot them. She looked at Drakov with a questioning glance. He nodded and nocked an arrow. Her instinct was to fox form and ask questions later, but the reality was if she was tanking, her fox form would do more harm than good. What she needed was some area of effect abilities¡ªand the only one she had now was [Swipe], with her spear. And so, she did. Running forward, she executed an arcing [Swipe] that hit all three targets at once but with little damage. The three Moarbits roared at her furiously¡ªa horrible screeching sound¡ªas they bared their teeth. One started rushing her, antlers forward. Unable to pull her spear back in time to intercept, Guin tried to sidestep it. It swerved toward her, only to have an arrow strike clean through its little body, killing it instantly. She had no time to praise Drakov, however, as the other two swarmed at her feet, biting her health points away bit by bit ¡ª doing much more damage than she remembered them doing before. Growling, Guin kicked at them and tried to hit them with her spear. It did little good, however, and a couple of crits from them sent her into a flurry that was even less effective. Luckily, Drakov had taken the chance to move into a better position to fire at them and quickly ended their little lives. ¡°Jerks,¡± Guin spat, sending her spear back to her inventory. Drakov laughed from the other side of the clearing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that spear is doing you much good,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Oh, you hush,¡± she told him, taking out her skinning gear. Drakov helped her tie the creatures to trees as she went about her work skinning them. The process was much faster¡ªthough perhaps a bit sloppier¡ªthan when she had done it back at the hunters guild, but thankfully, it was also much simpler. After she had finished her skinning work, the leftover corpse turned into a treasure chest with the meat and bones already sorted into neat little packages. ¡°Once you get passed the beginner level, you won¡¯t need to physically skin them, either,¡± Drakov told her, rocking back and forth with his hands in his armpits as he watched on. ¡°I don¡¯t miss those days.¡± ¡°I had been wondering how they would streamline it. Can¡¯t see it being an attractive part of gameplay unless people really like doing it,¡± Guin said. ¡°Especially with the bigger beasts,¡± he agreed. ¡°It would drive up prices, though. Even just making the physical process part of the entry-level ability is enough to scare most away.¡± ¡°What level is your skinning now?¡± Guin asked, pulling down the skin on the last rabbit. ¡°I¡¯m still intermediate,¡± Drakov shrugged. ¡°These little things won¡¯t help me level. Rabid Wolves and up are what I need now.¡± ¡°We can do rock-paper-scissors for the high levels,¡± she told him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hold you back too much.¡± ¡°Works for me. Aren¡¯t Stell and your other friend coming? Won¡¯t they help? How much of the spoils do you think they¡¯ll take?¡± Guin shook her head as she packed the goods in her pack. ¡°Stella¡¯s not one to get her hands dirty. Or work hard,¡± she grumbled. ¡°If she takes a profession up at all, she¡¯d probably take Alchemy¡ªsolely for the purpose of being able to screw around with people.¡± Drakov snorted in amusement. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s Bahena.¡± ¡°Bahena?¡± ¡°Our roommate,¡± Guin told him. ¡°She¡¯s a garule¡ªI think I¡¯ve mentioned her before to you.¡± ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much we can get done without them,¡± Guin said, pulling out her spear again and letting it rest on her shoulder. ¡°I at least want to be at a point where the XP is better for everyone.¡± Drakov did an exaggerated bow. ¡°Lead on, my Noona.¡± Guin clicked her tongue at him. Chapter 77 Arrows flew passed her with whirls and zooms as Drakov loosed [Rapid Shot] on a handful of local Rat Weasels and Rabid Wolves. Impressed, Guin nodded as she stood back with her arms crossed, watching her experience bar grow bit by bit. She¡¯d be level twenty by the time she managed to upgrade her class. ¡°Well, Noona, what do you think?¡± he asked, leaning on his bow. ¡°Did I do well?¡± Dassah nodded with enthusiasm, clapping for him. ¡°I am very impressed Dongsaeng. You have found a useful class indeed!¡± He pouted, ¡°What about my skills?¡± ¡°Those are good too!¡± she laughed and took out her knife to start skinning the tiny Rat Weasels and the larger Rabid Wolves. Being a skinner and leatherworker himself, Drakov proved himself to be an invaluable resource. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was supposed to have gone back and got a tutorial on skinning each beast, but they were all at least slightly different from each other. Finished skinning their latest kills, Guin checked her quest log. Not only had she hit level 11 in a short period of time, she had long completed the majority of the hunting quests that she had picked up. Though she contemplated taking a break to turn them in at the Hunters¡¯ Guild, the all-important skinning quest, was proving more difficult.
<<>> [Quest: Skins of All Sorts] Moarbits (12/12) Rat Weasels (6/6) Cat Foxes (0/3) Rabid Wolves (1/1) Bluebears (0/1) This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
Guin frowned as she looked the quest over. ¡°Where are the Cat Foxes and the Blubears?¡± she asked, skimming through, wondering if she had missed some instruction. As Drakov finished looting his last wolf, he looked up. ¡°They are mountain creatures, not forest creatures,¡± he told her, checking his map. ¡°My guess is they¡¯d be further In the direction of the mountains. Cat Foxes aren¡¯t bad individually, but they are assassin-type, pack aggression beasts. Their stealth ability is pretty annoying, and their crits are nasty. You can get yourself killed if you hunt them solo and accidentally pull more than one before you''ve prepared enough. Blubears are worse. Much worse¡ªbut you have to hunt them intentionally. They live in caves at the foot of the mountains, and you either fight them on their turf or try to draw them out of their caves without dying.¡± ¡°So, you mean, the cakewalk this has been so far is about to end,¡± she noted bitterly. ¡°Pretty much!¡± Drakov answered with a toothy grin across his face. ¡°So when are the other two you invited logging on?¡± ¡°Stella will be on in an hour, and Bahena shortly after that. Or so I was told,¡± Dassah told him, double-checking the messages she had received not too long ago. ¡°From there, each will probably take as long as you did to get here. Should we wait for them?¡± He shrugged. ¡°How much do you need for your next level?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about halfway.¡± ¡°Do you know what classes they are?¡± ¡°I think Stella said she was a Witch and should be around the same level as you,¡± she said. ¡°I assume Bahena is going to go into a martial class, but I honestly don¡¯t know. She''s been leveling with her brother and Stella, so I''m unsure about her level. I imagine it''s higher than mine.¡± ¡°Noona, you are so slow,¡± he grumbled with a sour face. ¡°¡®Slow and steady wins the race.¡¯¡± ¡°There¡¯s no race, though...¡± Chuckling, she put her skins in her bag and directed him onward. ¡°At least the Witch will bring some AOE to the table,¡± he said. ¡°Neither one of us has much in the way of that. At most, I can hit three targets before reloading.¡± Guin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s about what I can take, too,¡± she agreed. She was able to take on individual Rat Weasels ¡ª even a solo Rabid Wolf, as long as she played it safe¡ªby herself, but it was far more difficult than it should have been for a character of her level. The Tatterskin class was so far proving itself to be a challenge to get started, but Guin held out hope that the class would be worth the effort that she was putting in. ¡°But,¡± she started, thinking about her coworkers. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count your chickens before they hatch on either of them. Neither of them are what we would call ¡®gamers.¡¯¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°That so?¡± Drakov chuckled. ¡°Makes it more fun, doesn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°¡®Fun¡¯, huh? I guess it will be that...¡± ¡°Granted, a real tank would probably be the most useful,¡± he said. ¡°Or a healer. Sounds like everyone DPS focused, unless your garule friend is of the studier kind of warrior.¡± Though the image of Ibraxis Soulkeeper popped up in her head, she quickly pushed it down. ¡°I can heal,¡± she told him. ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°You can tank, too,¡± he chided. ¡°Sort of.¡± Guin snorted at him, then pointed her spear at a group of Rabid Wolves. ¡°Can we take four at once?¡± ¡°Only if you don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Try not to appeal to my stubborn nature, dongsaeng.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it a dare?¡± he winked. Rolling her eyes, Guin smiled as she took her spear in hand and rushed the monsters. For all the talk they did, it didn¡¯t take long for her to hit level 12. Her stats were going up fairly quickly in her eyes. Not that it really seemed to matter. Her body and resilience scores were rising naturally with her playing tank, and the dumped her extra points into her other abilities.
<<>> <> <> <> <> <<>> Points to Spend: 00 <<>>
My presence score is still abyssal, she lamented. Her Fate score was also mostly stagnated except for the points she was pouring into it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°Oh. Nothing,¡± she said, then considered. ¡°Hey, dongsaeng, what do your stats look like?¡± ¡°Uh,¡± he blinked. ¡°Average, I guess.¡± ¡°Your highest and lowest scores?¡± ¡°Highest is Body at 90; lowest is my Resilience at 25,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t get hit by things usually.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your Fate score?¡± He smirked. ¡°40. Pretty good, huh? Honestly, though, most of that was from character creation because I wanted the [Child of the Dragon] trait. I haven¡¯t really put anything into it since then. Not really sure if it¡¯s worth anything, according to the community.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she murmured. ¡°That explains how he got a Servant class...¡± Not that she had any proof that there was a connection there. ¡°What is the name of your class anyway?¡± ¡°¡®Tatterskin,¡¯¡± she answered offhandedly as she looked at her stats again. Drakov was level 16, four levels above her, and yet her scores looked like they could easily overtake his. Part of that, she knew, was how much time and effort she had put into the tutorial. Another part of it was that the [Gumiho] trait and Tatterskin class did have bonuses to offset the drawbacks. That didn¡¯t stop it from being frustrating¡ªbut there was at least a little bit of a building thrill to see how far the class could taken. Given that, it stopped being so very frustrating, of course. Several of her skills had also leveled¡ªmany of them were close to level 10 now. It was a pity she wasn¡¯t using her magic as much, but even she had to concede that she had too much on her plate to be effective in the long run. She¡¯d have to choose a path and economize at some point. Sighing, she waved the screen away. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be about time to hear from your friends?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°I expect something any minute,¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°You know that Stella is the ¡®fashionably¡¯ late kind and not the kind that says they¡¯ll show up for breakfast and then for dinner. I¡¯m not too worried.¡± ¡°Kill those mobs?¡± he pointed at a small group of Rabid wolves. Guin nodded and engaged, and not thirty seconds after she and Drakov finished skinning the last of them, Stella¡¯s cheery face and colorful hair appeared in front of her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± were the first words out of the young woman¡¯s bright purple lips. ¡°And what are you wearing? Are you wearing contacts? You never wear contacts! And the ears¡ªis that a headband?¡± ¡°Hi, Stella,¡± Guin waved with a smile. ¡°Are you still in the Imperial City?¡± ¡°No, no¡ªin fact, that¡¯s why I am a bit late in calling,¡± she started to explain. ¡°I grabbed hold of Bahena earlier, and we decided to get on a little early. We are already here in Miala De Ri. I went to invite you to the party to surprise you, but it says you¡¯re already in one?¡± Guin blinked. ¡°Oh. Well then. Yeah; I¡¯m with Drakov. We were waiting for you guys. We can disband so you can invite us. We aren¡¯t far.¡± ¡°All right!¡± Stella nodded, then turned and said something to someone off to the side. Guin told Drakov the plan and they disbanded the party. A few minutes later, they both received invites from Stella and they became a party of four. Settling in by a nearby tree, Guin and Drakov waited for their new teammates. Chapter 78 Sitting for a rest after she fudged her tanking job a bit, Guin eyed Bahena¡¯s portrait. It was a bit odd; she thought that she felt so differently towards Bahena than she had Tea and Ibraxis. Tea and Ibraxis were all but strangers to her¡ªand maybe that was what made the difference. It was easy for her to place them in a ¡®game¡¯ box and play with them like she would any role-playing character. They might as well have been normal people, hiding their normal faces behind extraordinary graphics. But Bahena, was real. She knew Bahena. She would see Bahena every day¡ªand that was somehow far more threatening than Ibraxis¡¯s competence and Tea¡¯s ignorance of personal boundaries. Or perhaps it was because she felt that a garule¡¯s nature was hidden through the rules and laws that applied to all citizens of the ¡®bergs, where as in-game, it was casual; free; far easier to play to one¡¯s real persona than put on the mask of civility. But Ibraxis and Tea seemed... normal, she told herself. In fact, she had enjoyed their company and would gladly play with them again. But Bahena... ¡°Watcha thinkin¡¯ about that you got those wrinkles between your eyes?¡± Drakov asked, chewing on a loaf of bread. ¡°That¡¯s a very serious face you got there. You¡¯re starting to look your age, Noona.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Guin said, bringing out her map. ¡°The others should be here soon.¡± The characters¡¯ indicators showed that the two were close. Bahena was still a ways out but approaching fast, zig-zagging over the terrain¡ªStella was even closer, approaching at a slow but steady pace in a straight line till her indicator over the clearing. ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± purred a soothing voice from above her. Guin looked up to see the face of Stella grinning down at her as she sat on a floating broom a good five feet above their heads. Guin flushed a little for her as her tight, blue leather outfit hugged her small but curvy s-shaped body in places she wasn¡¯t sure one should really want, with people able to look up her skirt all the time. ¡°I know that cute little naive face! Your lack of fashion sense is as cute as always¡ªthough I never thought you¡¯d be into fur. Is that real?¡± ¡°And I am not surprised to see you dressed like... that,¡± Guin asked as she watched the young woman gracefully land and tilt her pointed witch¡¯s hat so that only covered half of her head. The other half of her head was her short hair, styled in a sharp way that made it look like a bird¡¯s wing. ¡°Goes well with my hair, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Lovely,¡± Guin said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Where¡¯s Bahena?¡± ¡°She¡¯s on her way,¡± Stella told her, waving her hand. ¡°Would that I could carry her on my broom, but I am afraid that¡¯s not how it works. Drakov! How lovely to see you again!¡± Starshine flashed her gaze over to Drakov, who was standing to the side with a stupefied expression on his face. ¡°You¡¯re cute too. You can call me Lady Starshine.¡± Drakov¡¯s dark, boyish eyes looked at Guin for help. Laughing, she told him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s still Stella¡± ¡°She really is,¡± Drakov said, then laughed. ¡°I should¡¯ve known this is what you¡¯d end up looking like in game. Guin¡¯s been filling me in on what you guys have been up to since you moved in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only good things, I promise,¡± Starshine purred, fully into her character. She was good. Guin had to give credit where credit was due. ¡°You¡¯ve been well, I expect? Guin keeps telling me to keep my paws off. I think she¡¯s afraid I¡¯ll snatch you away.¡± ¡°¡®Snatch¡¯ being the appropriate word,¡± Guin mumbled under her breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Starshine asked, looking over. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Drakov gave a silly grin. ¡°You¡¯re a witch, huh? Witches specialize in crowd control! Between the rest of us, we¡¯ll be able to get you leveled up in no time, Guin!¡± ¡°I have no idea what ¡®crowd control¡¯ is, but let¡¯s hope that¡¯s true,¡± Starshine said, pointing the butt end of her broomstick at him while turning back to Guin and wagging a finger in her face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you took a whole week to do the tutorial, and then you show up in rags...¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Guin shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the class; My guess is that you¡¯ll have to deal with it.¡± Sighing, Starshine shook her head. ¡°It could be worse, I suppose. At least the fur looks to be of good quality. Still, what kind of rubbish class is this that has you dressed as a beggar?¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± Guin muttered, then turned to Drakov. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± ¡°What are we doing, anyway?¡± Lady Starshine asked. ¡°Guin has a quest to increase her crafting abilities, but she¡¯s as weak as a baby bird,¡± Drakov told her. ¡°So, we need to kill all the animals for her to skin.¡± ¡°Sounds easy enough,¡± Starshine nodded as a large, bronze-scaled garule burst through the foliage and shook herself off. The garule woman¡¯s expression looked rather disgruntled as Starshine pointed at her with a sly look on her face. ¡°You owe me twenty credits.¡± Laughing, Bahena stood. ¡°All right, all right. You win. Just wait till I get my speed up to snuff, though¡ªthen we can have a real race. I seem to be slightly handicapped by these stats of mine,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°That or I¡¯m out of shape. But let¡¯s not tell anyone that. My brothers¡¯ catch wind of in, and I¡¯ll never live it down.¡± ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just have to start whipping you back into shape, yes?¡± Stella¡ªLady Starshine¡ªsnapped her fingers and flicked her wrist violently. A loud crack! Rang through the air as a long, thick whip appeared in her hand. Guin snorted. Drakov leaned into Guin and whispered, ¡°N-Noona... Stella¡¯s gone scarier than usual...¡± ¡°I am both alarmed and not at all shocked at this development,¡± she murmured back. Bahena¡ªBronzePaw¡ªshifted her attention to the two. Fighting the urge to shrink back, Guin bowed slightly, saying, ¡°Thanks for coming out to give me a hand.¡± The garuli woman smiled and waved her hand. ¡°No problem at all! Thanks for having me,¡± she said, softening her look a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself too much on my behalf. Who¡¯s your friend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Drakov!¡± the happy young ranger said, stepping forward and offering a hand. Bahena took it warmly. ¡°I¡¯m Dassah¡¯s friend. What class are you?¡± ¡°A mage,¡± she said. Guin blinked as she saw Drakov¡¯s jaw physically drop. ¡°I-Is something the matter?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s just unexpected!¡± Drakov stuttered, voicing Guin¡¯s internal thoughts. ¡°Garule females are just so good at physical combat! Most I¡¯ve seen are playing fighter-based classes! Mages are generally ranged! Though I guess this is TheirWorld...¡± It was a little more than surprising, though Guin felt a little bad trying to pigeonhole all female garule into a single category. She had fully expected the garule woman to play the role of a tank or a scrapper as suited her general skill set and her kind¡¯s traditions¡ªbut a mage class? Real-life experience was just as valuable as gaming experience in TheirWrold. Starshine, Guin knew, had neither. Drakov and Guin herself had game experience. But BronzePaw was different from them¡ªshe was a true fighter. One who had taken part in Combat Tournaments. Sure, she could play a mage tank or fighter if she took the appropriate skill set, but there was a very good chance she would forever be crippled by the glass cannon model the Mage class was based on. ¡°A-Ahhhh!¡± BronzePaw laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. ¡°I guess it does make me a bit of a sutak to be a bit more of a sideliner... honestly, I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll like it, but... I just... Once I... I wanted to...¡± Bahena suddenly made herself very small as she bashfully started to look down and scratch her arms. She looked up quickly and twitched her nose, seemingly annoyed with herself as she snorted and relaxed with a shrug. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t to try it, as all.¡± Drakov seemed particularly taken aback as he just went, ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get why it¡¯s such a big deal,¡± Stella shrugged. ¡°There have been a couple of other people who¡¯ve made noise about it in parties we¡¯ve been in. It¡¯s pretty annoying.¡± ¡°Why does it make you a sutak?¡± Guin asked¡ªperhaps out of turn, but it was as good a time as any to have the question finally answered. ¡°Because it makes you different?¡± BronzePaw looked a little surprised as she said, ¡°Well, yes. At least to my kind¡¯s standards.¡± ¡°And what standards are those, exactly?¡± ¡°The usual garuli ones,¡± BronzePaw shrugged. ¡°Females are the hunters, Males are the caregivers, that sort of thing. There are many kinds of sutak. Many ways to be different. It¡¯s complicated.¡± Guin furrowed her brow, trying to remember exactly what Sathuren had said to her, but before she could respond, Lady Starshine popped up in Guin¡¯s face, poking her nose. ¡°Who cares? I thought we were killing things to level you up?¡± ¡°A-Ahhh,¡± Guin sighed, and brushed the finger out of her face. ¡°All right, all right. Off to the mountains, then? Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 79 ¡°Dammit! Drakov! Where is that support fire!¡± Guin shouted, whacking a couple of arrows out of the air with her spear midway through her [Dance] ritual. Successfully dodging them, she rushed toward the Corrupted Stick Shooters. She tsk-ed as she only managed to graze one of them before being forced to retreat again. This isn¡¯t gonna work... Shit! She growled in her head and shouted in no general direction, ¡°StarShine! BronzePaw! Guys!¡± ¡°Duck!¡± an answer finally came in the form of BronzePaw¡¯s husky voice. Her bronze scales glinted in the sunlight as she leaped over Guin¡¯s head and landed with a great crash! Her fist hit the ground perfectly with her favorite [Earthquake] ability. The ground around the dinosaur woman began to quake and break apart, knocking the group of six gobos off balance and even trapping some of them as they slipped into the cracks. As her ability ebbed away, her long serpentine tail whipped around, grabbing one of the stick shooters by the neck so quickly and so tight that Guin was not at all surprised to hear its neck snapping like a twig. Fine. Forget those two¡ªfocus, Guin, she told herself, shivering at the sound. Find an opening... Smirking, Guin started changing her course to run directly towards her teammate with a quick, ¡°Stay!¡± Using BronzePaw as a springboard, Guin jumped up onto her broad back and launched herself toward one of the gobos, which was trying to free itself from the wrinkled earth. Thrusting her spear into its chest and deep into the ground, she spun herself around the shaft, smoothly tripping an adjacent gobo who had been about to take a shot at BronzePaw. Pulling her spear out of the ground and the gobo, Guin kicked up the dazed archer¡¯s chin and separated its head from its narrow neck with a thrust that went clean through its spine. ¡°Incoming!¡± came BronzePaw¡¯s voice. The three remaining stick shooters had raised their bows and readied another volley. Quickly recasting her [Spirit Shield], Guin signaled BronzePaw her plan with some hand gestures and shot off, restarting her [Dance] ritual. BronzePaw gave Guin her twittering-screech-like sound in approval and ran off in the opposite direction once the arrows flew past, Guin stopped. Reaching her hand toward BronzePaw, she began to sing. From around her feet, a breeze rushed upward as [Hymn of the Light] activated. BronzePaw¡¯s body began to radiate a delicate, yellow light as she fell down to all fours and picked her speed up into [Rush], setting her body into a flurry of movement as she barreled toward the remaining three gobos. Two of the gobos managed to jump out of the way, but one was hit with the full force of the attack and flew several feet back, over by where Guin was singing. The impact had put a pretty dent into BronzePaw¡¯s health, though Guin''s hymn was working toward pulling it back up. 50%... 55%... BronzePaw herself staggered a bit, shaking her head to overcome the [Dizzy] side effect Guin knew [Rush] had in addition to impact damage. The two stick shooters who had dodged before had picked themselves up and drawn daggers. 65%... One of the brave creatures went up to the dazed garule women and raised its arm to attack¡ªbut BronzePaw¡¯s arm shot out toward its face, and¡ªbare-handed¡ªshe crushed it. Guin could hear the sound of the crunching of its skull even from where she was standing. In an ordinary battle, the enemy¡¯s AIs should have suffered some sort of moral debuff for that kind of thing - but these things were somehow not normal. 75%... 40%? Oh shit! The other gobo had screeched out a challenge at the garule woman, stabbing her as she stood up back on her hind legs. Letting out a frightful screech of challenge, BronzePaw¡¯s tail whipped back around and pulled up the creature by its neck. The shooter that had been hit during the [Rush] earlier had finally stood back up. Guin was honestly impressed that it had survived, but her awe quickly turned to worry as it notched its bow in her direction. Does it know that I¡¯m healing her? Guin twitched as she watched BronzePaw¡¯s health bar rise to 75% as the body of the last gobo she was fighting went limp, strangled by her powerful tail. As the body hit the ground, Guin stopped her song and rushed at the gobo¡ªwho had been closer than it should have been for a ranged class¡ªand swiped at it. It must not have had much health left, as she barely hit its cheek, and it died with a miserable gurgling sound. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Guin sighed as BronzePaw walked over to her, dusting herself off. ¡°That was beautiful,¡± said the dinosaur woman with a toothy grin. ¡°I thought you said that you weren¡¯t a fighter? Your instincts are quite good...¡± ¡°Yeah, well, video games aren¡¯t real life,¡± Guin told her, watching as the body of the gobo nearest to her popped into a treasure chest. ¡°Don¡¯t give me credit for game mechanics. And where the hell are the other two?¡± BronzePaw shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I can¡¯t cause an earthquake in real life. I do find it quite satisfying. I can understand the attraction to magic now. As for the other two... I¡¯m not sure. I thought I saw Drakov break off, and then StarShine followed him...¡± ¡°Oh, for the love of¡ª¡± Guin pulled up her party feed and shouted: ¡°Drakov! StarShine! Where the hell are you two!¡± ¡°Scary,¡± BronzePaw smiled. ¡°I¡¯m really not cut out for this shit,¡± Guin growled. She wasn¡¯t sure how she had ended up as the designated leader of the group, but given the unexpected circumstances, someone needed to step up. A video feed of a young Asian man running through a wooded area popped up. ¡°Gomen, Noona!¡± Drakov said in a rather pathetic voice. ¡°We got separated!¡± ¡°I told you not to run, damn brat!¡± StarShine¡¯s angry voice came through in reply even before her video feed popped up on the screen. ¡°Penny-Guin, any chance you and PawPaw can give us squishies a hand here? We could have taken a couple of these ugly things, but Mr. Robin Hood over there decided to take a walk in the woods and back up into another group of pathers!¡± ¡°It was an accident!¡± Drakov told her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were there!¡± Guin sighed, mustering up what little patience she had left, ¡°Drakov, you should have known better and stayed with the main group so we could help each other. Star... Aren''t Witches supposed to specialize in crowd control? Why didn¡¯t you just root them?¡± ¡°Sorry, Noona...¡± Drakov said. StarShine put a finger on her lip with an ¡®mmm¡¯ and checked her skills list. ¡°Oh, look! I do have an ability that can do that!¡± ¡°...You two, get your asses back to this location if you can manage to do that without dying. Paw and I will recover so we can deal with your new friends. Help. Each. Other.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± went StarShine, closing her feed. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± went poor Drakov as he focused back on running away. ¡°I¡¯ll rest and be ready to pick some guys off them,¡± BronzePaw said. ¡°Did you want me to pick up the chests, or do you want to get them?¡± ¡°Just go ahead and get them,¡± Guin told her. ¡°I want to look over some things.¡± BronzePaw nodded. Good lord, help us all... Guin thought, already regretting bringing them along for this. At least Paw is worth something. As far as the current group balance went, their team was sorely lacking¡ªand their levels in no way reflected their skill. A level 15 mage who played like a tank. A level 20 witch who really just liked to run around making bubble shields and cursing things. A level 17 ranger who didn¡¯t trust himself to stay put in a fight. And then there was Guin herself, level 12 with a bizarre skillset and an even more bizarre class. And here they were, blundering through what looked to be a haunted forest, like children¡ªand they all seemed to be looking at Guin for answers. Guin¡¯s foxish ear twitched. ¡°How did this happen... We were just supposed to have been hunting Cat Foxes,¡± she moaned, looking around at the blackish-blue corruption they had stumbled into. Guin pulled up her character screen with a sigh. Gods, grant me the patience I know they deserve... It was her quest¡ªand one she couldn¡¯t even share with them. They were here to help her. Still, she knew she should have waited until she was at least level 15 to try to do this quest. Nothing she could do about it now, though! Should I tell them to leave until the corruption subsides? She had to assume that it was a timed event. Then again, the experience was excellent. Drakov and BronzePaw had already gained levels, and she was about to ding 13. The worst that could happen, she supposed, was that they could die pointless, painful deaths! Chapter 80 The forest around them stood silent as they waited. Guin clutched her spear as her senses went wild, picking up all the sounds and movement around them¡ªwhat very little there was of it. They had been running, chasing a Cat Fox when Starshine got distracted by the general change in the area. All that Starshine could say was the area had just changed suddenly: a large patch of dead trees, and she wanted to investigate a bit. Of course, StarShine didn¡¯t have Veil Sight. The moment they saw the area, Drakov and Guin exchanged a glance, but before they could say anything, they were sucked in like quicksand, with Corrupted Gobos coming at them from all sides. Not an ideal situation for a group like this... But they had lived¡ªno matter how surprising it seemed. Even for Guin, corruption of this level was far different than what she had experienced in the tutorial. Even the word ¡®forest¡¯ seemed inaccurate. Corruption ate away at the remains of trees and fauna that already looked as if rot had overtaken them. Everything was dead. Decaying. The trees were leafless, black; their trunks moist with strange guk that Guin was afraid to touch. The ground was nearly swamp-like¡ªand the smell. The world around her was like a personification of the zombie she and the group had fled from in the catacombs. Dripping. Rotting. Raw. Closing her eyes, she balanced herself as she swayed. The adrenaline of the discovery and the battle that had helped her during the fight had worn off. ¡°Liorax,¡± she muttered, low enough so that BronzePaw wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Can you change buffs to dull my sense of smell?¡± Relief swept over her as she watched the buff icon switch over. The scent was still there but mild enough for her to focus. Corruption had not been in the cards for this little adventure of hers¡ªthough now she felt she should have expected it. This was Miala De Ri. Even among the Mist clan territory, they had the largest population of spirits. Surely, it was easy to offend them. Is it the hunters again? She wondered bitterly. They would be the most obvious suspects¡ªand if they weren¡¯t still in a starting zone, she¡¯d say they were almost too obvious. But the hunters there did keep to a very, very strict code, and in a city this big, she couldn¡¯t imagine that they had eyes on everyone at all times. ¡°Is everything all right, Guin?¡± BronzePaw asked her in her very perfect English. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You seem... Concerned.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Guin said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s just unexpected.¡± BronzePaw handed Guin some of the loot they had found. ¡°You were supposed to be hunting beasts, right? I haven¡¯t really seen any in this place. Should we turn back once we find the others?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Guin pulled up her map and furrowed her brows. ¡°We were going off speculation, originally. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be too shocked there aren¡¯t any animals here. The Corruption makes this a whole different story, though.¡± ¡°Corruption? You mean the dead trees? Why would that change anything?¡± she asked. ¡°We could just move to a new area.¡± Guin bit her lip. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± she murmured. Unlike the obligation she had to White Fox Forest, this one was nothing to her. And yet... ¡°This should have been caused by something... ¡° ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°It could lead to a very lucrative quest,¡± Guin told her quickly. Even she wasn¡¯t sure of her own motives, but there was no way she could investigate alone. ¡°Though it could be quite time-consuming.¡± BronzePaw shrugged. ¡°I have all day,¡± she said. ¡°And most of tomorrow. As long as you guys are willing to take me along, I¡¯m good for it.¡± Guin nodded but didn¡¯t respond. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Annoyed with both herself and the others, she poked at her various screes. Running her tongue along the smooth surface of her teeth, feeling the sharpness of the tips, she growled and switched the screen over to her stats¡ªwhich didn¡¯t show her anything new, really. She was getting to that point where her stats were no longer something she¡¯d keep track of. Though now her class progress had been put on hold. Amikavi could wait. Furrowing her brow, Guin looked up and around again. Silence. Stillness. Where had all the spirits of the forest gone? ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± she muttered. Maybe it¡¯s just this area? ¡°Hmm?¡± Bahena went but was interrupted by a mildly exasperated: ¡°Noona!¡± Guin lifted her head to see Drakov running over to her, out of breath. ¡°Catch your breath,¡± she told him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve got anyone following you.¡± ¡°Yeah, not sure what happened,¡± he said, waving his hand behind him. His clothes¡ªand his face¡ªwere covered in mud. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Guin asked with a laugh, rubbing his face off with one of the paws that hung from her hood. ¡°Ahh. Do I look that bad?¡± ¡°You¡¯re covered...¡± ¡°How embarrassing...¡± he laughed. StarShine flew overhead on her broom and did a round around the clearing before she landed gracefully back on the ground. Despite being dressed head to toe in leather that gave her a bit too much of a dominatrix impression, she was clean as a whistle¡ªand obviously unhappy. Grimacing, Drakov moved to hide behind Guin. Pointing at Drakov with her broom handle, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t you hide from me, little boy! Get out here and apologize!¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Guin put her hands up between them in surrender. ¡°Let¡¯s yell at each other when we know we are in a safer location, okay?¡± Though StarShine grumbled, she withdrew and leaned on her broom with a cranky-sounding, ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°What¡¯s supposed to be on your tail?¡± BronzePaw asked. ¡°Not sure,¡± said StarShine, shaking her head. ¡°I counted about ten at some point - but I think a few of them rubber banded.¡± ¡°Ten?¡± Guin asked in alarm. ¡°You¡¯d better be hoping to hell that they rubber banded!¡± Drakov looked down at his feet as he clutched his bow, ¡°Sorry, Noona...¡± ¡°What the hell is going on with these things, anyway?¡± StarShine asked, tilting her witch¡¯s hat forward. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve fought Gobos¡ªI mean, aren¡¯t they a level one monster? But these things are...¡± ¡°Strong?¡± BronzePaw suggested. ¡°I was going to say ¡®weird,¡¯ but ¡®strong¡¯ works too,¡± said StarShine. ¡°It¡¯s the corruption. This forest is corrupted. Bad.¡± Drakov told them, turning to Guin. ¡°This kind of corruption should have taken decades to get this bad. It¡¯s so powerful¡ªcould this one of the lost spirit lands?¡± ¡°I... to be honest, I don¡¯t know anything about that,¡± Guin told him. ¡°I¡¯ve fought corrupted monsters before, so I got that much, but what do you mean by ¡®lost spirit lands¡¯?¡± ¡°The lost spirit lands are the ancient homes of the great spirits of Uldarin,¡± Drakov explained. ¡°They are also some of the biggest rumor-inspiring things running around the higher levels, right up there with the Compasses and the Tenmath. It is theorized that corrupted areas change based on player actions and decisions made within an area, and if the players aren¡¯t careful, the whole of Uldarin will become corrupted and start a Ragnarok kind of event.¡± ¡°Why would they design the game that way?¡± StarShine asked as if it were the stupidest thing she had ever heard. Drakov shrugged, ¡°Who knows? This game is nuts. But it would give a sort of consequences-of-actions element to the game that¡¯s not quite so dependant on NPCs.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Guin said, thinking about her history with the tutorial. ¡°White Fox Forest had three great spirits - but one of them was missing when I was in the tutorial, and I know for a fact that another one has been slain. The third...¡± Guin¡¯s mind returned to the painting she had seen on the dais in the catacombs. Could Tethaigou have also been slain? ¡°Three?¡± Drakov exclaimed. ¡°Three... that lived together? That¡¯s.. Unusual. If any of them had been killed, the balance of that land could be completely out of whack.¡± ¡°I do hate to interrupt this little meeting of the minds here, but,¡± BronzePaw pointed to into the depths of the forest. ¡°But... something is coming.¡± They looked over to where BronzePaw was pointing. It was only then that Guin noticed the mist. When they had first entered the forest, it had been more a haze, but now, it was rolling in so thick that when the gobos began appearing out from it one by one, it was as if it was melting together with them. ¡°W-Why are they so slow?¡± StarShine asked. First came the big ones who carried massive clubs on their shoulders. Then smaller ones appeared, a handful with short bows and a few with small curved blades. Compared to other groups of gobos they had seen in the forest thus far, they were organized and apparently in no rush to attack, as if they knew that their prey would not¡ªor could not¡ªrun. Looking behind them quickly, Guin felt a shiver run down her spine. There was nothing but the mist, thick as pea soup. ¡°One, two, three...¡± BronzePaw began counting. ¡°Oh, Mother Mountain...¡± ¡°So much for rubber banding,¡± said StarShine, hugging her broom. Chapter 81 Guin did a quick count of her own. Four Corrupted Gobo Club Thugs, Four more Corrupted Stick Shooters, three Corrupted Gobo Meat Slicers, and¡ª ¡°Oh, god dammit!¡± she cursed. ¡°You idiots pulled a bloody Lore Master!¡± BronzePaw¡¯s tail twitched as she eyed them. ¡°I have no idea what that is, but it probably isn¡¯t going to make me happy, is it?¡± ¡°They¡¯re magic users,¡± Guin told them. ¡°Can you use a silence spell yet, Star?¡± ¡°No¡ªI can try CCing them with a sleep spell, though.¡± Drakov raised his hand and said, ¡°Oh! I have something! Which one is the loremaster?¡± ¡°How do you have something I don¡¯t have yet?¡± Stella pouted, eyeing him with envy. Drakov only chuckled nervously. ¡°The one with the staff,¡± Guin pointed out¡ªthough she felt he really should have been able to guess that. ¡°Listen, Drakov, after you do whatever it is you plan on doing, I want you to watch our backs.¡± ¡°Expecting more company?¡± BronzePaw asked. ¡°Not sure,¡± Guin said honestly. ¡°But I don¡¯t like that mist. Paw, even if Star¡¯s CC works, stay on alert. We cannot have the back ranks running off against and pulling more of these things¡ªpull back if you need to. First, we should take out those smaller guys. The Stick Shooters and the Meat Slicers should be pretty easy to one or two shots, depending. The Club Thugs should be the least of our worries¡ªthey have a lot of health points, but they are slow and don¡¯t do a lot of damage. Once all those guys are down, the Lore Master should be pretty easy to handle if we are working together.¡± Nodding, BronzePaw chuckled a little. ¡°What happened to the girl who shrinks back in fear every time she sees me in real life? Look at you, giving me orders.¡± Guin snorted. She didn¡¯t need the dinosaur woman to tell her about her own personality inconsistencies between real life and game life. This was simply how she had always been¡ªand it would very likely be the way that she would be in the future. ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t they attacking?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°Let¡¯s not question our luck,¡± StarShine said, hopping onto her broomstick and taking to the air. ¡°Ready?¡± Guin asked them. ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°R!¡± Drawing a magic circle in the air, StarShine called out, ¡°[Sand Sleep]!¡± A cloud of what looked like some sort of fairy dust flew out from her circle and settled down into the area of the gobos while Guin heard Drakov start chanting. Though there was no arrow notched in his bow, he pulled his bowstring back. As he continued to chant, a small, ghost-like wyrm appeared, running over his body. Slithering down his arm, it went till it rested on the thumb and fingers holding the bow. Straightening itself out and becoming rigid, it became an arrow, silvery and faded like smoke. Guin looked over at the gobos, all of whom appeared to be drowsy. The smaller ones, including the Lore Master, had already fallen asleep. Wait a minute... I¡¯m missing something... she thought and opened her mouth as she realized. ¡°Drak¡ªwait¡ª¡± Just as Guin was about to stop him, Drakov whispered, ¡°[White Wyrm: Choke].¡± The ghost-like arrow loosed and flew true to its target. The Lore Master awoke with a start, looking around at its sleeping party members in a daze. ¡°Shit!¡± Guin cursed and put her spear away. ¡°Everyone, get on the Lore Master¡ªdon¡¯t let it wake the others up!¡± She cast [Fox Form] and became her fox spirit alter-ego, sprinting toward the confused gobo, hoping to catch it before it began casting. ¡°Wait¡ªthe plan...?¡± she heard Drakov start, followed by a very sheepish sounding, ¡°Oh...¡± In her fox form, Guin attacked the Lore Master¡¯s legs with an effective [Trip]. Luckily, though Drakov¡¯s blunder had put them in a bit of a bind, his ability appeared to have worked as the gobo fell down without a cry. The creature eyed her angrily, shouting voiceless words as she went after its throat, holding it down as it writhed around, trying to pull her off. Each time it pulled on her, she sunk her teeth in deeper, the sweet, metallic taste of blood filling her mouth with every rip and tear that was caused by the action. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. BronzePaw then appeared and slammed her mighty fists into the creature''s exposed chest, letting off another [Earthquake]. The tremors and force forced Guin to release her prey and jump away¡ªand she started crying inside as the cracks in the ground spread over to where the other gobos had been sleeping, causing them to wake with a grouchy start. As the confused gobos began to move into action, a [Magic Arrow] hit the Lore Master from above, causing BronzePaw to have to dodge out of the way¡ªwhich was probably a good thing, as several of Drakov arrows hit moments later in a quick succession of [Rapid Fire]. ¡°Watch it!¡± BronzePaw snarled. ¡°You too!¡± StarShine shouted down. ¡°Inc from your right!¡± The dinosaur woman looked over at the reviving gobos. ¡°Oops,¡± she went. ¡°Was that me?¡± ¡°Intercept them, Paw! I¡¯ll heal what damage I can,¡± Guin shouted, shifting out of fox form. ¡°Drakov, get the Lore Master - it can¡¯t have much health left, and Paw should have the agro! Stella, support Paw!¡± ¡°This is fucking crazy!¡± StarShine shouted as Guin started setting up a magic circle off to the side. From above, StarShine shouted, ¡°[Magic Missile]!¡± while Drakov was shouting, ¡°[Flame Arrow]!¡± several times in quick succession. Ah, Guin went in her mind as she started singing [Hymn of the Light] to heal BronzePaw. I need to get those two to stop relying on the voice-cast system... She was immensely thankful for the fact that these particular creatures were already quite dumb and probably didn¡¯t understand a word they were saying. Taking on the other gobos, BronzePaw was taking a lot of damage. StarShine was backing her up as much as she could with her [Barrier] spell and her various curses on the enemies. Perhaps most effective, though, was her [Magic Missile] ability that hit three of them all at once. ¡°Ahh! Guin! This thing isn¡¯t dying¡ªwha!¡± Drakov staggered back as Guin saw the Lore Master stand up and brush itself off. Oh no... Even with her magic circle amplifying her healing ability, [Hymn of the Light] was only a low-leveled, healing over time spell, and it was barely managing to keep BronzePaw alive, even with StarShine¡¯s barriers negating half the damage directed toward her. With another [Magic Missile], though, StarShine managed to take out two of the shooters and a Meat Slicer. BronzePaw, seemed to get increasingly fed up with being poked and let out a loud honking sound as she stomped her powerful clawed foot hard into the ground, setting off another [Earthquake]. As the gobos lost their footing, she picked up one of the remaining shooters with her tail and, like a boa constrictor, wrapped it around its body. Guin watched with a shiver as the tail wrapped tighter and tighter, till the creature¡¯s body snapped with a broken cry. Then, with a quick flick, she threw the body at one of the Meat Slicers, sending both flying. ¡°Uhh... I think my ability wore off, guys... It¡¯s chanting something!¡± Drakov shouted. ¡°And it¡¯s not. Fucking. Dying! [Flame Arrow][Flame Arrow][Flame Arrow]! Ah, crap, I got agro¡ªrunning!¡± StarShine spun around on her broom, shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking run again, you little shit! You¡¯re the one who got us into this mess! [Entangle]!¡± With StarShine¡¯s words, all manning of roots and vines sprouted up from the ground and grabbed at anything or anyone within the area - including them. Cursing inwardly, Guin wanted to bash their heads together and yell at them both, but if she stopped singing, BronzePaw would fall, and they would wipe. Guin was far too stubborn to let that happen, even if it meant very little. As the ground became chaotic, Guin saw BronzePaw and StarShine take down the last of the Stick Shooters, two of the Meat Slicers, and one of the Club Thugs before the roots came up and destroyed her magic circle. With the effect of her [Hymn of the Light] weakened, Guin kept singing, trying to keep BronzePaw¡¯s health wavering between 50% and 75%. The roots then came up and grabbed her ankles, throwing both her balance and her concentration off, making it increasingly difficult to keep her song up. Luckily, it seemed that the mage-witch team managed to take out the remaining Meat Slicers and another Club Thug before Guin lost sight of them in the dense, growing foliage. Guin had no choice but to wait for the vines to stop growing, sighing in aggravation and irritation with her own uselessness. After about ten seconds, the roots and vines solidified into a difficult, bramble-like terrain. ¡°God dammit, Star,¡± she mumbled, pulling up her video feed. ¡°I can¡¯t bloody see you guys¡ªwhat the hell is going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m... trapped?¡± BronzePaw¡¯s confused image came up. ¡°But I think I¡¯m safe for now. There are only two Club thugs left. They are staring at me, but they can¡¯t seem to move any more than I can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... Reassuring, I guess?¡± Guin went, not yet sure if she should celebrate StarShine¡¯s rash action or condemn her to hell. ¡°I¡¯ll take out the Club Thugs,¡± StarShine said, looking quite proud of herself as she came up on the screen. ¡°Then there should only be the Lore Master left, as originally planned before the little boy fucked up.¡± Drakov came up last, looking very disgruntled. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I fucked up¡ªwhat are all these vines? I can¡¯t friggen move!¡± StarShine snorted. ¡°Good. Merry Christmas.¡± ¡°Seriously, Star¡ª¡± Drakov started. ¡°We will discuss it later! Right now, let¡¯s focus on solving the problems we have and not making any more. Star, once those Thugs are down, concentrate all fire on the Lore Master,¡± Guin commanded. ¡°Paw, sit tight and wait for Star¡¯s spell to run its course. I¡¯ll head over to Drakov¡¯s location and see about dealing with the Lore Master.¡± ¡°Roger!¡± the three of them said and disappeared from Guin¡¯s feed. Transforming herself into her smaller, much more agile fox form, Guin fell back to the ground and looked at her map. Growling to herself, she muttered, ¡°Oh, good bloody job, Guin,¡± to herself before running off into the brambles. Chapter 82 Picking her way through the vines, Guin put a whole speech together in her head about all the things that had just gone wrong¡ªbut decided to put her pent-up anger aside when the Lore Master came back into view. It was a sight filled with unpleasant memories. The creature was only about half the size of one of the Club Thugs, but Guin knew that it was far more formidable. Dressed in a robe of ragged, whimsically patchworked silks of deep, dark colors, it stood, looking around the brambles that surrounded it. Its long thin nose and wide, bat-like ears bent as they touched the vines, causing the creature to shake its head in annoyance. It tapped the vines with its staff and muttered something indiscernible before shifting itself into a position where it could move just a little more freely. Guin crouched down as she watched it wave the tip of its staff¡ªa sparkling purple gem focus¡ªin the air and start to chant. The last time she had fought one of these kinds of creatures had been back in the tutorial¡ªand it had been the boss of a dungeon. In fact, back then, the gobos had only appeared in the cavernous dungeon. Here, it seemed they had overrun the place. The fights that she had fought there still lingered in her mind, a mix of fear and awe as she remembered the pain she had suffered from in those early fights. She had even had the protection of the tutorial instance¡¯s invulnerability state and had only been able to overcome the creature by sheer willpower. This time, there would be no such luxury. Not only that but there was no telling just how powerful the corruption had made it. The Lore Master stopped chanting and lifted its staff up as high as it could. The gem focus lifted up into the air and began to spin, gathering the air in the immediate area to it. So it is this spell, Guin tsk-ed, watching the gem turn into a violent burgundy color. StarShine may have actually done an apt thing, even if it was a stupid move for the party. As if the gem had become the center of gravity, all things in the area began to draw to it. Guin dug her claws into the ground, trying to hold herself, but it didn¡¯t do much. A little frantic, she looked for a place where the roots and vines could be used as shelter and started moving toward them. Every step was like fighting off the winds of a hurricane, like trying to swim upstream. Growing dizzy from the pressure and an apparent lack of oxygen, she anchored herself in her little shelter as best she could, hoping for the best. Opening a party chat, she started, ¡°Guys¡ªfind sh-¡± But it was too late. All at once, the air the gem had gathered lashed out to the surrounding area. Though she had cornered herself in the branches, Guin was knocked back, too, winding her and nearly breaking the branch behind her as she bounced off it. Everything around her was cracking and crunching, and the wind was so strong it hurt her ears as it blew past her. She thought she might have heard screams from somewhere, but she couldn¡¯t have been sure. Great moans of wind and wood added to the great chaos of sound as she was tossed about. Each time she hit a branch, she watched her health bar go down. Doing her best to keep herself from taking any more damage, she tried to use her claws to catch herself when she could¡ªbut the wind was terribly strong, and she had been too close to the center of the attack. The wind finally died down and allowed Guin to stagger back up to her feet. After shaking her head, she bounded back to where she had been standing¡ªbut her jaw dropped as she looked out over the destruction before her. Everything in a twenty-foot diameter of the gobo had been ripped to shreds. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. When her eyes fell on Drakov¡¯s bloodied body hanging on the vines across the way, something in her head snapped. It looked like he had been too close¡ªhe had been tossed around by the wind and speared by one of the branches. Guin looked up at his health bar¡ªhe was still alive, but he was barely conscious at 10% health. It¡¯s my fault, she thought to herself bitterly. The gobo let out a screeching laugh as it looked over at its caught prey. Cursing, Guin bolted towards the Lore Master. She wouldn¡¯t give it a chance to finish what it started. Not noticing her in her fox form, it started to chant again¡ªbut Guin caught the creature in the back of the legs with another [Trip], causing it to lose its balance just enough to interrupt it. Without hesitation, she human formed and drew her spear, giving a strong thrust into the creature¡¯s back with a [Backstab]. It let out a bloodcurdling scream and looked back at her, hatred reflecting in its eyes. That¡¯s fine, Guin thought to it, returning a spiteful glare as she twisted her spear out and activated her [Dance] ritual to help gain momentum. Spinning around to the front in a single, smooth motion, she stabbed it again, quickly withdrawing it and facing its front. Glaring at it as it staggered back, Guin growled. ¡°Die, You fucker!¡± She shouted, running at it again, this time slashing at its gut. It whacked at her with its staff, sending her back a few feet. ¡°Oh, now you are gonna fight back, shithead?¡± she spat. It took a step forward, growling at her and swiping its staff in a wide arc. ¡°Too slow!¡± she told it as she dodged, thrusting her spear in between its attacks as she danced around it, looking for an opening. Suddenly, an arrow flew into the creature''s shoulder, causing it to be distracted just enough for Guin to get in another good slice before backing off again. Guin looked up and saw Drakov reading another arrow, a look of determination in his eyes. Good boy, she thought, nodding at him with a smile, and began to dance with the creature with more purpose and control. The Lore Master uttered a loud cry of annoyance and challenge as it gripped its staff and started to charge back at Guin as she slashed at him. More arrows hit, some flashing with bright bursts of light and some causing small explosions. ¡°Inc!¡± Guin heard from above and looked up to see StarShine readying a magic circle. ¡°[Magic Missile]! You shit!¡± Three pale purple orbs fell down on the Lore Master, causing his eyes to bulge in pain and shock. It pointed its staff up at her angrily, beginning to chant¡ªbut Guin took advantage of the caster¡¯s state and stabbed at it some more. The roots and vines began to retract into the earth as the [Entangle] spell wore off. Drakov staggered back up and drank a health potion, bringing his health back up to 50%. Guin tried to trip the creature to interrupt its¡¯ spell, but her ability failed. ¡°Jesus, how much health do you have?¡± StarShine shouted, letting another set of magic missiles rain down on the creature¡¯s head. The gobo shouted something and a magic circle appeared, aiming at the witch¡¯s location. A beam of light headed straight for her, skimming her leg before she could dodge. ¡°I¡¯m almost out of mana!¡± Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Guin jumped back as BronzePaw hurled herself at the gobo, grappling it into a pitiful state so that its body was exposed to more arrows and Guin¡¯s spear. Another set of magic missiles, and BronzePaw threw it off, down onto the ground. Small sounds of gurgles and wheezing escaped its brown, wrinkled lips, but no more. Though it reached out its hand toward Guin as if it still had the strength left in it to fight, the attacks had obviously taken their toll. Not having any mercy in her heart for such a creature, Guin stepped forward, her body cold. Pointing her spear at its heart, she gave a small prayer to the forest gods and thrust her spear into its heart. Wrenching it out, she watched its face as its eyes grew blank. She dinged level 13, but she ignored it in favor of the familiar, thirsty hunger that struck her as she stood over it, triumphant. Emotionlessly, Guin stabbed her spear into the ground and walked around the Lore Master¡¯s body. Smirking, Guin clapped her hands together and told it: ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± With a clawed hand bared, Guin thrust her hand into the humanoid creature¡¯s body and withdrew the liver she had desired. And let there be many more to come, she thought to herself as she bit down and savored the sweet, metallic taste her Gumiho body craved. Chapter 83 ¡°Ohmigod! What the hell was that?¡± StarShine said from above. With a loud whoosh from her broom, she landed and poked the creature¡¯s body with her broom. It almost immediately popped into a treasure chest, causing her to jump back, hugging her broom with an echoing yelp. ¡°Did you think it was going to bite you?¡± Drakov asked, his voice lined with annoyance as he limped over to where they were. StarShine glared and stuck her nose up in the air. ¡°Take it easy, you two,¡± Guin said, her mouth full of liver. ¡°They aren¡¯t really supposed to have Lore Masters in the beginner zones, and Star is a noob.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± StarShine turned to her to protest but paled as she paused, pointing. ¡°Guin... What... What are you... doing?¡± ¡°She was doing that earlier, too¡ªor trying to, at any rate,¡± Drakov said, visibly shivering as Guin shrugged. ¡°Guess this one tastes better?¡± Gluping it down, she looked at the bit that remained. It wasn¡¯t all that bad, really, once it wasn¡¯t... inside something. ¡°It¡¯s... a thing,¡± she told them. ¡°I needed to do it if I wanted to go back into town anyway. It¡¯s a long story.¡± Looking rather unconvinced, Stella circled her finger in the air, saying, ¡°Is it a story that you could please take the time to explain? Like now? Because that¡¯s simply horrifying.¡± ¡°Mmmm,¡± Guin went, hardly taking the time to think about it. ¡°Nah. Not now. We have other things that we need to work on.¡± ¡°You are never, ever, ever, allowed to give garuli any more of your crap,¡± StarShine told her with narrowed eyes. ¡°What the hell.¡± ¡°Can we move on?¡± Guin asked, licking her lips as she did her best to ignore BronzePaw¡¯s frozen, open-mouthed response to watching her rip the creature¡¯s body open with her own personal pair of bare claws. There was a certain amount of guilt that came with her act of doing something that she had always judged the dinosaur people for, and she hadn¡¯t yet decided what the best way to cope with that was. ¡°Go for it,¡± StarShine drawled. ¡°I¡¯m obviously not going to get my answer now, am I?¡± Guin wiped the blood on her hands off on her shorts and grabbed her spear. ¡°The first thing that we need to do is regroup and re-evaluate our tactics. For starters, Drakov, heal up, would you? Never know when¡¯s the next time we¡¯ll get ambushed out here.¡± ¡°And from here?¡± Drakov asked, gulping down a red potion that picked his health points back up. ¡°We came this way for the skins, but how far does this corruption go for?¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°In this case, I actually think we got lucky, surviving that mess. I think we are a bit under-leveled for this area.¡± Clearing her throat, the unfrozen BronzePaw said, ¡°Should we start by talking a bit about what happened back there? I think there were a few mistakes made that could be avoided in the future. I am fairly new to this game¡ªif there are errors that have been made...¡± Her face was a bit sheepish as she trailed off. ¡°We all made mistakes,¡± Guin sighed. ¡°You and Star are both new and learning a class without having the background knowledge of class or game mechanics is hard enough without having any pressure put on you by people like myself or Drakov. Honestly, we are all still learning¡ªand frankly, I am for sure too low level to be worth much to you guys, class aside.¡± ¡°What is your class, anyway?¡± StarShine asked. ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t even know yet,¡± Guin admitted. ¡°I won¡¯t really know anything until I get to the next stage. And to get to the next stage, I need to get my crafting skills up to snuff.¡± Stolen story; please report. StarShine snorted and crossed her arms indignantly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we are here?¡± BronzePaw asked, her tail flipping back and forth. ¡°To get you your class? But I think that''s not all that there is to it,¡± she went on. ¡°After all, had we executed the strategy properly, things would have gone much smoother, I¡¯m sure. It might take a little bit to whip this team of ours into shape, but when we do, it really will be worth something¡ªat least, that¡¯s what I think.¡± Though she only gave the garuli woman her own sheepish grin on the outside, Guin genuinely thanked her for the words on the inside. ¡°Well, at least you will always be a natural badass in the end, Paw-Paw,¡± Starshine grumbled. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start by getting the pretty boy over there to stop running away!¡± ¡°¡®Pretty Boy, ¡¯ my ass. I wasn¡¯t gonna ¡®run away¡¯!¡± Drakov whined back and failed his arms in the air. ¡°I had to run so I could kite him! What, you think I¡¯m just gonna stand there and let him blow my ass up? No thanks! Though you did a great job of doing that for me!¡± ¡°What,¡± StarShine scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. ¡°Were you gonna string him up and fly him on his own wind?¡± she asked him, turning her hand into a place and going, ¡®Whoo! Look at him go!¡¯¡± Stunned, Drakov gave her an unwavering blank stare as if he couldn¡¯t compute the input. ¡°Star,¡± Guin interjected, sensing Drakov¡¯s inner turmoil. ¡°By ¡®kite,¡¯ he meant that he was gonna run and shoot at the guy at the same time. Kiting is something that we should all learn to do properly¡ªespecially you, assuming that your Witch class has some reliable combat instants. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s very DoT-based when it''s not doing mass CC stuff.¡± She was both amused and saddened by her friend''s lack of knowledge, but all that Guin could hope to do now was give her some tips and strategies to make all their lives easier. Blushing furiously, Starshine hmph-ed and resorted to trying to defend herself with a very unconvincing ¡®men shouldn¡¯t run¡¯ statement. ¡°Women should be more gentle,¡± Drakove grumbled back in response. ¡°Oh? Did you hear that BronzePaw?¡± she answered dryly. BronzePaw, however, was not impressed by either of them. ¡°Stand down, both of you,¡± she scolded. ¡°Let¡¯s not be so childish as to blame others for our own failings! Take this as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, to grow¡ªand I¡¯d say that''s something that can apply to all of us.¡± Pulling her long, powerful tail around her feet, the bronze-scaled garuli woman looks over fully at Guin. ¡°So, Guin, what¡¯s our next move?¡± Guin bit her lip. ¡°As I see it,¡± she started. ¡°We have two options. One: We continue to do the quests for my class. Two: Stay in this area and see what we can see.¡± ¡°Benefits and downsides for each option?¡± BronzePaw asked. ¡°Well, the thing about my class is, it¡¯s pretty basic, and honestly, I could probably do it myself¡ªit would just take much more time,¡± Guin told them. ¡°Even then, it¡¯s a quest chain to get my class advancement, and though I can say that, using logic and experience, it wouldn¡¯t take more than a couple of hours to do, I was in the tutorial for a week with that same logic.¡± StarShine and Drakov shared a chuckle as Guin continued: ¡°On the plus side, it¡¯s very likely that my class advancement will put me into a much better position for the group and solidify what my inherent role will be. Other possible benefits are that I should level a couple more times, and it¡¯s possible that, now that we know the Corruption is in the woods, we could gather both information and valuable questlines.¡± ¡°Option two?¡± the garule woman asked. Guin pointed around at the Corruption. ¡°This place is difficult, and we could easily wipe¡ªbut I guarantee the risk is worth it. This place is an experience and treasure mine with all these powerful Corrupted beasts. The Corruption that I have known has also been chock full of potential for worthwhile questlines. I say that, but I am not sure what it¡¯s really like for people without Veil Sight.¡± ¡°They get the corrupted monsters, but not really the visuals or spirit beasts,¡± Drakov said. ¡°But with it being this strong, maybe they see dead trees?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± StarShine asked. ¡°The trees are definitely dead.¡± ¡°And the ground?¡± Guin asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°The smell?¡± Losing the buff that Liorax provided her was a definite downside of being in the area for her in general¡ªit would be very annoying if StarShine and BronzePaw didn¡¯t have to suffer through it. And indeed, it seemed as if they did not as Guin watched BronzePaw¡¯s brow furrow, asking, ¡°What smell? I admit the ground feels a little off compared to what it looked like. It makes me think of the forest floor of my homeland, but it looks like the university¡¯s park.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Guin winced. ¡°Does that mean they won¡¯t be able to accept Corruption quests?¡± Drakove shook his head. ¡°No. They will be able to, but if the quests are spirit-based, we have to get them and then share them with the others. We¡¯ll also have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to any spirit-based threats.¡± Sucking on her lip, Guin breathed in, making a high-pitched squealing noise that attracted an evil look from Stella. ¡°Okay,¡± she went. ¡°So here is what I think we should do...¡± Chapter 84 It didn¡¯t take long for the team to complete the various forest quests. Drakov shared the ones that he had picked up from the tavern, and, with the support of the team, they were able to take care of even the powerful Blubears without much effort. Each of them gained at least one level¡ªthough Guin gained two thanks to the experience benefits her [Gumiho] trait provided her. Her stats also shot up quite fast, and she noticed that her skinning skill already had a full bar of experience, though an exclamation point next to the bar told her that she needed to finish the quest for the first promotion. In the two hours that they had stayed together as a group, she had also hit the tenth level of many of the abilities that she used the most. [Spirit Shield], [Dance], [Fox Form], [Trip], [Backstab], [Spear - Strike], and even her [Magic Circle] and [Hymn of the Light] abilities were now level ten thanks to the fact that she had basically fallen back into a support role thanks to BronzePaw¡¯s mage-tanking. One can certainly tell how the chance to supplement experience for abilities can affect things, Guin thought, stealing a glance at BronzePaw as she swiped at their final Blubear. Though, if she wants to be in close combat, she should probably get some enchantments. Of course, she reflected; there was a high chance that the garuli woman didn¡¯t know much about enchantments and their mechanics. The Blubear fell with a thunk! and Guin let Drakov take the skin and its other spoils as the hunting quest ding-ed completed. ¡°That finishes that, then,¡± StarShine said, crossing her arms. ¡°Shall we head back to the city and turn these in? Guin, I expect more levels from you today.¡± Shrugging, Guin nodded, and they made their way back to the tavern at the front of the Hunters¡¯ Guild. After turning in their quests, Guin was halfway to level 16. ¡°Is there anything else we can do for you?¡± BronzePaw asked as Drakov and StarShine searched for more quests on the board. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to go it alone from here,¡± Guin told her. ¡°Even if I brought you guys along for the Catacombs part, I need to get the crafting stuff out of the way first¡ªand that could take hours.¡± ¡°All right,¡± Bahena nodded. They had decided to go their separate ways for a little while while Guin figured out what was going on with her class. While none of them were particularly excited about tabling what seemed like a worthwhile adventure, they all felt a little under-leveled when they took on the Lore Master¡ªand it wasn¡¯t even a Boss or Elite-level monster. Had they run into a larger group, a more powerful monster, or even more than one Lore Master, they would have wiped almost instantly. Guin saw as BronzePaw¡¯s golden eyes flickered back and forth between Guin and the others. She hesitated before asking, ¡°I-Is there something...?¡± The garule woman¡¯s eyes brightened as the sheepish look returned to her face. ¡°I was just wondering, you know, since you seem very comfortable in this environment¡ªthis game world¡ªif you could give me some... direction on how best to use the next few hours. I know magic and intelligence aren¡¯t really my strengths¡ªbut I don¡¯t really have anyone else to ask...¡± ¡°O-Oh,¡± Guin went. ¡°Well... but what about your brothers? Don¡¯t they play?¡± BronzePaw looked down, looking oddly ashamed. ¡°They do, but two are never really on, and Sathuren...,¡± her voice drifted, her eyes darting around as she struggled with the words. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask him. I don¡¯t... really want him to know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want him to know what?¡± Guin asked, furrowing her brow. ¡°That you play? I thought your brothers all knew and wanted to play.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Well, yes, but... I don¡¯t want him to know that¡ªThat¡ªThat I am playing a magic user,¡± BronzePaw stuttered. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to know that I... Urm... You see... I...,¡± she struggled. Becoming increasingly confused, Guin tried to help by saying, ¡°Because it makes you a sutak?¡± But the bronze garuli woman shook her head quickly. ¡°Not that,¡± she said. ¡°Though I guess, a bit... It¡¯s complicated. My brother is... complicated. He¡¯d get mad if he knew. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want him to know. But I want to do this; For myself. I have the chance to... to understand better. I want to take it, I want to give it my all¡ªand I don¡¯t want him to stop me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really understand,¡± Guin went. ¡°But if all you are looking for is pointers about how to be a mage, then...¡± Her first answer was to find a trainer, but after taking a moment to actually think about it, she advised, ¡°You might be a mage, but you don¡¯t really fight like a mage.¡± ¡°A-Ah,¡± BronzePaw went. ¡°So how¡ª¡± Reflecting on some of the thoughts she had had during their fights, Guin shook her head thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯d say that the best way to be a successful mage in this game is the same way one becomes a successful fighter: play to your strengths,¡± she said, thinking back on her experience with her own first group where Ibraxis Soulkeeper was the best example of the fighting style she imagined Bahena would use. Even though Ibraxis was a healer and a magic user, he was just as much a physical fighter in the group¡ªpartly because the group was sufficient enough to not need him primarily as a healer, and casting spells took too much time. Still, it was presumably only successful because he had experience as a fighter beforehand. He had occasionally used his powers more as a traditional mage might, but it seemed to be as natural as fighting was to him. For BronzePaw, however, Guin could see that hand-to-hand and physical abilities were where she was comfortable. ¡°There should be spells that you can use to enhance your already existing patterns,¡± Guin continued. ¡°For example, your [Earthquake] ability is one that you use most because it works with your physical prowess and natural patterns. Likewise, there should be enchantment spells, like my [Magic Shield], or spells that add elements to your attacks that you could learn. As a mage, you¡¯ll have an added bonus to the new skill set without sacrificing your potency or honor as a warrior.¡± Of course, the other side to the advice she was giving BronzePaw was that Guin herself didn¡¯t really know where her own strengths were. Guin gripped her spear tightly. She had a lot of work to do if she wanted to be a half-decent fighter in her own right, and there were certainly spells she felt she could use. A [Haste] spell would be nice, and if she was going to end up in a support role, she needed more healing and buff abilities¡ªbut then she could easily fall into a Jack-of-All-Trades-Master-of-None scenario. BronzePaw, however, gave her a toothy grin. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t expect to get a lecture from you,¡± she said, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°But I do thank you for it. At least I understand what to look for a little better. Don¡¯t forget that what may seem obvious to you in any situation may not be obvious to others.¡± ¡°Glad I could help a little,¡± Guin told her. ¡°But I do think you should do some research in general. Even for me, I have to look up things all the time. This game is a bit different from things I¡¯m really familiar with.¡± Laughing, BronzePaw scratched the back of her head. ¡°You sound like my brother. This may come as a shock to you, all things considered, but I don¡¯t really like doing research. I just like talking.¡± ¡°Less a shock than you think,¡± Guin mused. StarShine came over and let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°All right! That¡¯s done. Now, I have some shopping to do, then I need to visit my trainer. Paw-Paw, you gonna run around for a bit?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± BronzePaw nodded. ¡°I may go to the Mage Trainer myself and spend a bit of time playing with the mechanics more. I¡¯m not used to magic yet.¡± ¡°You could just learn as you go,¡± StarShine shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve done just fine, in my opinion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m reading a manual,¡± the garule woman smiled. ¡°But it would be a terrible tactical decision to go into a fight unprepared.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a game...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a game with simulated combat being at the forefront,¡± the garule woman said. ¡°I would be remiss in not treating it that way.¡± Unconvinced, StarShine shrugged. ¡°If you say so,¡± she said. ¡°Sounds like an awful lot of wasted effort.¡± ¡°Studying up would do you some good, I would think,¡± Drakov muttered from the side as he approached. ¡°Drakov,¡± Guin chided, then turned to the group. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up back here in a couple of hours, yeah? Let¡¯s get to it, then. See you guys in a bit.¡± The four of them bid their farewells, dropped out of the group, and went their separate ways. Chapter 85 When Guin walked into the trappers¡¯ house, she found Master Hunter Lithe sitting in the common area of the lower floor. With the backdrop of the massive fireplace, she looked picturesquely elegant. Yet, she felt different. In fact, the whole house felt different. Darker. Quieter. ¡°Psst,¡± came from the other side of the room, and Guin looked over to see Gorseth, sitting quietly with a couple of other hunters who looked at her curiously. Mugs of ale and a small feast lay before them. The old hunter waved her over with a nod. ¡°Take a seat, girly,¡± he said as she went over to the table. ¡°Have a bit of stew, will yeh?¡± Guin sat on the free end of the bench, asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gorseth shook his head grimly and waved over a pretty, red-headed young woman. ¡°Oy, Margot love, get this little recruit a bit o¡¯ stew and cider, would yeh?¡± The woman nodded with a smile and disappeared into the kitchen. ¡°How¡¯d the hunt of? Get your pelts all nice?¡± ¡°You taught me well,¡± she told him. ¡°I have many pelts now that I hope to use to become a leatherworker as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good trade,¡± he nodded and wiped off a bit of froth of ale from his beard. ¡°There¡¯s a few leather workers in Miala De Ri you can learn from, but I¡¯d send you first to my old friend Hoth. He¡¯ll teach you our way¡ªnot the prissy, city-folk way. Their way is just fine if you want fancy feathers, but Hoth¡¯s¡¯ll save your life.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a part of the hunter¡¯s guild?¡± ¡°He is. Lives in a small cabin not far from here, two buildings down the path behind this one. Not much a man of words, though,¡± Gorseth said. ¡°He¡¯s a man of talent and action. Show him your determination to learn his craft, and he¡¯ll set you up nice.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Guin jotted the name down in her book. ¡°Ah! Margot!¡± Gorseth exclaimed as the young woman reappeared, placing a bowl and a mug in front of Guin. ¡°Here you go!¡± Margot said with a girlish grin. ¡°Watch out there, miss. This old man will be telling you tall tales all night if you let him!¡± Gorseth tsk-ed at her. ¡°Says the girl with the most fanciful tales between us.¡± ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± Guin asked with a chuckle. The young woman laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t charge Hunters here; that¡¯s the tavern¡¯s business. My father¡¯s approved of you; you¡¯re as good as family now, for better¡ª¡± she winked, ¡°¡ªor worse.¡± ¡°Here, here!¡± a dark-haired hunter at the table said as the other, a blonde, bearded man raised his glass, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that!¡± Gorseth scowled and waved them off. A small, furry white face then appeared at the woman¡¯s shoulder, out from her curly red locks. A white weasel spirit came out, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air. Meeting Guin¡¯s eyes with curious, beady eyes, it stood wearily on her shoulder. Within a moment, though, it withdrew itself back into Margot¡¯s hair. Does she know? Guin wondered, looking up into the woman¡¯s bright, unconcerned freckled face. ¡°Run off, then. Back to your business!¡± Gorseth mumbled. ¡°Pickin¡¯ on me... Just like your mother, you are!¡± Unfazed by Gorseth¡¯s comment, Margot waved, saying, ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± As Guin sampled her soup¡ªa thick, brown gravy-like broth with a strange texture, filled to the brim with oddly colored vegetables and unknown types of meats¡ªGorseth asked, ¡°You here to see Lady Lithe, then?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, looking over at the woman who had hardly moved since Guin entered the house. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± ¡°Eh,¡± he shrugged. ¡°The city folk were up in here, putting our Lady into a foul mood.¡± ¡°Is she? In a bad mood?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Have I come at a bad time?" Gorseth gave a little grunt-laugh as he turned to look at the woman as well. ¡°Nah,¡± he went. ¡°It¡¯s a great time to see. Good as any other, I¡¯d say. It¡¯s just best to know before you walk into the tiger¡¯s den.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Why do you call the Master Hunter ¡®Lady Lithe¡¯?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Does everyone here?¡± The old hunter shrugged. ¡°Mostly just us older folk have the tendency,¡± he said. ¡°We all first knew the Lady when she was¡ªwell¡ªa Lady. Straight from the Imperial capital, she was, all prim and proper. She married our good hunter Timren and came to live here with ¡®im. Not a one of us understood what she saw in him. I mean, we all liked him well enough; he was a good man¡ªjust not the fare of the noble blood. She had nothin¡¯ to do with hunting, not for a long while after her children were born. Sure, Timmy taught her things, but she never wanted to kill nothin¡¯ til the day he was killed by that Gorak there,¡± he held up his mug to the massive, green-furred creature that hung over the fireplace. ¡°Lady On High knows that my wife taught me that women were a force to be reckoned with, but that lady there, on receiving the news, she suited up in her good husband¡¯s gear, took his bow, and headed out without a second thought. She hunted that legendary beast down like it were nothin¡¯ but a rabbit in a trap. It was beautiful. It was horrible. And so she ascended to Master Hunter. Women are strange creatures.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened,¡± Guin muttered, taking a few bites from her stew as she considered. It was a nice stew¡ªthough the meat tasted a bit odd. Afraid to know what it was made of, Guin asked, ¡°Legendary beast?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± he said. ¡°Every forest has one or two great beasts that hunters and wise folk tell tale of. In our woods, it¡¯s the Goraks. Live in the mountains, they do; five, by our record¡ªthough I¡¯d wager that at least two have met their end now.¡± Sitting next to him, a hunter with a well-kept, braided yellow beard nodded. ¡°Our wood is as dead as any other beast these days. Not just dead¡ªpowerful dead. Those who speak to the spirits say it¡¯s the worst they¡¯ve ever seen. Only thing that could affect this land that much is the death of a powerful beast that wasn¡¯t properly respected.¡± ¡°Those that speak to spirits?¡± Guin inquired. ¡°Among the hunters?¡± ¡°The Circle,¡± the blonde hunter said. ¡°The Druids, Shamans, and Rangers who commune with the Veil. And they tell tales that the spirit of the forest is all but rotted. We normal hunters only see the dead parts, but we¡¯ve heard tales.¡± Guin bit her lip. ¡°My friends and I, we saw the Dead Woods out there,¡± she told them. ¡°It¡¯s made the monsters and beasts out there very powerful.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Gorseth nodded. ¡°You¡¯d best be careful, for it drives even the good beasts mad. I had a friend who went out there. Lost his ear to a squirrel, he did,¡± he said, then nodded over towards the kitchen. ¡°My daughter, Margot, there, she¡¯s got The Eyes. A proper little Druid in training. She¡¯s a soft heart, and she doesn¡¯t like any of it. Says the spirits of the animals have been comin¡¯ to her at night, seeking refuge. Death is at its strongest at night, you see.¡± The blonde hunter looked into his mug. ¡°It¡¯s all so very unnerving. But there must be something to it¡ªand I think all of us are wagering on a Gorak.¡± Nodding, Gorseth added, ¡°And those higher-ups from the main city came down here and blamed Lady Lithe for it all. I saw some of what went down¡ªthey pointed at that one, but that one¡¯s been dead for so long, it¡¯s been long returned to its natural cycle. We know she¡¯s just a scapegoat¡ªwe just don¡¯t know quite what to do about it.¡± ¡°Who else would hunt down a Gorak?¡± Guin asked. ¡°The last time I saw corruption, it was a couple of kids trying to make a quick couple of coins off some skins. It doesn¡¯t sound like you could take a Gorak down without first knowing what you were doing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Gorseth said. ¡°We can¡¯t really say we know, but we have a few hints.¡± ¡°Just the fact that those nobles were here at all is clue enough,¡± the dark-haired hunter who had been quiet till then said. ¡°They aren¡¯t stupid, but they aren¡¯t like to take the blame for the sins of their own. I know that there¡¯s been a royal hunting party here from the capital; I tracked them through the wood since they entered it, not that it was hard. The extravagance of it, the number of men tromping through. The arrogance of treating the land like it were their own. I do not like it.¡± The blonde snorted. ¡°How else to expect them to be?¡± ¡°Now, that¡¯s enough, boys,¡± Gorseth scolded. ¡°Whoever it might have been, I¡¯ll tell you that if it were the city folk, the cause for this can only be selfish. One of their own, out for amusement, or dignity, or some such foley that rich men seek without wanting the responsibility of doin¡¯ right. Mayhaps they don¡¯t even know that there is a way to do it right. It¡¯s just a real shame that those men who do wrong are rarely ever the ones who feel the consequences.¡± ¡°Is there anything we could do about it?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Are the hunters doing anything?¡± Gorseth shook his head. ¡°Not much to be done,¡± he sighed. ¡°Not by us, any rate. If you think you can be of any help, talk to Lady Lithe yourself - though she may be fuming, be warned. If you like, Margot would probably be able to bring you to The Circle. The nobles left not too long ago. If you left now, you could catch up soon enough, I think. No matter which you choose, I¡¯m sure it will be better than hanging around us.¡±
<<>> > <<>>
Guin laughed and reassured him that that could not be the case. Their topics of conversation turned more positive as she finished off the last bit of her stew and cider. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time,¡± she mumbled as she looked back over at the tivarys woman, her jade skin looking like porcelain in the firelight. Groseth gave a soft chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll be all right,¡± he said. ¡°Just do your best to not piss her off anymore than she already is, yeah?¡± Chapter 86 The six glass eyes of the great green beast watched her, sparkling in flame light, as she drew closer to where the Master Hunter stood. Lithe made no notice of the company, taking steady sips from a wine glass as she stared into the fire. ¡°Master Hunter,¡± Guin started softly. The tivarys woman turned a bit too quickly, with her eyes a bit too sharp¡ªbut her expression softened as recognition set in. ¡°You have returned. Welcome,¡± she said. ¡°Have you done as I have asked?¡± ¡°Yes, Master Hunter,¡± Guin nodded and pulled out the promised pelts. Gingerly, Lithe took them from her hand and began to inspect them.
<<>> <> <> <<>>
<> <[Hunting - Skinning] Rank - Intermediate>>
<> <[Title ¡ª Hunter of Miala De Ri]> >
A title? It was an unexpected, if predictable, boon. Any and all reputation would be helpful to her as time went forward, and it was possible that she could get more information about the corruption from the hunters if she was able to grow her reputation with them. As for her [Skinning] skill, Guin saw she was already a good way into the Intermediate rank of skinning and closed the window again as Lithe handed her the pelts back. ¡°Excellent,¡± the Master Hunter said. ¡°You¡¯ve used what Gorseth taught you well As a player of intermediate skill, you will now have the ability to instantly skin your prey, so long as you have the proper equipment in your inventory. Bear in mind, however, that skins acquired using the instant skinning ability will always be of lesser quality. Also, as you have gone through [Skinning] training through our Hunters¡¯ Guild, you have earned the right to call yourselves one of our own. Henceforth, you shall have full access to our resources, including quests, vendors, and trainers otherwise unavailable to the common public for as long as you maintain your reputation. Do not abuse our trust, young hunter.¡± Giving her an energetic bow, Guin said, ¡°Thank you, Master Hunter!¡± Lithe simply smiled at her and turned back to gazing at the beast and sipping her wine. With the [Skinning] skill out of the way, all Guin needed to do was nail out the [Leatherworking] skill. Then, she could head back to Amikavi for her class. And then¡ªthen¡ªshe could head back out to fight the corruption. Guin clenched her fists, remembering what she had gone through in White Fox Forest, and going to ask after what Gorseth had mentioned earlier, she started, ¡°By the way¡ª¡± but stopped, drawn in instead by the look on the Master Hunter¡¯s face. It was a deep, wistful... hate. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. There was peace to be found in those eyes, yet it was as if if she could slay the beast a thousand more times, then she would. It was a frightening, possessive thing. ¡°What... is that?¡± Guin found herself asking instead. ¡°That beast.¡± Lithe¡¯s eyes flickered over to her only for a moment. ¡°A Gorak,¡± she replied. ¡°Are there any further questions?¡± ¡°A great beast of the forest?¡± ¡°The Gorak?¡± Lithe asked, then shrugged. ¡°So they tell me. We have no such monsters where I am from. It''s a powerful beast. Violent. Angry. But honorable.¡± The Master Hunter had a sharpness to both voice and eye that Guin wasn¡¯t sure she liked. ¡°But the city people seem to have forgotten that¡ªif they ever knew it. That, or their prejudice towards outsiders¡ª or good or for ill¡ªblinds them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to Gorseth and the other hunters about the corruption in the woods,¡± Guin told her softly. The Master Hunter grunted. ¡°You know of it then? I suppose it¡¯s hard not to if you walk through the forest with your eyes open,¡± she scoffed and finished off her wine in a big gulp. ¡°Yes,¡± she continued. ¡°The forest is corrupted. The Dead Woods have spread so much further than ever before our records would have us believe. The Circle has been going on about bad omens and what-not while the nobles seek my head for cursing the land by slaying this beast.¡± ¡°But you think otherwise?¡± ¡°Think?¡± Lithe smirked. ¡°I know otherwise,¡± she said. ¡°This beast was slain miles from where the Dead Wood now is. For them to come here, banging on my door with their nonsense about how I¡¯ve cursed them all¡ªit¡¯s baseless, but for them, it¡¯s easy. Truth means nothing in the face of creating a satisfying answer to those who seek it. Not only that,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I¡¯d like for them to prove that it has anything to do with me compared to that stupid man-child that keeps bringing back trophies without taking proper care of the honor and dignity of the creatures he slays.¡± Guin tilted her head. ¡°¡®Man-Child¡¯?¡± ¡°Octarius,¡± the Master Hunter said with great distaste. ¡°Though, I guess these days it¡¯s ¡®Imperial Crown Prince Octarius¡¯ now to anyone who hasn¡¯t yet abandoned their propriety,¡± Lithe told her. Guin furrowed her brow. Octarius? Why did that name sound so familiar to her? ¡°He always was a right little prick,¡± the tivarys woman sneered. ¡°A brutal, dishonest trophy hunter who¡¯s been out to compensate for something since he was at his mother¡¯s teat.¡± Smirking a bit, Guin pried, ¡°Know him, do you?¡± ¡°Grew up with the bastard,¡± Lithe mumbled. ¡°Back in the Imperial City. I come from a noble bloodline¡ªA royal one, if you go back far enough, as my father used to go on about. But we served the King and the Princes all the same. Befriended them. Octarius and my younger brother were right and proper friends till he got him killed on some nonsense adventure to capture the Treasure Clan¡¯s beasts. Reckless fools.¡± ¡°So you believe that the Crown Prince has something to do with it then?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Was he here?¡± Lithe waved as she began to pace. ¡°About a fortnight ago¡ªhe and his parade of gifts. Nor is it the first time he¡¯s come through. Every six months or so, he comes with gold, fine pelts, and tales of conquest. None of it is worth the price he paid¡ªeven his crown of dragon horns. Of course, I say that,¡± she gave a sarcastic laugh, cheerfully adding, ¡°But I guess it did make him Crown Prince.¡± ¡°If the Prince is taking treasures, then I would think that there was a high probability that the corruption might have something to do with some such token,¡± Guin noted. ¡°Do you know where he went? Is he still here?¡± But the Master Hunter shook her head. ¡°I know not¡ªbut I doubt he is still here.¡± ¡°The trophies?¡± ¡°Some he keeps, some he sends back to the capital, and some he gives as ¡®gifts¡¯ to the people whose land he desecrates. A few years ago, he brought back a pelt from White Fox Forest, A beautiful thing. The spirit inhabited it and nearly cursed this land before The Circle Purified it and told the city to bury it properly. Luckily, this is Miala De Ri, and the holy men do right by each other¡ªbut who knows how many cities have been cursed due to his foley.¡± Guin paused as her quest updated to reflect the new details of the corruption quest.
<<>> <> > <<>>
¡°A pelt from White Fox Forest...¡± she muttered, lightly touching the white fur of her new cloak. ¡°Yes,¡± Lithe said, eyes narrowing. ¡°One very much like the one you wear now.¡± If that was so, then it was very possible that Amikavi herself might be able to help her. Guin paused. Octarius? ¡°Crown of dragon horns...¡± she mumbled. ¡°Tethaigo¡¯s horns?¡± Her memory raced, the image of the dais on which Amikavi¡¯s pelt was placed coming to her mind as she began to chew on her fingers. She remembered that Amikavi had said that the figure on the dais and his people had been cursed¡ªwas that not the case? Was this Octarius that Lithe spoke of the same man? ¡°Hunter Guin?¡± Lithe said, drawing her back. ¡°I understand,¡± Guin nodded quickly. ¡°I understand. Thank you, Master Hunter. I shall take my leave.¡± The Master Hunter nodded. ¡°Be careful out there, Hunter. May you do the name of Miala De Ri proud.¡± Hoping the quest that she had gained was sharable, she stared at the information that the quest description gave and pulled out a notepad to remind her of what it didn¡¯t. There was a lot she had to do¡ªbut first, she needed to focus on getting her class square away. She waved farewell to Gorseth and the other hunters, then headed out in the direction of the Leather Worker Hoth. Chapter 87 Following Gorseth¡¯s instructions, Guin found a small cottage with a charming thatched roof. A creaking signpost indicated that it was, indeed, the leather worker¡¯s cottage, with the name ¡®Hoth¡¯s Leather¡¯ scrawled in block print. It was calm and quaint and felt just a bit out of place in the woods; she could imagine it being very picturesque in a wide, open meadow. An orange and black cat sat up on the roof, letting out a large yawn as a butterfly landed on its nose. Hoth¡ªor the man that she was assuming was Hoth¡ªwas an older man, probably in his seventies or eighties. Guin found him sitting on one of a couple of rocking chairs outside on the porch, skins hanging all around it. The man sat solemnly, smoking a pipe and watching the world go by with a blank stare. He was skinny¡ªso skinny that he might have passed as a skeleton, but his eyes were bright in a hollowed face amidst mottled skin and sagging wrinkles. His long, frazzled white hair looked to be thinning, though it was tied back into a low ponytail, and his beard was still full, busy, but well trimmed. Though his stare seemed to be directed elsewhere, it didn¡¯t take him long to look up at her as she approached him. Despite his elderly appearance, there was a youthfulness to his grey-blue eyes that seemed to be asking why she was there. ¡°Hello,¡± she bowed nervously. ¡°Are you Hoth, the Leatherworker?¡± The old man raised an eyebrow at her and directed her to sit on a chair next to him. She did so and introduced herself. ¡°I was sent to you by Hunter Gorseth. I want to gain leatherworking skills. He said that you were the person to talk to.¡± While she was talking, Hoth¡¯s eyes had moved to her cloak. Pipe in hand, he pointed. ¡°M-My cloak?¡± she asked. He nodded. Though unsure, Guin took the cloak off and handed it to him. Ever so gently, he lifted it from her hands and looked it over, tsk-ing as his wrinkled hands ran over the soft of Amikavi¡¯s fur. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Hoth sighed and pushed himself out of his rocking chair. He plopped the cloak back on her head before sticking his pipe in his mouth and heading inside the cottage. ¡°Um, sir?¡± Guin went quickly, but she was silenced with a wave of his hand, indicating that she should follow him inside. The walls were covered with various wares and leather goods. A rack of skins and furs was over in one corner, next to a large chest of small drawers. On the back wall, shelves were filled with tools and other goods. In the center of the room was a large wooden countertop with several containers of tools, nicknacks, and marble slates. Guin stared in wonder at the many projects that she assumed had been done by Hoth himself. Gorseth had made it sound like Hoth was a practical sort of man, that his goods were simple but useful. This assumption had been wrong. Thin shirts, thicker armor pieces, quivers, bracers, sheaths, finger tabs¡ªall things she could easily see the other hunters walking in and picking up before going on a hunt. What really struck her, however, was the perfect, magnificent designs and patterns on each. From big to small, simple to intricate, it was all art. ¡°These are amazing!¡± Guin expressed, looking at just a handful lined up on a shelf. Liorax appeared on her shoulder and pushed off to take a look for himself. The old man, however, didn¡¯t appear to care what she thought. Instead, he shoved a thick piece of leather in her face and motioned for her to go to the counter, where he knocked on one of the thick slabs of marble. He set himself up with several kinds of tools in a neat fashion, then did the same for her. He placed a bowl of water between them and pointed to her, then to his eyes, then to the leather in front of her. Understanding that she was to watch, Guin nodded and observed. Hoth began his work by cutting the leather into shape, wetting it, and then using several different tools and components, she made a basic belt with a simple pattern. It was truly a simple thing and took him only moments to craft¡ªthough watching him was like watching birds fly or deer run; naturally graceful and beautiful to see. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Her own attempt, however, was not quite so successful. Still, it was far simpler a process than she expected, and with Hoth¡¯s guidance, she produced something useable, if not beautiful. And as she finished, her UI sounded off:
<> <[Leatherworking] Rank - Beginner>
The old man inspected her work with his mouth set into a firm frown, though he seemed to accept in the end. Next, he crafted a simple leather bag and instructed her to do the same. Once again, she marveled at the flow of the steps and process he proceeded while fumbling at her work, passing at a relatively low mark, by her guess. Still, progress was made. After the bag came a bracer with a much more intricate design. Each recipe was copied into a crafting book she had gained access to along with the skill. Reproducing the last of the projects to his satisfaction, he then asked her to make eight of each. Like the skinning quest she had before, finishing the quest through Hoth would unlock access to the intermediate skill. Seeming no longer interested in furthering her education, Hoth left her to it and went back outside. This suiting her just fine. Guin took out the large number of pelts and leathers she had acquired thanks to her hunting from earlier and set them on the worktable. Luckily, the game allowed her to skip the tanning phase and even gave her the option of using the skins with or without fur without the hassle of doing it herself. It was likely, too, that Hoth benefited from this system earlier. She knew there were quality benefits if she did each step by hand, but she had no desire to get caught up in a genuine crafting or harvesting class as she had only so many hours in a day, and each step could take up to many days to complete. So, she pulled them out, each in turn, and set herself up. It took her very little time to finish, thanks to those mechanics. With each accomplished craft, the faster she got, and she saw noticeable differences in the quality that she produced. In fact, she quite enjoyed it. While skinning was really a means to an end for her at the moment, she enjoyed the creative energy that she spent on the leather projects¡ªso much so that she probably spent far more time adding designs to each piece than she should have. ¡°Liorax,¡± Guin went, looking up to see the cat staring at a piece of leather armor. ¡°What are you doing over there?¡± For a moment, the cat spirit was silent, then he looked back at her with a grin. ¡°Have you accomplished your mission, Candidate?¡± ¡°Stop calling me that,¡± Guin told him. ¡°Shall it be half-Che then?¡± ¡°Must it be anything other than ¡®Guin¡¯?¡± ¡°I must amuse myself somehow.¡± Guin sighed. ¡°Whatever,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m done here. Are you finished looking around?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Liorax gave a broad smile. ¡°This has been an enlightening visit, to say the least. I wonder if that old man noticed.¡± ¡°Noticed what?¡± But the cat grinned and pounced through the air and out the door. Shaking her head, Guin followed, once again finding Hoth on the rocking chair just outside the cottage. To finish the quest, she showed him the work that she had done, and he reviewed each. With that, her quest was completed, and she earned the intermediate skill that she needed in order to complete her quest for her class. ¡°Thank you, Master Hoth!¡± she said, but he shrugged. Liorax settled in on her head and started swatting her nose. ¡°My pelt!¡± he went. ¡°Attach my pelt!¡± Snorting as subtly as she could, Guin waved his paw away like a fly. ¡°Um,¡± she went, her attention back on Hoth. ¡°Could I use the workshop a bit more?¡± However, the old man¡¯s eyes were, once again, not on her. His eye twitched a bit as he stared at the top of her head, where Liorax sat, continuing to swat at her nose. The old man reached up and lifted Liorax off her head by the cuff in one hand, then took Guin¡¯s cloak off with his other. ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± the blue-grey cat scrambled, paws in the air. ¡°Foul mortal! I am the Harbinger of Death! Fear me!¡± ¡°Not over here, you¡¯re not!¡± came a snickering voice from the roof. Guin looked up and saw the orange and black cat stretch as it jumped onto Hoth¡¯s shoulder. ¡°In these woods, you¡¯re just a nasty ol¡¯ cat. And your girl, here, well, she needs a lot of work, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Chapter 88 Struggling out from the grasp of the old man, Liorax floated up to the other cat¡¯s eye level with a grin. ¡°How quaint,¡± the he cooed. ¡°The old man has a familiar.¡± ¡°A powerful one at that!¡± The cat answered haughtily. Hoth stared at the cat on his shoulder blankly and shrugged it off. Shaking as it landed on all four feet, it grinned back at Liorax. ¡°Is that so?¡± Liorax drawled, landing next to the cat and sniffing it. It scratched at his nose, but Liorax pranced away. Guin looked between the cats and Hoth but determined her cloak to be more important than the bickering spirits. Hoth, himself, was looking over her fur with squinted eyes. ¡°What is it?¡± Guin asked him. The cat jumped back up on the man¡¯s shoulder and looked at her. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of magic in that pelt of yours,¡± it told her. ¡°It came from a powerful beast. Where did you get it from?¡± ¡°It was a gift,¡± Guin explained. ¡°Was it?¡± The cat didn¡¯t seem to believe her. ¡°Or are you, perhaps, the cause of corruption in the forest?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not. Or at least, I don¡¯t think I am?¡± Guin looked at Liorax for support. ¡°A ridiculous notion,¡± Liorax purred. ¡°The pelt was entrusted to the half-Che. The corruption rots your forest due to your own ignorance.¡± Unimpressed, the cat shrugged. ¡°One can never be sure.¡± Hoth looked at Guin up and down and nodded for her to return to the cottage. As he went inside, the cat turned and looked at her, saying, ¡°Follow, girl. The master cannot stand your disrespect.¡± ¡°D-Disrespect?¡± Guin asked, stepping back inside. Hoth had left Amikavi¡¯s pelt back on the marble slab she had been working on before. The orange and black cat pawed at it as Hoth stared at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He wants to know if this was what you wanted to use the house for,¡± the cat went, sitting at attention. ¡°He wants to know how you planned on desecrating it further.¡± Hoth looked down at the cat, his eye twitching, but merely looked back up at her. Biting her lip, Guin reached into her bag and pulled out Liorax¡¯s blue-hued pelt. ¡°This is Liorax¡¯s¡ª my spirit cat friend here¡ªhis pelt,¡± Guin explained. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything like desecrate the pelts. I am supposed to sew these two pelts together for my cloak...¡± Running his hand over Amikavi and Liorax¡¯s pelt, Hoth squinted at it. Liorax settled in on Guin¡¯s head again. ¡°I think he¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll manage to butcher my skin if you do it alone,¡± he said. ¡°He is a kind individual. You¡¯ve worked hard, little Tatterskin, but this is the tricky part. If you were to damage our furs, you should remain as weak as ever, half-Che. How could any of us be loyal to you then?¡± ¡°And with so much on the line, let me guess, the mockery would continue? Wouldn¡¯t you rather help?¡± ¡°Where would the fun in that be?¡± he asked, bemused. ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to help, then go elsewhere,¡± Guin scowled. ¡°Go elsewhere? While you, the old man, and the foul cat butcher mine and the great lady¡¯s skins?¡± he asked, feigning offense. ¡°Why, let the mockery continue!¡± Sighing, Guin watched as Hoth continued inspecting the skin. The other cat watched her carefully. ¡°What are you called?¡± Guin asked it. ¡°I am Bo,¡± the cat said. ¡°You are a Tatterskin? Of course. That explains it.¡± ¡°Explains what?¡± Bo put his paw on Amikavi¡¯s skin. ¡°This fur came from no ordinary beast. This fur is filled with magic; it should be treated with as much respect as the honor and power its owner bore.¡± Hoth went over to a wood closet and pulled out a beautiful grey wolf cloak, similar to her own, with what looked like the furs of several different animals. He spread it out over the counter and waved her over. ¡°This is...¡± Guin went in amazement as she looked the cloak over. It was similar to how she imagined the construction of her own cloak would be: different pelts, quilted together. He took Guin by the wrist and spread out her hand so she could run it over, feeling the seams that she could barely see. Flipping the cloak over, she saw that it was lined with another skin, a single, supple piece that was a light tan color and velvety to the touch. The lining skin had a pattern etched within it that she barely felt, but it was dyed so that it was burnt auburn. ¡°Are you a Tatterskin, too?¡± Guin asked, looking up at him in shock. Hoth shrugged. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Bo shook its head. ¡°Not him,¡± it said. ¡°His brother. Many years ago, now. Hoth was always the one who worked on the cloak, though.¡± Guin looked over at the old man as he turned the cloak inside out from the bottom, revealing to her the seams of each piece and the designs that were painted on the inside. ¡°What are these?¡± she asked as she looked them over. Liorax floated down. ¡°Yes,¡± he went thoughtfully. ¡°I thought so.¡± ¡°Some of these look like the ones on the other leather works,¡± Guin noted, looking around the room. ¡°Hidden like this, they must have some kind of meaning to them. Could they be...¡± ¡°Enchantments,¡± Liorax confirmed, landing. ¡°Crafting enchantments. Some improve stability, some add armor and resistance, and some add power to spells and abilities. This man may not speak much, but he has talent.¡± Squinting up at him. ¡°The question remains: why is this man with the hunters when his capacity for magic is such that it is.¡± Bo shrugged again as Hoth started rummaging through his drawers. ¡°We spent some time in a mage tower,¡± it said. ¡°It didn¡¯t stick. We came here to live with his brother¡ªand so the tale of Hoth and Bo ends. It¡¯s been a quiet life¡ªone he and I are much more suited to.¡± Seeming to have found what he was looking for, Hoth came over and placed some bits of paper, some ink, and an inkwell in front of her. He pulled out a thick book from a bookshelf next to them and started flipping through the pages. Finding his page, he placed the book in front of her and pointed to the design and then the paper. Guin spent several minutes copying the design, earning the [Enchanting] skill. ¡°This is a stability enhancement,¡± Bo told her. ¡°It protects the durability of an item during crafting and increases the overall durability of a finished item.¡± As she copied that one and several others, Hoth watched over as she worked, and when he approved, he changed the paper out for scraps of leather, helping to teach her how to imprint the patterns. The first took her three tries to get right, but finally, Hoth gave her his approval. The next couple were more complex, but they didn¡¯t take as much time once she was used to the process. With that finished, the old man looked over Amikavi and Liorax¡¯s pelts and fit them together for her, showing her the best edges where they met. With a couple of pieces of scrap he had, he took an awl and made several holes, starting to sew the two pieces together with a thin, tightly braided leather cord. After showing her how to do it, he handed her the tools and cords and motioned for her to start her work. So, after practicing, she did. First, she put the pattern on each of the seams, and then, biting her lip, she took the tools in her hand and began the next step towards her new and improved cloak. Surprisingly, the result wasn¡¯t all that bad, considering it was her first real attempt. The cloak was now uneven because one side was longer than the other, thanks to the addition of Liorax¡¯s pelt, but she was actually rather proud of herself. Even Liorax seemed impressed as he sniffed at it. ¡°Oh!¡± he went as she finished. ¡°That¡¯s not bad! You learned well, half-Che! Even the Lady Amikavi should be impressed. Maybe you shall make it as a successful Tatterskin after all!¡± ¡°Thanks for that vote of confidence,¡± Guin mumbled, pushing his nose. While Hoth didn¡¯t seem particularly thrilled with the job she did, he didn¡¯t seem upset, either. Bo had fallen asleep, curled up on the table while she had been doing her work. Once she finished, the old man showed her a few more enchantment patterns for her to paint onto the skin''s themselves: an armor enchantment and a resistance enchantment, respectively. With that finished, he looked over her remaining skins and took out a good quality, dark grey Cat-Fox skin¡ªwhich was quite large¡ªand had her turn it into a liner, etched with the armor enchantment and dyed to give it an antique feel. Holding it up, she was happy. Hoth nodded with satisfaction and stroked Bo on the head. The cat yawned and stretched and sleepily jumped up onto his master¡¯s shoulders without so much as an acknowledgment of Guin and Liorax¡¯s presence. Hoth put his hand on her shoulder, gave her a firm nod, and left her on her own again. Grinning foolishly, Guin checked the tooltip after she put it back on her head.
<<>> <<[ Guise of the Two Tailed]>> << Bound - Armor - Robe - Rank -- >> << Armor +10 >> << A cloak made from the skin of powerful fox spirits. This cloak contains the skin of Lady Amikavi, who once ruled over the White Fox Forest. Legend portrays her as a great trickster and fierce protector of the Veil. Hers is a skin filled with powerful magic to summon storms, ride the wind, and beguile creatures great and small. This cloak contains the skin of Liorax, Harbinger of Death. A cat from the Darklands, his skin filled with mystery and darkness. Death, not destruction, is his power, and it comes on gentle breezes as often as it does on great storms, on sunny days, as much as in the deep darkness of night. This item can be upgraded. This is a class item. See [Tatterskin Settings].>> << Required Level: -- - Rarity: -- - Class Requirements: Tatterskin - Fox Spirit Focus >> <<>>
Excited, she pulled up her class window to see if she could change anything yet, but unsurprisingly, it seemed like it was locked up by the quest. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to go back to the catacombs now!¡± she said to Liorax. ¡°Yes!¡± the blue-grey cat said, nudging her face. ¡°I am sure she will be pleased.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head into town first so I can sell all the extra things I have. Orle should be happy at the number of wolf heads I¡¯ve collected.¡± ¡°And milk!¡± Liorax said excitedly. ¡°How do you fit so much milk into that little body?¡± Liorax rose his head up proudly. ¡°I am a special cat!¡± ¡°With a talent for drinking milk?¡± ¡°Just so!¡± Guin laughed as they left the cottage and headed back towards the city. Chapter 89 Orle wiggled his piggy nose as he looked between Guin and the stack of wolf heads that she had unloaded onto his counter. Eyes narrowing, he peered at them, closer and closer. As always, he was looking for something to complain about, but the closer he looked, the brighter his expression got. ¡°Well¡¯en! Ain¡¯t these just fresh ¡®n pretty now!¡± Orle said, lifting one of the heads and scrutinizing it. ¡°Skinned ¡®n all! ¡®Aight then! ¡®Ow many yeh got ¡®ere? I¡¯ll give yeh a silver fer each, as promised!¡± Guin smirked as she accepted the two dozen silvers from Orle and went on her way. She headed to the main market with the intention of selling her other goods to players who could use them¡ªto build their skills if not for profits. As she walked, she took inventory of the items that were in her bags. Meats, bones, other beastly bits. She imagined that they could all be used for crafting and would have some value to someone. If a direct buyer couldn¡¯t be found in the player market, she was sure she could put them up on the auction house for a fee. Either way, she hoped that she wouldn¡¯t have to waste too much time looking for buyers on her own. Strolling around to the merchant streets of the city in her new cloak, she saw a large number of flyers floating around. People standing around and some passing by her were intrigued by the look of her furs, but most were happy to ignore the dirty-looking girl with her rag-like appearance. There were an awful lot of them, Guin thought. People. There were often a great many people in the area, but there seemed to be some kind of buzz going around. For starters, considering the number of people that were in and along the road, there didn¡¯t seem to be much in the way of selling going on. Though Guin didn¡¯t really think herself terribly familiar with the area or with the crafters and the merchants, it did seem that the players around her weren¡¯t the usual starter city fare. ¡°Did you see?¡± Guin heard a young witch decked out in an elaborate, victorian-style dress mutter to her tivarys friend as they passed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it exciting?¡± ¡°Maybe we can get an autograph!¡± the friend¡ªseemingly a knight in full, intricately embossed plate and a very impractical long sword swung across her back¡ªanswered. In other games, seeing high-level characters in a low-level area wasn¡¯t really all that unusual. Even in TheirWorld it wasn¡¯t terribly odd, though it was far more normal to see career crafters, gatherers, and merchants than warriors. But the number that Guin now saw gathering in spades made her curious. Several more groups of well-geared young men and women passed, urging on their companions and muttering curious phrases like: ¡°I wonder if we can get pictures?¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s still here?¡± ¡°I hope we can get a good view!¡±. What is going on? Guin asked herself as she watched another group of girls run down the lane, pushing some others as they went. Some kind of event? A celebrity? In fact, the majority of the twittering, happy voices seemed to be coming from girls and women, but Guin also saw disapproving stares coming from the sides of the street as she went on. Men or women, the merchants and tradespeople sat in their shops, glowering at the passersby¡ªsome even outright refusing to sell their goods to the well-equipped out-of-towners who tried to buy from them. Some of the shop people she did recognize. Curious and still looking to sell her goods, she headed towards a small group off to the side, sitting in the stall of a young blacksmith she had seen selling his wares just the night before. Sitting with him were a young tivarys girl and her garuli friend from the shop next door, the novice chef she knew as TonkatsuMan, who had his stall across the street, and a couple of others dressed in simple clothes. The young blacksmith eyed her wearily as she approached. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked, brown eyes glinting in the sunlight. When she had seen him before, he was full of smiles and laughter, welcoming any and all business. Now, his face was anything but welcoming. ¡°We aren¡¯t open.¡± ¡°Ham...,¡± the brightly colored garule started at his side, a seemingly permanent sort of worried expression on its face. ¡°What?¡± he asked bitterly. TonatsuMan looked her over and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s alright. I think she¡¯s from around here. You bought from me before, didn¡¯t you? You aren¡¯t one of... them?¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Guin shook her head and introduced herself. ¡°I was going around to find a buyer for my goods when I saw all these people. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°A mess,¡± TonkatsuMan said miserably. ¡°Everything is a mess. Take a seat. What goods are you looking to sell? We aren¡¯t doing anything for the fame seekers, but we can see about helping you?¡± It was more of a suggestion to the others than a statement for her to take heed of, but the others nodded in turn and went back to staring at those passing in the street. ¡°Mostly animal goods. Meat, bones, et cetera,¡± she told him. ¡°What kind of mess would bring in this many people? Sounds like they have some kind of celebrity up and around in here¡ªbut I¡¯d imagine that would be good business for you guys, and you all don¡¯t seem too keen on the new coin in town.¡± The tivarys girl snorted. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good money to do business with them,¡± she said. ¡°But it¡¯s blood money. We of the merchant street, we''re a pretty tight-knit group. I guarantee you that anyone making a profit off of this is going to be blacklisted by every other merchant, crafter, and gatherer out there. Miko and I will buy those bones off you.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®blood money¡¯?¡± Guin asked as she took out the bones and handed them to the tivarys in exchange for several silver peices. The garule¡ªwho she assumed was Miko¡ªlooked through them eagerly. Finding a few he was happy with, he took out a carving knife and started working at carving one of the bones quickly but skillfully. The rest the tivarys girl turned to dust before their very eyes. ¡°It''s the VCU,¡± the smith told her, putting his hands behind his neck as he craned his head upwards. ¡°The Oh-So-Wonderful Silver Hound and his crew. If only he was as good at his job as he was good-looking.¡± ¡°You''re just jealous,¡± the tivarys said, giving Ham a side-eye. TonkatsuMan waved at them. ¡°The VCU is doing their best,¡± he told them. ¡°It takes time. I¡¯ll get that meat off you, Guin, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Time is people''s lives, Katsu,¡± Ham growled. ¡°The longer they take, the more people die. What if it was you, or me next? What if it¡¯s all of us?¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Guin went. ¡°Back up. Is this about serial murders?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Katsu answered. ¡°The ones that happened in Io?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Exactly those,¡± the tivarys told her. ¡°One of the people killed was a friend of ours,¡± Katsu explained. ¡°A member of this community and a few others in the Mist territories.¡± A chill went down Guin¡¯s spine. The tivarys girl leaned over with her head on the table. ¡°The VCU is here conducting an investigation. And, of course, where the VCU goes, so shall the Silver Hound.¡± ¡°Disrespectful little shit,¡± the smith muttered. ¡°And here I thought they said that there was no connection to TheirWorld,¡± Guin said. ¡°I guess the VCU is involved in the investigation after all...¡± Scoffing, Ham told her. ¡°Oh, they always were, just not officially. That way, they don¡¯t need to start making excuses on the news as to why they are involved. The fact of the matter is,¡± he continued, ¡°The EPD doesn¡¯t have a goddamn clue as to what the hell is going on.¡± ¡°Considering the EPD is essentially made of scholars, just like every other part of the ''Bergs, which part of that is shocking?¡± the tivarys girl drawled. ¡°Not like we can do anything about it.¡± ¡°Is what it is,¡± Kastu agreed as he counted out the meats that Guin had given him. ¡°Did you want me to just cook these for you instead of gold? I¡¯ll cook them all up and maybe keep a fourth as a fee for time and other ingredients. I can give you a fair selection; should last you about a real-time week with several different meals.¡± ¡°That would be great, thanks!¡± ¡°Give me a few.¡± ¡°It¡¯s scary, though,¡± the bright little garuli said in his own tongue. His green scales were patterned with bright yellow stripes, but his eyes were a deep, thoughtful black. ¡°All these people... All these people here are more interested in taking a picture with a celebrity character than worrying about the fact there might be a killer in our midst.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how people are,¡± the tivarys said. ¡°No one wants to be in a train wreck, but they all sure as hell want to watch it.¡± Katsu handed Guin the first meat stick, ¡°Just in case you¡¯re hungry,¡± and then knocked on the table near where the tivarys girl was laying her head. ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. People aren¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°You say that, but do you know how often I¡¯ve had to trade health pots for sheeping pots to put assholes making fun of Miko, just ¡®cause he¡¯s a garule, in their place?¡± She told him with a scowl. Guin felt a twinge of guilt and shifted in her seat. ¡°And let¡¯s not mention the little boys and girls I¡¯ve tricked into buying laxatives because of how they treat their ¡®companions.¡¯ People are assholes.¡± Ham and Katsu exchanged glances before the smith chuckled and said, ¡°Cynth, you¡¯re bloody scary, you know that?¡± As the table laughed, Guin heard the sound of dirt shifting under boots and turned to see what she felt was a very unlikely character¡ªthough he was dressed very appropriately for the mess they were in. ¡°I thought I heard an annoyingly familiar voice with this sour-looking group,¡± came the voice of Grim. The earar strolled up, wearing a long grey, black, and yellow leather coat with the VCU¡¯s coat of arms perfectly attached to its left arm and breast. ¡°I see you like meat sticks,¡± his ears twitched. ¡°Does your boyfriend know?¡± Chapter 90 ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend,¡± Guin scolded, waving her meat stick in the air. ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing here?¡± he snorted, folding his arms. ¡°Investigating. Why else would a cop be in a video game? I¡¯m even on during the wrong damn shift. What¡¯s that look for?¡± Guin stared at him as she nibbled on her meat stick. ¡°I¡¯m still having a hard time believing you¡¯re a police officer.¡± ¡°Well, your friends here don¡¯t seem to doubt it half as much as you do,¡± he said, nodding to the others at the table. They were eyeing him wearily as he continued, ¡°And trust me, days like this, I¡¯d rather not be¡ªbut here I am, uniform on and attention-whore show-pony in tow.¡± One of the players at the table whom Guin didn¡¯t know¡ªa woman dressed in simple, nondescript clothes¡ªslammed a mug on the rough-hewn wood and said, ¡°The cops already came around here. Can¡¯t you guys just leave us alone? We¡¯re playing a game to escape reality, not... be reminded of it.¡± Grim looked at the woman evenly. ¡°Who was it that took your statement?¡± ¡°Officer Blackfoot,¡± the woman said. ¡°Do you have any more leads?¡± the smith asked Grim as he waved his hand in the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t tell you,¡± the earar told him. The smith ground his teeth. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for someone to tell us something since this morning!¡± ¡°I am very much the wrong person to try to pry things out of,¡± Grim said. Guin clicked her tongue. ¡°Would it kill you to be a little more personable?¡± she asked him. ¡°These people just lost their friend. They¡¯re looking for answers.¡± ¡°Looking for answers does not make answers magically appear,¡± Grim yawned. ¡°Also, being personable is my partner¡¯s job. Mine is to get shit done. Also, I have no idea who Officer Blackfoot is, so I¡¯m just gonna ask you to confirm what you told them, for record''s sake.¡± There were audible sounds of frustration and annoyance going around the table, but Grim didn¡¯t seem fazed as he started playing with a device on his arm that resembled a WristComp. ¡°Can I ask a random question?¡± Guin asked. The earar glanced at her. ¡°How do you not know your coworkers? Isn¡¯t that an important part of your job? To know who you can trust?¡± A smirk played about his lips. ¡°Your attempt at trying to be clever with me is duly noted,¡± he told her. ¡°But there are two reasons: The long answer is, I¡¯ve only been a part of this unit for a few weeks, and I have no intentions of sticking around. The short one is¡ªand this shouldn¡¯t surprise you¡ªI don¡¯t really care,¡± he said as he opened a window from his arm panel. ¡°I do, however, have every intention of doing my job properly until Mari decides to accept my transfer request.¡± ¡°Mari?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯d call her ¡®Chief Landau¡¯ I suppose.¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised you call your boss by her first name?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve known me for longer than thirty seconds.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Guin licked her lips and went back to chewing on her meat stick. Grim snorted at her again and looked back around the table. Dropping his badge and identification in front of them, he said, ¡°My name is Leegrim Grimnar, of the Virtual Crimes Unit of the Idela Police Department. TheirWorld Character is ¡®Grim¡¯, outfitted with Game Master Permissions and Protocols. Please be advised that I will be recording this conversation, sass and all. You have the right to not cooperate, but I have the right to shut your accounts down and order an arrest warrant. So. Could you please tell me your names¡ªcharacter names only please¡ªand let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Rinnie,¡± the girl Guin hadn¡¯t known answered. ¡°Cynth Syzer,¡± the tivarys said. ¡°This is Miko¡ª¡± Grim held up a hand, ¡°Let the guy speak for himself.¡± Miko looked very nervous as he watched Syth¡¯s face sour and went, ¡°M-Miko Max...¡± ¡°Hammerhead,¡± the smith told him. Grim raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°What?¡± he grumbled. ¡°I like the sharks.¡± To which Grim merely shrugged. Next was TonkatsuMan and another young man at the table. ¡°And you¡¯re character name, annoying female?¡± Grim asked Guin. Rolling her eyes, Guin asked, ¡°Please tell me you aren¡¯t bothering these people only to harass me.¡± ¡°Character. Name.¡± ¡°Guin Grey.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Grim went gruffly. ¡°Thank you.¡± He seemed to be writing down a few notes by hand before shifting his stance. ¡°Now. Please tell me what you know of one character name: ¡®Ollie Bear.¡¯¡± ¡°Ollie was a good guy,¡± Syth said, her eyes darkening. ¡°We told the officer he never did anything wrong. Not by us, at least.¡± ¡°He was a craftsman?¡± Grim asked. Katsu shook his head. ¡°He was a hunter-gatherer,¡± he told him. ¡°He used to do what Guin came here to do today. He brought the mats to us; we made stuff out of that, and it got passed along in some shape or form.¡± ¡°Ollie was pretty well known around here,¡± Hammerhead said, fumbling with a piece of metal in his hands. ¡°He supplied a wide range of crafters with materials. Because of that and the fact he was a high enough level to travel on his own, he had a pretty extensive network in a few cities.¡± Grim nodded. ¡°How close were you guys in particular?¡± Katsu and Hammerhead exchanged glances with Synth. Synth took a deep breath and looked at Miko. Miko pointed at his nose and then said, ¡°I-I guess I was the closest to him here.¡± ¡°Have you spoken with another officer?¡± Grim asked, but Miko shook his head. ¡°O-Officers a-a-are scary...,¡± he said, shoving his hands between his thighs. ¡°Y-You¡¯re kinda scary too...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miko,¡± Synth rubbed his leg. ¡°We won¡¯t let the nasty man hurt you.¡± Grim cleared his throat and started speaking in a much lower, gentler tone of voice. ¡°If you would feel more comfortable talking to another garule, there are a couple in the unit; females. Failing that, there is a garuli male in the area who is cleared as a civilian counselor.¡± Miko bit his lip, seeming to be trying to think of how to arrange his words properly. ¡°A-Are you guys gonna try to stop the guys who did this to Ollie Bear?¡± he asked, his voice squeaking a little bit. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t want any trouble; I just... I don¡¯t want my friends to get hurt anymore...¡± ¡°If it reassures you in any way, this case is top priority,¡± Grim said. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± But Miko sat quietly, making himself as small as he could, his eyes drifting out toward the road. ¡°Is that really true?¡± he asked in a small voice. ¡°Is that really true?¡± The others sat quietly, looking down with fallen faces. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything if people like you don¡¯t talk to us,¡± Grim told him. Guin could tell that he was getting a little frustrated. She looked back behind her, in the direction where Miko was looking, where the crowds were still growing. ¡°And the Silver Hound?¡± Guin asked, turning back to the earar. ¡°Does he care as much as you say you do?¡± The icy glare that Grim gave her made her shrink back as he said, ¡°The VCU doesn¡¯t have to answer to the likes of you.¡± A large part of her wanted to turn back into ¡®Just Dassah¡¯ as he stared at her, but in this world, she reminded herself, she was ¡®Guin.¡¯ Leaning forward, she said, ¡°Maybe it doesn¡¯t need to answer to me, but what about them? All these people here are treating the death of their friend like it¡¯s some kind of carnival because he¡¯s running around here. You want them to cooperate with you guys; well, maybe you should think about respecting them, at least a little bit.¡± ¡°Listen¡ª¡± Grim started, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Then, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply before going on. ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°I know. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about him. He has a purpose, and he serves it. Trust me; I tried to get him to stay behind today. Unluckily for all of us, that asshole still wants to be a real police officer, even after all the commotion he¡¯s made.¡± Hammerhead scoffed and looked like he wanted to say something, but Katsu shook his head. ¡°I know that it¡¯s hard to trust us,¡± Grim told them. ¡°I know it¡¯s especially hard when it feels like no one else but you cares. But we do care. I care. He even cares. And we want to stop the guys who did this. And to do that, we need your help.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Asked the little green and orange garule. ¡°Promise,¡± Grim affirmed. Miko looked between his friends and then gave a stiff nod. ¡°W-what do you want to know?¡± Chapter 91 Miko and Cynth had been in the community for a while but were both in very hard-to-level class jobs. They often bought from Ollie Bear when he came to town, but Miko had developed a much closer relationship with him. ¡°Ollie knew that Miko was a shy boy,¡± Cynth said. ¡°But it worked for them. Ollie was a pretty outgoing character, pretty talkative with everyone. But he loved just watching Miko carve and sculpt.¡± ¡°F-For a long time, when he was done selling his things, he would ask if he could sit with me and watch while Cynth was working,¡± Miko told them, his face falling. ¡°I always enjoyed his company. After a while, he just started talking to me. He never expected me to say anything back... he was... company...¡± Cynth rubbed his back as he shrank back into a ball. It was hard for Guin to watch. She could tell that it wasn¡¯t much easier on Grim, either, but when Miko mentioned talking to him, the earer¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°Did you speak with him recently?¡± Grim asked. Miko nodded. ¡°Do you know if he spoke to or with anyone unusual? If he saw anything suspicious?¡± Miko bit his lip. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°He always talked about some of the strange people he met while he was traveling...¡± ¡°Ollie traveled all over,¡± Cynth added. ¡°All of us have heard some strange story or another about idiots and oddities, with money and without.¡± ¡°There was a warrior who kept trying to pick a fight with him in Argast, a gunner he said tried to PK him a few times,¡± Ham shrugged. ¡°The world is full of weirdos. Wasn¡¯t there some guy dressed as that Jackal vigilante character he was laughing about last week?¡± Katsu snorted. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± he said. ¡°But that guy has been around. It wasn¡¯t the first time we¡¯d heard about that one.¡± Grim rose his eyebrow. ¡°Guy in a Jackal mask?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± Miko said in his timid fashion. ¡°B-But... They made a joke of it out of town, but when Ollie was with me, he didn¡¯t like what had happened at all. He said the guy didn¡¯t seem to mean any harm; he just kind of... followed him around and asked him to stop playing the game. O-Ollie told me that... told me that...¡± Miko slammed his eyes closed, put his hands over his head, and tightly curled his feathered tail around his feet. In a low voice, Grim urged, ¡°What did he tell you?¡± ¡°Miko?¡± Cynth went, obviously startled by the little garule¡¯s behavior. ¡°H-He said the Jackal man told him that he was in danger,¡± Miko cried in a soft voice. ¡°He said he even might¡¯ve believed it! It¡¯s my fault! I should have told someone!¡± Everyone at the table gaped at him. The first to recover, Cynth shook her head and threw her arms around him, repeating, ¡°It¡¯s not! It¡¯s not your fault!¡± Grim exhaled calmly. ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t your fault,¡± he said and gave them some time to settle themselves down. ¡°I know you are having a hard time, but if you are up to it, I¡¯d like to ask you just a couple more questions...¡± Sniffling, Cynth, and Miko nodded. ¡°Anything we can do to help bring the person behind this to justice,¡± Cynth said, more determined and accepting of Grim¡¯s presence than Guin had yet seen from her. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Was there anyone else that might have struck Ollie as being suspicious or as a threat?¡± Grim asked, still calm, but Guin heard more drive in his voice than she had before. Miko began to shake his head but then gave a thoughtful look. ¡°T-There was one other... thing,¡± he said. ¡°I-I don¡¯t really think Ollie saw him as a threat, but he stood out as being... odd.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Grim pressed. ¡°Mmm...¡± he looked at Ham. ¡°Ham, do you remember? The story about the series of magicians who were all asking him the same thing?¡± Ham rubbed his chin. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°That was a bit weird. We played it off as an event, but if all the stories are fair game now, that one is a little... interesting.¡± ¡°A magician?¡± Grim asked, his voice tenser than Guin liked to hear. ¡°What about a magician?¡± ¡°Not a magician,¡± Ham corrected. ¡°Magicians. Or not. Basically, dozens of magicians had been approaching him, looking for some kind of key,¡± he went on. ¡°But the weird thing was, their face and hair were all different, but everything else about them was exactly the same¡ªthe stats, the gear¡ªeven the words. At first, he thought it was a mage class quest, but no mages he asked about it knew what it could be. Then he thought he was being pranked, but since TheirWorld doesn¡¯t allow multiple accounts, that didn¡¯t make much sense either unless it was some sort of guild thing¡ªbut no one else had had it happen to them, so why him?¡± ¡°What about his personal life?¡± Grim asked. ¡°Did any of you know him outside the game?¡± Cynth shook her head. ¡°Even what we do know is general. I don¡¯t think any of us knew him in real life?¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone really who might have been, either,¡± Ham said. ¡°It may be nothing,¡± Katsu said, raising his hand. ¡°But recently, I think he hadn¡¯t been sleeping much. I¡¯m not even sure he was going to classes.¡± Grim tilted his head. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°The hours he was on was one thing,¡± Katsu said. ¡°The number of mats he¡¯d bring up. He was a bit of an outsider, but he was never a stranger. He spent more time with Miko, but he¡¯d go to the pub during breaks and sit with us, eat with us. In the market, he¡¯d take the time to haggle prices. The past few weeks, though, I dunno.¡± Ham nodded along with what Katsu said. ¡°When exactly did those habits change?¡± ¡°Three? Four? Weeks ago?¡± Ham said. ¡°For a while, we just thought he¡¯d been stressed because of school or work¡ªor maybe even gotten himself a girlfriend. When we found out just how many goods he¡¯d been selling, we just figured he was tired but still wanted to play.¡± Grim nodded. ¡°What about you, Guin? Did you know him?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°At least, not that I recall, but I haven¡¯t been playing very long.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Grim went and shut his wrist panel. ¡°Thank you all for your cooperation. This is not your fault, so chin up. If you guys remember anything¡ªanything at all¡ªfeel free to contact me at any time.¡± Grim handed out several little papers. ¡°These are my personal GM passes. They¡¯ll grant you priority, allowing you to directly get in touch with me at a moment''s notice. They also have my real-life contact information, if need be.¡± Guin looked at the pass in mild shock. ¡°We found them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Grim asked. ¡°Your customer service skills,¡± Guin said, looking up at him as he sneered. ¡°They do exist.¡± ¡°Do not abuse them,¡± he warned. ¡°They are as fragile as my patience.¡± Laughing, Guin packed the pass away. ¡°Well, I guess I have to admit that you make a better cop than you do a coffee shop guy,¡± she told him. ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± he scowled, but his ears perked up as he looked down the road. His face twisted into a look of even greater displeasure as he muttered, ¡°Oh, no...¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Guin asked, though her gumiho senses were picking up a large amount of movement going in the same direction. ¡°Trouble,¡± he said. Cynth, grabbing Miko¡¯s arm and pointing, began to stutter, ¡°I-It¡¯s th-th-e Silver Hound!¡± Miko moved to hide behind her as the other cringed. Sure enough, Guin turned to see the very familiar, very handsome¡ªif exhausted-looking¡ªface of Corvex Sai striding up behind them. Chapter 92 Several officers held back a legion of fans circled around the Silver Hound¡¯s back. Guin gaped at just how remarkably disheveled Silver Hound looked, brushing off dirt from his jacket as he broke away, pulling out small note cards from his pockets, with his silvery hair poking up in all sorts of odd directions. She kind of hated the fact that he still looked good even through all of that. And where is Stella? Guin would bet money that she was somewhere in that crowd. Silver Hound paused as he met Grim¡¯s eyes. Flashing a brilliant smile as an answer to the earar¡¯s deathly stare, he exclaimed, quite over-dramatically, ¡°Grim! My dear, dear partner! How I have missed you!¡± With a quick pace and open arms, Sai embraced the frozen earar. The crowd behind him gasped and groaned in envy. ¡°I know this was my idea,¡± the famous valkyrian said in a low, dark voice as they parted, ¡°But if you could just kill me now, that''d be great.¡± Just like the interviews Guin had seen, the sharpness in the officer¡¯s eyes did not match the smile on his face. ¡°We have an audience, masochist,¡± Grim said in an equally dark voice and a twitch in his eyes. ¡°Be careful, or that mask of yours will wilt away to dust.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Sai went. ¡°Yes, that would be a waste. You wouldn¡¯t like me if I wasn¡¯t so beautiful.¡± Grim snorted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I liked you at all.¡± ¡°If you are so annoyed, maybe you should protect me from the masses instead of wandering off and leaving me all by myself, hmm?¡± the silver-haired man said. ¡°I¡¯m not a babysitter.¡± ¡°This is why you don¡¯t get along with Shen.¡± ¡°Screw off.¡± ¡°Nah. You like me too much for me to leave you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite the opposite, I assure you.¡± ¡°You are my island of sanctuary!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡± Guin burst out laughing. ¡°You are the Silver Hound¡¯s new partner?¡± she said. ¡°What wonderful karma you have.¡± Grim glared at her with a firm: ¡°No.¡± ¡°I find it quite fitting,¡± Guin nodded in approval. ¡°I think you two could balance out nicely.¡± ¡°At least you can sleep better knowing that if I really were a serial killer, he¡¯d be the first to go,¡± Grim pointed at Sai. ¡°¡®Least I know who did kill him if he¡¯s killed anytime soon.¡± ¡°And the world would be better for it,¡± Grim grunted. Sai smirked and put his arms around Grim¡¯s shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he mused, his bright blue eyes flashing awful close to Grim¡¯s face as he hung off his shoulder. ¡°Grim, have you actually made a friend?¡± Ears going flat against his head, Grim shrugged him off and went, ¡°Parasite. Are you going to continue to hang on me? I am working, unlike someone.¡± ¡°Taking statements?¡± ¡°Before you interrupted,¡± Grim said, then nodded to the crowd, which was abuzz with excitement as they watched in awe. ¡°Go play with your squealing spawn and leave me to work. That, or apologize for the zoo you¡¯ve turned their space into before you speak to me again.¡± Frowning, Sai looked around the table. As if he was noticing Katsu and the others for the first time, he stood a little straighter and bowed his head slightly. ¡°I am sorry, genuinely,¡± Sai said and offered his hand to Hammerhead. ¡°I know that I can cause a bit of a ruckus, but I assure you, the VCU is doing its very best ¡ª¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Ham smacked his hand away. ¡°We know all about your ¡®intentions,¡¯¡± Ham told him. ¡°We don¡¯t give a shit about your assurances. Especially not yours, damn glory hound. We want to know that our friend didn¡¯t die for nothing. We want the VCU to go out and catch the guy who did this. Not... This.¡± Ham waved over at people who were held up making the barricade. ¡°I understand¡ª¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Katsu asked in a far more reasonable voice than Ham had taken. ¡°What, exactly, was your point in coming here, knowing that this would be the result?¡± Guin watched with great interest as Sai¡¯s face shifted in various, hard-to-read ways. ¡°I understand your point of view,¡± he answered. A smile was stretched across his face, but his voice was quite disciplinary¡ªa tone that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group sitting at the table. ¡°Our job¡ªmy job, if you must have someone to blame¡ªis more about my presence here than the investigation.¡± Ham opened his mouth to say something, but Sai silenced him with a glance and continued: ¡°Whoever did this knows we are watching. That I am watching. And so now, do you. You may hate me for it. You may think that I am lazy. You may not want me here, attracting all these people to this place¡ªbut don¡¯t think it¡¯s not on purpose. Don¡¯t think all the other officers here are lamps shedding light on me in the name of glory. Each and every one of us has a job to do, and you may not see us doing it, but¡ª¡± ¡°Vex,¡± Grim warned, pulling him back away from the table. ¡°Chill. You¡¯ve been out of your cage too long. They cooperated just fine.¡± The Silver Hound gave his partner an indignant look but took a deep breath and, bowing again, said, ¡°I am sorry for your loss.¡± He stood and scratched the back of his head. Waving at them all with a half-hearted smile, he said, ¡°They cooperated, did they? Thanks to what threat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t threaten witnesses,¡± Grim told him flatly. ¡°Did you at least get what we needed?¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Grim said. ¡°By the way, which one of those idiots is Officer Blackfoot?¡± ¡°No idea. Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± Grim crossed his arms and nodded at Guin. ¡°Hey,¡± he went. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± Guin tilted her head. ¡°Why me?¡± But his glare told her that she shouldn¡¯t be expecting such a pointless question to be answered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Over here,¡± he motioned, turning to Sai and muttering, ¡°Don¡¯t cause any problems while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± Guin heard Sai ask. ¡°Why do you need to talk to her?¡± Curious about the same thing, Guin tried to focus on the conversation, but Grim just shook his head. Instead, the earar walked a bit away from him and waved Guin over. ¡°What''s up?¡± ¡°You stopping by the coffee shop anytime soon?¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked, eyeing Sai who was looking at her with an uncomfortable amount of curiosity. Grim shrugged. ¡°Just curious as to when I should be expecting the next wave of invasions,¡± he said and looked her over. ¡°You know, as a VCU GM, I have your full character profile.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Guin twitched, assuming that that meant he knew about her increased senses, if nothing else. ¡°Has anyone mentioned to you anything about the Tenmath?¡± he asked her. Furrowing her brow, Guin said, ¡°Yeah. A few times. Something to do with the Fate Quest I have.¡± ¡°What exactly did they say to you?¡± ¡°Nothing that unusual,¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°They just told me who they were, and that I was a candidate to become one of them.¡± She paused. ¡°There was one really weird instance with the High Priest...¡± Grim tilted his head. ¡°Here? In Miala De Ri?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t remember exactly what he said, but...¡± Racking her brain, she tried to at least put the gist of it into words. ¡°He said something about the Tenmath seeking the Heart, but even though I am a Candidate, I should hide from them. It was pretty creepy.¡± ¡°The Tenmath are on the move...¡± Peering up at his face as he rubbed his chin, Guin asked, ¡°Grim? Should I be worried about something?¡± But he shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Not now, at least. If you hear anything else about the Tenmath, let me know.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Also, before I forget, anything and everything you heard Vex say to me is private. Keep it to yourself.¡± ¡°Okay...¡± Grim turned to head toward where Silver Hound stood but looked back and leaned over to her, saying in a quiet voice, ¡°Also, keep in mind what I told you this morning. And if a man in a Jackal mask ever speaks to you, come to me immediately.¡± With that, he returned to his partner¡¯s side. What was that about? she wanted to ask, but his glare as she walked back over herself told her that she should say nothing. The Silver Hound, with his cool, icy blue eyes, looked between them with a slight frown and a raised eyebrow, but kept his thoughts to himself. Grim nodded again to Katsu and the others, and thanked them again for their time before telling Sai it was time to switch locations, and they faded away to the chorus of unhappy groans. Chapter 93 After Grim and Hound left, the crowds in the streets dissipated within moments. She thanked Katsu and the others for their business and traded away the remaining goods in her inventory. They inquired about her relationship with Grim, seeing as he was a police officer, but she managed to dodge most of the questions by saying she knew him in real life. ¡°Is he like that in real life, too?¡± Hammerhead asked. Chuckling, Guin told him, ¡°Oh, you have no idea.¡± With that, she said goodbye and left them with promises of returning, with or without goods, and headed down the road in the direction of the Cathedral of the Lady. It was time for her to advance her class. Smirking, Guin walked at a swift pace. Dozens of groups were now in front of the Catacombs gate. Besides the fact that Silver Hound had managed to draw a massive crowd, it was also starting to get to be later in the day. With the classes staggered across the day, some probably had early morning classes to attend. A couple of groups asked if she was looking for a group as she pushed through and were concerned when she said ¡®No¡¯ but went on her way. There were whispers and giggles about her appearance and about her ¡®brave but stupid¡¯ choice to run solo. Guin just shrugged at these things. She had never really understood why people were so afraid of the Catacombs. There was nothing down there she had found that was even close to her experiences with the corruption in the woods. When she started descending, her [Fear of the Depths] trait kicked in, but this time, she ignored it. Liorax floated to her shoulder and rubbed her face. ¡°How proud I am of you, half-Che,¡± he said. ¡°Your demeanor is quite different from the last time you were down here, is it not?¡± ¡°I know what I should expect this time,¡± Guin scratched his head and made sure her other buffs were on. ¡°Also, I¡¯m a lot higher level than I was before.¡± As she made her way through the starting point, another couple of passing groups asked her if she wanted to join them, but she waved them along. Liorax disappeared into a buff, and she took her fox form, prancing off on her own. With her experience and increased levels, she was able to easily avoid most of the dangers she had encountered in her first run¡ªand those that she wasn¡¯t, she dealt with efficiently. Outpacing or eliminating the hordes of mice without much effort, she found her way to the room with the many intricate doors. Sitting quite serenely as it emitted a dim glow in the center of the room was one of the white fox spirits that served Lady Amikavi in her hall. Its pink eyes blinked warmly at her as she approached in her fox form. Guin bowed to it, and it nipped at her ear. Knowing that this spirit had to have been placed there as her guide, Guin nodded to it, and they sped off down the hall of gold, passing through the traps without hesitation. The little white fox led her through hall after hall at a dizzying pace. Just as when one of them had escorted her out the first time, nothing bothered to attack them. And then they came to the great stone door. Guin took human form and used her key, then entered the large hall that now held only the great spirit of Amikavi and her attendants. Guin kneeled before the white, fiery visage she had come to know so well. ¡°So,¡± the voice of the great fox spirit echoed over her. ¡°The one who would be Tatterskin has returned. And here I was, thinking that I would die of boredom before you finished my simple request. Show me, then, your handy work, and prove yourself more worthy than so many of those who came before you.¡± Taking off her cloak, Guin presented her work, holding it out before her. ¡°Is it correct, Lady Amikavi?¡± ¡°I think that you should already know that it is,¡± Amikavi mused. ¡°Or, at the very least, you should know that it is acceptable. I even sense magic in the seams; a wise addition. You have done well, child. With this, Tatterskin, you have earned your new form. Partake in it now, and rejoice, for you are not as useless as you once were.¡±
<> <[To Sew a Dress of Fur and Leather (Class Quest)]> You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. <>
Guin hugged her cloak in excitement as she closed the quest window. Throwing the fur back around her shoulders, she looked at Amikavi expectantly. ¡°Now look again at your Tatterskin menu,¡± Amikavi told her. ¡°Show us what new coat your work grants you, Tatterskin. Today is when your story truly begins.¡± She opened the window and began to re-read what was there. Liorax reappeared at her side and swatted at the screen with his paw. ¡°You see it there! You just have to drop the image of my pelt into the right slot, and then, woosh!¡± The class screen now showed the first of the three abilities as a question mark, with two open sockets branching off from it. A pale yellow light outlined them as they waited to be filled. Guin dragged and dropped the images in the management screen into the slots, and with a loud shing! that rang through her ears, the first of the new abilities ebbed into its new life. Glowing, then, was a new icon, similar in appearance to the orange fox head that was used for the base Tatterskin form. This new one was a three-eyed cat symbol, blue and black in color, echoing the coat of Liorax himself. Clicking on the new abilities revealed a very interesting ability; Guin¡¯s breath caught in her throat as she read the description:
<<[Form: Coat of the Moon - Fox Spirit Focus]>> <> <> << You have become the personification of death. Darkness, Wind, and Ice are your weapons of choice¡ªsometimes, with a little bit of pestilence and poison. >> << Body, Endurance, Reflexes, and Perception increased by 10%. Running Speed is increased 10%. Damage is increased by 5%. Health and Mana Regeneration +5%. You are restricted to Tatterskin specific, or cloth, armor. Crafting and Gathering abilities have a -10% success rate. Crafting and Gathering abilities have a -10% experience rate. After entering this form, all forms have a 5-minute cooldown.>> << Cast Time: -- seconds - Duration: -- Seconds - Cooldown: -- Seconds >> <<>>
¡°Holy crap!¡± was Guin¡¯s first reaction, but settled herself down in order to calmly assess her new power. Darkness, Wind, and Ice are your weapons of choice... Those sounded like the elemental powers that Drakov had mentioned earlier. So there must be a connection, she considered, though she wasn¡¯t all too clear on what that would mean for her in the long run. She supposed that one thing she should do is look into just what powers she could acquire with that in mind. Nibbling on her fingers, she wondered, though, if this would also mean that the two other locked abilities were forms similar to this one that would use different elements. And perhaps even different classes. Aside from that, she noticed that the form ultimately had similarities to her original Tatterskin form, though many of the positives and negatives were flipped. For comparison, she pulled up her Tatterskin information and looked at them side-by-side:
<<[Form: Tatterskin - Fox Spirit Focus]>> <> <> << You are but a person wearing a fox¡¯s skin. How appalling. >> << All stats are reduced by 40%. Running Speed is reduced by 40%. Damage Reduction 40%. Health and Mana Reduction 40%. Players inspecting your character window will be met with false stats and character information. You are restricted to Tatterskin specific, or cloth, armor. Crafting and Gathering abilities have an extra 40% bonus success rate. Crafting and Gathering abilities have a 40% bonus experience rate. From this form, all shapeshifting forms become instants.>> << Cast Time: -- seconds - Duration: -- Seconds - Cooldown: -- Seconds >> <<>>
It has the same armor restrictions, she noted. Why did the game have her level up her leatherworking skill if she ultimately couldn¡¯t use leather armor? Would she eventually get recipes for proper Tatterskin clothing? Annoyed, she continued to compare the two forms. It was clear that her [Coat of the Moon] was an all-out combat form compared to the more domestic [Tatterskin] form. The only other thing of note was which stats it buffed¡ªor, more precisely, which ones it didn¡¯t. It was a rouge form. Guin clicked her tongue and settled on the reality that beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers, and what she got was far more preferable to what the class could have been if the form had just ended up being a variation of the initial Tatterskin form. At least the class had a combat form at all¡ªit was just that she hoped she didn¡¯t need to worry about learning any assassin-like abilities. Oblivious to Guin¡¯s conundrum, Liorax floated over and rubbed against her face. ¡°You like it, yes?¡± he went. ¡°I am quite powerful, you know.¡± ¡°I do like it,¡± she told him. It wasn¡¯t a lie¡ªit simply wasn¡¯t the whole truth. ¡°Alright,¡± she murmured as she added it to her quick cast bar. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this can do...¡± And so she clicked the button. Chapter 94 A whirl of black fog rose up from a circle that emerged around her feet. It engulfed her, encasing her in, plunging her once again into darkness¡ªbut her eyes could still pick up on form and color within the black. The fog climbed up her body like a living organism, and her clothing seemed to melt at its touch as if the fog were acidic. In a panic, she forgot to breathe. She wanted to look for help; for Liorax, for Amikavi, for the attendants¡ªbut her eyes could not penetrate past the area within a few inches. The fog began to spin into a thousand threads that wove into one another, wrapping around the form of her body. Inch by inch, the layers spun until they settled into layers of cloth that fell into a comfortable fit, and like an egg that was breaking, the leftover fog shattered and dissipated into nothing. Shivering and falling to her knees, Guin rubbed her arms. ¡°Observe, half-Che,¡± Liorax¡¯s voice came very close to her sensitive fox ears. She jerked away, falling to the side as he continued: ¡°The power of a Tatterskin.¡± Guin looked down at her her new ¡®coat¡¯ in mild shock. The Tatterskin class had some major armor restrictions¡ªperhaps because the word ¡®coat¡¯ wasn¡¯t as much of a play on words as she had thought. Shuffling up back to her feet, she ran her hands over the robe-like garments of black and silver that the fog had left her with. Turning this way and that to see her new look, she heard small bells at the ends of the silvery ribbons and black cords that now tied her hair up and out of her face as they jingled. Even the slightest of her movements caused the sound of windchimes to echo all around her. The fabric of the clothing itself was thin and light, but she had no idea what kind of fabric it was supposed to have been made of. The silvery parts of the costume were thicker and heavier, with a pattern akin to fish scale, and the black seemed to be constructed of very light, very soft leather, with parts of it enforced with fine but dense bits of fur or decorated with thin threads of copper. A thicker copper-colored cord, with threads of silver, weaved into it, wrapped around her waist over wide swaths of layered black and silver cloth. She started to stretch, feeling the fabric move with her body. Her soft, leathery boots made no sound if she stepped lightly. However, an odd feeling at her back caused her to turn. Twitching, Guin paused in shock. ¡°I... I have a tail,¡± she stated, playing with it. ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± Liorax asked with a bored tone. ¡°I¡¯m like a ninja... with a... tail,¡± Guin stated again, flipping her tail around like she had seen the others do. Exasperated, Liorax shook his head. ¡°No, no, no,¡± he said. ¡°You are a Tatterskin. My Tatterskin.¡± ¡°How do you feel, half-Che?¡± Amikavi asked, her voice soft and amused as always. ¡°Do you sense the power that now fills you, granted by the combination of mine and the harbinger¡¯s power?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as if I were in someone else¡¯s body,¡± Guin murmured in wonder, looking herself over again. Running her hand to feel the changes to her hairstyle, she felt that her fox ears had also returned, along with, she discovered, her ears and teeth and claws. I guess eating the liver was pointless earlier... In the future, if she wanted to run around town, she would just need to be sure to remember to change forms. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Amikavi rose and circled Guin. ¡°Each spirit you collect will have its own appearances, strengths, and weaknesses,¡± the white fox spirit told her. ¡°These appearances may grow or change as you and your spirits grow with power. Some changes you will notice. Some, you may not. But remember, Tatterskin, your mission is to help the spirits and the bonds between the Che people.¡± Though she listened to Amikavi¡¯s words and took them to heart, Guin¡¯s eyes drifted down, falling on the dais that served as Amikavi¡¯s throne. She looked at the painting of the hero-king with new eyes. The hero-king¡ªCrown Prince Octavian¡ªand his acts of trophy collecting. If the forest around Miala De Ri was in the state that it was from a Gorak, what would White Fox Forest be like with the death of the Dragon King? Eyes burning with frustration as she stared at Tethaigou, Guin asked in a low voice, ¡°White Fox Forest is gone, isn¡¯t it? You didn¡¯t really answer before, but it is, isn¡¯t it? Amikavi shook her head. ¡°I know not what havoc Tethaigou brought after that Che prince left our forest,¡± she said. ¡°Attached to my skin, I followed the fool. Haunted him, cursed him. He should have died a painful death along with all his men and his kingdom. My only regret is that, being rooted to my pelt, I could not follow him to his end.¡± ¡°You did not see his death?¡± ¡°I did not,¡± Amikavi told her, teeth bared. ¡°I hope he writhed in pain and horror until the very last of his moments. Guin walked over to the painting and knelt beside it, once again running her hand over the smooth cold of the gilded gold surface. ¡°You keep telling me that my job as a Tatterskin is to bring the people of the Veil and the people of the Che together,¡± she murmured, tracing Tethaigou¡¯s outline with her finger. ¡°How do I do that when there is so much pain between the Che and the Veil? How do I do that when one side constantly hurts the other?¡± ¡°You will go out into the world now and gather tales of power and peace, fight corruption, and unite the lands,¡± Amikavi told her as if it were a matter of course. ¡°You are the one who walks between the light and the dark of the world¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Guin shouted, standing again. ¡°You say all these things, and yet you wish death and torment upon one who has wronged you! And what of his people, then, had your curses worked? What of the innocent who have done you no wrong? What of the family of the one who did? Should they not have the right to seek the same vengeance as you do? How do I stop the cycle of hate and pain if one side is just as guilty as the other?¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Amikavi growled, hackles raised. ¡°Know your place, girl!¡± The image of the dragon that killed her in her dreams rose up in her mind, sharply contrasted by the gray garule who had shown her kindness throughout her ignorance. How Ibraxis and Tea had acted as friends through Zen¡¯s behavior. How Bahena had always treated her well. How protective Cynth felt she had to be of Miko because of the actions and words of others¡ªand yet some part of Guin herself didn¡¯t want to accept any of them. ¡°I know my place!¡± Guin growled back, tears stinging her eyes. ¡°I know my place all too well. I want to know how I am supposed to convince strangers to rise above themselves when I can¡¯t even convince myself to?¡± Amikavi eyed her evenly. ¡°That, Tatterskin, is for you to discover on your own. These are answers that I cannot simply give you, for your answer to that question is as relevant as your actions,¡± the fox spirit raised her head proudly. ¡°This is not an easy road, I ask of you, girl. This I understand¡ªbut roads worth taking never are. Perhaps you are right, too, that I am in the wrong. Perhaps the corruption has soaked into my spirit more than I thought, for the lines are far more blurred to me now than I remember them being. I cannot leave this place, Tatterskin, but I can sense it. The Corruption has grown strong. The world is falling into despair, and The Lady has grown weak. She needs you, Candidate. She needs you to be who you are.¡± Clenching her fists, Guin shook her head. ¡°And what is that, then? Who am I?¡± The great fox spirit flipped her tails and smiled wryly at her, then frowned. ¡°You said before that, ¡®had¡¯ my curses worked,¡± she said. ¡°What mean you by this?¡± ¡°Corruption,¡± Guin answered, looking away. ¡°Corruption has reached the forests surrounding Miala De Ri, and I have a very good reason to believe it was caused by Crown Prince Octavian.¡± Chapter 95 ¡°No!¡± Amikavi screeched the white flames that made up her body writhing shapelessly, turning from body to face to bursts of sputtering light. ¡°No! Lies! How could that be? The curse on him could not have been undone! My magic could never be so weak as to be thwarted by Che magic! How could such a thing be!¡± Guin stepped back up onto the dais as the wild flames began to lick at her feet. Oddly calm in the moment, she looked up at the flames and said, ¡°I have heard from someone who knew him well that he paid her a visit just recently. I¡¯ve no reason to doubt her.¡± ¡°How could you not!¡± Amikavi asked, her voice lined with a sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. Twitching, Guin''s ears went back as the fox spirit continued to challenge her: ¡°Do you believe them so much as to doubt my power?¡± ¡°Lithe and the city folk had no reason to lie to me,¡± Guin explained, struggling to have her voice carry over the crackling sound of the flames, then sighed, resigned to the fact there was little else she could say to defend Lithe and the hunters. ¡°Honestly though,¡± Guin started saying, more to herself. ¡°I should have noticed all on my own. If someone like that, a prince and all his men and even his kingdom, had been affected by one tragedy or another, even the people of the game would not have ignored it.¡± Frozen in her place as she listened to Amikavi¡¯s cries of pain and hatred, Guin stood on the platform. Liorax floated over and into Guin¡¯s chest, where she took him up into her arms and held him tightly. ¡°How could this be?¡± Amikavi¡¯s flames wailed, echoing so loudly through the chamber that Guin nearly dropped Liorax in order to block her ears. ¡°Curse! Curse, upon curse, upon curse! I placed so many curses on him with my magic¡ªall my remaining strength to place such powerful ill luck upon him¡ªand yet he still lives? He still walks this land? I know my power! And I know it worked! One by one, I watched his men succumb to my will! To my corruption! Their flesh rotted, and their minds were lost to madness, killing one another as they walked! How is it that this Che still walks this land? After all I did to him? After all he did to us!¡± The wails turned into sobs as the flames died down. The fox spirit¡¯s normal, regal form emerged¡ªyet regal was not the word that Guin would have used now. The once great and powerful mistress of White Fox Forest seemed small. Broken. Ducking her head and burying her face in Liorax¡¯s soft fur, Guin remained silent as Amikavi whimpered, ¡°My friends, family¡ªmy people! Lost! Lost! And for what? Greed! My children, so many of my children... gone...¡± Guin¡¯s eyes burned as she listened, but the air grew warmer. Amikavi¡¯s face grew increasingly grim and desperate as she began to pace. Hackles rose, the air in the chamber grew warm with every step she took with her padded paw, and sparks began to shoot off her fur like thousands of falling stars. Pring eyes blazing, Amikavi¡¯s head snapped to Guin with sharp teeth bared. ¡°You!¡± she bit. ¡°You! Half-Che! Find him! Find him for me!¡± Guin looked down at Liorax¡¯s fur. Somehow, she was not surprised at the request, yet she wished she had done her quest in a different order. ¡°And then what?¡± she asked, reflecting on the conversation that they had had before. ¡°Would you have this Tatterskin finish the vengeance that you had started? Would you have me further the rift between the Che and the Veil and become the same as the one who did you wrong? And even if I were willing to do such a thing, even you could not end him with all your power¡ªwhat hope could I have to end him?¡± ¡°Yes! Kill him!¡± the fox spirit shrieked, sending a chill down Guin¡¯s spine¡ªbut then she seemed to let the words sink in and got a hold of her senses. Her hackles fell along with her face as shame set in. ¡°No... No. That... Would not work. It is, as you say, Tatterskin. Nor is it how I would like it to be. The image of destruction in my mind would only bring a million more crying souls to the mercy of our hidden war. No. Che lives are short, and this man is but one. But each day he is allowed to walk the land, ignorantly reaping, the land will suffer. He must be stopped¡ªthough by what means, I do not know,¡± the fox spirit said and met eyes with Guin. Amikavi raised her head tall and proud, breathing in and closing her eyes, then opening them with renewed determination. In answer, Guin did the same, the bells in her hair tinkling ever so slightly. ¡°Half-Che¡ªno, Tatterskin,¡± Amikavi went at last. ¡°I ask¡ªno, I beg¡ªwill you aid us?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
<<>> [Quest Offered: Amikavi¡¯s Revenge] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
¡°I will not pretend it is an easy request,¡± Amikavi continued as Guin stared at the block of text. ¡°This man thwarted not only me but so many spirits of the land that we share. Great ones. Powerful ones. And you, I realize, are but a kit,¡± she said. ¡°But now I am all but powerless, bound to this room, for should I leave, the corruption will take me again. I am not so blind yet as to wish that upon those who are innocent. But you, you can come and go as you please, with my power bound to you. You may die. You may suffer. Those around you may not understand your mission, be they creatures of Che or Veil. Knowing this, would you still accept my request?¡± ¡°I will do this thing,¡± Guin told her with an amount of confidence that surprised even herself. Liorax took a place on her shoulder as Amikavi bowed her head. ¡°You do me and the Veil a great favor, Tatterskin,¡± the fox spirit said. ¡°I shall help in whatever way that I can. Speak, and I shall listen. Ask, and I shall give. Command, and I shall obey.¡± Guin bit her lip at Amikavi¡¯s words, but the only thing she could think of asking was, ¡°Is there anything more that you could tell me about Octarius? About why he would be so powerful?¡± Amikavi shook her head. ¡°There is none,¡± she said. ¡°There is none, but be wary of him, Tatterskin. Even now, to this day, no matter how many hundreds of hours I have dwelt upon it, I cannot understand how he bested me. Perhaps there is a connection: his power and his thwarting of my curses. He must have something! For he must be powerful to have felled me or Tethaigou! Yet, there was nothing impressive about him. If you do meet him, girl, take care.¡± Looking at her clawed hands, her ears twitched. Her tail twitched. The road before her in the game was more clear now than it had been¡ªshe only needed to accept it. In her arms, Liorax looked at her expectantly. ¡°I guess the first thing, then,¡± she went. ¡°Is that I need to get stronger? A kit I am, but a gumiho I need to be.¡± Amikavi nodded, and her pink eyes grew more fierce than they had before. The fox attendants in the room began gathering around them, their eyes starting to glow. ¡°Before you go on, you should test your new coat, at the very least,¡± she went, grinning now as she moved past Guin to settle herself back on the dais. ¡°If you die here, you would have been successful anyway!¡± Hopping out of Guin¡¯s arms, Liorax gave her a broad, challenging grin. ¡°Come, Tatterskin!¡± he said excitedly. ¡°Lut us spar with the minions of the Thundertail! I shall teach you to use my powers, that you will not die against such vermin!¡± ¡°Wait¡ªnow?¡± Guin blinked, looking between them all. ¡°I¡¯m not ready for that!¡± Amikavi tsk-ed. ¡°Life never waits for you to be ready!¡± she mused. ¡°Foxes! See to training the girl. Kill her if you must; baby her, and she will never improve.¡± ¡°Ah¡ªwait!¡± Guin cried, but Liorax kicked her forward with a laugh. Stumbling forward, Guin growled, summoned her spear, and broke into a run. Chapter 96 Liorax¡¯s laughter echoed joyously as he followed closely behind her head. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he chided. ¡°You are doing it wrong, all wrong! That¡¯s not a way to fight! I don¡¯t know what that is!¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to fight like this!¡± Guin shouted back at him as she sprinted in an arc around the large room. From the moment she had pushed off into a run, she could feel the difference in her body. Every move felt lighter¡ªeven lighter than when she had her [Dance] skill activated. She went to turn slightly, but her new speed and agility caused her to overcompensate and nearly pull a 180-degree turn. Slamming her spear down on the floor in an attempt to correct her error, she saw the five fox spirits barreling towards her with abandon. ¡°Not like this!¡± she muttered, shifting her spear forward to meet them¡ªbut as they approached, her courage failed her, and she bolted in the other direction. ¡°Chicken!¡± Liorax slapped the back of her head as he followed. ¡°I should eat you! Have you forgotten everything you¡¯ve learned up until now? Fight back, half-Che!¡± Gritting her teeth, she stopped herself in her tracks, nearly falling over as she did. Her muscle memory was all sorts of messed up with the powers of her new class. One of the foxes leaped towards her, snarling. Guin swiped at it¡ªbut when the blade of her spear hit, the fox spirit evaporated. Feeling the blood drain from her face, Guin sprinted off again. She didn¡¯t actually want to hurt the fox spirits. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± she demanded of Liorax as he floated nonchalantly beside her. ¡°Where did it go? I killed it?¡± Shrugging, the blue-grey cat said, ¡°It just went back to its mistress. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he went on. ¡°You can¡¯t kill them even if you wanted to. They aren¡¯t even real, just fragments of Amikavi herself. All that stuff about killing you is just another trick. She obviously doesn¡¯t know you as well as I do.¡± The grin on his face expressed more pleasure at the thought than Guin thought it should have. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Stop asking what things mean and attack them, Tatterskin!¡± he commanded, his green eyes wide. ¡°Have your vengeance!¡± Guin glared at him. ¡°This is your power I¡¯m using,¡± she told him. ¡°Help me. What should I do?¡± ¡°Well, first, you need your skills,¡± he told her. ¡°Do you know what those are?¡± ¡°No, but I can fix that.¡± Her body was finally adjusting to her improved stats, so she opened her abilities window. ¡°What the hell is all this?¡± She asked him, her eyes going back and forth between where she was running and trying to read the tooltips. It was a fruitless endeavor. ¡°There are four. I can¡¯t really read them right now¡ªgive me a name.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Liorax went, still floating effortlessly. ¡°Let¡¯s slow these kids down a bit! Try [Chilling Aura].¡± Guin went and hit it in the skill screen as she went. She couldn¡¯t really tell if that did anything, so she asked. ¡°Okay, now what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s buy you some time,¡± Liorax said, hitting his fist into an open paw. ¡°Look to the shadow of the opposite corner¡ªdon¡¯t run into anything¡ªand cast [Shadow Step].¡± Guin hit the button¡ªand then found herself flush against a wall. ¡°Ow!¡± she mumbled, rubbing her nose. ¡°What the hell!¡± She was on the other side of the room. Ah, she thought. [Shadow Step]. That makes sense. Liorax went over to her. ¡°Perhaps I should have told you to stop moving first...¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Guin answered dryly, looking for signs of the fox spirits following her. They, however, seemed to be moving awfully slowly, the ground they walked on emanating a pale blue mist from the floor. The ground around her own feet, too, had a blue tinge to it, in a perfect circle around her feet. It moved when she moved, leaving a faint trail behind her. ¡°Right,¡± she went. ¡°[Chilling Aura]. Okay. Got any actual combat skills in there, or is it just getting used to the new reflexes?¡± ¡°I suggest you take this chance to equip the final two abilities I have for you at this level,¡± Liorax told her, putting his paw to his mouth and tilting his head. ¡°I worry for you, Tatterskin. Are you sure you can handle this?¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ignoring him, she found the last two abilities¡ª[Wind Blade] and [Pandora¡¯s Box]¡ªand equipped them to her quick cast bar along with the others. ¡°[Wind Blade] seems like an attack. Dare I ask what [Pandora¡¯s Box] is?¡± Before she got her answer, however, the pursuing foxes were freed from the slowing effects left by her aura. As they barreled towards her, Liorax shouted, ¡°Now, Tatterskin! Point your weapon towards the enemy and cast [Wind Blade]!¡± Is it long-range, then? She wondered but placed her faith in her cat friend. This time, she used the voice cast system. ¡°[Wind Blade]!¡± she shouted, and a long, lance-type wind spell burst from the tip of her spear. It hit one of the foxes, sending it back to Amikavi. And then there were four. But there was nothing stopping the four as they leaped at her. Guin looked at a shadow on the far side and shouted, ¡°[Shadow Step]!¡± In an instant, she teleported across the room. Grinning, she watched the four foxes hit the wall that had been behind her. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡± Liorax chuckled as he went to her. ¡°You are a tricksy kind of creature¡ªas we all are! Deception is your strength!¡± ¡°All right, fine,¡± she said. ¡°You win.¡± ¡°Shall we finish this?¡± he asked. ¡°This time, swing your blade in an arc to cast [Wind Blade] when they come close!¡± ¡°Motion cast? I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve practiced enough¡ª¡± ¡°You have all your life to make perfect! Have faith, Tatterskin!¡± They all moved in unison, coming at her front. She could easily tell now that Amikavi had no intention of doing her any real harm, or she would have been quite dead already. Guin took her spear and swiped it, using the mental cast system as best as she understood how to apply it. A large arc of wind burst out from the tip of her spear as if it had split the air. The sharp, curved blade flew forward, causing all the remaining four foxes to poof like smoke monsters. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Guin said. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Liorax nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s not that amazing. You¡¯ve barely scratched your potential. You still have quite a ways to go.¡± ¡°What about [Pandora¡¯s Box]?¡± ¡°That one is a bit different,¡± he told her hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s one you¡¯ll have to try for yourself.¡± ¡°Are you pleased, half-Che?¡± Amikavi asked from atop her pedestal. The five smaller white foxes reappeared, sleeping against the warm body of the fox spirit. ¡°With your new coat?¡± ¡°Yes, my lady!¡± Guin said. ¡°Very much so!¡¯ ¡°Have you practiced enough? I am very tired now,¡± the fox spirit yawned to prove her point. Guin nodded. ¡°I think so, my lady. I thank you ever so much for your help!¡± ¡°Then, I shall leave you to your journey then,¡± she said. ¡°This may be the last time that you and I meet, young kit, for the only reason for you to return now is to bring that man to me.¡± Guin was a little bit sad when she heard this. ¡°Before you go, however, I would offer you one last boon.¡± ¡°My lady?¡± ¡°As a Gumiho, you have the ability [Fox Form],¡± she said. ¡°I can tell that it is at the height of its current form. With this, I can offer you an upgraded form linked to your Tatterskin prowess. Is this your desire?¡± Blinking, Guin nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s possible, then yes!¡± Honestly, she had no idea where she would have gotten the upgrade for [Fox Form], but connecting it to her class sounded like an even better idea than getting a simple upgrade. Amikavi nodded and leaned over in front of her. With a warm, echoing breath, Guin heard a dinging sound.
<< Skill Leveled Up! >> <<[Two-Tailed Fox Form]>> <> <> << Grants the wearer the appearance of a fox with however many tales the owning Tatterskin has collected, assuming that each succeeding upgrade of the form has hit level 10 for each tail, upgrades will be automatically awarded. You cannot cast in this form. This ability cannot be used in the Veil. >> << Speed increases by 40%, Attack decreases by 50%. >> << Cast Time: 5 Seconds - Duration: 5 minutes - Cooldown: 1 Minute >> <<>>
It certainly wasn¡¯t bad, not at all! Also, being connected to her Tatterskin abilities, she could use it as much as she wanted without having to upgrade it again. ¡°Thank you, Lady Amikavi!¡± Guin bowed. Liorax also bowed his head before settling himself in Guin¡¯s hair. ¡°Farewell, half-Che,¡± Amikavi smiled. ¡°One of my spirit kits shall lead you to wherever you wish to go. I do hope, you know, that someday, we shall meet again.¡± The small spirit kit sat, waiting for them by the door. Guin spared one last look at the elegant fox spirit once more before leaving the chamber in the catacombs¡ªperhaps, as Amikavi suggested¡ªfor the last time. Chapter 97 Darkness meant very little in her [Coat of the Moon] form. Eyes and ears sharper than even her standard gumiho appearance, the world was almost painfully vivid as she ran through the halls at breakneck speed. After a few minutes of it, though, her senses adjusted, and following the little fox was easier than ever. Before long, they saw a group of players battling a swarm of rats and mice. Without so much as looking back to see if Guin was still following it, it shot up and began running along the wall, using it as if it were no different from the pathway. ¡°Show off,¡± Guin muttered under her breath¡ªbut wondered if she could do the same with her new stats and abilities. She couldn¡¯t, she found, or at the least, she couldn¡¯t yet. But putting in the effort to try had been worth making, as she could at least use the walls as a springboard, similar to how she did in her fox form. As they ran through the dark and dusty halls of the catacombs, the little fox pulled several more tricks to get ahead of her, but Guin laughed, casting [Shadow Step] when her feet failed her. It wasn¡¯t long before she had mastered the mental cast system for that ability. Every now and again, too, the fox in front of her would yelp, and dozens of rats would appear. Guin would take out her dagger and tear through them with [Wind Blade], getting much more familiar with that ability than before. She discovered that, with the mental cast system, she could not only control the shape and direction of the ability, but she could also throw its point of origin to an area within five feet of where she was standing. It was tough to control, though, and she didn¡¯t trust herself to use it often. Guin still had several quests to take care of in the Catacombs, but if everyone was actually waiting for her after all this time, she didn¡¯t want to tie them up any further. Separated from the group for a good three hours, a tinge of guilt made her pull up her friends'' window¡ªthough while running, it felt a bit like being on a phone while driving. Still, she opened up a window with Stella to get her up to date. Unsurprising to Guin, her conversation with Stella was short and sweet; she had predictably found out about Silver Hound¡¯s presence in the city and had been trolling the forums to find out where his next location was. Though she had half a mind to tell the obsessive girl off, Guin considered the fact that she could easily busy herself for the next couple of hours and let it slide. No matter how much she said to Stella, Stella wasn¡¯t likely to cooperate with Silver Hound in the picture anyway. Next, she brought up a window with Drakov, who had been scouting around looking for clues about the corruption. He told her that he was free if she needed him, but he had found a side quest connected to his Servant class while he had been investigating and told her he would like to see it through. Guin told him that that suited her perfectly fine and closed the windows. When she looked at BronzePaw¡¯s name on her friends list, however, she hesitated. Her finger lingered, just a moment over the image of the bronze-scaled garule woman¡ªjust long enough that she was annoyed with herself¡ªbefore she finally pushed the button. The screen came up almost immediately. It looked like BronzePaw was taking her time someplace in the woods. ¡°Guin?¡± the garule woman tilted her head, not making an effort to hide the surprise and confusion in her eyes. ¡°Is everyone gathering again?¡± Shaking her head, Guin said, ¡°Not yet. I just finished my class quest, but the others seem busy at the moment. Since I¡¯ve taken so long, I figure we can meet up again tomorrow to tackle most of the corruption quest. I wanted to check in and make sure you were all right with that.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± BronzePaw said, nodding reasonably. ¡°I see. Yes, that would be fine.¡± ¡°Do you have anything that you are working on?¡± Guin asked, turning a corner a bit sharper than she had meant to. ¡°Not anything pressing,¡± the garule woman shrugged and furrowed her brow. ¡°Are you running?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the Catacombs still,¡± Guin answered, stepping into the shadow of a torch to catch up with the fox. Being in a chat while running was definitely slowing her down. ¡°If you are free, I still have some quests down here,¡± she said offhandedly, focusing on the fox in front of her as it disappeared behind a corner. ¡°You would be welcome to join me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± BronzePaw said. Guin saw her eyes brighten at the prospect and smiled¡ªbut then had to use a wall to help her turn properly. ¡°That looks dangerous,¡± the garule woman frowned but then said, ¡°I¡¯m free to help if you¡¯ll have me. Should I meet you somewhere?¡± The part of Guin that was telling her to be wary in Dassah¡¯s meek voice was present but quieted by the urgency of movement and purpose, and for a moment, any tension and reservations she had about working with BronzePaw dissipated into nothing. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Do you know where the Cathedral of the Lady is?¡± she asked. ¡°It should be marked on your city map. It¡¯s on the North side, with a large plot of land behind it? There is a dungeon marker there labeled ¡®The Catacombs.¡¯ Do you see it?¡± ¡°One moment...¡± BronzePaw murmured, pulling up her map. ¡°Ah! I see it. I should meet you there?¡± Nodding, Guin said, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there in a few!¡± and signed off, running a little faster. The fox guide brought her to the large chamber with the doors on each side. It stopped in the center of the room and sat, its ever-serene expression facing her with affectionate pink eyes. Guin bowed to the little creature, and like a puff of smoke, it burst into mist and air, leaving only the scent of lilies behind. Pausing, Guin stared at the door made of bones. Though she felt more confident in herself now than she had before, there was still some part of her that worried about her interactions with BronzePaw. It wasn¡¯t like with Ibraxis and Tea and Miko. BronzePaw was Bahena, and Bahena was her roommate in real life, a person that she saw every day. Thinking back on the last conversation she had with either of their identities, Guin tried to think of a few talking points she could use to ease them out of the awkwardness that was almost certainly going to present itself. She also tried to think of things that she had spoken to other garuli about¡ªbut quickly realized that, with few exceptions, most of their conversations were quite... normal, as normal could be. Guin chewed her fingers as she waited, attacking some hangnails as she contemplated her own regrettable behaviors and mannerisms. A few groups of players passed her as she stood in the waiting area, asking if she was looking for a group, but Guin declined. Whispers began echoing in her ears. Looking up, a few people were pointing at her ears and tail. Instantly, Guin regretted coming still in her [Coat of the Moon] form, but it was too late. Luckily, BronzePaw sauntered into the Catacomb¡¯s waiting room with a confident an air as ever. ¡°Over here!¡± Guin called out to her, waving. The garule walked over, a toothy grin on her face. ¡°This place is interesting! Thank you for inviting me!¡± ¡°No,¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°Thanks for coming to give me a hand!¡± ¡°And look at you!¡± BronzePaw looked at her curiously. ¡°Tail, ears, claws... Are they permanent, then?¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°Maybe? Probably,¡± she said, then pointed to the Catacombs door. ¡°I have three quests that I need to finish. I think I can share at least one of them¡ªthe other two I¡¯ll just give you the information for...¡±
<<>> [The Rodents Below] [Mice Slain] - 100 of 100 [Rats Slain] - 3 of 100 [Gremlins Slain] - 0 of 10 [Lost Key] - 1 of 1 This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
<<>> [The Glowing Carvings] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
<<>> [Dust and Essence] [Bone Dust] - 50 of 100 [Spectral Essence] - 0 of 100 [Death Moss] - 0 of 100> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>> <<>>
Guin had gotten most of the quests so long ago that she had to read them closely to remind herself of what there was left to do. ¡°It didn¡¯t let me take the carvings one, but it let me accept the other quests,¡± BronzePaw told her. ¡°What are gremlins and spectral essence?¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Guin said. ¡°We should find everything in the Catacombs. I don¡¯t know yet where to find some of the things, but I haven¡¯t gone too deep into it. I got a bit... off track with my group last time. But there is a good chance I¡¯ll have to take care of those since you don¡¯t have Veil Sight.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± BronzePaw nodded. ¡°Is that the door over there? Shall we descend?¡± Guin nodded and cast her [Spirit Shield] and [Chilling Aura]. ¡°Do you have any buffs to cast?¡± she asked as they approached the door. BronzePaw stopped in her tracks and laughed. ¡°You know what, I do,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks to your advice, I picked up a few shields. I almost forgot about them! Let¡¯s see...¡± BronzePaw fumbled with her quick cast bar, casting a couple of spells that made her skin glow gold. ¡°All right! Ready to go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Guin said and opened the door to once again descend into the Catacombs. Chapter 98 Guin¡¯s [Wind Blade] ripped in a horizontal arc through the room, crashing into the two Skeleton Warriors that charged at her. Their bones scattered gracelessly across the floor at their sudden, violent ends¡ªthough theirs was not half as bad as those that had met their ends by BronzePaw¡¯s fists and tail. It was almost impressive just how efficient BronzePaw was at physically destroying things as a mage and to make it all the more impressive, it was, Guin dared to think, elegant. She certainly put Zen to shame. Spinning her spear around her hand and storing it in whatever ether weapons were stored in, Guin watched her kills turn to treasure chests. ¡°That should do us for the bone dust,¡± BronzePaw grumbled, hands on her hips as she walked toward where Guin stood. ¡°Still no gremlins, moss, or essence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Guin frowned and looked around at the large room they were in. It was roughly identical to every other room they had been in there. ¡°This place is a bloody maze,¡± she muttered. ¡°Everything looks exactly the same.¡± ¡°Any hints?¡± ¡°¡®Follow the Bones¡¯,¡± Guin answered half-heartedly. That advice was only for the inscriptions, and in this room¡ªand several of the rooms before this one¡ªthere were no bones to speak of. The only ones she could find were the ones they had destroyed and the ones she could hear in the paths on all sides. ¡°We came from that direction,¡± Guin pointed to the hall behind them. ¡°Any preference on the others?¡± BronzePaw shook her head. ¡°I guess if your hint was to follow the bones, we need to find more skeletons?¡± ¡°Or statues, or walls and roads made of them,¡± the words came across with more annoyance than she had wanted them to, but she was getting tired. Closing her eyes, she focused on the sounds of clicking bones and clinking armor. ¡°The path to the left has the most skeletons, according to my ears.¡± ¡°Good ears,¡± the garule grunted and followed as Guin set off. Leading them down the chosen hall, Guin readied her knife. Scratching and clawing informed her that mice and rats were sure to appear soon¡ªthough she wondered if gremlins sounded any different and hoped that maybe, just maybe, there would be a few gremlins among them. She briefly thought back at the gremlin she had saved back in town, and though she wasn¡¯t a huge fan of losing her reputation with the spirits if she had to kill them anyway, would the ones in town suffice? As they rounded a bend, she shook her head. It was hard to admit, but she was pretty sure that she was at least a little bit lost. They had wandered around for a good half-hour, yet they had little to show for it. Sure, they had finished collecting Bone Dust, and their current path seemed to be more infested with rats than mice, but they still hadn¡¯t found any trace of the other things. Progress was coming in a trickle rather than a stream. Another room, another group of skeletons and bone hounds. In another hall, another group of rats and mice. Another room, another group of skeletons and bone hounds. And the cycle repeated. Another hall... ¡°Rats,¡± Guin hissed, gripping her dagger and leaning back against a wall. ¡°It¡¯s a whole mass of rats. Twenty of them, at least!¡± Crouching on all fours, BronzePaw sniffed the air. ¡°Rank creatures,¡± she said and looked around the bend. ¡°Yes. I see them. I¡¯ll go in first.¡± With a mighty crash, the landing of BronzePaw¡¯s [Earthquake] signaled Guin to come and help finish them off. It was a large group of higher-level creatures, but between the two of them, they made quick work of them all. ¡°Still no gremlins,¡± Guin kicked at one of the dead creature¡¯s bodies. Her ears told her that another room was filled with skeletons up ahead. She cursed as she switched her weapons out. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± BronzePaw asked, looking up from looting. Shaking her head, Guin said, ¡°Not really. I just don¡¯t like using the dagger very much¡ªif only because I keep having to switch it out.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Then why use it?¡± BronzePaw asked. ¡°Because my spear doesn¡¯t work in the narrow halls,¡± Guin explained. ¡° I need to have something.¡± It had annoyed her before, but with her class change, it felt even more awkward. ¡°What about your claws?¡± the garule woman asked as if it were an obvious answer to a stupid problem. Guin looked back at her. ¡°My... claws?¡± BronzePaw pointed at Guin¡¯s hands with a nod, ¡°Mayhaps it is a bit... Garuli, of me, to think this way, but those things combined with that wind attack of yours¡ªI don¡¯t think you would need a weapon.¡± She tilted her head and said, ¡°Back in the forest, you used them quite effectively, if I may say so...¡± Shivering, Guin reflected on what she had done to the Lore Master and looked at her hand. Her claws were awfully sharp. But could she use them that way? Could she use her hands that way on purpose? Guin¡¯s gaze went from her claws to BronzePaw¡¯s. ¡°What is it like for you to use your claws?¡± she asked. ¡°Mine?¡± BronzePaw¡¯s expression turned troubled. ¡°I would think that it¡¯s no different than using a weapon,¡± she said, thinking about it. ¡°I very rarely use weapons myself, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that for me,¡± Guin''s face fell. ¡°At least, not like what happened back in the woods.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like... It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been possessed,¡± she explained, drawing on the memory. ¡°Like my body isn¡¯t at all my own, but like some kind of... beast...¡± It felt odd using that term, talking to the garule woman, and yet she wasn¡¯t sure how else to describe it. ¡°My powers come from the Veil,¡± Guin struggled. ¡°A spirit of the forest. It¡¯s like... that spirit possesses me and forces my body to act in a way my mind rejects. What you say makes sense, but...¡± ¡°Well, that sounds absolutely horrifying,¡± BronzePaw said, seemingly offended by the thought. ¡°Well,¡± she continued, ¡°I say that, but I can remember experiencing something like that once, I guess.¡± Guin tilted her head. ¡°You were like this?¡± ¡°Most juveniles are like that,¡± the garule woman shrugged. ¡°We grow by playing with our claws and teeth without much injury. Biting and clawing at our litter and clanmates. We learn from our parents and kin how to differentiate friend from foe, clan from prey. Instinct becomes informed by education. Are humans not largely the same?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Guin started, looking away. ¡°I never really thought of it that way.¡± BronzePaw let out a boisterous, chirping laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about any spirits of the forest,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe it really is different, but I wouldn¡¯t know. You¡¯d want to ask my brother, Sathuren. He¡¯s into all that mystical mumbo-jumbo.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the complicated one, right?¡± The garule woman snorted. ¡°It¡¯s part of the reason he is so complicated.¡± ¡°And why you don¡¯t want him to know you¡¯re a magic user?¡± ¡°Do you know how hard he would laugh at me if he found out?¡± BronzePaw asked earnestly. ¡°He¡¯d never take me seriously again!¡± Guin laughed. ¡°Is that all?¡± BronzePaw ducked her head. ¡°Pathetic, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Just unexpected,¡± Guin chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Learning how to use my claws. I¡¯d need help, though.¡± ¡°I may be useless at magic,¡± BronzePaw raised her head high. ¡°But I am pretty good at teaching people how to use their hands.¡± She wriggled her serpentine tail and crossed her arms. ¡°I know I¡¯ve mentioned it before, but you are quite different in this game than in real life.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Guin shrugged. She already knew that her personality inconsistencies would likely cause a few questions to surface. Replaying their conversation in her head and realizing just how different her reaction was than what it would be in real life, Guin said, ¡°You know, I¡¯m a bit surprised myself. I guess something about being in a game makes me feel... safer.¡± ¡°Well,¡± BronzePaw said. ¡°I guess you are kind of immortal here. I feel that most people afraid of garule in real life tend to be far more afraid for their lives than their dignity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Guin agreed to a light chuckle, then looked down at her hands again. ¡°Using my claws. It sounds a bit strange to say, but... so does the phrase ¡®I need to eat livers.¡¯¡± Hearing the squeaks and squeals of rats skittering towards them, Guin put her dagger away. ¡°I wonder if claws even count as weapons,¡± she muttered, then shrugged. ¡°Well. We have company coming, so I guess it¡¯s a good time to try it out. Any suggestions?¡± ¡°Trust your instincts?¡± the garule said, flipping her tail. ¡°Let¡¯s see you fight before we get into any more than that.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Guin said, and together, they rushed through the hall and jumped into a group of rats. Chapter 99 Several groups of rats later, they came to a pair of stately-looking doors flanked by a pair of knight statues. Each of the statues had a flickering torch in one hand and a shield with a coat of arms of skulls and crossbones in the other. Follow the bones, Guin thought and exchanged a look with BronzePaw behind her. The garule woman nodded and pushed the doors open. Inside was a large, long hall with high vaulted ceilings¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t what really stood out. From one end of the hall to another ran a path of cobblestone lined with pale, ethereal statues of monks, hoods drawn over their heads, all standing on a sea of fluorescent blue. Each monk held out a black braiser that crackled with dancing purple flames that lent a pinkish hue to the room. Looking down and around at her clothes, she could see that the flames acted as UV lights, skewing the colors of the world around them. Guin shivered as she looked at the archway in the distance, perhaps fifty statues down. Somehow, she felt like they wouldn¡¯t be getting out of this room without a fight¡ªand she wasn¡¯t sure she would like what they would be fighting. ¡°Moss,¡± BronzePaw murmured in wonder, pointing at the bottoms of the statues. Following her finger, Guin saw that the glowing blue around the floor of the statues was, in fact, a solid, fluffy cloud moss creeping up the base of the statue as it grew, swallowing the robes of the marble monks. ¡°Is that what we need?¡± Shaking her head, Guin could only answer, ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± but knelt by the nearest path to inspect it. [Herbology] was not her highest skill, but as it was connected to a quest, she assumed she didn¡¯t need to worry about that too much. Though there was no visual indicator, she and Guin shifted around the plant, only to find that the moss wasn¡¯t growing on the ground or through the stones but rather on a bed of black water gently lapping at the path containing it. Guin cut a bit of the moss with her knife and put it into her bag. Checking to see if it counted, she answered, ¡°Looks like it''s what we''re looking for. Did it count for you, too?¡± ¡°It did,¡± BronzePaw nodded. Guin nearly fell into the water as she looked up to see that BronzePaw¡¯s normally reddish-brown feathers had turned black while her teeth were glowing white. The garule laughed. ¡°You aren¡¯t so normal looking yourself, you know,¡± she pointed out, then turned. ¡°The moss is so pretty. I wonder why it¡¯s called ¡®Death Moss¡¯...¡± Taking the cuttings was quite easy but time-consuming. Twenty minutes later, they had fifty between them. It seemed that the cuttings needed to be at least a certain size in order to count, and Bahena had skimped a bit. ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized with a miserable tone. ¡°I¡¯ve never been with great plants. That¡¯s always been my brothers¡¯ thing.¡± ¡°You talk about your brothers a lot,¡± Guin chuckled. ¡°You guys must be close.¡± ¡°We are, and we aren¡¯t,¡± BronzePaw told her with a shrug. ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve met Sathuren¡ªit¡¯s a bit complicated.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± she started. ¡°Most of it has to do with garuli culture. I assume you don¡¯t know too much about that.¡± Guin shook her head, and the garule continued: ¡°Males and females are raised quite differently, you see. While I was taught to hunt and fight, my brothers were taught to cook, clean, and mend. While I was taught to lead a tribe, my brothers were taught to tend to the children and other needs. That is simply the way it was and was always expected to be.¡± Guin looked over her shoulder to see the garule woman staring at a sprig of glowing moss. ¡°...That wasn¡¯t what you wanted?¡± she asked. BronzePaw laughed. ¡°Not really,¡± she admitted. ¡°It was lonely. All we wanted was to play with each other as we had when we were hatchlings, but such a thing wasn¡¯t really allowed. I grew into it, I suppose, but... Sav was always the stronger one between us; he was forced to lead a different kind of life, though,¡± her voice trailed off a bit. ¡°It still shows.¡± ¡°Sathuren?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why him in particular?¡± ¡°Oh. Well...¡± BronzePaw answered, starting to cut the moss again. ¡°He¡¯s also the one we were talking about earlier¡ªSathuren.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re hiding the fact you¡¯ve taken a magic path from Sathuren?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding from him,¡± she answered sourly. Guin chuckled, then bit her lip. ¡°You know, despite Sathuren being the only one of your brother¡¯s I¡¯ve met, you seem a bit off about it,¡± she said, turning to her own work again. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. BronzePaw looked back up, her eyes wider than Guin had seen them before. She tilted her head. ¡°Everything is fine, really,¡± her tail flickered a bit as she spoke. Then she chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that I had been acting that way.¡± ¡°Stella and I were wondering, but we weren¡¯t really sure...¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± the garule woman shook her head. ¡°Sav and I... Our relationship is...¡± BronzePaw sighed heavily before sitting fully cross-legged. ¡°Our relationship isn¡¯t what I wanted it to be,¡± she admitted. ¡°And it¡¯s hard to explain. Our culture is so... old-fashioned? Archaic? Compared to many of the other races, and Sav and my relationship was a victim of that. A large part of it is my fault¡ªI can¡¯t help but treat him the way I was taught to, but it¡¯s always a bit... muddled.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but,¡± Guin said, pulling her legs up to her chest as she faced BronzePaw. ¡°I don¡¯t talk about it much, but I have a sister,¡± she said. BronzePaw tilted her head. ¡°Back on earth. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s comparable to yours, but our relationship was always a bit... awkward.¡± Guin laughed. ¡°I was an English major who was destined to not amount to much, and she was a scientist, always ready to save the world. I was always a bit jealous of her,¡± Guin said. ¡°She was just better at life than I was. I still loved her, even if I didn¡¯t always know what to say. It¡¯s nice when I¡¯m not being compared to her. Gods, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if I ran into people who knew her here.¡± Guin hadn¡¯t thought of her sister much since she had arrived on the Iceberg City. Could think of your parents every once in a while, too, she scolded herself. ¡°There is that, too,¡± BronzePaw laughed. ¡°More than you might think¡ªwith some added drama, though. And... Expectations.¡± ¡°I hate expectations,¡± Guin winced. ¡°Cheers to that,¡± the garule woman nodded, causing them both to burst out laughing. ¡°It¡¯s hard. Humans and valkyrian especially don¡¯t struggle as much with such problems these days¡ªthough, I have read quite a bit of older literature that suggests that your kind at least had similar ideals to the garuli in earlier centuries. Your kind¡¯s role expectations were quite the reverse of ours¡ªif more flexible. Garuli are quite extreme.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Guin affirmed cautiously, thinking back on Earth¡¯s history. ¡°People fought long and hard to get where we see them today.¡± BronzePaw looked down. ¡°Such a struggle would never happen on our planet,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why we went to Yidar in the first place.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°To put it in a way you might understand,¡± she started, taking a deep breath. ¡°Take Sathuren. If my brother were a character in an Earthian novel, he would have all the makings of a hero to save us all,¡± Bahena said, her head hanging. ¡°After all he did, all he went through to earn a place in our world, they all still shunned him, and all because he was different from the image they had in their small minds; he looked different. Spoke different. Acted different. And, at that point, instead of becoming the villain, he simply left. Left to find a place that would let him be. And after a while, so did we¡ªfor how could we stay in the world that rejected him for such petty reasons?¡± Baffled, Guin asked, ¡°But... Why?¡± ¡°Sutak law,¡± BronzePaw spat, then shot an apologetic glance as if she hadn¡¯t meant that to come out quite the way that it did. ¡°Sutak...¡± Guin repeated. ¡°What about the Sutak...?¡± The garule woman¡¯s eyes flickered with such immense pain and sadness that Guin dared not press her for answers. ¡°...How much more of this moss do we need?¡± she started mumbling. ¡°Twenty-five,¡± Guin answered quickly, happy to change the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s finish up here quickly and move on. We still need to find the Spectral Essences.¡± ¡°At least it looks like we¡¯ve made a certain amount of progress,¡± BronzePaw said, looking around the room. ¡°This place looks like a checkpoint.¡± Nodding in agreement, they went about cutting the remaining moss in a somewhat awkward silence. Though Guin wanted to know more about what that was all about, she understood that whatever it was was a sensitive topic. It didn¡¯t take them long to add up the remaining moss, and with that part of the quest checked off, the two were left to look down the quiet purple hall. In silence, they stood together, listening to the gentle lapping of the dark water against the stone, and Guin liked to think that neither of them knew what to say to the other so that it wasn¡¯t just her perpetuating the awkward silence. BronzePaw nodded at her before she took the first step, breaking the uneasy uncertainty that had enveloped them. The garule woman¡¯s graceful power lent her silent steps and ease of movement as she began stalking forward. There was a certain cautious awareness to her motion that Guin envied¡ªand yet, with each step, Guin¡¯s instincts pulled her back. BronzePaw passed the first statue, and then the next, and then the third. Breathing a sigh of relief, Guin started forward. There were plenty of shadows in the room when could have shadow stepped to, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much she could trust that. A rustling of wind caused Guin¡¯s ears to go up in alarm. The feeling of moving air brushed against her cheek, and she turned expecting to see Liorax, but there was no cat that stood behind her. There was nothing. Backing up with slow, steady steps, her eyes darted around the room. The moving air turned into a cold breeze that rippled over her skin. ¡°BronzePaw¡ª¡± Guin started, turning quickly to alert her of the danger, but her eyes went wide as she saw a massive, shadowy figure descend upon them. Chapter 100 Blinking into BronzePaw¡¯s shadow, Guin struck at the air with her claws, arcing them upward with a [Wind Blade]. The thought-cast spell sent a shard of hardened air hurtling toward the creature as dark blades of its own started to extend from its apparent fingertips. Guin threw her head back to dodge as her own attack struck true, tearing through the shade¡¯s smoky, dark rags. Pulling back, it shrieked a wrathful, blood-curdling cry. Unaware of the danger that the appearance of the Veil creature could pose to her, BronzePaw whipped her tail around, almost tripping Guin behind her. ¡°Guin? What¡ª?¡± She went, but Guin didn¡¯t have time to answer. She wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure if the Veil creatures could touch Che who weren¡¯t able to cross into the Veil, but she wasn¡¯t about to take the chance as it had gone after the garule first. Her claws had worked well in her panic, but she was still more comfortable with her spear. Summoning it, she looked the shade over. If the creature is related to shadows... Narrowing her eyes, she pointed the spear near the fog that rose from around its head and focused on the tip. She shadow-stepped, intending to slice through as she fell, but the disorientation caused by the casting left her twisting and fumbling instead. Cursing loudly, she turned her head towards the creature, trying to bring her spear around for a backstab¡ªbut the creature''s long-fingered hand flew out and grabbed her head in its claws. It brought her face up close to its own. Guin started to struggle, then froze as she looked closer and closer. And she couldn''t look away. Eyeless sockets started with an open mouth. Head, covered in a coarse, black shroud. Its body twisted and wound like loose cloth in open water, black mist rising from it like bubbles at sea. Forming and dissipating. Forming and dissipating. Its head tilted as it let out a soft, low hiss that sent out an icy cold breeze that rolled over Guin¡¯s skin. With a whimper, Guin¡¯s spear fell from her hand. She heard it clatter on the stones below, but the sound was muffled. Her whole world suddenly felt like she had been pulled underneath a pond that had frozen over. Cold. Trembling. Unable to draw even breaths. Unable to make sound. There was just her and the creature, locked together. ¡°¡ªn!¡± she heard. ¡°¡ªuin!¡± came again. ¡°Guin!¡± The voice was louder this time, and she felt a sharp tug on her tail. ¡°Guin! What¡¯s going on? Are you all right?¡± BronzePaw¡¯s voice carried over the din, but just barely. It was enough. Fighting the fear and icy chill that paralyzed her, Guin slowly lifted her hands up and gripped the wrist of the hand that held her head. Digging her claws into the creature¡¯s flesh, she felt a slight bit of air escape from her throat. The air turned into a whimper. Feeling warm tears falling down her eyes, Guin managed to utter, ¡°Go. To. Hell!¡± as she started kicking her legs against the creature that was holding her. Seeing that its prey had shaken off its mental entrapment, the creature, still holding its grip on Guin¡¯s head, lifted its free hand, and around it, shadows gathered as its nails pointed into her eyes. ¡°Paw!¡± Guin yelled out with eyes wide as she continued to fight against it. ¡°Get me down! It¡¯s a Veil Creature! You can¡¯t see it! I don¡¯t care if you have to attack me¡ªjust get me down!¡± She knew she was talking a mile a minute as she struggled against the creature¡¯s grip. The shadows gathered faster and faster, solidifying at its fingertips. Long, sharp claws grew, extending more with every shadow it pulled to it, becoming less like nails and more like five thin swords that pointed at her face. The memory of the pain she had suffered through in the tutorial crept quickly back into her bones, and she screeched, ¡°Bahena!¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Her plea, though perhaps unintelligible, had not gone unheard. Before the last syllable of BronzePaw¡¯s name left her mouth, the garule woman¡¯s determined face emerged through the chest of the shade, grabbing Guin in her powerful arms. Guin¡¯s head and body jerked as the shadow creature tried to maintain its grip, but gravity favored her savior, and its fingers slipped through her hair. BronzePaw landed firmly on her clawed feet as she looked with wide eyes in the direction of the creature. It was likely that she had felt the resistance when she had pulled Guin down. ¡°Thanks,¡± Guin managed to breathe out as she rubbed her neck, watching as the creature screeched loudly into the air. ¡°Yeah...¡± BronzePaw went, tilting her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but how can I support you?¡± ¡°If you see me floating in the air again, get me down for a start,¡± Guin murmured, struggling to get back onto her feet. She cast her [Spirit Shield] and [Chilling Aura]¡ªthough she wasn¡¯t sure it would help. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A ghost,¡± Guin told her. ¡°Probably a wraith of some kind.¡± BronzePaw visibly shivered. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t like ghosts; I¡¯m very happy not to see them...¡± Amused at her powerful companion¡¯s reaction, Guin grunted and re-summoned her spear. ¡°Why is it just floating there?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°Is it?¡± the garule woman asked. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s scared?¡± ¡°Not likely,¡± Guin said. ¡°How am I gonna kill this thing? It¡¯s too high up for regular attacks...¡± She suddenly found herself wishing she had asked Drakov to come with her for a very different reason than she had at first. Hanging in the air, the wraith opened its arms wide and screamed with a deafening pitch. Looking to buy time, Guin aimed with her spear and shot another lance-type [Wind Blade] at it. The creature simply took the attack, and Guin felt the blood drain from her face as she waited on [Wind Blade]¡¯s cooldown. She was relying way too much on luck. ¡°We need to get out of this room,¡± she concluded, looking down at each side of the hall. BronzePaw looked her over. ¡°...Which way and how fast?¡± Biting her lip, Guin knew that there wasn¡¯t a really great option for them at the moment. ¡°As soon as we can. But... If we run back the way came, we will live,¡± she said. ¡°But we lose all of our progress. Probably.¡± She had to admit that she wasn¡¯t sure if that was the direction of her quest or not. It was possible that it was the completely wrong direction like they had taken when they had run into the group of zombies. ¡°Victory requires sacrifice,¡± BronzePaw told her. ¡°I will follow your lead.¡± Guin chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous.¡± And then the creature went silent. Guin¡¯s head shot up, and she watched it thrust its shrouded head toward them at breakneck speed, causing Guin to jump back and fire another [Wind Blade] at it¡ªbut her surprise caused her to miss. BronzePaw stared at her in shock. ¡°Go!¡± Guin yelled at her as the shade swiped its long claws toward BronzePaw. The garule moved a moment too late and screeched out in pain and aggravation as her health bar dropped by a good 10%. Her tail swishing back and forth, she hissed at the space behind her, her head snapping back and forth as if it would somehow help her see what she could not. Growling, Guin rushed toward it with her spear high in the air, though she knew it would be of little good. At the very least, she did manage to grab its attention back. BronzePaw¡¯s eyes were wide, her pupils dilated to the point they almost showed black, but Guin could see she could understand the situation. The garule ran passed them, locked in their duel. The wraith moved to follow after her, but Guin swiped another [Wind Blade] that landed true, pulling its agro back to her again. This time, it flew at her, its shroud billowing behind it as it reached out toward her with its claws. More prepared for close combat, however, Guin was able to dance around and land a [Back Stab]. ¡°It¡¯s just you and me now,¡± Guin taunted as she saw the tip of BronzePaw¡¯s tail disappear around the bend at the far door. ¡°You. And me.¡± Chapter 101 She struck another blow, and it began to falter. It can¡¯t have much health left, she hoped more than she knew for sure. Her confidence rose as she watched it floating lower to the ground than it had before. Gripping her spear, she charged forward and took another whack at it. Seeming to be more affected by her slow than expected, Guin was able to utilize her [Dance] and stabbing abilities more than she had thought she would be able to¡ªuntil finally, with one final thrust of her spear, the wraith fell into a pile of ash. Falling back onto her butt with a heavy sigh, Guin kicked the pile and groaned. That had been far too much work. She was rewarded, however, with a decent loot of materials, including five of the [Spectral Essences] that they needed for the quest. But she was tired. After savoring a moment to just breathe, she felt a little better and went to pull up a communications window with BronzePaw. But as her hand lifted to hit the garule woman¡¯s portrait, a rush of chilly air brushed against her skin. No... she shivered, looking around quickly. She couldn¡¯t handle another one. Not by herself. It was the hissing she heard first from several directions above her. Her eyes rose slowly from the window to the vaulted ceiling above. She laughed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± she said, still chuckling as she looked between the six specters above her as they floated above the fluorescent blue of the sea of moss. She had barely survived one¡ªhow was she going to fight six? She thought about running, but she knew she would never make it. They had surrounded her. She thought about contacting BronzePaw for help¡ªbut that would only end up getting the both of them killed. So she gripped her spear and pointed it at them. ¡°Fine!¡± she shouted. ¡°You want to fight? Bring it on!¡± The hissing continued as they stared at her. Guin sent a blade of wind out, hitting two of them, but they made no other movement. She bit her lip as she waited on one of two things: Her cooldown or her death. A ding sounded as a comm screen came up, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. She expected it to be BronzePaw looking for her, but to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t. Where she had expected to see a worried-looking bronze garule staring at her, she instead saw a very disgruntled-looking white one. ¡°I commend your foolish courage, but did you not think to at least try to run?¡± Though he was scolding her, Ibraxis¡¯s translated voice washed over her like a warm bath as she bit back tears. ¡°Look to your left.¡± In the doorway that she and BronzePaw had come from stood a tall white garule with crossed arms and tail waving calmly back and forth, and next to him, an exuberant blue and orange one was jumping up and down, bright feathers spread out behind him. ¡°Guin! Guin!¡± TeaforaDragon shouted down the way. Guin laughed, seeing Ibraxis grab him back by the collar of his coat. Instead, his nose appeared in the comm window. ¡°Ibraxis says it¡¯s dangerous there! Run!¡± ¡°I tried inviting you to our group, but it seems you are in one already,¡± Ibraxis said with a frown. ¡°Where did they go?¡± ¡°I sent her away,¡± Guin told him, shaking her head. ¡°She can¡¯t see them.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just two, I will invite group to group,¡± he said. ¡°Accept. We don¡¯t have much time, and I can¡¯t see your health bar like this. When you join up, head towards me; I¡¯ll cover you.¡± Overcome by the sudden emotions of relief and hope, Guin could only nod. Ibraxis grunted at her, then signed off. She got the invite from Ibraxis and accepted it quickly. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Come!¡± Ibraxis roared at her in English, then screeched so loudly at the wraiths above that even Guin wanted to cover her ears. Instead, she focused on Ibraxis¡¯s shadow and stepped into it. Luckily, she had had enough practice with BronzePaw to know how to avoid Ibraxis¡¯s tail as it swished, then went still and ridged as he looked around the room. ¡°G-Guin?¡± Tea sputtered. ¡°Where did she go?¡± The little garule tugged on the larger garule¡¯s arm as he pointed down the hall. ¡°Ibraxis¡ª¡± ¡°Boo!¡± Guin went from behind them. Tea jumped and cowered a little closer to the ground than he already was, his jaw-dropping as he stared at her. The fear reflected in his eyes made her feel a little guilty. ¡°Sorry!¡± Ibraxis fwipped his head around; the surprise in his eyes made her giggle a little as her emotion turned into adrenaline from gaining the reinforcements. Tea¡¯s eyes turned starry as he ran up to her. ¡°How did you do that?¡± he asked her, taking up her hands in his. Guin couldn¡¯t help but beam at him as he went on, ¡°And you look so pretty now! You have a tail like I do! Why?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t pretty before?¡± Guin chided him. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Tea went quickly, waving his hands in denial. ¡°I-I just meant¡ª¡± ¡°Let us not get distracted right now,¡± Ibraxis said gruffly. ¡°Let us chat when there isn¡¯t a small army of ghosts in the room. If you can teleport, all the more reason to try and run...¡± Guin blinked, then laughed, realizing that she had forgotten that shadow stepping to run away was even an option. This game was causing her to live on the edge. Tea¡¯s orb-shaped eyes suddenly got wider as he slowly turned to look up at his companion. ¡°G-Ghosts? What ghosts? What do you mean ghosts?¡± Ibraxis sighed. ¡°The ones you can¡¯t see that Guin and I are going to have to fight, so you better damn well be up to your support role,¡± he told him as if they had gone over it a couple of times before this. Guin looked up at him with sympathy and respect. ¡°Stop getting distracted and start playing that lute of yours.¡± ¡°Okay...¡± There was an uneasy sense of disappointment in his voice as he did as he was told. Guin moved up to stand in line with Ibraxis. The white garule looked her over, then looked back up at the wraiths. ¡°What are they doing?¡± she asked him. ¡°Calling,¡± he told her. ¡°It is basically a summoning spell, similar to the way pack aggressors work. It calls all ghost-based creatures within an area to this location.¡± Then he grumbled, ¡°Though it looks like you¡¯ve managed to pull all the ones in the area as it is.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Guin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know...¡± Ibraxis shrugged. ¡°You are just lucky you haven¡¯t died. Yet,¡± he said pointedly. ¡°Let us just hope that luck of yours holds out and we can kill these things before more respawn. These things can end up in endless battles. Buys us time to strategize, for now.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Either you have a new class or new abilities,¡± he said, side-eyeing her. ¡°What can you do?¡± Sighing, she admitted, ¡°Not much more than last time, really. I can teleport, slow, and I have one ranged spell that can be either a single target or AoE, depending on how I use it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nothing; it could be better,¡± he granted. ¡°But it is not nothing. And this room is Water, Earth, and Shadow based...¡± he muttered to himself, obviously thinking out loud. Guin blinked. Is that how it works? she wondered, looking around. Were different elements stronger in different places? She supposed she shouldn¡¯t have been shocked, but the complexities of the game had started giving her a headache each time she learned something. ¡°Uhm,¡± Tea went, tapping Ibraxis¡¯s arm, then pointing at his nose. ¡°What should I do?¡± Ibraxis blew a long stream of air from his nostrils. ¡°First, you need to listen,¡± he said. ¡°You cannot see the enemy, and so you must rely on us. And by ¡®us,¡¯ I mean Guin.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Because of my class, I need to use both the motion cast and the voice cast systems,¡± Ibraxis told her. ¡°I can¡¯t be issuing orders. That will fall to you.¡± Guin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Tea, you will need to heal, buff, and if either of us tells you to move, move,¡± Ibraxis said. ¡°This is going to be a game of trust more than one of power.¡± ¡°Power would help,¡± Guin grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tea chattered happily. ¡°It won¡¯t be too bad! Ibraxis is really strong! Really amazing! And you look strong now, too!¡± Ibraxis put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s enough! We all need to focus now!¡± the white garule growled, pointing forward with his nose. ¡°They are coming. Guin, keep them off me. Tea, focus on Guin!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tea and Guin went and readied themselves for a battle only one of them could see. Chapter 102 Guin took the first step forward, placing herself between the six approaching wraiths and the garuli behind her. Ibraxis started to play his bones, muttering unintelligible words in his own tongue. Various animations of green, gold, and red enveloped her, and her status bar glowed with several new buffs. Tea also began to play his lute¡ªonly a little better than it had been the night before¡ªcausing another set of flashing symbols to join her growing list of status enhancements. Guin smirked as the sounds of their music filled the air. Background music? She mused. The two styles¡ªor maybe just Tea¡¯s apparent inability to play his instrument¡ªdid not complement each other, but she appreciated it all the same. The game lacked a certain ambiance without background music of its own, and it added a certain levity. Guin slammed the butt of her spear into the ground. As if they had been waiting for them to have set their determination, the six wraiths screamed at her in unison. The first thing she needed to do was draw their agro. They¡¯re still so high up! She growled and shot another long arc of wind blade toward them, catching them and pausing their pursuit. Their slow movement speed was a boon, and with any luck, her [Chilling Aura] would further improve their situation. ¡°You need to buy me at least five minutes,¡± Ibraxis said. She hadn¡¯t noticed that the drums had stopped, but when she turned, she saw that he was keeling. He very quickly made a small magic circle out of the dirt in front of him with a small stone braiser in the center. As he spoke, he took out a thick candle from his robes, placed it in the braiser, and lit it by scratching a knife against a flint. ¡°Buy me five minutes, and I¡¯ll do the rest of the work.¡± ¡°Five minutes,¡± she repeated as she watched him burn a sweet-smelling leaf in the candle¡¯s flames. It looked like a very well-practiced ritual; he barely looked at what he was doing. ¡°No problem,¡± she said dubiously, staring at the shades descending upon her. Tsk-ing, she sent another arc through the air and aimed her spear back behind the head of one of the wraiths in the middle¡ªthis time not hesitating to jerk her body around¡ªand she caught them all in the back. Gaining a bonus in damage for the back attack, she took a moment to enjoy the creature''s screams before they turned back to her in anger, all reaching, trying to catch her in their long, shadowy claws. Oh no, not again! she told them in her mind and focused on Ibraxis¡¯s shadow again, stepping into it before rushing back out. Her sudden disappearance left them in a state of confusion, but the moment one laid its sight back on her, it pointed and dove at a speed that shocked her. Guin stopped mid-run and shot another round of her wind spell at them¡ªbut this time, it did nothing to slow them in their path. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Guin spat and anchored herself as best she could with her spear in front of her. The shade that had spotted her flew in quickly, its sword-like claws growing as it approached. She managed to push one of its hands off its target path, but the other caught her arm and leg, stabbing them clean through. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Crying out in pain, Guin swung at it again¡ªbut almost regretted the action as it pulled out its claws in response, ripping open the wounds as if they were a serrated knife. Instantly, Guin¡¯s health bar dropped to 50%, and she fell to the ground. Standing and taking the damage had not been the greatest of tactical decisions. ¡°Guin!¡± Tea cried as she saw musical notes of gold flowing around her. She pushed herself back up and briefly watched as her health ticked up slowly. A HoT spell similar to her hymn, she wasn¡¯t sure if it would be of much use to her against this number of powerful enemies. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Guin shouted as he started trotting over. ¡°Get back toward Ibraxis!¡± This was an enemy she had vastly underestimated. Ibraxis wasn¡¯t kidding when he told her that she had been lucky. ¡°Shit!¡± she cried out again as she stumbled. Forcing herself to stand, she grimaced. It was only pain, she told herself over and over again¡ªand it was just a game. Picking up her spear again, she swiped at the ones that grew closer to her, then let out another wind blade. A wave of exhaustion hit her, and her heart plummeted as she watched them loom. Pushing off with her spear, she jumped back as two of the wraith¡¯s nails dragged across the stones that she had been standing on with a hair-raising sound. A third one flanked her on her right and shaved off another good 30% of her health. She countered but knew from the feel that she had dealt minor damage to it. ¡°Ibraxis, any way you could make what you¡¯re doing go any faster?¡± Guin called back as she watched Tea¡¯s spells struggling to deal with her falling health bar. ¡°I could use some backup...¡± She mumbled, then shadow stepped onto the heads of one of the statues. Could I get them to chase me? She wondered, looking around. Thanks to the flames, ample shadows were spreading throughout the room. If all she needed to do was keep them away from Ibraxis and Tea, all she really needed to do was keep agro long enough without taking any more damage. She eyed Tea, wondering what his range was, but before she could ask, the six rushed her, and she stepped into the shadow of another statue. Watching her health bar carefully, she sent out another arc of wind. Suddenly, water burst forth from the blanket of moss that contained it, spraying them all in a cold mist. Great, solid tongues of it rose up, lashing out wildly. Guin gaped as they waved and spiraled over her head, the ethereal blue glinting as purple reflected and refracted, bending shapes to make a kaleidoscope of color. It was beautiful. It was horrifying. What now? Her mind went as shock and dread filled her. She tried to maintain her position, but her legs gave out from under her as the water splashed around. The six wraiths hissed at the change in their environment but seemed to dismiss it as they flew at her instead. Guin stared at them, her spear loose in her hands. Was she really just going to give up like this? Sighing in aggravation, she stumbled up, gritting her teeth as she set her spearhead forward. ¡°No way,¡± she told herself. She wasn¡¯t alone now. And even if she was, what good would it have done her to give up? As she went to swipe at them once again, as futile as it might have been, the tongues of water whipped out. Seeing them, Guin braced herself for impact¡ªan impact that did not come. For her, at least. Her eyes carefully fluttered open, and she saw that each of the six wraiths had been wrapped up. Shrieking as the water began to engulf them, the wraiths struggled¡ªbut the tongues turned into a watery prison as they spun into balls. ¡°Sorry,¡± Ibraxis¡¯s voice came over from behind her. Guin turned to see him and Tea walking up. ¡°That took a bit longer than I expected. The water here is shockingly polluted.¡± Chapter 103 His fists were up, clenched in front of him as he walked towards where she was standing. He snapped his tail at an even pace, causing the bells to crash in tempo. ¡°Polluted...¡± Guin repeated, looking back up at the wraiths trapped in watery prisons. ¡°It took so long because the water was polluted... is it...¡± Whatever spell he cast, it was more than powerful¡ªeven with the cast time taken into consideration. All six of the wraiths were snuggled up in the wrapping water¡ªand she saw that the balls were constricting as they spun, growing smaller and tighter the longer they were held. ¡°What level are you, exactly?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s 18 now!¡± Tea told her proudly. ¡°Isn¡¯t he amazing? Undying are truly awesome!¡± ¡°Awesome, is it...¡± Guin stared back at Ibraxis, but he seemed to be ignoring her general distrust of his abilities. ¡°You did well,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you held out like that.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she answered as the wave of exhaustion she had been feeling caught up to her. ¡°Why am I so tired?¡± ¡°You mana,¡± Ibraxis told her. ¡°It¡¯s depleted. There¡¯s an exhaustion mechanic. I am guessing you do not carry mana potions?¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve never needed to worry about it before,¡± she said. ¡°I can fix that!¡± Tea said, waving his hand and strumming his lute off-key. In moments and a little flash of blue, she felt the veil of sleepiness dragging her down lift away. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, nodding at him. ¡°So what happens now? Do they just... die?¡± Ibraxis shrugged. ¡°Depends on how much damage you did,¡± he told her. ¡°This is more a crowd-control spell than anything else. The water will deal damage as it constricts, but they are not guaranteed kills.¡± ¡°Right, then,¡± she murmured. ¡°Do all your spells take that long to cast?¡± ¡°Depends on the materials at hand,¡± he said shortly. ¡°Meaning?¡± Ibraxis looked at her, brow twitching. She could tell that he was getting tired of explaining things, but luckily for them both, Tea piped up in excitement: ¡°Undying commune with the spirits of nature!¡± he told her, then gave a nervous laugh. ¡°But they have to purify spirits before they can use them, so sometimes he takes a really long time.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Guin went. ¡°Not the kind of guy to bring into a corrupted forest, then,¡± she chided. Nudging his nose forward, he said, ¡°You do not think the payoff is worth it?¡± Chuckling, Guin pointed at the nearest collapsing ball. ¡°How long is this going to take? Can I break one?¡± ¡°Another thirty seconds or so,¡± he told her. ¡°You can break it, but once you do, the damage will stop, and the creature will be released.¡± ¡°Better to take it one at a time,¡± Guin mumbled, checking her health bar. Back at about 75% health, she felt it would be reasonably safe to take them on a one-on-one basis. ¡°All right, guys, step back,¡± she directed, then approached the closest ball and took her stance. With a straight, powerful thrust, Guin skewered the wraith through the chest. The moment that her spear touched the water, it burst, leaving both Guin and the spirit drenched in cold water. Free from its captivity, the wraith screamed, throwing its face as close to Guin¡¯s as it could, fighting against the spear in its chest. Kicking it, she pulled her spear out and launched a [Wind Blade] at it. Ibraxis¡¯s spell had done its work. When the bolt of sharped air hit it, the wraith turned to ash. Payoff indeed, Guin noted, turning her attention to the next wraith, killing that one as quickly as she had the first. She¡¯d have to try to stay on Ibraxis¡¯s good side, for better or worse. Simultaneously, the four remaining bubbles exploded, spilling water across the room. The four wraiths shrieked and rushed at Guin¡ªbut Guin shadow stepped into Ibraxis¡¯s shadow and moved up next to him. ¡°Next plan?¡± she asked, resting her spear on her shoulder. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ibraxis twirled his sharpened bone drumsticks in his hands and answered: ¡°Kill them.¡± ¡°Simple enough,¡± she shrugged and ran ahead, letting loose an arc of wind that cut through their attackers with ease, turning two to ash at once. With long, powerful strides, Ibraxis ran past her and leaped, tackling the wraith to their right with his feet, jabbing one drumstick through its shrouded skull and throwing the other to pierce the chest of the one behind it. The one he had landed on turned to dust, while Guin stepped in behind the further one and ended it with a [Backstab]. Sitting on a pile of wraith ash, the white garule nodded at her, his long serpentine tail calmly waving back and forth. ¡°I-Is it over?¡± Tea asked, peeking around Ibraxis. ¡°Are the ghosts gone now? Did we win?¡± ¡°We did!¡± Guin told him. ¡°Thank you guys for the support!¡± Walking over to get the stick he threw, Ibraxis said, ¡°What are you down here for, anyway? Spectral essences?¡± ¡°That and an inscription quest,¡± she said. ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t have happened to have seen any glowing inscriptions around, would you? Or bones? I¡¯d take some bones.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Tea shook his head. Ibraxis pointed down the hall. ¡°They should just be a little further down that way,¡± he said. ¡°You will run into a few more of these things before you get there, though. Where did your partner go?¡± Guin saw him frown as he looked to the side where the group avatars would have been on his screen. ¡°Oh crap!¡± Guin went, quickly pulling up a screen with BronzePaw. The bronze garule answered almost immediately, worry and confusion written on her face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Paw!¡± Guin said. ¡°I should have contacted you before! More of those things appeared!¡± Relief spreading across her features, BronzePaw laughed and waved. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said. ¡°I saw that you had added another group and figured you were still fighting when your health bar kept changing.¡± ¡°We just finished,¡± Guin answered guiltily. ¡°Where did you end up? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that far away,¡± BronzePaw shrugged. ¡°I found a hall filled with rats, so I took care of them to pass the time. I did gain a level, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Guin said, glancing at her own experience bar. She was relatively close to her next level as well. ¡°Guin?¡± BronzePaw started with a frown. ¡°Are you with two other garuli?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Guin affirmed, looking over at Ibraxis and Tea. Tea was trying very hard to get Ibraxis to play some sort of rock-paper-scissors kind of game. ¡°They are friends from yesterday,¡± she explained. ¡°One of them has been around here before, and he knows where the inscriptions are. Hopefully, we can get them and get out of here soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to see the pictures,¡± BronzePaw murmured. ¡°Is one of them... white?¡± Guin blinked. ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Ibraxis is. Why? I mean, I know he is a sutak but...¡± BronzePaw¡¯s eyes went wide. Judging how they had talked about sutak before, Guin didn¡¯t think that she would have an issue with that. Does she know him? Guin wondered. ¡°Is... something wrong?¡± Guin asked, a little deflated at the idea that BronzePaw would disapprove of her other garuli companions. But the garule woman shook her head quickly. ¡°You go ahead to see if you can finish that quest. It looks like some of the rats have respawned. Once I deal with them, I¡¯ll go and meet up with you. ¡°All right,¡± Guin answered and closed the window. Ibraxis tilted his head as he walked over to her. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Though her concern lingered, she shook her head. ¡°Yes,¡± she told him. ¡°I think so. Are you guys doing quests?¡± ¡°Tea asked me to help him for a little bit,¡± Ibraxis said, looking at the little garule who was looking through treasure chests. ¡°I did it!¡± he exclaimed, jumping up and down. ¡°That was the last of them!¡± ¡°The last of them?¡± ¡°For the gathering quest!¡± Tea grinned and jumped onto Ibraxis from behind. Guin laughed as the tall garule froze at the contact, then snapped his head around. ¡°Thank you, Ibraxis! Guin!¡± The little garule wagged his tail, and Ibraxis, obviously resigned to be an object of the smaller garule¡¯s affection, pat him on the head as awkwardly as ever. Letting go of his apparent idol, Tea turned to Guin. ¡°I wish I could stay and help, but I have to log out now,¡± he said. ¡°My wife¡¯ll be really mad at me if I don¡¯t have dinner ready by the time she gets home!¡± Guin blinked. ¡°Y-You¡¯re married?¡± she asked in mild shock. Tea laughed. ¡°Yup!¡± he smiled broadly before a look of panic crossed his face. ¡°Whoops¡ªmy last alarm just started going off. Good timing! Sorry guys! I gotta run! Message me later, and I¡¯ll give you guys a hand on your quests!¡± Tea ran to the hall door and dropped from the group before either of them could say goodbye. ¡°Well, that was unexpected,¡± Guin said, hands on her hips. Ibraxis visibly shuttered. ¡°I do not envy his wife,¡± he said, distastefully. Guin snorted at him. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± she teased. ¡°You enjoy his company, or you wouldn¡¯t help him!¡± ¡°Can it not just be because I¡¯m a nice person?¡± he asked, but Guin shook her head. Ibraxis sighed and pointed down the other end of the hall. ¡°You need those inscriptions, do you not? I can at least help you get there before I log out myself.¡± ¡°That would be a huge help,¡± she told him. ¡°BronzePaw should be able to work her way to us as long as there are no more of those ghost things.¡± Ibraxis scratched his chin, standing silent for a moment before he nodded. ¡°Let us make our way, then.¡± Chapter 104 ¡°What?¡± Ibraxis asked her as they exited the purple hall. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°You keep looking at me,¡± he noted, cringing away from her a little. ¡°If you are going to say something, just say it.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Guin went, shifting her eyes away from him, but he growled at her lightly in irritation. Sighing, she said, ¡°Look, I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t know anything about garuli, I really don¡¯t...¡± ¡°And?¡± he prompted. ¡°...is the fact that your scales and feathers are white, well... strange?¡± He blinked. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Guin shrugged awkwardly. ¡°My teammate¡¯s reaction to your color was a bit... well, odd¡ªand she is a garuli,¡± she told him. ¡°And I know¡ªor I guess¡ªthat you are sutak, so maybe that plays into it, and I am just ignorant, but she¡¯s never spoken ill of sutak before, so that doesn¡¯t make all that much sense... I just... I don¡¯t know what I am doing,¡± she rambled. Ibraxis stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. She watched him in distaste. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± she muttered. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m an idiot.¡± ¡°T-That is not it,¡± he told her, still laughing. ¡°Ignorant, maybe, which is better or worse depending on how you look at it, but no,¡± he said, looking her over as his smile faded. ¡°You could definitely be worse. To answer you, yes, my feathers are more rare and are even considered a genetic mutation.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s... Bad?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± he considered. ¡°If I were not known to be a sutak, I would probably be revered.¡± ¡°But you are a sutak, so that means...?¡± He gave her a slight smile. ¡°You do not know what a sutak is yet, do you?¡± Guin paused and looked up at him. ¡°I would if you would be so kind as to explain it to me...¡± Chuckling, he leaned over her. ¡°I¡¯m not that nice,¡± he said and continued walking. ¡°Whatever a sutak is,¡± Guin grumbled. ¡°Why is it that every one of them that I meet is amazingly difficult?¡± ¡°Because it is so very easy to tease someone who does not know,¡± he said, flipping his tail around playfully. ¡°And honestly, how many sutak do you know?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Guin rolled her eyes. ¡°I do not mean this as an offense,¡± Ibraxis told her. ¡°It is, in a way, refreshing. People who do not know the meaning of one¡¯s being a sutak do not know... what they do not know.¡± He seemed to struggle with his words as his face fell with a sad smile, saying. ¡°It is worse for you, in a way, that you do not know what you are doing wrong than it is for me to be at the receiving end of your apparent kindness.¡± Guin¡¯s brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of the words, but in the end, the conclusion that she ended up with was, ¡°Are you not telling me what a sutak is because you¡¯re afraid that I would treat you differently?¡± His eyes seemed almost affectionate as he looked back at her. ¡°At the very least, I cannot call you stupid,¡± he said. ¡°Call it selfishness. If you are going to hate me, I¡¯d rather it be for who I was than what I am.¡± Gaping at him, she didn¡¯t really know how to respond to the insinuation that came with his cryptic words. Catching up to his side, she leaned over and asked, quite seriously, ¡°Are you a member of a secret organization?¡± ¡°If I was, do you think I would tell you?¡± he answered with a snort. Then he pried, ¡°What¡¯s with this new appearance of yours, anyway? It wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with the reason you left the group last night, would it?¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°You get your secrets, I get mine. Sound fair?¡± she asked, smirking at him, only acting as if she had one up on him¡ªbut she didn¡¯t expect to see his expression falter, a trace of shock appearing in his eyes. But the moment passed so quickly that she chided herself, thinking it was just her overactive imagination. ¡°W-What happened with Ath and Zen?¡± she asked, trying to shift the conversation as she moved away from him a little. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Something felt odd. Off. Mentally, Guin instinctively put up her personal walls, trying to protect herself from whatever it was that was sending a shiver down her spine as he looked at her. Hands itching, she rubbed her arms. The face of the dragon in her dreams appeared in her head, the sharp teeth barring down on her. The part of her that considered Ibraxis an ally hoped that he didn¡¯t notice her sudden unease because she didn¡¯t want to hurt him. Then again, the part of her that knew his strength and instincts were a hundred times better than hers hoped that he didn¡¯t notice for the sake of her own self-preservation. ¡°We finished Tea¡¯s quest, and then they logged off,¡± Ibraxis told her. ¡°Not much came of anything after that. Tea is as you saw him. I logged in about an hour ago to just check a few things, and he asked me for help finishing the quests that he had down here. I was not doing anything important, so I did.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°And then you guys appeared to save me.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± She genuinely felt that it was kind of him to help Tea out, but at the same time, a little voice in the back of her head said, ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that convenient.¡± They walked in silence for several minutes before they came to a wide chamber. Guin¡¯s jaw dropped. The massive room was as wide, it seemed, as the last one was long. In many ways, the room was similar to it in other ways, too, with rows of statues of monks holding braziers, moss creeping up their robes from the sides¡ªbut in this room, the colors were vastly different, as the flames in the braziers licked up white. As white as the flames of the spirit of Amikavi. The monks, too, were more obviously marble: white, streaked with subtle lines of gray, and occasionally streaked with black. The Death Moss, which had glowed bright, electric blue in the last room, was now pitch black. And the walkway, which Guin had been so sure was made of rock in the last room, she saw in this room was made with hundreds, perhaps thousands of skulls. But even with the horror that she felt from glancing at the floor, the most striking and unnerving thing about the room was that, on the far side of where they stood, was a wall of carvings. A wall of very familiar-looking carvings. ¡°I-I¡¯ve seen these before,¡± Guin murmured, stepping forward towards the wall. With each step, the pounding in her heart grew louder. Her eyes darted around each line and inscription etched into the wall. The color was wrong, but she knew it. Dread, sorrow, and confusion all filled her as drew closer, knowing; knowing that, somehow, she knew it all like the back of her hand¡ªyet, she knew none of it, just as before, when she had dreamed of it all. Like a dream¡ªlike the dream¡ªshe reached out as she approached with heavy steps. Running her hand against the smooth of the stone, she felt the etchings under her fingers with that same sense of nostalgia that she had before, staring at the images of the painted animals and people that held no recognizable life-like resemblance as they danced and marched in rings around colored stones. They were all more clear now than they had been in her dream. She could see them, and though her memory still told her that the carvings were of animals and people, celebrating something, the details her heart had wanted to cling to now saw the etchings in the wall for what they were. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked nothing as she stepped back and looked them over. These weren¡¯t etchings left by some ancient civilizations or a story left in honor of heroes. They could have been written off that way by someone who didn¡¯t know better¡ªbut she, somehow, somehow, knew. These were the drawings of a child. Panic and anxiety gripped her lungs so tight she thought they might burst within her chest. How could she know that? How could she know that with such certainty that any other option was immediately dismissed? I must be crazy, she scoffed. No, went that voice in the back of her head as she wracked her brain for answers. What you know is true. Then she saw the etching of the man that she had remembered so well, standing tall and proud atop a black orb, wearing plain clothes as he proudly held a hammer high above his head. The pattern on his hammer''s head, the small symbol carved with great care: An eight-pointed star. A compass. The compass. Drawn to it, even more so than she had before, she moved over it and, with a finger, wiped away the light cover of dust that time had left. Radiant gold. Light. Light poured through the cravings, running through them, flowing through the eight-pointed star until all the etchings on the walls were brightly shining. Glowing. Breath caught in her chest, Guin stumbled back over the skulls on the walkway. ¡°So,¡± she heard Ibraxis grumble behind her. ¡°You are one of them,¡± he said. ¡°A true Candidate.¡± Guin shot her head around. Ibraxis stood there, arms crossed. He didn¡¯t look very happy as the light glinted off everything it touched. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked. ¡°What is this?¡± He sighed. ¡°I am sorry,¡± he said, and she could read in his voice that he meant it, but she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I take no pleasure in this,¡± Ibraxis told her in a pained voice as she saw him drop out of the group. ¡°But, this is something I have to do. I wish you could understand, but I know you will not.¡± As the words came out of his mouth, he began to play his bones and chant, and Guin, understanding his intent now if not his reason, cast her buffs, and shadow stepped behind him. Chapter 105 Slicing through him with a [Back Stab], she only somewhat expected to have the shaman-like garule at her mercy, but as the drumming sound echoed along with the sharp crashing of the bells through the growing mist, she realized she only sliced through his image. The colors of his wrappings swam like a mirage before fading into nothing before her eyes. Annoyed, Guin fell back and watched as mist flooded in from the pools where the Death Moss grew. She cursed aloud as she searched the endless white. It was hard to see through the mist as it was, but the white of the marble made it seem even thicker¡ªbut as she watched the glow of the inscription dim, obscured by the fog, she held her spear tighter. Knowing that most of Ibraxis¡¯s power was yet unknown, there was no telling, just what was out there waiting for her to make the first move. But she wasn¡¯t wholly impaired. Guin closed her eyes and focused. She still had her nose and her ears, if nothing else. Sploosh, sploosh, came from the right. Sploosh, sploosh, came from the left. From behind her. From in front of her. Gentle lapping of water came from either side¡ªbut as she focused on the drums and the bells, she headed in the direction that she felt they were most likely to come from. And she was not disappointed. She opened her eyes only to see white. White¡ªbut bright, intelligent golden eyes peered through, almost glowing in the distance. How she missed that before, she did not know but sent a [Wind Blade] towards them. It cut the mist away, carving a path in front of her as it flew through. When she saw his clothes tatter, she confirmed that he wasn¡¯t just a mirage¡ªbut the playing then stopped, followed by loud, steady claps. ¡°Not bad,¡± Ibraxis told her as the mist fell away from him. ¡°See? I told you your instincts weren¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on, Ibraxis?¡± Guin demanded to know, her anger bubbling up. ¡°Why are you attacking me?¡± ¡°We were always fated to clash, Candidate,¡± he said in a low voice. Guin went cold as his words sunk in. Of course, he would know that she was a Candidate¡ªshe told him as much herself¡ªbut she should have guessed from the start that he had been one, too. The white garule smirked as he continued, ¡°I had just hoped to wait till you were strong enough to really battle me on an even keel. Fate, it would seem, would not have it that way. But it is better this way. The sooner you stop playing, the better.¡± ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean? Stop playing the game?¡± she shouted as he started to play his bones again. Instead of answering, he nudged his chin in the air, chanting as he looked up. Guin¡¯s eyes shot up in time to catch a glimpse of a half dozen fireballs speeding at her from above. ¡°Crap¡ª¡± she muttered, diving out of the way, but the flames still caught her legs as she shuffled, taking off a good 10% of her health at once. Tsk... Had she taken a direct hit she would have been in trouble¡ªif she had walked away at all. In shock, she scrambled to her feet. ¡°I¡ªyou¡ª-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus now, little fox,¡± his smirk turned cruel, causing a shiver to run down her spine. ¡°You¡¯ll never beat me that way.¡± The pattern of his drumming changed as he banged his tail against the ground, causing the bells to crash violently. Guin slammed her hands against her ears as the air was filled with the dizzying sound of his song. The mist started to fade as droplets of water appeared, forming mid-air. Guin watched as they spun and spun, growing into large orbs of water, similar to those that he had used against the wraiths¡ªthough obviously used in a different fashion. Her heart sank. He¡¯s going to hurl those at me, isn¡¯t he? But her ears twitched as the sound of hope galloped up through the hall. ¡°Goodb¡ª¡± Ibraxis started, but a great roar accompanied thunderous paws as BronzePaw launched herself at him through the fog. The balls of water that hung around Guin shattered, crashing to the ground as Ibraxis¡¯s song staggered to a halt as he dodged. BronzePaw slid on the slick rounded skulls¡ªslicker now with the added water. She roared at him again as she backed up towards Guin, her tail lashing back and forth angrily. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°What is this now?¡± BronzePaw spoke with a voice that came from deep within her belly. Guin pulled herself up. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, brushing herself off. ¡°Know anything about fighting an Undying? ¡®Cause I¡¯m kind of at a loss here.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± BronzePaw admitted. ¡°But I do know a few things about fighting him.¡± The look on Ibraxis¡¯s face was one of sheer disbelief. ¡°Of course it would be you,¡± he said, standing on all fours, his tail lashing back and forth in the same way that BronzePaw¡¯s was. His eyes glanced between Guin and BronzePaw as they stood together. ¡°You were the other party member. I should have known,¡± he murmured. ¡°This unruly fool, against what enemy do you take your stand? One who defended you? This is unlike you, Sathuren,¡± BronzePaw spat at him. Guin snapped her head to look at the garule woman in surprise as she continued, ¡°Am I spoiling your fun? I must say, I never thought you¡¯d be the one I¡¯d find picking on those weaker than yourself. Is that how you get off in this game, then? Am I to be disappointed in you?¡± ¡°That is not what this is,¡± Ibraxis said tiredly, standing up. ¡°Get out of the way, Bahena. This has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Bu-Sa-Ba,¡± Guin stuttered, not sure what part of this she wanted to question first. BronzePaw snorted. ¡°Nothing to do with me? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really the case,¡± she said. ¡°And you will explain it to me, even if I have to beat it out of you. I must say, though, you¡¯re looking decidedly white, dear brother. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen your feathers in their natural state. I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. Run out of scale dye, going around terrorizing people? Or are you trying to be clever in case one of us caught you?¡± ¡°Oh, shove off,¡± he growled, his eyes narrowing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she chided. ¡°You seem crankier than usual. The other professors pick on you again? Just bite their heads off, and then they won¡¯t say anything to you anymore. You don¡¯t need to take it out on my little friend here. Or me, for that matter.¡± ¡°''Friend'', is it,¡± he muttered as if he were almost offended by the concept. ¡°One thing has nothing to do with the other¡ª¡± ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Guin snapped as the two large garule gave each other leveling glares. ¡°Are you two serious?¡± She pointed at Ibraxis and turned to BronzePaw. ¡°This jerk is Sathuren?¡± Giving Guin a very apologetic look, BronzePaw nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, in this circumstance,¡± she said, then added, ¡°I promise he¡¯s not usually quite... like this...¡± ¡°You do not need to make excuses for me,¡± Ibraxis said. Guin saw as his fists clenched. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have possibly thought to know anything about me after meeting just one or two times, could you? Never mind,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Bahena! You need to leave and let me do what I need to do. Now.¡± ¡°I will not,¡± BronzePaw told him with an offended look. ¡°Since when have I ever taken orders from you, you unruly male? And besides that, did you really think I¡¯d look the other way as you hurt my teammate? Really?¡± Ibraxis sighed and put his hands on his hips. ¡°It was worth a shot,¡± he grumbled. ¡°...Your dedication to fight my roommate is more than a little disconcerting, brother,¡± BronzePaw pointed out. ¡°Also, why are you talking like that? It¡¯s... unsettling.¡± Guin looked at Ibraxis with new eyes as he stared at BronzePaw in annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s Sathuren? The one I met when you moved in? The one I¡¯ve met and that you¡¯ve been talking about this whole time?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°All I did was dye my feathers; I¡¯m not that unrecognizable¡ªand why the hell are you talking about me?¡± Ibraxis growled, taking up a more aggressive stance. ¡°People talk about their families, Sav,¡± BronzePaw said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Honestly, what are you so riled up about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of their business!¡± he shouted at her. This was obviously not going in his favor the way he seemed to think it would before. Sighing, BronzePaw crossed her arms. ¡°Yes, that is the Sathuren. A bit childish, today, but he¡¯s normally pretty level-headed. Also, he¡¯s using a rather grating form of archaic garuli language at the moment, but he¡¯s fluent in Isoli-Valkyrian. He¡¯s both a scientist and a professor at the university we go to for our classes¡ªit¡¯s just that he¡¯s usually a lot nicer. And more... gray.¡± Guin blinked, and she felt her jaw open involuntarily. ¡°Gray...?¡± she managed to stutter. ¡°White... or gray?¡± Her whole body felt numb as she looked Ibraxis over again. ¡°A white garule...¡± Chapter 106 ¡°But... He¡¯s white!¡± Guin said, looking between them, trying to change reality so she didn¡¯t have to be quite so thoroughly embarrassed. ¡°Ibraxis is white! How can Ibraxis be your brother... that¡¯s... that¡¯s...¡± Confusion written across her face, BronzePaw pointed. ¡°He dyes himself darker colors to blend in a bit more. White garule stand out; they are special, you see¡ªbut he is a pure sutak through and through, so it just makes everyday life a bit easier.¡± ¡°Leave it!¡± Ibraxis snapped, his orange eyes wide as Guin gaped at him. ¡°Testy, testy,¡± BronzePaw said dryly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting so ashamed of it. You don¡¯t even care that much.¡± ¡°I care right now,¡± Ibraxis told her, his voice rising as he switched from his bird-like speech to Isoli-Valkyrian. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not something for you to say anything about!¡± ¡°You definitely woke up on the wrong side of the nest this morning.¡± ¡°Bahena!¡± Ibraxis shouted, and as he did, Guin registered familiar tones in his voice. ¡°You... liar...¡± Guin managed to say before turning to Bahena. ¡°This jerk is your brother? This guy that is usually gray?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± BronzePaw said, now clearly more concerned with Guin¡¯s reaction. ¡°I mean, he is kind of being an idiot right now, but... I am picking on him, and that usually frustrates him, so¡ªGuin¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize your roommates would end up being your pets,¡± Ibraxis grumbled, resigned now, it seemed, the fact that Guin would know he wasn¡¯t just a random guy she met in-game. ¡°Figures that you¡¯d find... trouble.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Guin spat. He flinched at her glare as she raged. ¡°And here I was, thinking that you were a little bit cool for a garule¡ªapparently in game and out. Now I know that what you really are is a lying jackass!¡± He rose a single brow at her. ¡°...thought I was¡­? In and out¡­?¡± he repeated in a voice that she only heard because of her amplified hearing. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ibraxis said then, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll just kill you both if I have to.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± BronzePaw rose her own brow in response. ¡°Are you so intent on harming Guin that you would start a fight with me? Really? You¡¯ve never won a fight against me, brother mine. Do you really want to go there?¡± He twitched. ¡°What do I need to do to have you stay out of this?¡± ¡°And miss such a delicious opportunity?¡± BronzePaw smirked. ¡°I think not.¡± The white garule licked his lips. ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve never beaten you hand to hand,¡± he told her, taking up his stick again. Guin gripped her spear, fear and anger taking equal turns ebbing through her, leaving her to want to fight him as much as she wanted to run away from him. ¡°But,¡± he said, pointing at BronzePaw with one of his bones. ¡°You¡¯ve never fought me as an Undying before.¡± The smile on BronzePaw¡¯s face faded. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± she growled, entering into an attack stance. Guin re-cast her buffs. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll deal with the consequences later,¡± he replied gruffly, then began to play. BronzePaw leaped toward him, crashing into the skulls with a well-executed [Earthquake], shattering the area of Ibraxis¡¯s feet. The action took him by surprise, his eyes widening as he jumped back, bells and bones ringing in the midst of the tinkling of shattered skull shards. ¡°Magic?¡± Guin heard him mutter. ¡°Really?¡± he called out with an amused voice. ¡°You, sister? Do you really want to push at that thin line of what is and isn¡¯t acceptable? I don¡¯t think you¡¯d handle the life of a sutak very well, let me be honest with you.¡± BronzePaw chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Vaguely annoyed that the situation had devolved into something more or less resemblant of a sibling sparring match, Guin shadow stepped behind Ibraxis with a backstab, but her blade caught in his bracer. He pushed her away with a grunt and a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna lie,¡± Ibraxis said in his heavily accented, parrot-like English. ¡°That ability of yours is annoying.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± she spat. Rage filled her as the familiar sound of his voice echoed through her ears. ¡°Let me guess, you were never level 14, or 16, or whatever, were you?¡± ¡°I admit, I have a cloaking ability on my gear and stats,¡± he told her. ¡°But so do you, so...¡± ¡°I knew your gear was too good,¡± she growled. ¡°But, that was the only lie I told,¡± Ibraxis frowned. ¡°The rest that you believe to be ¡®lies,¡¯ I think, were all just assumptions you made based on the lenses through which you viewed them. That is not my fault.¡± Though she couldn¡¯t say that he was wrong, she hated every bit of it. ¡°If I did assume,¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°You knew and let me make those assumptions¡ªand that¡¯s almost worse!¡± Lunging at him, she tried to get her spear through to his cloth armor, but he lazily caught the shaft with one hand and pulled her hard, causing her to fall to her knees. ¡°Your stances are still sloppy,¡± he told her, jumping back and landing on the head of one of the monks just before BronzePaw landed with another [Earthquake] spell. Guin heard him start to chant. The bronze garule cursed as she looked at the white one with contempt. ¡°He¡¯s toying with us,¡± she growled, clenching her fists. ¡°Just wait till I get my hands around that little neck of his...¡± Guin and BronzePaw took off, rushing him at the same time. If I could just get close enough to trip him... If they could keep interrupting his casting, they might have had a chance. But with a loud series of cracks and crashes, Guin felt all the hope drain out of her. ¡°Wah¡ª!¡± she cried, suddenly feeling a tug from behind her. Ibraxis had a very smug look on his face. BronzePaw let out a series of curses as they were lifted from the ground. Guin kicked as she dangled in the air. Furiously struggling and looking around for what was responsible, she saw that a great, thick, leafy vine had grown behind her, with one grasping her by the tail. Other vines began to sprout and grow, running over her waist and legs. It, and several others, had sprouted amidst the path of skulls below. ¡°This is cheap ability!¡± Guin heard BronzePaw shriek. The bronze garule was also wrapped up with a vine; Guin could see her struggle from the corner of her eye. ¡°I hate plants!¡± Other vines began to sprout and grow up, running over her arms and legs. ¡°God¡ªDamn¡ªPlants¡ª¡± Guin muttered, trying to hack away at the vines¡ªbut they were too thick for her light blades to cut through. Eventually, the vines wrapped around her arms and held them tight to her body. ¡°Are you two done?¡± Ibraxis started, looking at his claws. ¡°You guys are at least forty levels short of being able to break those vines.¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Guin laughed as they helplessly hung, blood rushing to her head. ¡°At least¡ªI¡¯m¡ª not a¡ªl-liar! Damn¡ªGarule...¡± Ibraxis shrugged. ¡°Take it as you like. This time, though,¡± the garule said, bowing. ¡°It¡¯s my win.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡ªSathuren!¡± BronzePaw cried. The vines around Guin began to tighten as Ibraxis began to chant again. Shit, shit, shit! Guin couldn¡¯t breathe as it was, but she couldn¡¯t help but cry out as the vines wrapped around her neck and body like some kind of constricting snake. The fear she had worked so hard to overcome began settling within her once again. ¡°Goodbye, Miss Guin,¡± Ibraxis said, and Guin¡¯s life ended for the first time since she had started playing TheirWorld.
*** Dassah ripped the headset off. ¡°God, damn it!¡± she cried, her eyes burning with tears. Feeling like a fool, she sniffled as she tried to hold them back. ¡°What the hell is his problem?¡± she yelled at nothing, working at taking off her gear, trying not to break it as she angrily stripped it off. Ibraxis hadn¡¯t just reminded her of Sathuren. He was Sathuren¡ªand he had betrayed every ounce of trust and goodwill she had managed to build up toward him. Was this what she got for trusting the garule? No, she told herself, taking deep breaths. Bahena was still there. Bahena still defended her. And Tea, too. Tea was innocent. If she hated anyone, she told herself, it had to be him and him alone. Now that she knew it was him. From that day on the train to the apartment to her training session at the dojo¡ªIbraxis knew everything yet still treated her the way he had in-game. Had it ended with a mystery solved, it would have been over¡ªbut what the hell was he doing, fighting them? Even his sister! After everything they¡¯d been through, and for what? And what the hell is a sutak, and why do they get so pissed about it? Guin¡¯s brow furrowed. There could only be one answer to the mystery, and that was Ibraxis and Sathuren. Grinding her teeth, Guin opened up a web browser and typed in the term she had been putting off: Sutak. [End Book Two] Chapter 107 Ba-Dum. Ba-Dum Ba-Dum-tak-dum-tak-dum. Ba-dum-tak-dum-tak-dum. Drums echoed in the dark, but this time, a face. A body. White feathers and white scales, wrapped in colorful, geometrically patterned cloth. He moved in tune to the drums and the crashing of bells and chiming of bones in a simple yet hypnotic manner. And then there were the eyes. Molten gold. Brilliant. Ageless. Immortal. Impossible, her brain muttered, then accused: Liar. The sounds reverberated through her, fighting to overcome each of her senses, threatening her very sense of self. But she fought. She stared, screaming on the inside that she would not let the strange entity take over her thoughts and mind. But it did take over her dreams. As the world filled with color, she shouted at the familiar, yet strange, figure before her, playing the drums: ¡°Why are you here? What do you want?¡± The drums ceased. The image flickered away like a spark that had failed to catch, and she was alone. Alone, save for a gentle breeze that brushed against her skin. A light appeared, glowing like the end of a tunnel, and she ran. Desperately, she ran, wondering, hoping that it would lead her out of this accursed dream and every other one she faced night after night. At last, she reached the end and broke into the light, slamming the doors wide open into the sun. Warm, fresh air fell over her like a blanket as she heard an unfamiliar giggle escape her throat. It was a soft, energetic sound, infectious in its glee. But it was not her sound. Moves made were not her moves. She was merely a watcher. But a watcher of what? Gaze sweeping over the golden sea below; she listened to the gulls as they cried above her. She was waiting. Waiting. Watching. And then, as if to answer a desire yet unknown to herself, a spout of water rose out of the sea like a geyser. The mist left from the sudden burst shimmered into a rainbow of colors. Her eyes grew as wide as the smile on her face as she climbed up onto the bar of the railing, hanging her small body over the edge to get a better look at the whale-like creature that was flirting with the surface. ¡°What are you doing?¡± a voice she knew yet, didn¡¯t, asked in slight alarm. It was deep and warm and masculine, if a little bit tired. ¡°Father, it¡¯s Avalon!¡± she cried in a voice that she knew was not her own, pointing out into the open sky with her small, thin hand. Too thin, to her eyes, but she knew her eyes were not her own. ¡°Look! Out there!¡± Footsteps approached, and strong, sturdy hands grasped her around her waist. ¡°What did I tell you about naming the animals?¡± he asked with a great deal of exasperation as he pulled her away from the rail. ¡°Why can¡¯t they have names?¡± she asked with a voice filled with indignant innocence. ¡°Hope and Balowar have names.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± Father said. ¡°They are pets.¡± ¡°Doctor Sere told me Balowar wasn¡¯t a pet... Why is Avalon different?¡± she went, crossing her arms as he set her back down. ¡°He¡¯ll live longer than Hope and Balowar,¡± she continued to mumble, looking back at him. She could not make out the details of his face. It reminded her of how she could see the carvings in the golden hall, yet at the same time, she could not¡ªbut a feeling of great love and affection filled her. ¡°And me, for that matter. Probably you, too. Probably even Doctor Sere!¡± Father sighed deeply and petted her on the head. ¡°He very likely will,¡± he told her softly. ¡°He very likely will.¡± Knowing that tone in Father¡¯s voice, she poked at her knees and puffed out her cheeks. ¡°Father,¡± she went, attempting to change the subject. ¡°Why don¡¯t Jace and Doctor Sere get along?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°¡®Mr.¡¯ Jace to you, sweetling,¡± he said with gentle yet mild annoyance. This obviously was not the correct topic to change to, either, but very likely for different reasons. ¡°And that¡¯s because Jace is... Jace.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t call him ¡®Mr.,¡¯¡± she pointed out sourly. ¡°Doctor Sere doesn¡¯t either. Why should I?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Father told her. ¡°You should be better than us. Better than any of us.¡± ¡°What does ¡®sutak¡¯ mean, anyway?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Doctor Sere?¡± he asked her, not unkindly. Looking down into her lap, she played with her fingers. She wore a pale robe of seafoam green lined with white lace. Kicking out her bare feet one at a time, she sucked on her lips. ¡°Are you still afraid of him?¡± Father asked. Her eyes turned back to the sea. ¡°He says he can¡¯t save me,¡± she said. ¡°He says I¡¯m going to die.¡± Father was silent at that. ¡°...He is a very honest man,¡± he managed to get out in a hoarse voice. ¡°Perhaps too honest.¡± ¡°I wish he would lie to me,¡± she confided to Father softly. ¡°Like you and all the others...¡± ¡° ¡ª¡ª !¡± he scolded, though the word was muffled, echoing in such a way that it may as well have been said underwater. From the situation, she assumed it was her name. ¡°It¡¯s not a lie ¡ª¡ª.¡± ¡°It is!¡± she yelled at him, standing quickly and clenching her fists. Tears burned her eyes as she glared at him. ¡°It is because Doctor Sere never lies, not like you do!¡± With that, feeling both satisfaction and horror as she said her piece, she ran back through the doors, back into the darkness¡ªthen towards another light. The sun was against her face once again when she walked out. The air was thick and moist as she sniffled and leaned against the dark bark of a tree. Sharp calls of birds she knew the names of yet could not name came from overhead as she wiped her nose across the back of her arm. Her words stung even her. She had meant them too, but regret filled her the moment she had left the room. But now, where was she? It was a calm place¡ªa place where she knew her body and mind were safe. And then, golden eyes, once again, ancient within a youthful face, looked over at her. ¡°Silly girl...¡± a voice came along with an offered, scaled hand with soft white feathers ascending from the wrist. Delicately carved bracelets of green and red stone wrapped in gold dangled around their wrist. She reached out to take that hand, but the eyes before her turned cruel. The offered hand withdrew and turned into sharp claws as the garule once again turned into a dragon. But this time, there were none of the usual apologies issued, and, as a little girl filled with fear, she stared into the dragon¡¯s cavernous throat as it chomped down upon her small body. *** Dassah rubbed her eyes. Staring up at the ceiling, she vaguely wondered what it would be like to be a spider, mostly because she didn¡¯t want to think about anything else. Not that her brain let her be distracted for very long. She knew now. ¡®Sutak¡¯. In garuli culture, a ¡®sutak¡¯ is any individual who does not adhere to the rigid societal expectations of their clan. This can mean anything from a birth defect or deformity to beliefs or desires that are not in line with the standards set by the clan and its Matriarchs. While these rules can vary from clan to clan, the general rule of law is fairly standard throughout their homeworld of Gathori, leaving most sutak to be executed, exiled, or simply left to die. Closing her eyes, the passage ran through her mind repeatedly, intermixed with the words of Bahena and Sathuren. And now, the people in her dreams. People whose eyes she not only saw through but whose voices she could hear. People whom she spoke through; felt emotions through. Ah, she thought to herself, looking back up at the ceiling. That¡¯s what this feeling is. Drained. Emotionally mentally drained. Pure exhaustion. She managed to sit herself up and look out the set of glass doors in her room that led out onto the balcony. Unlike the child in her dream, her view looked out over the hollow city rather than out to sea, which was far busier and filled with colors and animation. Her death in TheirWorld had locked her out for the day, she knew, and the next day, she would have school. So what was she to do with this sudden free time? What did she do before TheirWorld? Still dazed, she fumbled with her phone. There were messages. Many messages. But the phone went limp in her hand as she stared at it. She knew that it was from Elric and Stella and maybe even Bahena, asking her about why she hadn¡¯t been able to join them or just to check up on her, but she didn¡¯t have the energy left to explain. There was no strong desire to associate with anyone at all, let alone people who would spark a conversation with her. What she wanted to do was talk to Sathuren and ask him why he had kept appearing in her dreams since they met. Ask him why he had killed her and Bahena the way he had. Maybe even get a little bit of revenge. But how could she? Sucking on her lip, her eyes were drawn to Bahena¡¯s name on her chat list and tilted her head. Of course, now that she knew who he was, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be all that big a deal after all. She would be safe if she went through Bahena, wouldn¡¯t she? Not that she wanted Bahena to know anything about her interest in her apparent brother. But it was a chance. So, before she lost her courage, Dassah clicked on the name and asked the question. Chapter 108 Bahena offered to go with her, but the more she thought about it, the more Dassah wanted to go by herself. Part of it was based on stubborn principles. Part of it was how awkward it would be to explain Dassah¡¯s coincidental relationship with Sathuren at the last minute, let alone her dreams. The other part was it was Dassah¡¯s own dare to herself. She could handle the garule in-game now. She needed to suck it up and prove to herself that she could handle them in real life. ¡°Ibraxis¡± had given her the perfect opportunity as, according to Bahena, he lived in one of the biodomes owned by their regular campus, which was also where he conducted his research. With his home and office being one and the same, there should have been plenty of other people and security in the area. Not that ¡®office¡¯ was the word Dassah would have used as she stood outside the massive building. Biodomes were absolutely enormous structures. She had seen several of them from afar, amazed by not only the sheer size of them and many others like it, but also by the technology that went into generating spaces of the simulated environments of other worlds. Her, Bahena, and Stella had talked about taking a trip to one someday to spend their special currencies, but this was the first she had ever been to. Sunlight glinted off the glass, set in a clear, geometric but frameless glass-like material. Through it, she could see all the greens and reds and blues and yellows of the forest within. There were flowers she had never seen before, blooming with colors she wasn¡¯t sure she had words to describe and birds with bright feathers flying from perch to perch with the semblance of a mountain in the distance. A cloudy atmosphere hung above it all¡ªat least what she could see¡ªleaving traces of perspiration and condensation on the glass. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, overcome with the sheer excitement the taste of real adventure brought her, she forgot why she had gone in the first place. There were many such biodomes in the Iceberg Cities, and they were used for many purposes. Oftentimes, they were used as parks, gardens, and classrooms to educate people about others¡¯ homeworlds or ecosystems. They were also often used as workshops or places for resource management, similar to the native-based Point Wars that were used for farming and plantations. Sometimes, they even served all purposes at once. Given that Bahena had given this address as Professor Sathuren Sul¡¯s office, she assumed that it was mostly used as a public space. A large sign at its front read ¡®Gathori ¡ª Tethoth Kurr¡¯ in the valkyrian language of Isoli, and a plaque at the side had a painted map and several brochures that were free for people to take. Dassah walked up to the map and looked for the name of the gray garule. A directory off to the side listed several classroom amphitheaters, two research gardens, and a museum, along with several office locations that were also listed with home addresses. Professor Sathuren Sul, area 6... Finding his name, she looked at the map again, seeing how the dome was separated into various blocks. ¡°Holy crap!¡± she exclaimed, looking at it. Surface-wise, the biodome was about the same size as the inner wards, like where Dassah and the others lived, but the majority of it was sparsely populated¡ªif it was populated at all. Between the in-mountain apartments and the little villages that did exist, the surface was listed to home a total of ten thousand people. In contrast, the surface population of the Io ¡®Berg was about one million. With the land-to-population disparity and the fact that someone had to be responsible for whatever was going on on the domes, she was only partially alarmed that the area assigned to Bahena¡¯s brother looked to cover about a hundred acres alone. It was an awful lot of land for her to get lost in. Or to be murdered in, she tried not to think but did anyway. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Luckily, there was a doorbell of sorts for each area, and Dassah pressed it, hoping that, at the very least, there would be someone to know that she was there if something did happen. ¡°This is Professor Sul¡¯s office,¡± a smooth, energetic voice came from above her. ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°Um,¡± Dassah started, trying not to lose her nerve. ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s just¡ªI¡¯ve been sent by Bahena Sul? With some... papers?¡± ¡°Ah! Professor Sul was expecting them. Do come in! He¡¯s left to survey the grounds, but I¡¯ll page him for you, and he should find you momentarily.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Dassah said with a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t think she would need an appointment to just meet him. Maybe she didn¡¯t, she thought, feeling guilty about the lie she had told. Bahena would probably forgive her? She turned to face the door. Inhaling, she pushed open the metal door. There was a small lobby with a smaller set of doors to the actual building. Several signs were hung about the room, telling visitors to make sure the doors were shut as the inner doors would remain locked until the outer doors were fully closed. Dassah checked them and proceeded through the inner doors. Paradise greeted her. Her breath caught in her throat as the smells of sweet flowers, herbs, and earth hung in the thick air of the deep, dark jungle. Different from Yidar¡¯s flora, it seemed that Gathori¡¯s plants were not very different from the colors on Earth¡ªand there was so much of it! The sounds of birds and other animals reached her ears, along with the snapping of branches and rustling of trees, creating dense layers of sound, the likes of which she hadn¡¯t experienced since she was a girl. At the entry point, there was another large map and a great variety of trail markings telling her in which direction she should go. Area 6 was marked with a thick yellow line that branched off into several different paths. The one she wanted had a grey dot in the center. An appropriate choice, she thought. Easy to remember. A small, colorful garule she assumed to be male smiled at her and asked if she needed any help, but she thanked him and shook her head before starting her way down the yellow-marked path. Reminding herself to breathe, Dassah went forward; the feel of the earth breaking beneath her feet was nostalgically comforting¡ªeven more so than it was in TheirWorld. It was real. Tangible. Dassah paused and knelt, touching the dirt with her fingers. It was dark, moist, and smelled like cinnamon and leather. Looking up into the canopy, she was shocked to see that the sky was a bright teal color that reminded her of pictures she had seen of tropical islands on Earth. As she walked on, she saw strange, fascinating creatures she had never seen before. Curious and seemingly friendly, they observed her. They were probably no more sure about what to make of her than she was of them. ¡°Oh!¡± Dassah turned in circles a few times, looking back down the path that she had come up from. How long had she been walking? When was the last time that she had seen a yellow marker? How far from the entry had she come? The blood drained from her face as she flipped around, realizing she no longer knew which was forward and which was back. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as she stood in the center of the path. The woods, which had seemed so beautiful and kind before, now seemed as if they were filled with shadows. Songs of birds and the chittering of animals turned into wild screams and threatening whispers, and the trees turned into dragons. Clutching her skirt tight in her hands, her body convulsed as her mind told her to relax¡ªbut it could not stop the fierce beating of her heart nor the pressure that gripped her lungs. Breathe, she told herself, though her eyes began to water as the shortness of breath set in. You¡¯re okay. They know you¡¯re here. They will find you. And then what? The positive logic that half her brain was using to calm her body down began to feed into the negative impulses of the other half. This was garuli territory. This was not a game. Snap! Dassah¡¯s eyes shot open, and her head went to her right as the sound echoed through the jungle. She blinked as two large, golden eyes stared out at her from between dark-colored leaves. Realization, though delayed, set in quickly as she stepped backward and let out a muffled cry as she tripped over a stick that caught around her ankle. Covering her mouth with her hand, she watched and waited as the creature stepped out from its cover with a breathy snort. Chapter 109 ¡°Not exactly the reaction that I expected, but I¡¯ll take it,¡± Sathuren Sul said, leaning down to offer her a hand. Dassah stared at him, her mind and heart racing as she acclimated to his sudden appearance. His grin twitched as he retracted his hand and knelt in front of her. ¡°Ah, right,¡± he muttered, scratching the gray feathers on the back of his head. ¡°Anyway, are you all right?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± she started, her hand going out slightly from her face in his direction, but her voice seemed lost to her. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course, he would misunderstand... She hadn¡¯t meant to offend him again, but it seemed like she was very good at it. She sat up and brushed her hands together to get off the dirt and wood bits that had stuck to them when she had fallen back. A stinging pain shot through her hand and up her arm. Brushing more carefully revealed a small gash from some stick or stone or something of the like when she had fallen. With a shuddering breath, she rubbed her hands on her skirt and pushed herself up. ¡°Hey,¡± he went, looking up at her with furrowed brows. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± Dassah shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she managed to say somewhat cordially. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch.¡± ¡°...That plant you fell on is poisonous,¡± he informed her, pointing at the place where she had fallen. ¡°What?¡± she exclaimed, looking at the mild growth around her feet and then at him with wide eyes. His tail wriggled as his straight face turned up into a grin. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Chuckling, he stretched like a cat, digging his claws into the dirt before standing back up and crossing his arms. ¡°So what brings you here, miss, ¡®I¡¯m not hurt, but my hand is bleeding¡¯?¡± With a frown, she looked at her hand again. It really hadn¡¯t been much, but the blood around it was beading up more than she thought it should have. With another sigh, she said, ¡°It¡¯s really nothing,¡± and blew on it. ¡°I was on my way to see you,¡± she told him, then looked down sheepishly. ¡°If you have time, that is. I was heading toward your office, but I, uh...¡± ¡°Got lost?¡± he mused. Dassah ducked her head but heard him laugh a little. ¡°Come with me,¡± Sathuren said, gesturing toward the trail that she had been walking on earlier. ¡°I at least have time to get that scratch seen to, and then you can tell me why you¡¯ve gone so far out of your comfort zone to come to bother me at work.¡± ¡°Where...?¡± She started, following as he started walking. ¡°There¡¯s an outpost near here,¡± he told her, waving his hand without much care as to the exact location of the place. The rocky ground of the patch crunched under her feet as she moved to catch up. Guin I most certainly am not, she thought to herself, wearily watching as Sathuren¡¯s tail moved behind him like a snake in the grass. If she had been Guin, she would have ignored that detail and just walked up beside him. Dassah, as she was, just held her hands tightly as she shuffled, suddenly increasingly aware of the fact that she was in a strange place to meet a creature she hardly knew. Let¡¯s start by not referring to him as a ¡®creature¡¯ from now, okay? She scolded herself. Angling his head to see her behind him, he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I am surprised that you took the initiative to come here,¡± he told her. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to re-evaluate you, at least a little bit¡ªthough maybe you should have worked on your resolve.¡± She knew she looked at him like a small, frightened animal; she couldn¡¯t help it. She also couldn¡¯t help feeling a little guilty as he frowned and scratched his chin. ¡°So, how did you get to be my sister¡¯s friend?¡± Dassah paused at the question. ¡°Friend¡±? Did Bahena see her as a friend? It was true that the garule woman had worked with her and played with her, but they had only known each other for such a brief period of time that the word just didn¡¯t ring true. She could have been Guin¡¯s friend, but even when they were fighting Ibraxis, Bahena¡¯s stance and words seemed more of a reaction than a meaningful pronouncement. Her heart sank as she realized that the answer she had to give was ¡®no¡¯¡ªBut... I wish it were true... still, she dismissed the thought and shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s just my roommate. We aren¡¯t really... friends...¡± she told him.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She cowered back as his smile turned down into a taut, fake-looking thing. Not terribly happy with the answer herself, she looked into the greens of the jungle around them. Rubbing her fingers together as her hands trembled, she pressed down on the gash in her palm. As her wound burned with the sensation of the stinging pain, her eyes burned with tears. You idiot, she scolded herself. Why did you even come here? ¡°Miss Graydon?¡± When she opened her eyes again, Sathuren was staring at her with a look of concern. You want to be Bahena¡¯s friend, the voice in her head admitted as she looked at him. You want to be his friend too, she thought bitterly. You are just too much of a coward to accept it if it were even offered. And what right do you have to be? You¡¯ve spent half the time you knew them¡ª him¡ªmaking all sorts of assumptions. ¡°Are you... all right?¡± he asked her, tilting his head. His eyes flickered to her hands, which she hid behind her back. At the motion, he raised his eyes to hers. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, pushing her hair behind her ears. ¡°Sorry. I just... I¡¯m not sure... What do I call you?¡± Twitching, he said, ¡°You avoid my question, I¡¯ll avoid yours.¡± Blinking, she answered, ¡°That¡¯s... remarkably childish.¡± ¡°So is hiding your pain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything.¡± ¡°Tell that to someone who hasn¡¯t spent most of his life hiding. They might actually believe you,¡± he told her, his tail wrapped loosely around his feet. ¡°I am not obligated to tell you anything,¡± Dassah told him indignantly, her face flushed as she brushed past him and went along the trail in the general direction they had been heading. ¡°Well, I can easily guess that I¡¯m not your friend either,¡± he said, following her. Stopping in her tracks, Dassah turned and looked at him in astonishment. ¡°How in the¡ªin what universe would you and I be friends? With our history?¡± she asked, stupefied. ¡°Let¡¯s leave aside my general, obvious... d-distaste? Fear? Of your kind¡ªyou just killed me last night! For no reason!¡± ¡°In a video game,¡± he pointed out, dismissing most of what she said, it seemed, though she could tell her logic wasn¡¯t lost on him. Scoffing, she said, ¡°Like that makes it any better. Friends. What friends.¡± Sathuren scratched his chin thoughtfully. ¡°I guess that¡¯s... a bit fair,¡± he said, holding his hand out, but he took it back quickly and placed it on his hip. ¡°I guess we really haven¡¯t formally met, either. I¡¯m Sathuren Sul. You can just call me ¡®Sav¡¯. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Graydon.¡± He bowed. ¡°You¡ª¡± Dassah bit, then sighed. ¡°Dassah,¡± she said simply, eyeing him over. ¡°What is going through your head, exactly?¡± ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t help for you to know that I knew exactly what impression you had of me from the start and just let you run with it,¡± he snorted at her with a smirk as he stepped around her with his careless, cat-like grace. Words failed her as she watched him fall on all fours and hop soundlessly up steep stone cliffs that lead up to a small outcropping. The bemused expression on his face as he laid down his head in hand to watch her sent a twinge of annoyance running through her. He had been screwing with her the whole time. She was almost impressed. Almost. ¡°You coming or what, awkward frightened human?¡± Annoyance turned to anger. ¡°You... You big jerk!¡± she yelled up at him. Sav laughed out with his strange bird-like chirping before putting his head down on the rock face. ¡°You are not wrong,¡± he gave her. ¡°But let¡¯s at least admit that it¡¯s kind of your fault.¡± ¡°How is it my fault you never told me anything even when I asked!¡± she shouted, making her own way up the rocks. It was steeper than it had looked. Cursing as her foot slipped, she managed to find her footing again and pulled herself up. When she got to the top, Sathuren was kneeling, looking at her with sad, tired eyes. As she huffed and puffed from the climb, her resolve to argue with him started to fade. ¡°You are free to say whatever you like about me,¡± he told her, offering her a thick stick to grab onto. ¡°But, Bahena obviously thinks of you as her friend. It would be nice if you at least didn¡¯t dismiss that.¡± Dassah took the stick and let him help her up. Breathless, she sat in the dirt and took a rest. Feeling more ashamed than she had before, she folded her hands and stared at the ground. As he threw the stick back into the forest, she watched his broad back with apologies that she didn¡¯t know how to voice. ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± Sav suddenly exclaimed, turning. He scratched the back of his head, looking flustered. ¡°Sorry, is your hand okay? I should have taken the other path...¡± Her heart constricted as she pulled her legs in and hugged them. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine.¡± His feather rose slightly, but if he was going to say something, he stopped himself. Folding his arms tight against his chest, he said, ¡°Come on. We aren¡¯t far from the outpost now.¡± Chapter 110 The ¡®outpost¡¯ was less what Dassah would have called an ¡®outpost,¡¯ and more of what she would call an information center. Several garule, large and small alike, sat behind desks. Some were typing furiously, others looked... less productive, to say the least. In a separate small paddock area, a large garule woman was holding an even larger creature that Dassah had never seen before, as a smaller one was inspecting its yellowed teeth. With wide eyes, Dassah looked at it. Standing at least six feet high with an owlish face, plate-sized brown eyes watching the garule in front of him as they waved a flashlight around its canine-esqe mouth. Great tufts rose at either size of its massive head, and a line of quills ran from its forehead to the tip of a long, monkey-like tail, ending in something that looked an awful lot like a stinger. And then her eyes fell to its feet. Each paw had four enormous claws, like those that Dassah had often seen in books about raptors or T-Rexs. Feeling lightheaded, Dassah suddenly felt that the garule weren¡¯t so bad anymore. ¡°Alkiro having tooth problems again?¡± she heard Sathuren ask as he nonchalantly started walking over to the beast. Dassah raised a hand to stop him but settled back into a shiver and edged closer to the paddock, trying to convince herself it was just a big hedgehog. The large garule holding the beast looked up and nodded at him as the smaller one gave him a side glance and let the creature shut its mouth. ¡°I am quite convinced that if the fool animal would stop thinking rocks were a viable food group, he¡¯d be able to chew his food without lashing out irrationally,¡± the smaller one said, flicking his tail back and forth. The beast opened its wide mouth and dragged its large pink tongue across his face. The new garule¡¯s green and yellow feathers fully rose as he pushed it away. ¡°None of that now,¡± he said, pointing at it as it sat and panted at him. Sav and the large garule laughed, and even Dassah smirked, feeling a little bit safer at the puppyish behavior of the unknown animal¡ªat least until it noticed her presence and shot its intense gaze in her direction. She froze in her steps and lowered her eyes to its feet. ¡°Alkiro,¡± Sav¡¯s voice warned. Dassah saw its tail wag¡ªbut in a short, guarding way that, in dogs, generally meant strangers should back off. ¡°Come here, let me see what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Who is your human friend?¡± the large garule asked. She was brown feathered, a similar color to Bahena, but her face was quite a different shape, and her eyes were bright blue. Sav looked back at Dassah and smirked. ¡°My sister¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Bahena¡¯s?¡± she asked. ¡°Why is she over there?¡± ¡°Aside from the fact that garule are a fairly new concept to her,¡± Sav said, as he opened the beast¡¯s mouth and stuck his head into it without so much as a second of hesitation. ¡°I am a hundred percent certain she¡¯s never seen an athradral before.¡± The green and yellow garule nodded as if he understood everything. ¡°Athradral are perfectly magnificent creatures. Magnificent,¡± he said. ¡°Though, I admit, they are a little bit... tricky. Normally I¡¯d say that Alkiro would be perfect to introduce the species,¡± he gave the creature a nasty look. ¡°But he¡¯s been eating rocks. Of all things.¡± Sav hmm-ed. ¡°Least he knows to ask for help when he needs it,¡± he said. Dassah scowled at him as he put his hand up against the insides of Alkiro¡¯s molars. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve done what you can, Ithiko, Muraha.¡± Removing himself from the threat of Alkiro¡¯s jaws, Sathuren reached for a towel as the athradral rubbed its head quite firmly against him, pushing him off balance. Sav snorted at it as he wiped his hands, then scratched the back of its neck. ¡°Ithiko, do you have some antiseptic and bandages suitable for humans out here?¡± The green and yellow garule nodded and looked at Dassah. ¡°Why? Is your little human pet injured?¡± ¡°First off, she¡¯s not a pet,¡± Sav shook his head. ¡°Second off, if she were, she¡¯d be my sister¡¯s.¡± Dassah opened her mouth to protest but instead took to grasping her blouse quite tightly as she hugged herself. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have things to say. It was that her voice had left her again. ¡°Miss Graydon?¡± Sav called. ¡°Come on over; Alkiro is cautious in the same way most animals are. He won¡¯t hurt you if you don¡¯t hurt him.¡± There was a hint of something in his voice as he spoke that Dassah wanted to argue with, but with her voice trapped in her throat, there was little point in trying. Slowly, with eyes on as many of the claws in the area as she could keep track of at once, she moved close to the paddock. Sathuren chuckled. ¡°Stop, stop,¡± he said, and Guin saw him waving as he leaned on Alkiro¡¯s head. The female, who Dassah assumed was Muraha, handed him a pack with a green paw on it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s a bench on the other side. Head over there. I¡¯ll take the kit to you.¡± Look at you, Dassah scolded herself as she located a small sitting area, feeling awfully pathetic as the gray garule went out of his way to make her feel more comfortable. She couldn¡¯t even finish the thought, she was so frustrated with herself. Sathuren handed her the kit and sat on a bench across from hers. ¡°Make sure you wash it first,¡± he told her. ¡°I assume you know what to do from there.¡± Dassah nodded dumbly as she opened the kit to find some wet wipes, creams, and bandages of various sizes. ¡°I also assume that you didn¡¯t have time to actually get the papers Bahena was supposed to deliver to me between now and when she called me this morning to tell me you were coming,¡± he said in a bemused voice. Dassah froze and looked at him quickly, but his smirk didn¡¯t tell her much. ¡°So what exactly are you here for, other than lying to my secretary? Killing you in a video game should do the opposite of prompting a sudden visit to a person you hardly know¡ªand don¡¯t really like.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I...¡± she started. I keep seeing you in my dreams, and I want to know why, she thought in her head, though it suddenly sounded very silly and not the place she wanted to start, even if it was her main motivation. ¡°I found out what a sutak is,¡± she said instead, looking up at him. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I understand fully, but... I¡¯m sorry. I guess I really should have done more research about... everything, really.¡± He blinked at her. ¡°So you came to me... for what?¡± he asked. ¡°I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to find me in person, but you could have just said something on the train or at the dojo. Why are you here?¡± She stared at him blankly. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Why was she there? Staring at the wound in her hand as she absently wiped a wet cloth over it, she tried to pull words out of her mind that didn¡¯t make her sound like an impulsive, crazy person. ¡°You know,¡± she started, looking up. ¡°Honestly. I don¡¯t really know.¡± Sathuren looked more confused at that answer than he did before. ¡°I¡¯m upset,¡± she told him. ¡°You were right. I don¡¯t know what I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know the rules of the garule¡ªhow could I? I¡¯m not one, and all I know about them is... enough,¡± she added quickly, looking at the large garule across from her who was decidedly not a female. ¡°Enough to live and pass by them every day with worrying about every little thing¡ªand that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t know if I could even tell you the differences between the genders with any real confidence; I just assumed I knew... enough. Even if I didn¡¯t know what a sutak was, I should have known these things at least! But I¡¯m... Me. And I¡¯m... sorry.¡± ¡°I have to ask,¡± he said dully, obviously impressed that her ignorance seemed to far surpass what he thought it did. ¡°Did you fall asleep during your classes on the way over from Earth?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± she defended, though after she thought a little longer, changed it to, ¡°Maybe.¡± Sathuren sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you, you know,¡± he told her in a quieter voice. ¡°Maybe it was stupid that you didn¡¯t know anything, but... I didn¡¯t really mind you not knowing.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you? Even though you probably knew everything that was going through my head and how stupid it was? I thought you were a woman when I first met you.¡± ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t matter so much,¡± he told her with a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t think my gender affects how we do or do not get along.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it important, as a garule though? Isn¡¯t it what makes you a sutak?¡± Sathuren¡¯s laugh rang through the little alcove. ¡°Last I checked, this, thankfully, is not my homeworld,¡± he pointed out. ¡°And if it were, I¡¯d have bigger problems than the construct that is ¡®gender,¡¯ frankly. I am about as sutak as they come, physically, mentally, emotionally. Exactly what information did you find, and where did you get it from?¡± He laughed out loud again when she told him, causing her face to burn with a great deal of embarrassment. ¡°Now I see,¡± he said, still chuckling. ¡°Mmm,¡± he went, looking her over. ¡°How much do you actually care about this?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Learning about garuli.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know,¡± she told him, biting her lip and thinking about the various reasons she had found her way into this situation. ¡°What do you want out of it?¡± Sav leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. ¡°This can¡¯t be about the fact that I killed you. One thing had nothing to do with the other, I assure you.¡± ¡°Why did you do that then?¡± she asked sourly, though she already knew the answer. ¡°I¡¯m a Candidate,¡± he answered as expected. ¡°There were other Candidates in the area, so I took the points. Also, I wanted to see how strong you were with that new class. I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡± She glared at him. ¡°So you sit in low-level areas to PK unsuspecting Candidates? How great of you.¡± Sav smirked. ¡°It seems unlike Miss Graydon to be so spiteful.¡± ¡°You deserve it,¡± she scoffed. He laughed but said, ¡°We are getting off track. I want to know: What do you want from me? Bahena? The Icebergs themselves, even?¡± ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want anything from you,¡± she told him with a glare but then paused and observed the unfamiliar world around them. The other garuli weren¡¯t paying any attention to her or Sathuren as they sat together quietly. They were all too busy, caught up in their own lives. She envied them and their apparent peace of mind. ¡°But,¡± she started in a small voice. ¡°I want to be able to be Bahena¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Are you free tomorrow morning?¡± he asked after a moment. Dassah looked over at him. ¡°I think so,¡± she said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Come here tomorrow,¡± he told her. ¡°I have a class at 7:45; it just so happens that we are doing a cultural overview. It¡¯s early, I know, and I know I¡¯m not your favorite person, but the offer is there. If you attend, I¡¯ll verify your check-in with the University. It may not answer all of your questions, but at least you would know a little bit more about how much you don¡¯t know.¡± The last sentence was said with a crooked grin and a wink that made Dassah scowl. But when she thought about the offer, she was a little bit happy. ¡°All right,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Good,¡± he answered, standing. ¡°Is that all you need? Are you going to actually put a bandage on that hand of yours or just wipe it raw?¡± Sav pointed to the towel in her hand that she was pressing down on her wound with. ¡°Oh!¡± she went, looking at it. The wound had stopped bleeding and looked like it was already closed. ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± she shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve scraped my hand.¡± She held the sealed-up bag for him to take. ¡°You sure?¡± Dassah nodded. ¡°Do you want me to walk you back?¡± he offered, holding his hand out toward the marked path. ¡°We don¡¯t need you getting lost in here. The last time I found you, it was on purpose.¡± ¡°I should be fine,¡± she told him, feeling considerably better about the trails now that she met a few of the dome¡¯s inhabitants. Sav gave her a very skeptical look. ¡°Really. I grew up in the woods,¡± she reassured him. ¡°You were what I was scared of earlier.¡± Though he snorted at her, he waved her off and stalked back to where Alkito was preening his quills. But while she was walking, Dassah, sometimes looking in the forest to see a flash of gray through the leaves, had a sneaking suspicion that he had followed her to the door anyway. Chapter 111 Stella¡¯s explosive laughter was so loud that nearly all the patrons in the cafe looked up in alarm. Dassah tried to hush her, but her efforts only seemed to make things worse. ¡°Y-You got PKed by B-Bahena¡¯s brother?¡± she exclaimed, kicking around the seat of her chair and the base of the table as she struggled to breathe through her laughing fit. ¡°Oh my god, what delicious irony is this! This is amazing!¡± ¡°The whole world doesn''t have to know!¡± Dassah hissed at her. ¡°Keep your voice down! You¡¯re bothering people!¡± Stella wiped the tears away from her eyes. ¡°Oh, forget that,¡± she said. ¡°Bat-boy isn¡¯t here today, so I¡¯ll have all the fun I want! Bahena¡¯s brother! And you were doing so well! How much therapy do you think you¡¯re going to need after all that?¡± Across the table, Behana stared miserably into her bowl of coffee. ¡°Somehow, I feel like this is all my fault...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Dassah assured her, scowling into her cup. Trying to take the brunt of Stella¡¯s mockery by rationalizing the emotions she had acquired toward Sathuren and the garule in the past 24 hours, she sighed and said, ¡°It really wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. None of it is. I went to talk to him earlier, and everything was... fine.¡± ¡°Y-You...¡± Stella froze as she pointed. ¡°You did what?¡± ¡°At least tell me he behaved appropriately when you saw him?¡± Bahena begged to know. ¡°If he didn¡¯t, just tell me and I¡¯ll make sure¡ª¡± ¡°He was fine Bahena,¡± Dassah told her with exasperation. ¡°More than fine, given the way I treated him this whole time. And before you let Stella feed you any more nonsense about what she thinks I should be feeling about all of this, you should both understand that there was more to it than him Pking me.¡± Stella scoffed. ¡°Well, I should hope so if you went so far as to meet him in person! That¡¯s like... That¡¯s like if I went into a den of giant spiders! I¡¯d die of shock!¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®more to it¡¯?¡± Bahena asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Chimed Stella. ¡°The tea! I want all of the tea!¡± ¡°¡®The tea¡¯¡ªwhat ¡®tea¡¯?¡± Dassah snorted. ¡°There is no ¡®tea¡¯. You already know, Stella; you¡¯re just missing one very important detail to understand: Bahena¡¯s brother, Sathuren, is the same garule in my self-defense class and is the one that used to take the monorail with me in the morning during orientation.¡± The young woman choked on her drink. ¡°Him? Why didn¡¯t you mention that before? And he is Bahena¡¯s brother? What a twist!¡± ¡°I told you to keep it down!¡± Dassah kicked her leg. Looking between them, the bronze garule asked, ¡°What¡¯s this about, now?¡± ¡°If he is him, then they¡¯ve met before¡ªeven before we started living together,¡± Stella answered, eyes narrowing as she looked Dassah over. ¡°In real life. Is that why he killed you? I mean, that¡¯s the reason you went to see him, isn¡¯t it? Correction¡ª¡± she went, holding up a finger. ¡°That¡¯s why you were able to go see him, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Before we moved in...?¡± Bahena started, panic in her voice. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand. Sathuren isn¡¯t usually that kind of person, Dassah, I promise you ¡ª¡± But Dassah shook her head and waved a hand to stop her. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± she said. ¡°And I told you, it¡¯s fine. And he helped me that day you moved in, too. As I said, I used to see him on the monorail a lot. I happened to speak to him the other day because he was helping me. I made a series of assumptions, and misunderstandings followed¡ªhe really didn¡¯t do anything... wrong. ¡± She left out the part about the fact that he didn¡¯t actively attempt to improve the situation, either¡ªa fact that she was still mildly miffed about.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Well,¡± Stella mused. ¡°Until yesterday.¡± Dassah growled but sipped her coffee instead of glorifying the young woman¡¯s sass with a response. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention this to me?¡± Behana asked, cocking her head to the side. Shrugging, Dassah answered, ¡°He was just a... person... I met on the monorail. And, as coincidence would have it, one of my classes. It wasn¡¯t an extraordinary event or anything. It just didn¡¯t seem worth mentioning.¡± Reflecting on the guilt that followed her own words, she sighed before adding, ¡°Even then, he was just someone who... who gave me a hand when I needed it. Even as Ibraxis, until last night, he was... fine.¡± ¡°I... see,¡± the garule woman seemed slightly deflated as she spoke. ¡°But you talked to him? ¡°I did.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It was fine,¡± Dassah shrugged. ¡°Fine?¡± Stella raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fine?¡± Bahena took a turn leaning forward. ¡°Fine,¡± Dassah confirmed. ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Till he hunts you down in TheirWorld again,¡± Stella noted, sipping her coffee. ¡°He might,¡± Dassah admitted. He certainly didn¡¯t make any promises, and if it was about the Candidate quest, it seemed like there would be plenty of reason to until she was high enough level to take him on herself. Dassah¡¯s brows knit together as she replayed the moment in her head again. He had said that it was because they were Candidates competing for the same prize, but he had also said something along the lines of: ¡®The sooner you stop playing, the better...¡¯ Had he spoken without thinking? The sentiment didn¡¯t seem to match the individual she had met earlier. Stella leaned back in her chair and sighed. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°But it really sucks that you guys can¡¯t play today. Can¡¯t you ask him nicely to make sure not to kill you again?¡± ¡°I can,¡± Bahena volunteered with more than a bit of an edge to her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t really get to finish that quest,¡± she said, but a glance at her face told Dassah that that wasn¡¯t really what she was apologizing for. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Dassah shook her head. ¡°And seriously, don¡¯t worry about Sathuren,¡± she told her. ¡°Professor Sul made himself quite clear about the type of person he is.¡± The bronze garule shifted uncomfortably. ¡°It would be unlike him to do something to make the garuli¡¯s image look bad. He may be a bit more rough around the edges, but he¡¯s very conscious about the feelings of others...¡± ¡°Stop that,¡± Stella pointed at her with narrowed eyes. ¡°You are being more paranoid about garuli than Dassah is, and that¡¯s just wrong.¡± Dassah considered Bahena. ¡°You guys are really close, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You and Sathuren.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Bahena blinked. ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Dassah started, then just smiled. ¡°Nothing. I just wish... I hope that my brother is the same way towards me and yours is towards you¡ªeven if I never find out about it.¡± Confused by the statement, Behana blinked. ¡°So he¡¯s got a bit of a sister complex, does he? That is cute,¡± Stella joined. ¡°That¡¯s not really...¡± Dassah said, wondering if the girl couldn¡¯t read social cues or if she simply chose to ignore them. But Stella followed up with: ¡°I can¡¯t wait to actually meet the guy again. Did I think he was attractive? I don¡¯t recall¡ªdo you?¡± ¡°Stella!¡± Dassah groaned, knowing exactly where this was going. ¡°What?¡± the pretty young woman asked with a shrug and a sly smile. Then, she leaned over in toward Bahena. ¡°Is he single? Flexible? Does he like humans? Girls? ¡± ¡°W-Well,¡± the garule woman struggled, scratching the back of her neck as she squirmed under the interrogation. ¡°I-It¡¯s really not my place to...¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Stella said. ¡°I haven¡¯t dated a garule yet.¡± Dassah saw Bahena¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Stella!¡± she hissed again. ¡°I appreciate your... flexibility, Stella,¡± Bahena said slowly, arching her neck up in a regal fashion. There was an unfamiliar nobility in her gaze, her stature, to the way she spoke her next words: ¡°But Sathuren is not to be toyed with.¡± The bronze garule¡¯s eyes¡ªa similar orange-y gold as those of the white garule¡¯s¡ªburned with intent as she stared at the girl, reinforcing her opinion on the matter. But to Dassah, it was more. Wide-eyed, Dassah stared at her garuli companion as those eyes reflected like the dragon in her dreams. But this is Bahena, she told herself, taking a deep breath to calm her heart. Bahena was not a dragon. Unaffected, Stella shrugged with a: ¡°Fair enough,¡± and went back to drinking her coffee. Glaring, Dassah wondered how the girl could live her life like she did and still be alive. She sided with Bahena on this one, but she also doubted that Sathuren was Stella¡¯s type to begin with. Stella tended to like needy people, and Dassah had the impression that the gray-dyed garuli wasn¡¯t like to fit into that niche. The conversation fell into an uneasy silence as they sipped at their drinks. ¡°Well, ladies, I guess I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡± Stella went after a while, collecting her things. ¡°See you then,¡± Dassah waved. Bahena just nodded as Stella left first. Chapter 112 After Stella left, Dassah and Bahena squirmed in silence before they decided to head out themselves. Dassah felt as if she should say something, but she didn¡¯t know quite what. It was all getting too complicated for her liking. ¡°Was I... too hard on her?¡± Bahena asked in a quiet voice as they left the caf¨¦. The little bell of the door chimed as Dassah considered. ¡°If it were anyone else, maybe,¡± she said. ¡°But I understand. Of course,¡± she continued, ¡°I feel like, knowing both of you now, I understand where you¡¯ve been coming from a little better.¡± As they walked toward the central park hex of the hex-block to get to the monorail station, the garule woman¡¯s face fell. ¡°Sathuren... I know he doesn¡¯t need me to be involved in his life¡ªat least not in that way,¡± she confided. ¡°Even if Stella did approach him in... that way, I know he¡¯d deal with it himself. I just... For me... I...¡± Dassah bit her lip. ¡°He¡¯s your brother,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s what family does.¡± Bahena¡¯s eyes lit up a little as she met Dassah¡¯s. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Dassah answered, trying to reassure her. ¡°Just don¡¯t get me involved in your sibling squabbles, and everything is good!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Bahena chuckled. ¡°And if Sav attacks you again, I¡¯ll beat him up!¡± ¡°Maybe I should just have you teach me how to beat him up myself,¡± Dassah grumbled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t so great at using my claws in the game. I guess having some close combat training won¡¯t help me too much against a caster like him, but maybe it¡¯s the experience I lack.¡± Laughing, the garule flexed the muscles in her arm. ¡°I can¡¯t do much to combat his magic, but he¡¯s not that physically strong. You could take him with a little practice!¡± She paused. ¡°You saw him in your self-defense class?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Dassah said. ¡°I registered for a self-defense class. I think he was one of the instructors there; I¡¯m not really sure. He seemed close with the owner, though.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me, either way,¡± Bahena nodded. ¡°I think he does do some meditation training, of sorts...¡± A light ringing sound came from Bahena¡¯s WristComp. Glancing at it, she said, ¡°Sorry, I have to take this.¡± Dassah nodded and walked over to the edge of the city¡¯s platform. Blue leaves from the Yidarian trees floated around, carried by a light breeze as she leaned over the railing and looked out over the golden waters that lapped gently against the side of the ¡®Berg. Gulls cried all around her, outstretched wings casting shadows over the waves. There would be no Avalon in these waters, she knew, yet her dream had given her some sense of expectation. Who was the girl that named the animals? Why did she dream of her? Why did she dream of the girl¡¯s father, and what was Sathuren doing there? Was it all just a product of her imagination? There were too many questions that she was unlikely to have any answers for. The buildings across the waters that surrounded the central city across the span glinted in the dying light as they reflected on the surface of the calm sea. The surface of the ¡®Berg was large enough for whole ecosystems, yet when they were near a point like this, it sometimes felt like they were floating on a lake, held up by narrow stretches of path that led around them. Sunlight warming her skin, she wondered what the girl really felt like, standing in the sun, speaking the words, ¡°...I¡¯m going to die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking rather pensive, aren¡¯t you?¡± a warm voice carried over to her. Dassah looked up to see an unfamiliar dark-haired man with a briefcase smirking over at her. He had warm, brown eyes that glittered like the sea¡ªand yet, Dassah noticed, there was something distinctly... different about them. About him. ¡°Are you coming or going?¡± he asked.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°S-Sorry?¡± Dassah blinked as she asked him. His smirk turned into a smile, causing little crow¡¯s feet to crinkle around his eyes. Brown eyes, yes, but they were odd, ringed like an old tree. She could see his mouth moving and hear sounds that resembled words, but she lost herself, counting the rings in his eyes as if there was some mystery to be solved in them. They made her feel strange. Off. As if she were floating but shackled as her mind spun, losing count a hundred times in a moment. But what was it? What was it about his eyes that stunned her? Did she know this man? Did she not? What was it that made her... fear? The man cleared his throat, and Dassah snapped back into reality. ¡°I have the very unfortunate impression that you didn¡¯t hear a word that I said just now,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s quite rude to stare, you know.¡± ¡°S-Sorry,¡± Dassah mumbled, blushing. She searched his face for recognition. She found none, but she did see a set of four green mystriks in a diamond pattern on his neck and chin. ¡°Do I... Know you?¡± He laughed. ¡°So I was correct!¡± he went, leaning over. ¡°I was just explaining ¡ª we have met, but only just briefly. We bumped into each other the other day,¡± he said, lifting his briefcase up so she could see it more clearly. ¡°Well,¡± he went, shrugging, ¡°You bumped into me really.¡± ¡°O-Oh,¡± Dassah managed to say with only vague recollection, informing her that he was correct. ¡°Oh. Sorry about that...¡± She looked back into the park, finding Bahena to be pacing on the phone a good ways away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I was just thinking, you certainly seem to like coffee.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± she chuckled, wishing Bahena would look her way. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked, a grin spreading across his face. ¡°U-Uhm,¡± she went, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. ¡°Guin,¡± she lied, fiddling with her hands. ¡°Guin!¡± He repeated. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting name!¡± ¡°I... get that a lot,¡± Dassah said, looking down. ¡°I¡¯m Merlyn,¡± he told her, holding out his hand. Dassah took it lightly as he continued, ¡°Merlyn Jace.¡± Freezing, she looked up at him, studying his face. She went to pull her hand back, but he grabbed it more firmly and tugged her closer to him. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Guin,¡± he purred. His eyes, with all their rings of gold, smiled at her¡ªbut they smiled in a way that made her feel like she had been caught. Like he was a hunter and she the prey. They were filled with wisdom and knowledge and all the intent to use those powers in whatever ways suited him, and him alone, and in her mind, the name ¡®Jace¡¯ swam and echoed. Tugging her hand back, she attempted to laugh. ¡°N-Nice to meet you,¡± she bowed. ¡°Um, sorry, but my friend is waiting for me...¡± ¡°Oh, go ahead, please!¡± Jace said, putting his hands in the air. ¡°I hope we meet again soon!¡± Dassah gave a light nod before she started to walk away. Her whole body convulsed as she left the presence of the man. She couldn¡¯t help looking behind her to check if he was still following her. Though she couldn¡¯t see him, she still felt watched. Bahena was still on the phone, speaking garuli at what seemed like a very fast pace compared to what she was used to hearing from Ibraxis. When her eyes fell on Dassah, however, she hung up and furrowed her brow. ¡°Dassah?¡± the bronze garule asked. ¡°Dassah, are you all right? You look like a ghost!¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Dassah went, rubbing her arms. She thought about telling Bahena about her encounter with the man, but her conviction failed her when she saw the look on Bahena¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t want to cause people to worry. After all, it was probably nothing. Her dream had probably spooked her. ¡°I-It¡¯s just the sea breeze,¡± she lied. ¡°It was a little chilly by the water.¡± Looking her over, Bahena gave a very unconvinced ¡°I see,¡± before flicking her tail. ¡°Well, it¡¯s another ten minutes to the monorail. I am going to meet Sathuren for dinner. If there¡¯s anything you need...¡± ¡°No!¡± Dassah said, waving her hands in the air. ¡°No. I just need to get home and get some rest, I think. But...¡± she went, wincing as she looked behind her again. ¡°Mind walking with me to the monorail?¡± Bahena laughed. ¡°Of course not,¡± she said. ¡°I always intended to. I have to take it myself anyway!¡± Smiling, Dassah nodded as they started toward the station again, talking about all manner of things as Dassah did her best to forget Merlyn Jace. Chapter 113 That night, there were no dreams. Only darkness. Yet somehow, the darkness felt more cursed than her dreams ever did. The part of her that wanted to normalize what she felt told her that it was just a result of her being disconnected from TheirWorld. The honest part of her mind, however, knew it was because whatever sleep she had had was an illusion. Time passed under closed lids, but it was a terrible half-sleep, with every sound, movement of shadow and light, or breath of air circulation causing her to jerk awake. And every time she did, she saw the man¡¯s ringed eyes, etched into the back of her lids, looking at her¡ªthrough her¡ªas if he knew more about her than she did. She tried to flail his face away from her, yet she lay paralyzed in the waking dream, a nightmare that gripped her so tight she could only roll her eyes in an attempt to move her body to wake. Her alarm came before the sun rose, loosening the man¡¯s grip on her enough that she was able to struggle her arm away from her side with enough force and intent to hit the snooze button. It took the better part of the five-minute snooze window to pull the rest of her body into moving shape. The momentum of throwing her body forward caused her to lose her balance and fall forward into her hands. Her tingling body felt heavy as if the weight of her worries was made into a real, tangible thing. The alarm sounded again as she rubbed the mist from her eyes. It¡¯s a new day, she told herself. Everything will be fine. You just need some coffee and a few minutes by yourself in your own head... Bit by bit, she managed to coax her numbed limbs into working order as she melted out of bed. She wasn¡¯t sure she managed to measure out the grounds and water correctly for her coffee, but she was beyond the point of caring. She was also hazy about how much sugar and milk she had put into her cup, but that seemed of little consequence as she swayed back and forth over the counter. Perhaps it would have been better if she hadn¡¯t tried to go to sleep at all. She took a couple of ibuprofen to combat the growing pain in her skull, then leaned over the counter in front of the coffee maker. The nutty smell of the steam washed over her like a warm blanket. If she had to choose between this and the dreams, she would have chosen the dreams ten out of ten times. She didn¡¯t understand them, and often, they made her feel things that confused and frightened her¡ªbut they weren¡¯t real. That, and she still woke up from them being functional. They were more like mysteries that she wanted to solve, driven by some unknown need to finish. Her coffee finished brewing, and she filled her cup as high as she dared before she stumbled over to her couch. Curling up with a heavy blanket, she watched the ocean churn on the other side of the glass as she contemplated the rest of her day and drank her over-sweet coffee. As it turned out, there were some fish that were willing to come close to the ¡®Bergs. Three classes to attend and several papers and reports to write before the end of the week. If she didn¡¯t get through at least some of those by the end of the day, she¡¯d have to plan around them over the next few days. That thought wasn¡¯t very appealing¡ªshe¡¯d only just gotten her ability to play again¡ªthough, at that very moment, she wasn¡¯t certain she¡¯d be able to stay awake for that, anyway. As she pieced together the bits of her schedule she could think of, an alarm went off on her smartwatch: 7:45, Prof. Sul. Blinking at the note, she tilted her head at her wrist. Did she really plan on going to his class? Would he actually care if she did or not? Did she care? After being awake all night, she cared less than she probably should have, but at the same time, her restlessness pushed from the back of her mind. It¡¯s only thirty minutes away if I don¡¯t miss the monorail... So she got herself dressed and, unsure of what she was really in for, headed over to the station. Managing to catch a car, she found a place to stand and grabbed a handle that hung from the bar. It¡¯s because I need a distraction, she told herself as she hung lazily, feeling more hungover than she ever did when she drank. In a daze, she wandered what seemed like streets that were far more familiar than they should have been until she found herself outside the doors of the Gathori Biodome. Staring up at the big letters that pronounced the building a habitat of the Garuli homeworld, she cursed, blaming it for her current state even though it had nothing to do with it at all really¡ªeven the master of it whom she sought had little to do with her situation¡ªthough the more she looked, the more her heart twisted in doubt. Was he serious about inviting her there? But as several people gave her odd glances as they walked in past her, she sighed in surrender. She was already there. She may as well just go in and find out.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Staff stood by the doors, taking up positions to ensure proper use of the double door mechanisms that kept things out and in as the large numbers of students passed through. When she asked one of the doormen about Professor Sul¡¯s class, they directed her to one of the trails that she had taken before. Advising her that she would be a few minutes late, they also admitted that she wouldn¡¯t be the only one, so she could always ask along the way if she got lost. Dassah thanked them and went in through the doors with the next wave of students. Tropical heat hit her first, then the smell of the earth, and then the uncomfortable feeling of the humidity, as sweat began to bead up on her skin almost immediately. The sounds of the birds in the trees invited her forward despite that, and the gentle breeze helped whisk the sweat away. Whatever she felt about Professor Sathuren Sul and the other denizens of this place, there was no denying the magic of life held in the glass. Breathing the moist air and brushing her hands against the thick, waxy leaves was all it took to steady her heart. The man called ¡®Merlyn Jace¡¯ frightened her. It was easier to admit when her mind wasn¡¯t full of fog that was thicker than the air in the garuli dome. Somehow, whatever it was she saw hidden in those eyes of his was far more dark and scary than anything she had met in TheirWorld¡ªeven more scary than the dragon in her dreams. And as usual, the scarier the person or event she found herself involved in, the more she realized that her fear of the garuli was nothing more than the superficial fear of a child. And the stronger that that impression grew, the more foolish she felt. She followed along the trail with two other students, but it wasn¡¯t long before Dassah heard a familiar set of sounds carrying over the din. When they came upon a small amphitheater, she let the other two students go ahead and leaned into the bushes at the edge of trees surrounding it. Sathuren Sul stood at the front, giving a presentation to a group of 20 or 30 students. A large holoscreen behind him showed what looked like a battle going on between a small, brightly colored male being beaten by a large, grey female. ¡°As you can see,¡± he was saying in Isoli-Valkyrian, smirking. ¡°Garuli tradition gives new meaning to the phrase, ¡®You hit like a girl,¡¯ depending on where you are from. You should have learned about handling such cultural differences in other classes, but it¡¯s always a good thing to be reminded of¡ªand yes, Mr. Briden, I¡¯m looking at you.¡± Sul pointed at a young blonde man as the class chuckled lightly. ¡°It was one time,¡± the man said, causing the class to ripple with laughter. Sul shook his head with a tragic expression, then pointed at a tivarys girl in the middle of the room who raised her hand. ¡°Yes, Miss Bell?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± she asked. ¡°Or, other sutak like you? How do you fare in such combat?¡± Dassah swore that the garule professor¡¯s eyes flickered over to where she was hiding as he nodded and said, ¡°Well, that depends.¡± He waved to a slide that depicted two garuli. Both looked female, except that the one on the left had the brightly colored scales of a male, while the other was a deep, greenish color. ¡°First, all joking aside, any of these kinds of questions hinge on whether you are talking about societal roles or biological capability. In valkyrian society, societal roles of gender hardly exist, and even biological considerations are teetering on obsolete thanks to modern technology. In other cultures, there are plenty of people who, regardless of societal expectation, overcome one or both of these things¡ªsome with more success than others, and some making huge sacrifices to do so. ¡°For the garuli and their more ¡®traditional¡¯ culture, both parts are important, and those roles are so ingrained into their culture that it¡¯s hard to discuss one without bringing up the other,¡± he continued and brought up a holoscreen connected to writing surface on a stone desk in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s say, for the sake of conversation, that it is a biological normality¡ªand societal rule¡ªthat garule male will never be able to overpower garule female. Reasons, Mr. Havothath?¡± A man at the right said, ¡°Size and muscle structure. Muscle mass of females is always greater.¡± ¡°Okay...¡± Sul scribbled on his board. ¡°Miss Reka?¡± ¡°Experience?¡± she offered, but Sul shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s more social,¡± he told her and drew a line, writing her offering below the line. ¡°Miss Tethane?¡± A earar girl near Dassah went, ¡°How about hormones?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll accept that,¡± he said, then said, ¡°All right, how about societal factors? Anything to add? Mr. Ural?¡± ¡°Any environmental factors,¡± a jikak man answered. ¡°Access to basic needs and territory rivals.¡± ¡°Miss Whenen?¡± ¡°Religion and cultural elements?¡± a tall girl asked. ¡°Garuli are land and spirit worshippers, but it¡¯s polarized according to gender as well; Females are the ¡®land¡¯ and males the ¡®spirits.¡¯¡± ¡°An interesting thing to consider in this topic,¡± Sul told her and closed his writing window. ¡°So, let¡¯s go back to Miss Bell¡¯s question: What about the sutak? ¡°Miss Bell, would you be so kind as to tell the class what a sutak is in your own words?¡± Professor Sul asked, holding his hand out to the crowd. The tivarys girl who had asked the initial question shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ¡°T-They are garuli who do not fit into the societal expectations of the general culture of the clans,¡± she said. ¡°However, the garuli definition of male, female, and sutak fails to account for biological considerations deeper than what is visibly, or culturally, realizable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very kind,¡± Sul nodded at her as he smiled. ¡°And a decent summary¡ªbut it won¡¯t help you on your midterm.¡± The girl shrunk as he clicked to the next slide, which displayed several classifications of sutak-looking garule. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the top, shall we?¡± Chapter 114 ¡°For those of you who haven¡¯t been paying attention¡ªand for those of whom I know did not attend our very first class¡ªand yes, you know I know who you are; keep smiling like you know I won¡¯t punish you for it¡ªthe simplest definition of a sutak from the point of view of your average garule is one who is born outside of any given garuli clan¡¯s definition of societal rules. They are, for all intents and purposes, deformed. Ugly. Misshapen. Wrong,¡± Professor Sul stated simply as he, a sutak himself, stood in a stance that oozed a power and charisma as if to contradict every word he said. He opened his mouth to continue, but his eyes flickered again to where Dassah was hiding in the leaves. This time, he made it much more evident that he knew she was there. With his muzzle, he motioned for her to sit in the amphitheater with the other students. Though she felt her face flushing, she walked out from her hiding place and stepped down into the first available aisle. A few of the students nodded to her as she took a seat. After she settled her bag under her feet, he went on. ¡°But,¡± he started again. ¡°As Miss Bell pointed out, this definition fails to consider anything but the most basic of things¡ªand even, as we will go into a bit later¡ªthe history of their own people. For now,¡± he pointed to the chart behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about basic sutak classifications. Volunteers? How about Miss Grimnar?¡± A dark-furred earar girl lifted her head up from her lap as he called on her. ¡°Um,¡± she said. Dassah was sure she hadn¡¯t been paying attention, a thought that was reinforced by the garule professor nudging his head in the direction of the chart behind him. ¡°Ah¡ªSo, though sutak is a general term, modern study places them into several distinct classes, though clans often do not differentiate along such lines. ¡°First, there is the Pukau Sutak. A Pukau Sutak is a sutak who exhibits the wrong physical traits for their assigned gender. Pukau Sutak are then divided into Kkloi-Pukau Sutak, or females who possess mostly male traits, while Kyorn-Pukau Sutak are males who exhibit majority female traits. ¡°Then there are the Reopi Sutak and the Gi Sutak,¡± continued the girl as if she were reading from a textbook. ¡°Gi Sutak are simply half-breeds. These only began appearing after the valkyrians developed the technology that allowed interspecies breeding between the garuli and other species. Reopi Sutak are a much more controversial subject as they are merely individuals whose personalities don¡¯t match societal expectations of their roles within their clan. ¡°Sutak are generally treated as lepers and are often shipped off to sutak tribes at young ages, where they live or die, depending on their luck. While there are certain exceptions based on family choices, in general, once discovered, all sutak are treated as blemishes on garuli honor and can never be an acceptable presence in public society.¡± Sul scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Impressive,¡± he told her with a light chuckle. ¡°Try to make it sound a little less like you memorized the textbook on your next exam.¡± The class chuckled as Miss Grimnar scowled at him. A boy in the front raised his hand and before he was called on, asked, ¡°Could you give us an actual example of those classifications?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Sul went, considering. ¡°We¡¯ve gone over the very specific expectations of a typical garuli society,¡± he said. ¡°If you are a female, you are a warrior. You are a hunter and a leader. If you are a male, you remain at home while the females are hunting. You tend to the nests and care for the children. Both are expected to look and act a certain way without question. The more you match these expectations of the clans, the more desirable you are as a ¡®person.¡¯ The less you fit in, the more of an outcast you are until they can no longer consider you a valid ¡®person¡¯ and thereby expel you from the clan.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The garule professor walked in front of his desk and leaned against it. ¡°So, let¡¯s say that you, Mr. Ko, are a male in a typical garuli clan. Resources are average; your clan can support a population of about one hundred to two hundred individuals, including, say, fifty to seventy warriors and their mates, several litters of dependants from newborns to the age of thirteen, and a handful of elders, matriarchs, and wise men who are no longer a part of the production chain. That said, your clan is fairly well off and could probably support more if they wanted to, perhaps even absorb another clan. ¡°Now, Mr. Ko, born into this clan, you are raised from young to cook, clean, and care for the children, mend, and do whatever domestic chores you are expected to be adept at as a respectable male of age. However, maybe you aren¡¯t great at these things. Can you work with leather, Mr Ko? Weave? Cook?¡± ¡°I make a mean pot of mac and cheese,¡± the young man said with a smirk. Sul shrugged to the chuckling in the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m sure your family is very proud. But, in my culture, failing at any one of these things is a mark against you as a proper garuli. For each one you cannot do, your status becomes lower. Failing at several of them might see you put into the lowest class of citizen. Last in line for food, water, and shelter. You would live a life of poverty. If the clan couldn¡¯t gather enough food in the winter or during migration, you would starve. If you needed aid, you would be the last to receive it. The likelihood of you getting a mate is dismal outside of your own caste. Consider, at this point, you aren¡¯t even a sutak.¡± The class was quiet as Sul continued: ¡°Now let¡¯s change the scenario. Let¡¯s say that you succeed at all that you are meant to as a male, but you tell your parents or littermates that you want to be a warrior,¡± he said. ¡°How many of you had dreams as a child? How many of you really followed through on those dreams? How many of you laugh at them now? And yet, for a garuli child, if even a hint of those words makes it to the clan elders, you are instantly thrown into that same state of poverty as the one who couldn¡¯t do anything for what is most likely the rest of your life. You are marked as a Reopi Sutak. There is still hope for you, hope that you will reform yourself¡ªbut even if you do, you must climb back up the status ladder bit by bit. And even if you do that, chances are, you will still never be accepted by the clan. You will never hold a place of honor. You will no longer be able to voice an opinion on clan matters. You will never be allowed to mate. You are no longer considered a full person. Because of words you may have said as a curious child, you are forever a sutak.¡± Dassah couldn¡¯t help but gape at him as he spoke, and the other students in the room seemed equally uncomfortable. ¡°What about you?¡± an androgynous tiyvars student dared to ask. ¡°You are a Kyorn-Pukau Sutak, right?¡± Sul crossed his arms and answered, ¡°Yes. And no. When it comes to the Pukau, things get more complicated because the garuli aren¡¯t terribly scientific, to put it nicely. Culturally, Pukau are the worst of all sutak. If they are discovered when they are young, they are often brought into the woods and left to die¡ªpreferably before the rest of the clan finds out. In rare cases, like mine, the family will conceal it until they no longer can and then have the individual leave for the family''s sake. Though this practice is frowned on by the elders, I think it¡¯s fairly safe to say that these parents don¡¯t actually want to kill their children¡ªbut letting them live or stay means death for the rest of them.¡± Dassah choked with the realization of what he was saying. The implications were about the words she had said in ignorance. She didn¡¯t want to hear this. She didn¡¯t want to know that this man whom she had hated for causing her so much superficial grief and pain, had gone through such painful experiences that she couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. To be thrown away by one''s parents? Dassah looked at her hands, clasped tightly together in her lap, wishing, somehow, she could reclaim her innocence of the subject. ¡°Tradition aside, the garuli definition of Pukau Sutaks is historically¡ªand scientifically¡ªinaccurate,¡± Sathuren was going on, apparently unperturbed by the gravity of what he had just said. ¡°In actuality, the rather simple fact is that the garuli biologically have more than two genders. This includes types of hermaphrodites that change their genders based on internal or external triggers. ¡°These genders were widely recognized by ancient society, where they were actually revered in a similar manner to the way Matriarchs and the Undying are today. For the very reason that Miss When brought up earlier, in the ancient culture, the sutaks were people who embodied the land and the spirits in a single vessel. The term ¡®sutak¡¯ originated from that ancient culture and were celebrated for this conceptual union,¡± he paused and raised his hand. ¡°And before you ask, because I know at least one of you is going to, I was, in fact, born as a female.¡± ¡°When did you change into a male?¡± someone asked with a laugh. ¡°I had just turned thirteen,¡± Sav answered in a resonant tone. There was some chuckling as Sav went onto the next slide. Even Dassah herself wanted to laugh a little¡ªbut as he began to speak again, her mind traveled. Chapter 115 ¡®Sav was always the stronger one between us; he was forced to lead a different kind of life, though... After all he did, all he went through to earn a place in our world,¡¯ Bahena had told her in the game. ¡®They all still shunned him...¡¯ A shiver ran down Dassah¡¯s spine as she half-listened to the garule professor speaking about sutak tribes. She watched him talking about a situation that must have caused him pain as if it were normal for him. He made eye contact with all his students and called them by name. He stood calm, steady, and comfortable in front of them, making them laugh now and again, smiling when he saw they were uncomfortable, controlling the general atmosphere. This was not a man who was defeated by the struggle he was born into. This was a man who had embraced it and made it his own. And yet, his own words echoed through her mind as well: ¡®It is worse for you, in a way, that you do not know what you are doing wrong than it is for me to be at the receiving end of your apparent kindness... If you are going to hate me, I¡¯d rather it be for who I was than what I am.¡¯ Dassah snorted. Of all the people that came to the Iceberg cities, how had she ended up in the middle of garuli sibling drama? ¡°Wait, so, Professor,¡± a student asked, drawing Dassah¡¯s attention back to the class. ¡°You mentioned about the expulsion of the sutak and now the creation of these tribes, but what happened to you? Did you live with one of the tribes after you... changed?¡± There was a general commotion of agreement as to the interest in this question. Sul gave a sly, crooked grin that reminded her more of Ibraxis than the gray garule that she had met on the monorail. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of a unique case,¡± he told them. ¡°And my experience will not help you in the mid-term.¡± ¡°Professor!¡± a few students protested, but he shook his head. ¡°Come on, Uncle Sav,¡± Miss Grimnar said, drawing Dassah¡¯s attention very closely to the Earar girl.¡°Just tell us a little bit!¡± Why does ¡®Grimnar¡¯ sound familiar? " Dassah wondered. The garule¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. ¡°I have warned you about exploiting my friendship with your uncle in my class, brat,¡± he said, folding his arms. She stuck her tongue out. ¡°I don¡¯t care about him,¡± Miss Grimnar said, waving the thought away. ¡°And you already said this didn¡¯t have to do with the test!¡± ¡°Right, so¡ª¡± ¡°From the cultural and societal standpoint, what was your first-hand experience as a sutak growing up in, and outside of, a traditional clan?¡± the young earar woman asked pointedly, holding a finger in the air. Sul clicked his tongue and nodded at her. ¡°You know, for a girl who hates her uncle so much, you sure do resemble him,¡± he growled, then looked around the room and sighed as an expression of victory grew on her face. He looked at his watch and nodded. ¡°Fine. Five minutes,¡± he clicked off the holo monitor with its slides, and the students in the room leaned in with anticipation. Dassah could guess that he hadn¡¯t spoken much about his past¡ªbut she could understand just from this one lecture alone that they had been waiting to hear his story for a while. ¡°I was born and raised a female alongside my sister and two brothers,¡± he started, taking a deep breath. ¡°During our coming-of-age trials, however, there was an... incident that triggered my change,¡± he paused. Dassah tilted her head as she saw his posture grow tighter. ¡°I should have died then, realistically¡ªfor many reasons. But I didn¡¯t. I did fail my trials, in any case. I went back to my mother and explained to her what had happened. I knew, to some degree, what had occurred. I was old enough to know not only what the change had meant but what the repercussions would be if the clan found out,¡± he explained. ¡°So, I left. And that¡¯s the end.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Uncle Sav!¡± the earar girl protested. But Sul shook his head. Silence fell in the room. Dassah¡¯s heart went out to him, but her curiosity got the better of her. ¡°... You just... left on your own?¡± she asked. His eyes rose to hers with a twitch of his tail. ¡°What about Bahena and the others?¡± A smirk played about his lips as the look on his face seemed to ask, ¡®You care?¡¯. ¡°It was a rather simple choice if you were me and saw what I saw,¡± he shrugged. ¡°My mother was¡ªis¡ªa great woman who loved us. Me. Even after my change, she kept and taught me and ensured that I could handle myself. She told me when I met her later that she had every intention of just keeping me and just letting me continue to be ¡®female¡¯ if I wanted to be. I couldn¡¯t be male, of course, because I was already known to be female. ¡°She already knew that I was sutak; she always treated me a bit differently than she treated Bahena. I had to dye my naturally male-colored feathers and stay strong but quiet, and Bahena was strictly raised to be a Matriarch. I was raised to survive. My brothers often pointed out the different standards in protest, but she would snap at them if they questioned it. I¡¯m not sure she ever told my father, either, until I was older and stronger and could reasonably tell the clans to screw off.¡± ¡°Can you tell a sutak from birth?¡± a student asked. ¡°Sometimes,¡± he shrugged. ¡°But it really depends on the individual or if the family has a history of sutak births. I have theories about this that I am not about to share with you guys. If my siblings caught wind of some of them, I¡¯d be in big trouble.¡± The class laughed again, and he waved them away. ¡°And your five minutes are up,¡± he told them. ¡°Next week, we will learn more about the Era of Encounters. Please make sure to do the reading in your data packs¡ªthere may or may not be a quiz at the start of class based on the material. Get out of here.¡± Waving them away, he turned and started shuffling papers that were strewn about his desk. The students gathered their things and started chatting amongst themselves. Dassah fumbled with her hands, picking at the skin around her fingernails. It had been a lot to take in¡ªand she felt more foolish than ever. ¡°How¡¯s your hand,¡± Sathuren asked, looking up at her from the row of seats in front of her. With the different levels, they were actually face-to-face for once. ¡°It¡¯s... fine,¡± Dassah said, more in reaction to the whirl of feelings and thoughts than the mark on her hand. She rubbed it absently as she looked around at the chaos of the students leaving the amphitheater. ¡°Well, that¡¯s convincing,¡± he said, raising a brow at her. ¡°Uncle Sav!¡± the earar girl grabbed his arm and looked endearingly at him. ¡°Can I have the whole story later?¡± ¡°No,¡± he told her, pushing her forehead. ¡°You don¡¯t get anything from me until you stop giving Grim a hard time.¡± As the girl pouted at him, Dassah went, ¡°Ah! Grimnar! You¡¯re Grim¡¯s... niece?¡± The earar girl scowled. ¡°How do you know him?¡± ¡°Shen,¡± Sathuren warned. ¡°Go to your next class. We¡¯ll talk later.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Shen.¡± Shen heard the very final tone in the garule professor¡¯s voice and sighed. Picking up her bag, she sulked down toward the trail. Sathuren sighed and shook his head. ¡°Sorry about her,¡± he said with agitation, running a hand over his head and watching after her as she went. ¡°She¡¯s... young. Very young.¡± Dassah snorted. ¡°Runaway teenager?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± he grunted. ¡°Anyway. That¡¯s Grim¡¯s problem. I¡¯m glad you came,¡± Sav looked her over. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think you would. I guess I should re-evaluate my opinion of you... again.¡± ¡°Does that mean you won¡¯t PK me in TheirWorld again?¡± she asked, leaning in a bit. He blinked, then laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he told her. ¡°You¡¯re headed back to your apartment?¡± Dassah nodded. He shifted nervously, then said, ¡°Do you mind if I head there with you? I¡¯m actually supposed to meet up with Bahena after this. No doubt to get yelled at, but...¡± The bashful look on his face didn¡¯t seem to fit him very well. Dassah bit her lips, trying to hide her smile as she nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he nodded himself with a smirk of his own. ¡°Let me go get my bag, and we¡¯ll walk over?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. His tail wriggled a bit behind him as he tapped on the back of the chair with his fist and turned. If there was one thing she had to admit, it was just how silly she was. Not just for her ignorance but for being afraid of the garuli anymore than she was afraid of any other person. She and Sathuren and Bahena may have been different, but only as different as she and Stella were from each other. There was also the hope that they could forgive her¡ªand, largely, the realization that they already had. Now, she just needed to let herself accept it. Chapter 116 Though they walked together, very few words were spoken between them. Out of the corner of her eye, Dassah saw that Sathuren seemed just about as fidgety as she was. They took turns trying to start conversations as they went, but most of them ended abruptly. Dassah wanted to speak with him and ask more questions¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t sure what to ask or how to ask it, and she was sure that her inability to form words was making him just as self-conscious about trying to ask her anything. It didn¡¯t help having conversations now, with both him and Bahena telling her different bits of their stories, that she wasn¡¯t sure what she was supposed to mention between them. Thankfully, once they boarded the monorail, she was allowed to distract herself with the news, as Sav returned to his normal daily posture of reading his book as the train shot into life. The usual blonde announcer on the TV talked about university announcements, entertainment news, and finally returned to the murders with the logo of the Enclave Police up in the corner of the screen. Das ssah¡¯s attention focused closer as the woman mentioned the Virtual Crimes Unit¡¯s presence in Io. Picking at the side of her finger, she watched as the announcer repeated some of the details she had already heard from Grim. ¡°Are you concerned?¡± Sav asked. Dassah snapped her head over to see that he hadn¡¯t even looked up. ¡°About the news?¡± She asked. He nodded. Shrugging, she told him, ¡°Not really, but this kind of thing is normal on Earth.¡± She wasn¡¯t really sure that made it better, but she did feel disconnected from it all and felt she needed the excuse. His brow furrowed as his orange eyes flickered over in her direction. ¡°How long have you lived on Yidar?¡± ¡°Three months,¡± she said, looking back at the screen. ¡°Almost four now, I guess.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± he went with a nod. ¡°New things are still new, I guess, and the old is still familiar. I remember being that way, once upon a time.¡± ¡°You?¡± she peered at him. If he were a human, she would have tried to guess how old he was to judge the relevance of the statement¡ªexcept he wasn¡¯t, and, as she thought about it, she had assumed that he had grown up on Yidar without giving it a second thought before the lecture. Dassah¡¯s face fell. ¡°When did you leave your homeworld?¡± she asked. ¡°Mmm,¡± he put a finger in his book and leaned on the car¡¯s bar. ¡°Many years ago. I was like... 30-something garuli years of age... closer to 20, 21, human years, I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°I remember mostly what Bahena tells me. I stopped paying attention to the passage of time fairly early in life,¡± Sathuren shrugged. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that... lonely?¡± Dassah asked. He winced. ¡°There are worse things than loneliness,¡± he said. ¡°What about you? Are you lonely here?¡± ¡°I... Guess I really haven¡¯t much time to be lonely,¡± Dassah said and looked down at the floor. The plastic-y material of the floor looked brand new. No hint of age or wear wore or scratched its surface¡ªbut the same didn¡¯t go for the people who walked on it. Sathuren was watching her. She could feel it, but she liked that what she felt from him now was curiosity rather than judgment. ¡°Do you have friends or family here? From before?¡± ¡°No,¡± she told him. ¡°Just the ones I made here. Or on the ship over.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± he nodded in response, then scratched the back of his neck. He looked out the window for a moment before he opened his book again. Dassah took to staring around the car.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°What did you do when you first got here? Where did you go?¡± she asked abruptly, looking back up at him. When he turned his attention to her, he seemed confused. ¡°Um,¡± he tried to meet her eyes, but every time they did, she felt the dragon bearing down on her. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t remember. I did a lot of things, I guess. I was... very lost.¡± ¡°Are there cities in your homeworld?¡± ¡°Not as you would define them,¡± he stated without hesitation. Dassah envied the ease at which he spoke. ¡°Garuli are mostly nomadic, though tribes tend to have territories where they build structures they later return to. When I left, I didn¡¯t have to just leave my tribe, but my tribe¡¯s territory¡ªbut in doing that, there was a high probability I went into another tribe¡¯s territory¡ªwhich... Wasn¡¯t always so great.¡± ¡°So, what did you do?¡± ¡°Why are you so curious about me?¡± he mused, though she assumed the little tail wiggle he did was meant to be seen as an encouragement. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like garuli?¡± Dassah opened and closed her mouth a few times before saying, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I just... Am.¡± Sathuren tilted his head and scratched his chin as he considered. Whether it was about her answer he was thinking about or the one that he was trying to give her, she didn¡¯t know, but she hoped it was the latter. Her answer, though perhaps not clear, was as true as she felt she could give. ¡°I... went to the mountains,¡± he settled on telling her, staring out the window of the car. ¡°To the Mother Mountain, whose lands no tribe can lay claim to, and I... survived.¡± There was an uncomfortable weight in the way that he said the word ¡®survived¡¯. Glazing over it, Dassah prompted, ¡°And then you came here? To the Iceberg cities?¡± Sav shook his head. ¡°I went to Yidar with a diplomatic envoy,¡± he said. ¡°The Valkyrians offered scholarships to those who would share knowledge and culture in exchange for... well, knowledge and cultural education.¡± ¡°How did you manage that? Going from living in the mountains to... that?¡± Dassah asked skeptically. ¡°My mother, actually,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°When I said I was a special case, I meant it,¡± he explained. ¡°Because of... how my life played out, I was sent to... treat... with the clans¡ªmy own, of course, being one of them. My mother had, at that point, risen to the rank of Matriarch of her own branch tribe. Being a more... Progressive? I guess you¡¯d say¡ªkind of woman, she was one of the clan leaders who had been dealing with the Yidarian Envoys. And so, at her will and mine, this is where I ended up over time.¡± ¡°And Bahena and your brothers followed after that?¡± Sathuren grunted. ¡°Without my input, yes. I¡¯m sure mother wasn¡¯t all too pleased, either. And it¡¯s all gone to their heads.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think they should have left?¡± she asked. ¡°Bahena seems happy.¡± ¡°I respect that this is the life they chose,¡± he sighed. ¡°But at the very least, I think Bahena should have stayed and followed after mother.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Dassah tilted her head. ¡°She seems so keen on... you,¡± she said simply, unsure how to word it. She realized that the statement sounded awkward and quickly started to explain herself, but he seemed to understand. Waving her second explanation away, he muttered, ¡°I know,¡± then sighed and said, ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why. I can¡¯t just convince myself that she made this choice for herself; she made it with me in mind. She¡¯s always been so trapped in this image of what we were as sisters that she is blind to what is or could be. She could have been the Matriarch of her own clan by now¡ªperhaps a more progressive one that could help our people progress beyond barbaric traditions. Instead, she¡¯s... babysitting me with the illusion that I am her rival.¡± Staring at him, Dassah wondered if that was really the case. ¡°I... see,¡± she said, honoring the sentiment of secrecy that Bahena had asked of her. ¡°An unwilling one, I take it?¡± she added¡ªbut she was starting to make out the definition between their own relationship, forget the one that she had with either of them. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m not really a... competitive person,¡± he told her. ¡°I like my plants and my animals and quality time on my own. Bahena likes... people and giving orders.¡± Chuckling, Dassah said, ¡°Well, at least we agree on something.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°Both!¡± she laughed. ¡°Still, she¡¯s pretty good at it. I wish I could have her patience.¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Bahena? Patience? Are we talking about the same person?¡± Dassah held her hands up. ¡°I have my opinions, but I am absolutely not getting involved in a sibling rivalry.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair,¡± he snorted, looking her over again, but if he was thinking something, he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he straightened up and nodded to the door as the monorail voice told them it was their stop. Silence fell on them again as they strolled through the Hollow City. Chapter 117 Stella¡¯s heels tapping across the floor tiles probably weren¡¯t echoing as much as Dassah¡¯s mind was convinced they were, but the sound was grating nevertheless. Grabbing Dassah¡¯s arm and pulling her aside, the nosey young woman hissed in her ear: ¡°This is him?¡± ¡°No, Stella, it¡¯s one of Bahena¡¯s other brothers that we¡¯ve seen before,¡± Dassah said, rolling her eyes and trying to reclaim her arm. Sathuren raised an eyebrow at the struggle, but deciding it was harmless, he shrugged and moved over to where Bahena was sitting at the kitchen island going through some documents on her WristComp. Bahena hardly acknowledged her sibling before starting a conversation Dassah wasn¡¯t close enough for her translator to pick up. Stella had a surprisingly strong grip. ¡°That is the garule that¡¯s been causing you the end of no trouble since you met him?¡± Squinting up at her, Dassah said, ¡°You have a very strange interpretation of the things I say to you. When I say ¡®it¡¯s fine¡¯, I mean, ¡®it¡¯s fine¡¯.¡± ¡°And for a dinosaur, he is pretty fine. I didn¡¯t talk with you about it before because I know how you are, but now...¡± the young woman said, putting an orange-painted finger nail to her matching orange-painted lips. ¡°Stella!¡± Dassah scolded, louder than she should have. The two garuli paused their discussion to look up at them. Meeting Bahena¡¯s eyes, Dassah shook her head and gave her a face of exasperation. The bronze scales garule sighed with understanding, then said something to Sav in a quick series of clicks and whistles before he went back to leaning over her shoulder to look at whatever was on his sister¡¯s holo screen. ¡°What?¡± Stella whined. ¡°I¡¯m just making an observation...¡± ¡°Would it be possible for you to make your observations when the subject of them is standing more than twenty feet away?¡± Dassah growled and sat on the sofa. Stella followed. ¡°You are no fun.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Dassah answered before sitting and turning her own holo screens on. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do or something?¡± ¡°Yeah, but nothing that¡¯s actually worth my time,¡± Stella said with a shrug and sat on the arm of the sofa. ¡°But seriously, you don¡¯t think he¡¯s a little bit handsome?¡± Dassah snorted. ¡°Considering I could barely be in the same room as him till yesterday, I haven¡¯t had time to consider it,¡± she muttered. ¡°And must you sit there?¡± ¡°Oh, what does that matter?¡± Stella snorted. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you find him attractive at all, not outright asking you if you like him. Does that work for you, Miss Cranky?¡± ¡°Would you please find something to do with yourself other than annoy me?¡± Dassah snapped. But the young woman just shrugged. ¡°Fine then,¡± she said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want him, I¡¯ll take him.¡± ¡°Knock it off!¡± Dassah shouted. ¡°Is there something the matter over there?¡± Bahena¡¯s strained teacher voice cut in. ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Stella shrugged. ¡°Dassah¡¯s just not playing with me.¡± ¡°Playing with you...?¡± Bahena repeated lamely. ¡°Do I want to know?¡± ¡°No,¡± Dassah said. Sathuren snorted. ¡°What an interesting group you all make,¡± he mused. ¡°Must be fun.¡± ¡°Oh, loads,¡± Bahena grunted, then stood and walked around the counters to refill her water glass: ¡°The dynamic is especially entertaining. You¡¯ve only really seen them¡ªor, well, Stella, I guess¡ªin short bursts of time and dinner situations, but we do make a decent team at the end of the day.¡± Stella stood straight, tall, and pretty. ¡°It¡¯s so very nice to finally formally meet you, Professor Sul!¡± she thrust her hand out to him and shook his with great enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much about you!¡± ¡°Have you?¡± Sav answered with a deal of hesitation. ¡°Nothing great, I¡¯m sure.¡± Laughing, she said, ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t base my opinions of others on hearsay.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked, his eyes flickering down to their still-clasped hands. He went to pull his hand back, but she pulled it to her and lifted it to level with her face. Sav looked between Bahena and Dassah, seeking some kind of answer for the girl¡¯s strange behavior, but they both just shook their heads. ¡°Oh, my word!¡± Stella exclaimed, looking at his claws. ¡°Your claws are so nicely trimmed! Look, Dassah!¡± she went, pulling Sav¡¯s hand closer to Dassah¡¯s face. ¡°He trims his claws!¡± ¡°Most garuli here do...?¡± he went, stupefied by the girl¡¯s actions. ¡°Stella, would you please leave the poor man alone?¡± Dassah went, irritated by the girl¡¯s forwardness. ¡°Or at the very least, leave me alone if you are going to pursue some sort of dalliance with him?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°D-Dalliance?¡± Sav asked Bahena, who was too busy gaping to answer. Stella¡¯s eyes lit with little fires as she smirked. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± Dassah bit, glaring at the pair of locked hands in her face. ¡°There will be no such thing!¡± Bahena shrieked, grabbing Stella and Sathuren¡¯s wrists and pulling the hands apart. Sav rubbed his wrist with a confused scowl, making Dassah sigh. ¡°She¡¯s joking, Bahena,¡± she informed the bronze-feathered garuli, whose tail had started to lash back and forth. ¡°J-Joking?¡± Bahena went, giving Dassah a blank look. ¡°She¡¯s trying to bait me,¡± Dassah told her, shifting her position on the couch. ¡°For how else would she get her daily dose of amusement?¡± Stella puffed out her cheeks, then leaned over and poked Dassah¡¯s nose. ¡°And aren¡¯t you a good sport for playing along!¡± ¡°Get away from me,¡± Dassah drawled, typing away to answer various emails in her inbox. ¡°Boring girl,¡± Stella went. ¡°Horrible girl,¡± Dassah replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a boyfriend or something to torture instead of us?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Stella went pouting. ¡°Be he¡¯s stopped texting me. Just like the last one. Is there something wrong with me, I wonder?¡± She poked her cheek before laughing. ¡°Just kidding! Of course, there isn¡¯t anything wrong with me! They just can¡¯t handle how perfect I am!¡± Dassah rolled her eyes. ¡°It must be.¡± Giggling, Stella hopped off the desk and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Seriously though, you''re quite the popular one, Professor Sul; you¡¯ve broken quite a few of my classmates'' hearts¡ªyou seem to be very popular in most circles. Be nice to my Dassah, though. She¡¯s not all grown up yet!¡± Dassah and Bahena sighed in unison. ¡°Right,¡± Sav inhaled sharply. ¡°Is she always like this?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the other two woman answered, also in unison. Then Bahena picked up with, ¡°Never a dull moment, to be sure,¡± before stalking back to the counter. ¡°I see,¡± Sav stood, crossing his arms and shifting into a more laid-back posture. His tail fwiped behind him. ¡°You two should take notes,¡± he mused. ¡°What for?¡± Bahena scowled, taking her seat. ¡°Such nonsense. Toying with people.¡± ¡°But it is fun,¡± Stella said from the other side of the room. Wrinkling her nose, she added, ¡°Just look at your face, even now...¡± Sathuren shook his head. ¡°Not that,¡± he waved, then pointed between Bahena and Dassah. ¡°The two of you are so annoyingly self-conscious of one another that you¡¯ve made it impossible to really be friends. Mess with each other. Dare to offend¡ªthen laugh about it and talk to each other like you aren¡¯t bumbling hatchlings.¡± Furrowing her brow, Dassah asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut, you ugly male,¡± Bahena suddenly snapped. Stella and Dassah looked up at her quickly, but Sav yawned before giving his sister an accusatory glare. ¡°You can never be friends if you are so bloody afraid of offending each other¡ªso just do it already and get over it. You,¡± he started pointing at Bahena, ¡°Don¡¯t cry to me about me giving all garuli a bad name because of actions I took in a video game, and you,¡± he went, pointing at Dassah as Bahena shifted uncomfortably. However, his expression faltered a bit before he said, ¡°There are bad people in the world. People of every species, race, creed. I get it. I do. And I get that it¡¯s not always logical. But,¡± he continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t learn to trust in and have faith in others, you will never be happy.¡± His yellow-gold eyes met hers, and she understood, at least a little, that he was coming from a very personal place when he spoke those words. She nodded and looked away. ¡°Sathuren, would it be possible for you to not lecture people wherever you go?¡± Bahena asked him sourly. ¡°You tend to say very difficult things so very easily, and you have no idea how very frustrating you are.¡± ¡°On the contrary, dear sister, I am well aware of how difficult I am,¡± he answered, rolling his eyes. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I am just going to stop saying things when I feel they need to be said.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you all very high and mighty, Mr. Sutak, there,¡± the bronze garule spat as she stood with her hands gripping the side of the counter. Dassah looked between them in alarm, but Sav simply sighed. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Lay on the childish insults because I made you uncomfortable. How very mature of you, sister. You are a well and proper female.¡± ¡°One of us should be, between the two of us!¡± Bahena hissed, her tail lashing back and forth, knocking some things on the counters over with a crash. Sathuren stared at her flatly. ¡°Mother would be so proud,¡± he told her, his eyes narrowing. Bahena growled from deep within her throat, digging her claws into the counter as she bared her teeth. Sav leaned on on the other side of the counter and watched his defensive sister throw her tantrum. ¡°Uh... m,¡± Dassah tried to protest, but the words wouldn¡¯t come out the way she wanted them to. However, Sav turned his head quickly. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± he went, standing and looking at the furious Bahena. ¡°Shit,¡± he sighed. ¡°Now, who''s the asshole,¡± he muttered and raised his hands as he walked over to where Bahena was hissing from a place deep in her throat. ¡°Alright, alright, already,¡± he surrendered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you and I take a walk, and we can have a little chat about how we are both capable of being childish, hm? Let¡¯s go. Before you wreck things more important to you than your food preparation.¡± ¡°Why would I¡ª ¡° Bahena started, then her posture and face wilted when she looked at Dassah. ¡°Dassah...¡± Dassah bit her lips but forced a smile. She knew that Sav was right, and she knew that the two siblings had proven themselves to be, at the very least, decent people. But she still had a lot to work through before she could watch either of them lose their tempers. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay,¡± Dassah said, standing up with her books. ¡°You guys stay. I have a class to attend. I¡¯ll... see you guys later? T-Thank you for this morning, Professor Sul,¡± Dassah said, bowing to him as he passed. His expression showed shades of apology and regret as he nodded back to her. ¡°Have a good class!¡± Stella called out before going back to her typing. ¡°I¡¯ll sit here and enjoy the show. I¡¯ll tell you what happens after!¡± Dassah saw Bahena glare at the young woman before she made her exit. Chapter 118 ¡°I¡¯m level 25 now! I just got this cool ability...¡± one girl said from a seat near the front of the classroom. ¡°Have you gone to the pirate dungeon yet? I hear there is a ton of treasure there...¡± said another. ¡°There¡¯s a pirate dungeon?¡± the first replied. Dassah¡¯s eyes flicked up. ¡°Is no one worried about what happened to the professor?¡± a third entered the conversation, her distressed voice accompanied by a worried expression. ¡°He probably just forgot to set his alarm. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Anyway, if you go to the docks in Renethal...¡± the second continued. Dassah watched from the sidelines, eavesdropping as she finished typing her essay for her Intergalactic Studies class. She should have been having her communications class now, but the professor was a no-show, so the faculty had sent someone to oversee it as a free study period. There were times when the classes on the ¡®Berg reminded her more of a high school than a university. On the other hand, she wasn¡¯t sure this study hall was a normal reaction to the professor¡¯s absence, as a group of boys to the side was whining more about ¡®new rules¡¯ than anything else. ¡°I mean, I have work to do that I could be doing instead,¡± one man said. ¡°They could at least let us go back to go to the library or cafeteria like they used to.¡± Another was squeezing the tip of his tail nervously, saying, ¡°They are only doing this to protect us. They haven¡¯t gone through something like this before...¡± The first kicked his seat, causing the second to jump. ¡°The murders only happen at night. There isn¡¯t a reason for these stupid new rules to affect us during the day. Not to mention, they only affect our class. They aren¡¯t protecting anyone...¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear them say that no one is allowed to leave their respective ¡®Bergs right now? It¡¯s not just us...¡± ¡°Whatever...¡± Though she didn¡¯t disagree with the first¡¯s sentiment, having just come from Earth recently, Dassah felt these lock-down procedures were relatively normal. Her assignment finished, Dassah putzed around with her WristComp, pulling up her text messages on the holo screen. Her curiosity wanted her to send a message to Grim, asking if he knew anything, but she clicked on Elric¡¯s name instead. -Dassah: Hey! -Elric: Noona! -Elric: What happened Saturday? You suddenly went offline! -Dassah: It¡¯s a long story. Basically, I got PKed. -Elric: D: Pked? By who? Why? -Dassah: ./sigh. BronzePaw¡¯s brother. Because of a quest. It¡¯s been dealt with. -Elric: Poor Noona! -Dassah: It¡¯s fine, really. Are you going to be on later? -Elric: I should be ~ Are you ready to start that corruption quest? -Dassah: Not quite. Thanks to being PKed I have some quests to finish up in the Cats, but I need some help. You game? I really need someone else with Veil Sight.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. -Elric: Of course! -Dassah: Awesome! I¡¯ll meet you in-game tonight, then! -Elric: See you! After sending some messages to Stella and Bahena requesting similar backup, she pulled up the forums surrounding Miala De Ri and started reading the comments about the corruption in the forest. Her and her group hadn¡¯t been the only ones to have stumbled in on the powerful creatures and the horrible black goo. A few had even uncovered the name Octarius¡ªbut none had seemed to have made the Hunter¡¯s Guild Connection yet. Part of this, it seemed, was that it was an event that looked to have started within the past week, so players were still trying to figure out the mysteries behind it. When she searched for Octarius, though, she was surprised at how much information there was about him ¡ª but it painted a very different picture than the one that she had gotten from Lithe. Crown Prince Octarius was hailed as a great hero of the realms; a savior of the kingdom. A general without equal. His glowing reputation wasn¡¯t only in the eyes of the NPCs but players as well. It seemed like he was part of one of the major questlines in the TheirWorld story, being one of the ones to lead the charge against the Void Lord. And, if the current lore was anything to go by, it was he who gets the credit for the slaying of the Void Lord¡¯s four generals¡ªincluding one, Jormund the Pale. A player named Nemerous wrote: The Devs have already pretty much told us that the cycle of corruption is something that is going to run a check every month to see if it will run the Void Lord event or not based on the quests the players as a whole have completed. It¡¯s been hinted that there is a similar event if quests on the opposite spectrum are in the majority, similar to how the special class trainers are determined, but since it¡¯s never been run, the information has never been made public. To which a player named Thexcross replied: If it works on the same lore-is-determined-by-popular-choice that everything else in the game is, then shouldn¡¯t there be three options? The High Priestess Reitha, the Ever Burning, occasionally becomes the Raid Boss Reitha, the Pestilence, and has also been occasionally been seen as Reitha, the Grey Lady, in the White Tower of Keir in the absence of the other two. If we assume that it¡¯s a Good-Neutral-Evil system, then what would be the possible outcomes? Various players responded to bits of this, but a player named Arionia responded with: It doesn¡¯t really make sense to call it a Good-Neutral-Evil system; after all, if you are playing a character who spends a lot of time in the Veil, you¡¯d learn that some of those corrupted characters are actually good people, and more and more you see players fighting on the side of the Void Lord, rather than against them¡ªtheir main enemy being the Che as a whole, though there is a lot of spite towards the Imperial Capital and the nobility. In this case, it¡¯s clear that ¡®good¡¯ and ¡®evil¡¯ are subjective. I¡¯d call it more or less a chess game of equally positioned Black and White pieces with a neutral force between them. Veil - Balance - Che. With this idea, if we are fighting the Void Lord, then the players are favoring the Che in their quests, while the middle option is players granting Che and Veil an equal amount of favor, which would either mean that nothing would happen or, since that would be really boring, I¡¯d like to see it trigger some sort of festival or thanksgiving event. And if the players were to favor the Veil, then I assume that the main raid quest of the month would be fighting against the Imperial Capital. Dassah leaned back in her chair and read through a few more comments, but most liked the Che vs the Veil idea¡ªroughly, Dassah agreed. But if Octarius was the cause of the growing corruption in the world, as Lithe and Amikavi had insinuated, then Octarius ends up fighting against the demon that he, himself, summoned. If Octarius were aware of this, then wouldn¡¯t that make him an evil character? Or was that simply because Dassah herself was, for all intents and purposes, on the side of the Veil? Thinking about it all gave her a headache, and she closed her screen. Once she finished and turned in the rest of her Catacombs quest, the next thing that they had to do was find Octavian. And what if he did know that killing the beasts would summon the Void Lord? What did that make him? What choice would be left to Guin and her companions? Whatever the case, it was very unlikely that they would be of a level to take him down on their own. If they ever had to fight against the Imperial Capital, she had to assume that Prince Octarius would be, at the very least, one of the Raid Bosses, if not the final boss. The instructor who had told them to use the class as a study poked his head back into the room and told them that they were free to leave. The class did a little celebration of cheers and backed their things up. Dassah swung her purse over her shoulder and followed the crowd out. It had already been a long day, but she was finally ready to return to TheirWorld. Chapter 119 When she opened her eyes, she faced the darkness and shivered. This was not what she had expected when she logged in, though she couldn¡¯t say she was surprised, either. Soon, a white speck of light came into view. Playfully, little light bobbed up and down as it drifted toward her. ¡°Welcome back!¡± Biku-Biku¡¯s voice carried over to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You have died in-game, but your soul has been guided into the aether. In a moment, your body shall be rematerialized at the last holy place you visited!¡± he went, then bounced up and down. ¡°And there you go!¡± The black turned into colorful pixels until Guin found herself back in the Cathedral of Miala De Ri. The memories and emotions about Ibraxis¡¯s betrayal returned as the thick scent of earthy incense hit her¡ªbut so did the joy of being in the game. Stretching, her mind felt out the differences in her body¡¯s movements, trying to once again acclimate to her enhanced physical abilities. ¡°Are you quite done?¡± a deep, resonant voice asked. The High Priest approached her, red and gold silks flowing as he walked. ¡°You there, girl. I remember you. Have you done the tasks that were asked of you?¡± Straightening up, Guin blinked at him. Had she? ¡°I... Don¡¯t know?¡± she replied honestly. ¡°Of course,¡± he said tersely. ¡°Sending such a girl to do a job like that. Still. I expect results! Hurry along now!¡± As he walked away to scold another young-looking player, Guin pulled up her quest log. There were several quests she had left to do, but when it came to the Catacombs, each quest she reviewed just fueled the worries she had about Ibraxis turning up. She almost wanted him to show up so that she could try to punch him in the face. Taking a deep breath, she reviewed them one by one. The one that the High Priest had given her was:
[The Rodents Below] [Mice Slain] - 100 of 100 [Rats Slain] - 100 of 100 [Gremlins Slain] - 0 of 10 [Lost Key] - 1 of 1 This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>>
Save for the gremlins, which she still didn¡¯t know the location of, this one was almost complete. The ones she was more worried about, however, were the ones that she had originally gone to the catacombs for: those given by the Head Scribe of the Bone Quill Scribes: [Dust and Essence], and [The Glowing Carvings]. Being a gathering quest, [Dust and Essence] was more of an annoyance than a concern. Worse still, the only thing she had left to collect was Death Moss, though she had gathered quite a bit with Ibraxis''s help. I could have finished it if he hadn¡¯t decided to kill me... she reflected. The other, however, was a potential problem:
[Quest Offered: The Glowing Carvings] This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>>
It wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. It wasn¡¯t entirely right, either. The game probably didn¡¯t take her dreams into account, but hadn¡¯t the character creation system been able to read her emotions? Not that it mattered either way, she supposed. The game¡¯s story was going to follow the path that was set at the get-go. What information did she really get from the glowing inscriptions? Biting her finger, she tried to recall what had happened in the moments before Ibraxis had ended her life. While the pang of annoyance at him filled her with an ember of rage, she focused on the critical details: What was it that she learned about the inscriptions? What were they supposed to have told her that the game would have picked up on? All she could remember was that nostalgic feeling as she gazed upon the stone etchings. Things that she knew, yet did not. Even thinking back on it felt like a dream. In any other game, she probably would have shrugged it off, but the lack of her own thorough investigation made her start to rip at the skin around her fingernails. TheirWorld relied on player-environment-NPC reaction to the point that most of the time she needed her own personal assessments to get under the skin of the quests. This time, however, what did she have to report to the Head Scribe to get her to assign a new quest? Images from a dream? Glowering at the log, Guin put her hands on her hips with a deep sigh. For starters, if Ibraxis hadn¡¯t killed her, she probably would have been able to finish both of those without a problem once she had figured out where the gremlins were hiding. For another thing, there was no way she could hunt those wraiths all on her own. She needed to stop dwelling on Ibraxis¡¯s discretions against her and start working toward solving the problems that were within her power to solve. Opening her friends list, she sent out a flurry of messages to Drakov, Stella, Bahena, and, when she saw that he, too, was currently online, TeaforaDragon. Of them, only Drakov had the ability to see into the Veil, but Tea had decent support when they were a group in dire need of healing, and Bahena and Stella could be useful in most other situations. Drakov and Tea were, unsurprisingly, the first to answer her, and Tea, being still in the Catacombs himself, was also the first to arrive. ¡°Guin!¡± The happy little garule ran up to her from the dungeon door with a flared tail of blue and orange. ¡°Did you and Ibraxis not finish those quests you had?¡± he asked curiously. Guin twitched. Absent in the last part of her former adventure, Tea was ignorant of the trauma that Ibraxis had inflicted on her. Still, trying to force the incident back into her subconscious where she believed it belonged, Guin sighed and crossed her arms with a snort. ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Noona!¡± Drakov was the next to run up to her. He gave her a big hug and cried, ¡°Noona! Gomen! I should have been there!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Guin pat him on the back and clasped his shoulder, trying to remind herself that there was no way for him to know how annoyed she really was. Channeling that hateful energy into an evil grin, she told him, ¡°I¡¯ll just be having you make it up to me today.¡± He clicked his heels together and gave a crisp salute. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I am not a ¡®ma¡¯am,¡¯¡± Guin told him sourly. ¡°I¡¯m TeaforaDragon!¡± Tea held out his scaly hand to the young boy. Guin left them to their introductions as she went through her inventory and took stock of supplies while she half listened to their conversation about class and experience with the game. StarShine messaged her a few minutes into the discussion and BronzePaw a few minutes after that. Over on the other side of the map, StarShine would take a bit of time, but in the same boat as Guin, BronzePaw hurried over. Still looking a bit ashamed, BronzePaw laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck as Guin often saw Sathuren do. ¡°I guess this is take two?¡± Guin chuckled. ¡°Well, three, for me,¡± she said, thinking. ¡°Or four.¡± ¡°It will just take as much time as it takes!¡± Tea laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this dungeon forever.¡± Stella came running up to them as they chuckled, huffing and puffing apologies for holding them up but cheering everyone onward. ¡°What are we all standing around waiting for?¡± she asked. ¡°We have a dungeon to defeat!¡± ¡°We were all standing around waiting for you,¡± Bahena answered, crossing her arms and eyeing the young woman with narrowed eyes. ¡°Well, here I am!¡± Stella said, posing. ¡°Yes,¡± said Bahena. ¡°Here you are.¡± Sensing that there was another war brewing within the party, Guin walked in between them. Shifting into her [Coat of the Moon] form, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s take all our pent-up energy and aggression out on monsters, okay guys?¡± ¡°Yosh!¡± Drakov exclaimed, and, as a party of five, they marched back down the depths of the Catacombs. Chapter 120 ¡°Guin, heads up!¡± Drakov shouted in an unusually commanding voice. Shadow Stepping behind the screeching wraith, Guin executed a [Backstab] with her claws as Drakov let off a thought cast [Magic Arrow]. It struck, and the wraith broke into ash. ¡°Yes!¡± he cheered, holding his bow in the air. ¡°We¡¯ve got some Skeles on our tail!¡± Star yelled, speeding past them on her broom. ¡°Inc!¡± BronzePaw followed her, barreling toward them on all fours and, skidding to a halt, made a sharp turn before she reached them. ¡°Drakov, ready a silence for the mage! Star¡ª¡±A wall of flame burst forth from the ground before Paw could finish. ¡°I¡¯ll have a magic missile ready to go on that mage, too!¡± Star went with a wink from Guin¡¯s side. ¡°Any more of those ghost things you guys are after?¡± Drakov shook his head as he raised his bow. ¡°If one shows up, we¡¯ll let you know.¡± ¡°How many are incoming?¡± Tea asked as he strummed his loot, calling forth a defensive buff for the whole party. ¡°A Skeletal Mage, two Skeletal Archers, and a warrior,¡± Paw reported and readied herself to pounce over the flame wall. ¡°I¡¯ll take agro. Keep me healed, would you?¡± Tea¡¯s face didn¡¯t look confident. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can heal that amount of damage that fast!¡± he told her. ¡°Why did you guys pull so many?¡± StarShine grinned. ¡°How else would we keep things entertaining?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tea,¡± Guin said. ¡°I have backup heals.¡± ¡°I want you on the Archers, Guin,¡± BronzePaw instructed. ¡°Roger, that.¡± ¡°Here they come!¡± Drakov yelled and let his silencing arrow fly. BronzePaw leaped and toppled the warrior, her tail whipping out and whacking the two archers off balance before they had the chance to even aim. Guin placed herself in between the mage and the archers and executed one of them with a fair amount of ease. However, it seemed that Drakov¡¯s arrow had missed. The creature¡¯s teeth clattered together as they voicelessly flung a large water ball at their flaming wall, causing it to die out. Cursing, Guin kicked the other archer to keep it down. ¡°Drakov, Star, would one of you silence that thing?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s immune!¡± Drakov said, loosing another arrow. ¡°This is the third one I¡¯ve sent at it, and I still don¡¯t think it took!¡± ¡°Great,¡± Guin mumbled, then ducked as a ball of electricity flew in her direction. Cries of shock and pain came from Drakov and Tea, causing Guin to shoot up in alarm. She had dodged the attack, but it shouldn¡¯t have headed in their direction. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Guin asked as BronzePaw crushed the warrior¡¯s skull and came to deal with the other archer. StarShine was looking at the two in alarm from atop her broomstick. ¡°I-I think it was an elemental reaction!¡± she said, in shock. ¡°The floor is wet from the water ball... t-then the lightning ball... Guin, don¡¯t let that thing cast again!¡± She didn¡¯t need to say it twice. With BronzePaw taking care of the other skeleton, Guin quickly tripped the mage behind her and swiped at it with her claws. As it found its footing again, a barrage of magic missiles lit up the dungeon, and an arrow broke through the creature¡¯s skull. Wishing that she could use her spear for the higher-level creature, Guin settled on keeping it interrupted by trying to disarm and trip it when she had the opportunity. Of course, with the concentrated fire, it was bound to die sooner rather than later, and with a final ramming from BronzePaw, it died without a sound. ¡°Well, that was... something,¡± StarShine went, tilting her head.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That hurt!¡± Tea cried. ¡°When did the AI get smart enough to do that?¡± ¡°It is a higher level,¡± Drakov pointed out. ¡°Maybe we should be prepared for more of that in the future?¡± ¡°Good news is, if they can do it, so can we, in theory,¡± BronzePaw said. ¡°Guin, how much is left on those quests of yours?¡± Exchanging a glance with Drakov, Guin looked at where the wraith they had killed was. ¡°Do you think...?¡± he went. Tea¡¯s feet started to dance as he looked at them. ¡°C-Could it be? Is that it? Did that do it? Are we, perhaps, finished?¡± Stella yawned and put her hands behind her head. ¡°God, I hope so,¡± she whined. ¡°It¡¯s so boring when I can¡¯t see what we¡¯re fighting. The skeletons are ugly, but at least I can kill them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something we may just have to get used to,¡± Bahena told her. ¡°I think we should consider ourselves lucky that we have two people in our regular group that have Veil Sight¡ªthink of all the extra experience we¡¯ve gotten.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess,¡± the young woman went. ¡°Well? Well?¡± Drakov leaned over to watch the chest appear. ¡°Did we do it?¡± Grinning, Guin knelt next to the chest that the wraith had left behind. ¡°You wanna loot it, Tea?¡± ¡°Oh, can I?¡± the little garule asked excitedly, kneeling down next to her. ¡°But, but, but...¡± ¡°No ¡®buts¡¯,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been our healer. You¡¯ve earned it.¡± It had, thus far, been a good run. After some effort and negotiation, she had successfully gotten Drakov and StarShine to stop relying solely on the voice-cast system and had even gotten them talking to one another without bickering. They had found the gremlins and exterminated them quickly; they were about as strong as mice. Though Guin had been fearful that she would lose all sorts of reputation for killing the creatures of the Veil, it seemed as though monster-spawned types of spirits that didn¡¯t count as NPCs didn¡¯t affect her standing with the spirits as a whole, but rather, just with the individual species ¡ª and she hadn¡¯t lost much. Her [Spirit ¡ª Wraith] and [Spirit ¡ª Gremlin] reputations were in the negative, as she had never had a positive relationship with them, but losing about one reputation per kill didn¡¯t seem to have put her in a position where she wouldn¡¯t be able to crawl back up once she found a way. If she found a way, and if she didn¡¯t, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so important after all. Tea hovered over the chest and licked his lips. ¡°Can I really?¡± he asked again, but Guin scowled. ¡°A-Alright,¡± he went. The chest creaked as he opened it. Pulling out two little jars of Spectral essence, he gently handed one to her. And the notification bell rang out:
[Quest Offered: Dust and Essence] [Bone Dust] - 100 of 100 [Spectral Essence] - 100 of 100 [Death Moss] - 100 of 100> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>>
¡°That did it!¡± Guin exclaimed. The group clapped and cheered. It had taken them about three hours of hard work, but all the remaining tasks in the Catacombs had been completed. Tea collapsed on the floor. ¡°Mother Mountain has mercy on us after all,¡± he sighed as he rolled over onto his back and stretched out. ¡°We did it! We finished the Scribe¡¯s quest!¡± ¡°Does this mean we can get out of this dank place now?¡± Stella asked Guin. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I am the biggest fan of the underground.¡± ¡°Are you a fan of anything?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°Clothes, hair dye, nail polish, makeup, and blowing things up,¡± the young woman answered. ¡°Any further questions?¡± ¡°Nope, not really,¡± Drakov answered, obviously regretting his choice to feed her the opportunity to make her smirk at him in victory the way she did. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Are we going to turn in what we have and then go back to the area where those really powerful monsters were? Bet we could take them without a problem, now!¡± Drakov flexed off to the side. ¡°Yes,¡± Guin answered. ¡°I think we all have the quest from the High Priest, and then Tea and I have to turn the quest in at the Bone Quill, but that shouldn¡¯t take too long. You guys want to meet up at the Hunter¡¯s Guild again?¡± BronzePaw nodded. ¡°Sounds logical.¡± Guin looked over her shoulder as the others started discussing the route back. Should she try to go back and see the inscriptions again? Make sure that there was nothing she had missed? Though the thought tugged at the back of her mind, Tea tugged at her hand from where he was laying. ¡°Are we going?¡± Tea asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Guin nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can start the corruption quest.¡± Though the regret of not pushing toward the inscriptions ate at the back of her mind, Guin was happy to finally be making progress again. Chapter 121 The sun was waning when Tea and Guin found themselves starting back up at the creaking sign of the Bone Quill Scribes. ¡°Here we are,¡± Tea said with slumping shoulders. Guin nodded as he moved toward the stairs. In her heart, there was a sense of accomplishment¡ªand a growing sense of anxiety as the question of ¡®What next?¡¯ grew closer and closer to something that must be answered. It was silly that she had it in a game, and yet, because of the quest she had gotten in this building, she had met Tea. Tea and Ath and Zen and, for better or worse, Ibraxis. What did the next chapter bring? ¡°Guin?¡± Tea asked from the top step of the building. Pushing the door open with one hand, he looked back at her. A small bell chimed from inside. ¡°Why did you come to the Enclave?¡± Guin asked, still looking at the sign though her vision had glazed over. ¡°Huh?¡± Her vision focused as she looked into his yellow eyes, wide as saucers. Ibraxis¡¯s eyes were yellow, too, but they had a deep, warm tone, burning like the edge of a flame, glittering in swirls like metallic gold paint. Tea¡¯s eyes, though, Tea¡¯s eyes were the clear, bright yellow of the summer mid-day sun. ¡°You must have had a reason to leave your home, everything and everyone you knew, to come to the Enclave,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± He allowed the door to close and put his hands on his hips. Tail wagging, he asked, ¡°Where did this come from?¡± Guin shrugged. ¡°I just... we are moving on, right? Assuming that this is the last major quest we get in the area aside from the Corruption,¡± she said. ¡°So I was just wondering. When you left¡ªwherever it was that you are from¡ªto come here, how did you feel then?¡± ¡°Kind of roundabout thinking, isn¡¯t it?¡± he noted, scratching his head. ¡°But I guess it¡¯s fine. I came to Enclave because of my wife, so my story is a little bit different from a lot of people¡¯s here.¡± ¡°You came for your wife?¡± Tea nodded. ¡°She¡¯s a sutak,¡± he told her. ¡°The opposite kind of Ibraxis. She¡¯s a female who looks¡ªand sometimes acts¡ªvery much like a male.¡± He gave a sheepish grin as he shrugged. Though she tried to recall the details of the lesson that she had attended earlier, she wasn¡¯t familiar enough with the proper terminology for it to have really stuck. She did, however, remember enough of what it meant to feel a pang of empathy strike her heart. ¡°Oh,¡± she went, looking at her feet. ¡°I guess that explains why your reaction to Ibraxis was so different than what was expected.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± he laughed. ¡°It¡¯s true that I was probably a bit too open with him; even I noticed he didn¡¯t know what to make of it at times, and I¡¯m a bit dense about personal boundaries if you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re aware,¡± Guin snorted. ¡°Does he know about this?¡± Tea smiled and looked down. ¡°Honestly, I think it¡¯s better that he doesn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to have someone totally disconnected from your reality accept you for who you are?¡± he asked. But Guin looked down. Ibraxis had said something similar to her once. ¡°For who?¡± she murmured in a soft voice. ¡°In the end, isn¡¯t that just... the same as lying? After all, people find out the truth in the end, and the illusion is broken...¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Tea asked with furrowed brows. ¡°Nothing,¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°Is that how your wife felt?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He laughed. ¡°I guess,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I met her in university, and then I treated her the same way as I treated everyone else, even after I realized she was a sutak. She didn¡¯t even know I knew until she pointed it out one day. She thought I was crazy, but... Well. I won in the end, didn¡¯t I?¡± The infectious smile on his face told her all she needed to know. ¡°This was on Yidar, then?¡± she walked up to him. ¡°Yup,¡± he confirmed, opening the door again for them. ¡°We were both students. I was a representative of my tribe, and Sessori¡ªmy wife¡ªcame as a result of an integration initiative that Dr. Sahae Sere started and the university¡¯s ambassadorial program.¡± Guin paused. ¡°¡®Dr. Sahae Sere¡¯?¡± she asked, her mind searching for why that name sounded familiar. Tea nodded. ¡°He¡¯s pretty well known,¡± he said. ¡°At least in our circles. Dr. Sere is the reason that a lot of sutak and sutak allies were able to leave Gathori without being prosecuted.¡± ¡°How did he manage that?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s an Undying,¡± he told her, continuing to walk through the hall. Tilting her head, Guin moved to catch up to him, asking, ¡°Wait, Undying are real things? I thought you said they were myths!¡± Tea laughed. ¡°It¡¯s like...¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s like you have wizards and witches in myths and legends, but you have a history that shows that they were apothecaries and chemists,¡± he said. It was a simple concept, and Guin felt silly for not having thought of it before. ¡°For our people, the Undying are the keepers of secrets, the tellers of history. They are exiled for fear of their knowledge, yet revered as those who are favored with the spirits of the land, beloved of the Mother Mountain. Legends say that their connection to the land grants them the power to control the elements, but all that is ever really seen by the clans is the wisdom that keep our kind from devolving into chaos. And the occasional healing skill.¡± ¡°That sounds... convoluted,¡± she said. Tea shrugged. ¡°Welcome to being Gaurli,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Even for us, there are too many different rules and regulations for us to truly keep track of. We are raised to understand but not to teach. The Undying are the teachers; they are the ones who know the various cultures enough to teach others so that our traditions are not lost.¡± ¡°If they¡¯re so important, why are they exiles?¡± ¡°What would your people do if one country had a powerful weapon but not the other?¡± ¡°Weapon? But I thought...¡± Shaking his head, he said, ¡°Legends and truths are still very much blurred on Gathori. I study communications here, but I may as well be a god to them with the knowledge that I possess, and that is frightening to a people that thrive off believing that their physical power is absolute.¡± ¡°If that''s the case, then how did the valkyrian manage to get the garuli to follow them at all?¡± Guin asked, trying to make sense of the emerging species power hierarchy. ¡°The Undying,¡± he told her with a mischievous grin. ¡°The clans listen to them, and the valkyrian fear them. Or their legends. Being mysterious and holy has great power, even in advanced cultures.¡± Did that make sense? Guin thought about how that should have worked. The valkyrian had a power beyond anything the humans were capable of, which should have been far more than a hunter-gatherer civilization that she understood the garuli to be. She looked TeaforaDragon over, thinking of Sathuren and Bahena; however, she also wondered how any of it could be logical. Would people from a civilization as primitive as theirs really be capable of becoming what she knew them to be? They all seemed to be fast learners, able to adjust themselves to different environments and situations very quickly. How old were they when they went to Yidar? Sathuren said he was twenty human years old, and Bahena followed after. Bahena had been on the Iceberg Cities for five years, and she didn¡¯t seem to be much older than Guin herself. So they were, what, twenty-five? Thirty? They couldn¡¯t have been more than forty. Between five and fifteen years to learn languages, complex social structures and rules, literature, and in-depth scientific theory is enough to become professors at universities after being raised in a primitive culture like theirs? She hadn¡¯t even considered how amazing it was that she could not only read the Garuli¡¯s body language as well as she could but that they seemed to be able to read hers. It was hard to fathom. Perhaps that was the true reason that the valkyrians made efforts to integrate them ¡ª their innate brilliance. Their potential. That¡¯s where their true magic was. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Tea asked, his intelligent yellow eyes blinking at her with curiosity. They weren¡¯t just a people. They were a commodity. As we all are, to the valkyrian, Guin thought bitterly, feeling that she had placed her fears toward the wrong people after all. Her eyes drifted up to the Head Scribe, peering at them accusingly from over the rims of her glasses. It was a cold, frosty glare that sent a chill down her spine, and she saw them: four round mystriks, in a square shape at the corner of her left eye. ¡°Well, well, well,¡± the old woman started, placing her quill in its holder. ¡°If you are done with your little chit-chat then why don¡¯t you inform me as to the reason you disrupt our work?¡± Chapter 122 Tea stepped forward first and gave a short bow. ¡°Head Scribe, my friend and I have completed the tasks that you set for us¡ª¡± ¡°Your ¡®friend¡¯ can perfectly well talk for herself, lizard,¡± the woman told him flatly. Guin felt her face flush at the insult as her eyes snapped up. ¡°Excuse me?¡± she went, starting toward the desk, but Tea grabbed her arm and pulled her back. ¡°I have completed the [Dust and Essence] quest,¡± Tea answered with a taught voice, still holding Guin¡¯s arm. ¡°I have brought back the things that you needed from the catacombs.¡± ¡°Tea¡ª¡± Guin started to protest, but he shook his head. Taking her arm back, she took a deep breath. He was stronger than she had given him credit for¡ªphysically and mentally. Because of his playful character, she had always thought of him as being weak and a little childish and na?ve, but at the end of the day, he was a garule¡ªand, she reminded herself, a garule who grew up rejecting the structure that his people laid out for him. Does that make him a sutak as well? she wondered briefly before the woman¡¯s tone called her back to the moment. ¡°What are you waiting for? Place your things on the counter,¡± the Head Scribe motioned to the desk in front of her. The good boy he was, TeaforaDragon placed the things on the counter without a word. The old woman sorted through them, inspecting each bag carefully. Guin looked at Tea for guidance, but he was staring at his feet, shoulders slumped, his eyes narrowed in a pained way. Was she wrong? Was he only pretending to be strong? His hands were shaking, but Guin wasn¡¯t sure if she should move to comfort him or not. If he knew this was going to happen, why hadn¡¯t he said anything to her? ¡°Very well. You have good friends, reptile. You should thank them,¡± huffed the Head Scribe as if she were reluctant to give him credit for any of the work he had done. Guin went to say something again, but Tea placed a hand on her arm and gently led her back. ¡°I do, miss,¡± he answered with a pained smirk. ¡°Hmm,¡± the Head Scribe¡¯s eyes fell on Guin, who knew her expression was far more hostile than it should have been considering it was a quest giver ¡ª though she wasn¡¯t sure she cared anymore. ¡°And you? You have finished this quest as well?¡± ¡°What about Tea¡¯s reward?¡± Guin asked, crossing her arms. ¡°He went to you first; he should get his reward first.¡± ¡°Guin...¡± Tea started but was silenced with a glare. The woman at the desk sighed. ¡°And so he shall, but I do not wish to repeat my explanation twice if I do have to.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Guin growled and withdrew the pouches for the [Dust and Essence] quest. The woman didn¡¯t bother inspecting them and just accepted with a nod. Wondering if they could hear her teeth grinding, Guin shifted her stance. ¡°So, Tea¡¯s reward.¡± ¡°For completing this quest, and, it seems, the quest from the High Priest, both of you shall be allowed to receive a Profession Advancement,¡± the woman pulled out two papers from her drawer and put one each in front of them. Interest perked, Guin decided to put aside her annoyance and read the paper. ¡°There are three Profession Advancement branches that you may now choose from: Priest, Mortician, and Bookkeeper. Once you sign this paper, you shall be an Initiate of the profession that you select, and I shall give you your next trainer. Having this rank will allow you to take higher level Profession Classes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between them?¡± Guin asked. ¡°Becoming a Priest means following the path of one who guides the soul from birth till death. You shall be given quests related to teaching and caring and be given access to trainers of healing, blessing, and spiritual growth. This branch complements classes such as the Cleric, the Paladin, or the like. ¡°Becoming a Mortician means becoming one who guides the body in death to the afterlife. You shall be given quests related to burial rites and rituals and be given access to trainers of spellcasting and rituals. ¡°Becoming a Bookkeeper means becoming one who feeds the mind throughout the ages. You shall be given quests related to discovering the history of the ancient world and chronicling the present for the future, and you shall be given access to libraries throughout the lands that shall serve as your teachers and guides.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Only one you may choose, and only once. This choice cannot be made again,¡± the Head Scribe said. ¡°Come back to me when you have decided.¡± Tea and Guin exchanged a glance and stepped down off the platform. The sheet that she had given them was very simple; they needed only to write their choice and sign their name. ¡°So,¡± went Tea. ¡°Which do you think you¡¯ll go for?¡± Guin stared at him. ¡°Are we ignoring the fact that she was... not very nice to you?¡± she asked, biting back more aggressive words. He grimaced. ¡°She¡¯s always like that,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never really liked this place. Even forgetting how nasty she can be¡ªthe sound is... unnerving.¡± ¡°The sound?¡± ¡°The quill pens on the paper,¡± he said with a shiver. ¡°What!¡± she went into shock. She loved the sound, the smell. It was one of the reasons she liked the place so much. How could it bother him? But he nodded dismally. ¡°Garuli don¡¯t have a writing system¡ªat least, not for many generations. We¡¯ve never had a period without computers. I get that this kind of thing fits the game world, but it really grates on the ears.¡± Chuckling at the concept, Guin shook her head. ¡°You guys are weird,¡± she told him. ¡°But all right. Let¡¯s get this over with so we can get out of here.¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± he nodded energetically. ¡°So, which one are you going to choose?¡± ¡°Well,¡± she started, considering her options. ¡°I have no desire to be a priest. It doesn¡¯t fit with the whole shape-shifting ninja thing I have going on. Mortician sounds interesting and would probably be good for my liver needs, but... if I am being honest, the Bookkeeper is probably what suits my personality. You?¡± ¡°Mortician,¡± he said with much more conviction than she expected from him. ¡°Why?¡± she blinked. ¡°Most songs and dances are considered rituals,¡± Tea told her. ¡°So that, in addition to the fact that I may or may not have necromancer tendencies¡ª¡° he coughed, ¡°¡ªmakes the Mortician the best choice for me.¡± Guin snorted. ¡°I see.¡± She had a number of ritualistic tendencies as well, but she still didn¡¯t feel like she had settled on a combat style of her own. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go, Bookkeeper,¡± she said, then considered him. ¡°¡®Necromancer tendencies¡¯? What ¡®necromancer tendencies¡¯? We¡¯ve been messing with undead this whole time, and I¡¯ve never seen you so much as raise them back up.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t really work that way,¡± he admitted bashfully. ¡°I thought it did, but turns out I can only raise stuff from what was already alive first. And it has to be of a certain caliber, so mice don¡¯t work.¡± ¡°And obviously, without veil sight, gremlins and wraiths are a no-go, huh?¡± Guin said, signing her paper, pledging herself to the cause of the Bookkeepers. He nodded. ¡°On the other hand, things could get interesting when we start fighting the corruption!¡± ¡°What are we waiting for, then?¡± she chuckled. Together, they walked up and handed the paper into the Head Scribe. ¡°Are you sure about these decisions?¡± the old woman asked them. ¡°You cannot change it once it is made.¡± After they confirmed, a screen popped up:
<> <> <> <> <>
¡°Cool,¡± Tea said. ¡°Take these, as well,¡± the Head scribe handed them each a token. ¡°These are your licenses. When you encounter areas that are open only to your specific profession, you can use these to identify you and your group¡¯s right to enter. Be advised that should you be found in a place that is locked to you without a proper pass, you shall be removed, arrested, or executed.¡± ¡°Charming,¡± Guin said, flipping the license over to look at the simple carving of a book with an intricate outer design. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± the Head Scribe asked. Guin started shaking her head, but Tea tapped her on the arm and pointed back at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got that other thing, right?¡± ¡°Other thing...? Oh! The inscriptions!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside for you,¡± Tea said. ¡°The scritchy-scratch is giving me a bit of a headache.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Guin nodded. ¡°See you soon!¡± After Tea had left, Guin turned to look back at the old woman behind the desk. She had not forgotten how the woman had treated her friend, yet she wanted to deal with the inscriptions before pissing her off. No use in throwing away a tool that still had its uses. ¡°Yes?¡± the Head Scribe asked tautly, eyes blazing over the rims of her spectacles. ¡°Is there something else, Candidate?¡± Chapter 123 ¡°There is, isn¡¯t there, for you have gone to the Catacombs and seen the writing on the walls¡ªquite literally, I imagine.¡± Narrowing her eyes, Guin confirmed, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°And what did it mean?¡± Guin bit her lip recalling bits of what she had seen¡ªbut it was so overlayed with her dreams of the golden lights, it was hard to separate them. So, she settled on a different conversation: ¡°I saw similar carvings throughout the Catacombs,¡± she said, thinking back on the walls of the golden hall whose carvings were similar, if not their reaction to her touch. ¡°In these kinds of carvings, who is the man holding the hammer marked with the compass of the Tenmath?¡± Pausing, she continued to ask, ¡°Is the Tenmath ¡®ancient culture¡¯?¡± ¡°The Tenmath are remnants of a civilization from about 900 years ago. Following the Tenmath is still done to this day, though not something that is done often; at least by those who have no relation to the Veil,¡± the Head Scribe told her, then smirked. ¡°Not by that name, at least. There are pockets, here and there, who would still call it that, but others would call it ¡®going questing¡¯ or the like. The meaning is different to them. In the Veil, however, the Tenmath aren¡¯t just legends¡ªthey are very real. Following their path is a tradition that is alive and well; for Candidate, the Veil is in need of a ruler. You know the story, do you not?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Guin said. ¡°At least... I¡¯ve heard it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to do your own research. What I can tell you is that the man with the hammer is the icon of ¡®The Creator¡¯, the heart of the Compass of the Sun, followers of the Lady of Sun,¡± the old woman said. ¡°Of course, on those walls, each of the Tenmath has its representations. You needn¡¯t go down there to see them, though. Each library has a section devoted to ancient cultures. Why is it you ask about that one in particular?¡± Guin shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± she said. ¡°I was drawn to that one for some reason. The carvings around it look happy and joyful¡ªbut when I touched the carvings on the wall, they began to glow...¡± ¡°So,¡± the Head Scribe¡¯s eyes began to burn with an unsettling glow, and Guin leaned back at the smile that spread across her face. ¡°You are a catalyst, after all. The Lady shall be pleased indeed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You should be wary, girl,¡± the old scribe said, leaning back and touching her fingers to each other. ¡°You are our hope, but the Tenmath will seek you out. You are a threat to their gods, to their way of life, more than you are to them¡ªand I do not know how time has changed them. Rumors say that some have abandoned their posts. Rumors say some have gone mad. But if your existence becomes known, surely they will all gather around you. For, should you become the Grand Heart, their world shall come crashing around their ears, whether they wish it to or not.¡± Furrowing her brow, Guin asked, ¡°What does that even mean?¡± The Head Scribe¡¯s eyes went out of focus as she murmured, ¡°Peace. Peace at last... ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I know who you are, Candidate,¡± the old woman leaned forward again, hissing over her desk, looking crazed. ¡°I know what you are. And what you aren¡¯t. Find the meaning of the inscriptions¡ªthe true meaning¡ªfor only you can. Find them¡ªFind them and set us free!¡± ¡°Do you... know about... the dreams?¡± Guin asked, gambling on sounding crazy for the simple reason that this woman sounded even crazier. But the Head Scribe just smiled. ¡°Seek the Lady, child, for all your answers lie with her.¡± ¡°Where do I find her?¡± Guin demanded to know. She was getting tired of the NPCs in this game going crazy on her at the mention of her candidacy.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°In the light and in the darkness. Under rocks and bark and mountains. Buried deep within the ocean and high above the sky. Nestled in the roots of trees. In the arms of fathers, at the breasts of mothers,¡± the old woman cited as if it were a tale from somewhere. ¡°The Lady is everywhere. The Lady is nowhere. In truth, you do not seek the Lady¡ªshe seeks you. But, if you do not look for her, it does not matter if she finds you, for you will never see her. So, Candidate,¡± she said, leaning back in her chair again. ¡°Will you seek her?¡±
[Seeking the Lady (Fate Quest)]
Though her mind was rife with hesitation, Guin answered, ¡°I will.¡± If there was even the slightest chance that her dreams had something to do with the game, then this was the only real way that she would be able to find out. At least, it was the only way that she knew of. Of course, as she accepted, it dawned on her: If this was a quest that was connected to her dreams, and her dreams really were connected with the TheirWorld system, then maybe there were other people like her who had experienced these kinds of dreams. It also occurred to her that if it was connected to being a candidate, then the only other candidate she knew of was Ibraxis. But should I ask him? she wondered, alongside: Could I ask him? Annoyance with the situation started to build up again. The Head Scribe simply nodded in her place. ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Now, go away.¡± As if she had been possessed, the old woman returned to the state she had been in before Tea had left. ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± she snapped. ¡°Be on your way!¡± Licking her lips, Guin moved to leave¡ªbut she decided to turn and say, ¡°You know, you could be nicer about things.¡± The old woman raised a single eyebrow at her. Rolling her eyes, Guin just left. The bell chimed, and the door slammed as she left in a huff. She saw Tea jump off to the side as she slapped the creaky sign of the building in her frustration. The whole thing had been totally and completely unsatisfying. ¡°That told me absolutely nothing!¡± She realized, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Liorax! What the hell was that about?¡± The cat appeared floating around her. ¡°Why, how should I have the faintest idea?¡± he mused lazily, which only served to tick her off further. ¡°After all, I am merely a small, meek little cat from the forest.¡± ¡°Gods be damned,¡± she cursed. ¡°If Ibraxis hadn¡¯t suddenly decided to PK me, I might have had the chance to ask you the questions when we were there, so I would have had more to offer in exchange for answers!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing that can be helped now, Candidate,¡± Liorax drawled. ¡°Even if you learned nothing, you still learned something.¡± Guin glared at him as she paced. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°You mean other than the fact that you have some anger issues you should really work on resolving?¡± he went as he floated in the air. ¡°Other than the fact you should be more careful about who you choose to trust? You have learned that you appear to have a connection with the Creator.¡± ¡°And how does that help me, exactly?¡± she asked him. ¡°Should I spend hours in a library looking for clues?¡± Liorax shrugged. ¡°The Creator is a reasonable man,¡± he told her with a yawn. ¡°A tragic one, really, because of that kind heart of his, but very reasonable. Perhaps you could find him and ask him about what you want to know.¡± Pausing, she asked, ¡°The Creator... is alive? He¡¯s... in the game?¡± ¡°G-Guin...?¡± Tea went, raising a hand. ¡°Who are you talking to? A-Are there ghosts?¡± ¡°Of course he is,¡± Liorax chided. ¡°Where did you get the impression he was dead? No one ever truly dies in Uldarin¡ªespecially those we¡¯ve labeled ¡®gods¡¯ or ¡®heroes¡¯, and he holds both titles. They do have such a title for a reason, you know.¡± Chapter 124 It was a startlingly simple thought. It was, after all, a virtual reality game. And the Tenmath had thus far been treated as real lore. Assuming it was the Creator that she had seen in her dream as it had been on the carvings, then having the chance to talk to him would be the most valuable thing of all! Excitement electrified her body. ¡°So if I find him, then I could ask him all about the¡ª¡± But she stopped as she realized: Her dreams didn¡¯t take place in TheirWorld. They took place on the ¡®Bergs. There was nothing to say that the man in the carvings and the man that she had seen in her dreams weren¡¯t totally different people. She may have made them all up. It was Sathuren¡¯s appearance in them that made her think that the other people in her dreams must also be real¡ªbut maybe it was all a trick of the mind. Her shoulders slumped as she rubbed her temples. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, candidate?¡± Liorax asked, sitting on her head. ¡°I have a growing headache,¡± she said. ¡°I hate this game. Liorax, return as a buff, please.¡± And he did. Over to the right of her, Tea was leaning over, peering up at her with worried eyes. ¡°G-Guin? Is everything okay? You kinda looked like you lost your marbles there, for a moment...¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°I have a ghost haunting me because of a trait I took. He¡¯s supposed to help guide me, but he¡¯s really more of an annoyance than a help.¡± Tea¡¯s yellow eyes were large and round as he nodded. ¡°O-Okay,¡± he said, straightening up and looking down at his feet. ¡°What did you mean when you said that Ibraxis PKed you?¡± ¡°He PKed me,¡± Guin grunted as she sent a message off to the others. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Hunter¡¯s Guild. The others are waiting.¡± ¡°Right...¡± the blue and orange garule nodded, and they started down the cobbled streets of the city. If what Liorax said was true, and the Creator was still in the game with all the others, then maybe she would be able to find them. But wasn¡¯t the whole Tenmath a competition that was supposed to run fairly often in the game? If the Creator was one of the Tenmath, then surely, the Creator now wouldn¡¯t be the Creator in the future. Or were the Tenmath merely the mortal representatives of the true eight, which could more properly be called gods. Or heroes, as Liorax suggested. Of course, there was no guarantee that any of the information that she had acquired thus far was correct. The first Tenmath competition had yet to be held and was really more of a theory than a fact. Even recalling what she had been told in the tutorial seemed like it had been an old legend or wives'' tale passed from one person to the next. It was hard to know who or what to trust. Beside her, TeaforaDragon was awfully quiet. Walking with a slow gait, he hung his head and twitched his nose. It was odd how tall he was without Ibraxis to compare him to. Seeing the usually chipper gargle looking so forlorn was also slightly irritating. Guin sighed. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, though she knew perfectly well what it was. ¡°Hm?¡± he looked up quickly. ¡°Lost in thought, were you?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You can talk to me, you know,¡± she told him. ¡°I know it¡¯s bothering you.¡± Though she didn¡¯t think it possible, he ducked his even head lower than it already was into a position that looked frighteningly uncomfortable. Stopping, she took him by the shoulder and lifted his chin up so that his eyes were level with hers. ¡°Stop it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°Why would Ibraxis PK you?¡± Tea demanded to know, lifting his head up. With proper posture, he was actually taller than her. He shook his head wildly. ¡°I just¡ªI just can¡¯t! I can¡¯t see Ibraxis as a bad guy! But I can¡¯t see you as one either! I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to feel!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Guin¡¯s eyes widened as she watched him prance around in his little indecisive temper tantrum. She laughed. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to breathe. Leaning on her knees, she said, ¡°M-My goodness, Tea, you are adorable, but it¡¯s really not worth it!¡± She looked up at him and smiled. ¡°Look, whatever happened between me and Ibraxis happened between me and Ibraxis. It was something to do with a quest that we both have. He didn¡¯t even get a PK penalty for it.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s our friend!¡± he whined. ¡°He¡¯s your friend,¡± Guin told him, standing up. Thinking about her last conversation with the white garule, she added, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he is to me, exactly. A person who takes the subway with me? My roommate¡¯s brother? Right now, the only thing I think about him is that he¡¯s a major pain in the ass. He could have killed me five minutes later, and everything would be so much better.¡± ¡°Y-Your roommate¡¯s brother?¡± he repeated. ¡°You mean, in real life?¡± Guin started walking as she nodded. ¡°BronzePaw. Starshine is also my roommate. Anyway, I was able to talk it out with him and... he¡¯s not so bad. So far, not really a ¡®bad guy,¡¯ even to me.¡± Tea sighed and wiggled his tail. ¡°That¡¯s good, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°But I guess it means I shouldn¡¯t ask to invite him to the group, huh?¡± ¡°He¡¯s online?¡± her eyes narrowed as she glanced around. ¡°Maybe we should so I can kill him.¡± ¡°Guin,¡± he snorted. ¡°Two wrongs don¡¯t make a right!¡± ¡°Psh,¡± she went, crossing her arms. ¡°This is TheirWorld. There is no such rule. Besides, it¡¯s my quest to kill him as much as it is his to kill me. The bastard just beat me to it...¡± The more she thought about the idea, the worse an idea she felt it was, but it was still entertaining to imagine being about to take him down. In the end, though, she put her hands on her hips with a sigh. She opened her friend window. Ibraxis¡¯s name was still on it, lit up white to show that he was online. Gaze lingering, she wondered what would happen if she reached out to him first. But to what end? Next to her, Tea sighed and threw his hands behind his head. ¡°Still,¡± he pouted. ¡°Even if it''s a quest, he shouldn¡¯t have done that if you didn¡¯t do anything to him.¡± ¡°I did, though,¡± she murmured, still staring at his name. ¡°Hm?¡± the other garule went, but Guin ignored him. At first, Guin simply thought of it as him acting on a quest, but Tea¡¯s reaction was giving her second thoughts. No matter how much Sathuren made it seem like he didn¡¯t care, she couldn¡¯t help but think that their misunderstanding played into the reason he had taken such an action. Why? Why did she want to believe that the error was her¡¯s and not a calculated deception? Because otherwise, it didn¡¯t actually make sense, did it? Guin bit at her finger so hard that she opened a wound deep enough to send pain shooting through her hand. It was a familiar, burning pain, and she watched the blood bubble up around her fingernail. She knew Sathuren well enough to know he wasn¡¯t a reckless or impulsive individual. He was calm and thoughtful, confident and well-spoken, clever and careful. But above all, she sensed no ill will in him. Even thinking back to the times on the train or at the dojo, she felt she could trust him. Putting aside the fact that he was a garule, and the fact that he withheld the truth from her about the sutak, he came off as honest, if hesitant, about where to place his trust, with a serene aura that made her feel at peace. So why would he act in a way that could only be interpreted as ¡®betrayal¡¯? If he had acted out of even the smallest bit of spite towards her behavior then she could forgive it. But if it wasn¡¯t, then why? Was it really for the quest? The dragon from her dreams loomed over her mind. ¡°Guin?¡± Tea went. ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s a bit of a scary face...¡± She needed to stop with this. It was nonsense. Paranoia. Sathuren or Ibraxis¡ªneither of them meant any harm. The wound that she had caused to herself healed over. ¡°Sorry,¡± she answered, rubbing her fingers together. If only her hands had healed so fast in real life, they wouldn¡¯t have been so marred by her insecurities. ¡°Noona!¡± Drakov came running up as they reached the gate of the Hunter¡¯s Guild. Bahena and Stella waved from the side. He paused in his tracks. ¡°Scary face...¡± Still? Guin sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± she asked, more impatient than she meant it to be. ¡°It seems like the Corruption has spread a bit,¡± Bahena said. ¡°We just need to go about five minutes to the west.¡± ¡°What is this Corruption thing you guys keep talking about anyway?¡± Tea asked, blinking. ¡°I was so caught up in thinking about Ibraxis that I totally forgot to ask...¡± Starshine laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head out!¡± Guin smiled, taking a deep breath as she pretended to be more relaxed than she was. If nothing else, that was a trait she had mastered. Chapter 125 It took them several hours over the next few days to get their next lead as to Octarius¡¯s whereabouts¡ªand even then, all they had found was the location of one of his captains. Through the bushes about thirty feet back, Guin watched as the guards at the front of the camp stood guard. Their silver plate glinted in what rays of the sun made it through the canopy above, and purple and gold cloth tunics marked them as soldiers of the Noble kingdom. ¡°How do we go about this?¡± BronzePaw asked, crouched down on all fours next to her. ¡°We can talk to them, right?¡± Tea went from the other side of her. Drakov, kneeling just behind, said, ¡°The other groups talked about this encampment as being a waypoint. Venders and stuff... Why are we hiding? Look ¡ª they are going in and out...¡± It was true. Dozens of players were going in and out. Exchanging a glance with BronzePaw, Guin laughed. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t really need to.¡± ¡°Stalking prey, are we?¡± the garule woman mused. ¡°Caution is good, but if we can survey the grounds we are going to raid before the actual raid, that should prove far more valuable.¡± Guin stood and dusted off her knees. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t even know if we have to attack this guy yet. I¡¯m still hoping for a pleasant conversation.¡± The only one who hadn¡¯t at least tried to keep a low profile behind the bush, Star yawned behind them. ¡°I say we just kill them all,¡± she said. ¡°They are only level twenty, and there are five of us. Half the corruption beasts are higher level than these guys. We could take ¡®em. This was also true. And a consideration¡ªbut probably a no-go. They had been running around in the corruption for three days at this point, and, considering that they had each gained several levels and had improved their teamwork along the way, saying that the corruption had gotten ¡®worse¡¯ would have been considered an understatement. Not that they hadn¡¯t managed¡ªand them, better than many others. There were many groups and teams throughout the gooey woods now, fighting their way through hordes of Gobos, Moarbits, and other such creatures scattered throughout the lands. NPC groups, like the encampment they were staking out, had joined the fray, too. They were quest givers and merchants, generally carrying healing potions, foodstuffs, and other such survival gear¡ªbut they noticed that, as time passed, more and more had shown up with more advanced goods and gear to sell. And this encampment? It was less than 24 hours old, judging from their conversations with the other groups around them. But this captain they were after? He was a different story. The right-hand man of the Prince, he was the one in charge of cleaning up after any mess the young ¡®Hero¡¯ made. If the stories of the forums were to be believed thus far, he had failed miserably. Not for lack of effort, it seemed, but simply because fighting the corruption was a fruitless effort unless you first dealt with the underlying cause ¡ª an underlying cause that did not yet seem to be public knowledge. ¡°Come on,¡± Guin waved them forward. The soldiers in the camp weren¡¯t very strong at all, but that wasn¡¯t the most uncommon thing to see among NPCs in these early zones, it seemed. Upon inspection, though, it was easy to see that those soldiers themselves may not have been worth much; their gear was. All elite, magical items that the average person wouldn¡¯t have been able to acquire on their own. However, each piece on the front guards held the label ¡®Standard Issue Military XXX¡±¡ªwhich told her that while they were better than what the player might have at their level, it wasn¡¯t as state of the art as the rarity might otherwise suggest. Frowning, she looked around the camp as they entered. She guessed that at least a good twenty or so soldiers were wandering around. Those not in plate either wore thick gambison or hardened leather chest guards and bracers marked with the Imperial seal of a dancing unicorn. A half dozen white tents were set up in a spiked wooden palisade, along with a single tent with similar purple and gold patterns to the clothing on the guards. The white tents were mostly unremarkable; a few had signs on them indicating various merchants and a rest area with healing available. The purple and gold one, however, had two guards flanking its front wearing armor that was clearly of a different classification than the others. She sent Drakov and Star to investigate with the vendors while Tea and Bahena went over to a quest board similar to the one at the front of the Hunter¡¯s guild. Guin went toward the purple tent. Before she could ask, the guards at the front closed spears across the entry without a word.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Pardon me,¡± Guin said, chewing on her lip before continuing. ¡°Is this the tent of Captain Roger Othren?¡± Silence. Guin growled but didn¡¯t fight it. Instead, she inspected their equipment. As she suspected, it was a higher tier than the others. Though she wanted to believe that they could take the encampment as it was, she rather hoped that the Captain was as reasonable a man as people said he was. Killing them all might have been satisfying, but the reality was that it wasn¡¯t just the soldiers they¡¯d probably have to deal with. Aside from the twenty-some-odd NPCs in the area, the two dozen players roaming about told her just how vital this small outpost was to those questing and leveling in the area¡ªand Guin and her group weren¡¯t all that remarkable when it came to levels or gear. The high-powered creatures birthed by the corruption had been a call to arms for all those looking to increase their skills and take part in the corruption phenomena¡ªand she was sure that she and Drakov weren¡¯t the only ones who had had former experiences with corruption. Turning back to the purple tent, she peered in, stepping on her tiptoes to try and get a better view. It was dark inside, but the daylight helped her to make out a long table with a map spread across it, with a half dozen unlit candles that had been burned enough to look like sculptures of dripping monsters that no doubt came alive when the flames were lit within them. A large cabinet was behind it; a globe and miscellaneous navigation tools rested upon it. Beyond that, a room divider of purple velvet, stitched with a white dancing unicorn, cut off her view. Over to the side, however, was an empty armor and weapons rack. She leaned a bit too far, almost losing her balance before one of the guards pushed her back with his spear. ¡°Noona!¡± Drakov ran over to her then. ¡°The Captain isn¡¯t here.¡± Guin looked back into the tent. ¡°Do you know why?¡± she asked. It was surprising, given that he would have been the main quest-giver for those following the Imperial storyline. Flying over to them, Starshine added, ¡°The vendors are talking about the appearance of a massive corrupted creature to the north, over by the mountains.¡± ¡°And they sent an NPC to deal with it?¡± Guin asked, furrowing her brows. ¡°That¡¯s a bit strange isn¡¯t it? It would have to be connected to a player quest then, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°They mentioned a group of adventurers led by someone named Cagoran going with him, so I think that¡¯s a safe assumption,¡± Drakov said. Guin shook her head. ¡°Do you know how long ago they left?¡± ¡°The vendors seemed to think it was ¡®yesterday,¡¯¡± Star said. ¡°Since it¡¯s coming from an NPC, I¡¯m guessing that means an in-game day, which should mean between four and six hours ago, our time.¡± ¡°And they haven¡¯t returned yet?¡± Guin asked. Now that would be strange. What monster would take more than an hour to bring down? ¡°Where are Bahena and Tea...¡± she muttered, looking over the heads of the players before opening up a video chat with the group. ¡°Guys, where are you? I think we¡¯ve had a change of plans.¡± ¡°Still at the board,¡± Bahena said. ¡°There seems to be more than a simple change of plans. Take this.¡± A shared quest notifier popped up on the screen:
[Quest Offered: Den of the Corrupted Rift Dweller] The Corrupted Dark Wolf 0/1 The Corrupted Etherite Shaman 0/1 The Corrupted Kitewing 0/1 The Corrupted Skyflare 0/1 The Corrupted Rift Dweller 0/1> This quest is optional. It can be skipped. (Difficulty: C)>>
¡°This whole place is talking about it,¡± Tea said. ¡°This dungeon just randomly appeared out of nowhere earlier today. Apparently it¡¯s a nightmare of a place, too. Giving a lot of people a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°Everyone is trying to gather a group of experienced players, level 20 and up. Some are saying 30 is preferable,¡± Bahena told them, crossing her arms. ¡°The board is overrun with fliers for group requests rather than quests.¡± Star smirked. ¡°We are going, aren¡¯t we? No doubt that Mr. Captain is going to be there. Maybe that¡¯s why that first group hasn¡¯t returned. It¡¯s not because it¡¯s a monster they¡¯re fighting, but many monsters.¡± ¡°Noona!¡± Drakov raised his hand. Snorting, Guin went, ¡°Put your hand down. What is it?¡± ¡°Treasure,¡± he said, his eyes brightening with the smile that stretched across his face. Chapter 126 ¡°I could so use a new bow!¡± Drakov dreamed out loud, starry-eyed as they went walking through the forest. ¡°Or a nice set of leather gear. I haven¡¯t been able to upgrade my gear so long...¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not count our chickens before they hatch,¡± Star chided. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we are going to be able to do this dungeon.¡± ¡°What chickens? There are chickens?¡± Tea went, looking around. ¡°Where?¡± Bahena patted him on the head. ¡°It¡¯s a human saying,¡± she said, explaining the meaning to the all-too-easily embarrassed garule man. ¡°Even if we can do a part of the dungeon, we need to consider that the bosses will only get stronger as we go on,¡± Guin frowned. ¡°Chances are we won¡¯t be able to get all the way to the end on the first try.¡± The Catacombs was not a real dungeon. They called it a dungeon because it was pretty close to an actual, dictionary-defined sort of dungeon, and, being a level above Moarbits and Beedants and the like, it was best to have a proper group with you when you went down into it. It had powerful monsters, and occasional rare spawns and elite areas, but it didn¡¯t have boss-type monsters. On one hand, this meant it was easy to run away from mobs that were too much for the group to handle. On the other hand, loot was relatively average, and gear drops were few and far between. Only the higher-tier mobs had a chance of dropping gear, and even then, most of it was junk. Drakov scowled. ¡°Hey, as long as we don¡¯t die, it should be a great experience even if we have to run through it a few times.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really rather not do that,¡± Star said. ¡°But I do like treasure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to find out more at the front of the dungeon, I¡¯m sure,¡± Guin said. ¡°Even if the captain tells us nothing, there''s bound to be people gathered outside we can get some info out of.¡± ¡°I wonder if it will be as crowded as the Cats usually are...¡± Tea said. Bahena hmmed before noting, ¡°If the crowd at the board is anything to go by, my guess it will be far more crowded than the Catacombs. Most people were looking for groups; most small groups were looking for either a healer or a tank.¡± Drakov nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Why does that make sense?¡± Star asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t a knight a tank? There are tons of them running around.¡± But the young man shook his head. ¡°They can also DPS,¡± he told her. ¡°Kind of the reverse of what Bahena does; she¡¯s a DPS class who can, at this point, pass as a tank. A lot of people don¡¯t like playing tank or healing roles because they are usually the first ones blamed when something goes wrong. Which is usually stupid because without them DPSers are screwed because they can neither take a lot of damage nor heal any damage they have taken. A group of support players can hold things together for a while, but they generally don¡¯t have enough DPS to sustain progress.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°That¡¯s a benefit of being with a group of actual friends,¡± Tea said. ¡°You don¡¯t get yelled at as much or even dropped from a group in the middle of a bad place.¡± ¡°Speaking from experience?¡± Star mused. ¡°I think most anyone who plays a healer or tank role has been in that kind of position at some point,¡± Guin said with a shrug. ¡°Playing a healer in older games, there were groups I¡¯d heal through impossible situations. There were also ones that would wipe even in the most basic of dungeons. There are factors aside from sheer skill and situation. Sometimes, your fingers trip on the keyboard, the internet is shit, or the timing is off. Sometimes the enemy gets the better of you. Sometimes you just... screw up.¡± Starshine snorted. ¡°Gamers are very serious creatures.¡± ¡°We are. Very serious about what it is we do,¡± Drakov agreed and puffed up his chest. ¡°Mock us if you will, you non-gamer, but we stand proud!¡± Tea and Guin laughed with him as BronzePaw and Star just shook their heads. ¡°It¡¯s all fun and games until the combat is real,¡± BronzePaw said, crossing her arms. ¡°Maybe not so much in your other games, but TheirWorld is basically a combat simulator. You shouldn¡¯t be so flippant about it.¡± ¡°As I have no intention of ever going to war, I will be damned if anything in this game is going to ever make me feel guilty about mocking it,¡± Star waved. ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Drakov said under his breath, which earned him a glare, but before the conversation started to spiral into yet another argument, the new encampment appeared before them. To say there were a lot of people would have been an understatement. ¡°What on Earth,¡± Star said, landing gracefully on the ground. Her witch¡¯s attire earned her almost as many glance¡¯s as Guin¡¯s ears and fluffy tail, but she seemed able to ignore them a whole lot better than Guin was. Drakov, free of the extra attention, tsked at her. ¡°We aren¡¯t on Earth; here or in reality¡ªand you aren¡¯t even from Earth, anyway.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t pick up the sayings of my human friends?¡± she snipped back and stuck out her tongue at him. ¡°W-Why are there so many people?¡± Tea asked, grabbing hold of Guin¡¯s arms from behind and putting her in front of him to use her as a shield. ¡°And of all people, you choose Guin to use as a shield?¡± BronzePaw mused, raising a brow as she took a place on Guin¡¯s right. ¡°Not a great tactical decision.¡± ¡°Not everything is about tactics,¡± he told the female with indignation. He put his chin on Guin¡¯s head as if he were trying to be Liorax. ¡°It¡¯s about comfort.¡± BronzePaw looked both amazed and confused, but Guin reached over and patted the hand that was on her arm. ¡°You and me both,¡± she reassured him in a low voice. It was an impressive number of people. If this had been the real world, ¡®Dassah¡¯ was certain to have had a heart attack. Luckily, she was Guin, and for Guin it was easy to just repeat: ¡°You and me both...¡± Unlike the other encampments, this one had no walls. Only two tents were set up inside of the small clearing. A flood of players filled the area, so much that Guin couldn¡¯t tell if there were any soldiers in the area at all, but she assumed that Captain Othren had to be somewhere in it all. But there was something that everyone could see if they knew what they were looking at. ¡°Interesting tree,¡± Star pointed to it: a very tall, wide, dead-looking tree in the middle of the area. To Guin, it was a very familiar-looking tree. BronzePaw shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about it?¡± Tea and Bahena commented on the general eeriness they felt looking at it or the ethereal beauty of what looked like Spanish moss hanging from its leafless branches in large chunks. Drakov pointed out that the trunk was so covered in a waterfall of dead vines that one could hardly see the trunk. Those sections that weren¡¯t covered by the stems of the vines or Spanish moss oozed black goo that glistened with an unnerving sense of life¡ªthough only she and Drakov could have seen that part. But Guin, she gaped at it as it jerked on the strings of her memory. It was the Tree of Dreams. Chapter 127 The whole area was loud. Not just in volume but in color. There must have been at least a hundred voices and costumes all competing and clashing with one another as they crowded together around the tree and the quest givers at its base. And they were all after one of two things: groups or information. ¡°Level 29 ranger class, LFG!¡± ¡°25 mage class, LFG!¡± ¡°Group of five, LF Heals! PST!¡± ¡°LF Tank for [Den of the Corrupted Rift Dweller]!¡± ¡°WTB Info on [Den of the Corrupted Rift Dweller]! Will make gold offer based on value!¡± ¡°LF info on Corrupted Dark Wolf!¡± Pushing and shoving¡ªmostly done by BronzePaw¡ªthrough the crowd got them closer into where they could see more details of the area. The closer they got to the tree, the more roots they saw rising up from the ground, giving a more stable place for them to stand¡ªthough it seemed that many of the roots were also damaged and decaying. Whether that had happened before or after all these people had come, Guin didn¡¯t really want to know. She was too busy looking up at the tree. The first time she had fallen behind the group, Star had doubled back to take her hand and placed her firmly in between Bahena¡¯s back and her. Tea at her left, holding her arm in his, and Drakov at her right, Guin let them lead her along like they were her bodyguards. They seemed to think that her falling behind was connected to her anxiety, but she didn¡¯t bother to correct them. There were other things on her mind. What was the Tree of Dreams doing here? Did it have such power as to move locations? Was it a different Tree of Dreams that just happened to look the same to her imagination and memory? After all, it was quite a lot more ...dead... than the Tree of Dreams she had seen before. Guin wanted to take out a web browser to look it up, to see if maybe every forest had a Tree of Dreams. Or only forests with Great Beasts. Or maybe Amikavi wasn¡¯t the only one to have followed Prince Octarius. Was she ready to face a corrupted Tethaigou? ¡°There,¡± Drakov pointed forward with his chin, pulling her back from her wandering thoughts. ¡°That guy, sitting with that two-hander. BronzePaw, head towards him.¡± A glint of sun-catching armor caught Guin¡¯s eye through the sea of people, and then she saw the purple and gold of the Noble Clan¡¯s Imperial flag. She could hear horses, neighing, pawing at the ground¡ªbut she gave up on trying to hear the differences in voices and tones as the world was filled with such dizzying amounts of sound. If only there was a way to turn her hyper-hearing off. She wasn¡¯t sure it was possible, but there appeared to be even more people gathered around the Captain than there were trying to fit into the glade. A tall, older-looking warrior tapped on BronzePaw¡¯s shoulder and stuck his thumb behind him. ¡°Line to talk to Captain Othren starts about two groups back,¡± he said. The group nodded and headed back, where they confirmed the end of the line with a soft-spoken jikak woman. Her group was a full six-member party of frightening apparent race-class combinations. A burly jikak paladin was at the head of a tivarys druid, a garuli warrior, an eararian mage, and a valkyrian ranger. As a cleric, the jikak woman was the only one who seemed to be more of an unorthodox choice, but her manner, kind, with a regal air, gave Guin a pleasant feeling that made her feel instantly comfortable around her. ¡°You are here for the dungeon, I presume?¡± the cleric asked with lilted tones and a peaceful expression. ¡°There are a great many people who seek to do the same. I hope we get to go in today...¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Looking around, BronzePaw nodded. ¡°I have little idea what this ¡®dungeon¡¯ thing is about, but it seems like it''s a very popular sort of event.¡± The paladin¡ªwho was a good two feet shorter than Paw while being at least three times as thick¡ªsnorted through his flat, pig-like nose. ¡°Who cares?¡± he said gruffly. ¡°As long as we bring death to the enemies of Gruth, there shall be glory.¡± ¡°Oh, shut the bloody hell up about ¡®Gruth¡¯ and ¡®glory¡¯, you overgrown sausage.¡± Over behind the cleric, the eararian mage yawned, then continued in a bored tone, ¡°No one cares, and I¡¯m not in the damn mood for it.¡± Guin and the other two girls exchanged a glance as the paladin shifted uncomfortably. The valkyrian ranger sighed and plucked at his bow. ¡°Don¡¯t get your wings all twisted, Heed,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll be outta here soon enough. ¡°We¡¯ve been in this line for like an hour,¡± the tivarys complained. She was kneeling on the ground, picking at flowers. ¡°People talk too much.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just cranky because it¡¯s daylight hours,¡± the female garule said, turning to Guin¡¯s group. ¡°Sorry about them. Most of us are just waiting to talk to the guy so we can look at starting the dungeon tomorrow, at this point. Moral is pretty low, between wait times and well... news.¡± ¡°We must take that low moral and raise it to the heights of the Kon!¡± the paladin raised a fist in the air, but aside from the Cleric, the others rolled their eyes. ¡°We shall feast upon the flesh of our friends and foes alike and bring them to glory!¡± ¡°News?¡± Drakov asked, eyeing the large jikak with a fair amount of uncertainty. Guin wasn¡¯t sure if she was supposed to see him as a role player or if Jikak were really like that. The cleric nodded. ¡°Oh yes,¡± she said in a worried tone as she took the Paladin¡¯s arm. He deflated a bit, blushing as she smiled up at him, then shyly scuffed at the ground with his feet. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been talking about not only the monsters but the dungeon itself. They say that it¡¯s an ever-changing maze. A few people have at least made it to the first boss, but they¡¯ve yet to defeat them." ¡°What¡¯s more interesting is that some Veil sight people from the River Clan say that they know who the first boss is, not that it matters too much,¡± the tivarys said. ¡°They¡¯re pretty upset about it, though." ¡°The Dark Wolf?¡± Guin asked. ¡°What do you mean they know them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that by now, most people fighting the corruption know how it works,¡± she went on. ¡°The River Clan says that the Dark Wolf boss is a corrupted form of one of the important spirits from the river lands, a Beach Wolf named Harmony. Harmony was not just one of the main quest givers for the Veil Quests in the area, but was the voice that carried messages from the Dragon King of the Rain River Estuaries.¡± Guin bit her lip and looked back up at the tree. ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± BronzePaw tilted her head. ¡°Then, could you shed some light on the powers we might expect to face?¡± ¡°And why would we tell you anything?¡± Heed the earar sneered. Star glared. ¡°How is it that every earar we have met has the exact same personality defects?¡± she asked. Guin snorted. Except for the fact that Grim was considerably less aggressive than this earar was, they were very similar to one another. ¡°I should think that reflects on you, not on us,¡± he said, his nose scrunching into a growl. ¡°Heed!¡± the valkyrian bit, then sighed again. ¡°If you encounter an earar in the daytime, they¡¯re likely all gonna be cranky. They are nocturnal, after all¡ªand some are better at making the adjustment than others. As for Harmony, she was a kind of water spirit. Now, though, they are saying that her attacks are all ice-based.¡± The earar laughed. ¡°And look at you all, without a mage!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a mage,¡± BronzePaw said indignantly, causing the other group to look at her curiously. ¡°That¡¯s true, but you¡¯re not the kind of mage he¡¯s talking about Paw,¡± Drakov said, patting her shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s talking about someone with fire spells.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Paw said sheepishly, then blurted, ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t learn any!¡± Tea raised his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it helps, but I have a song that makes everyone¡¯s weapon damage into fire damage...¡± ¡°I have a couple of fire spells, too,¡± Star said with a shrug. Guin nodded. ¡°It may not be as efficient as a dedicated mage with true fire spells, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°Maybe in twenty levels,¡± the earar snorted, The paladin let out a burst of a laugh. ¡°That is the spirit! Fight with everything against all odds! Fight and die in a blaze of glory!¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really argue with that first part,¡± Bahena nodded. ¡°But a pointless death is still pointless.¡± The jikak paladin huffed, saying, ¡°Glory is the center of all things!¡± ¡°Now, now, dear,¡± the cleric went in her sweet voice, patting him on the arm. ¡°That¡¯s quite enough.¡± Heed snorted, then smirked over at Guin and her group. ¡°You all seem to think you¡¯re gonna be real successful, huh? You all. Without a healer? Or a tank?¡± ¡°Success is in the eye of the beholder,¡± Drakov went, his eyes narrowing. ¡°How exactly do you define it?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a little bet, huh?¡± the mage went, leaning over into Tea¡¯s face. ¡°What do you say?¡± Chapter 128 The blue and orange garule leaned back at the close proximity as the earar continued: ¡°Tyran over there can keep his honor. I am more interested in profit. So why don¡¯t we mix up the pot a little bit, hmm? Make it worthwhile for all of us.¡± ¡°Do we have to?¡± the other group¡¯s ranger asked, yawning. ¡°I just want to go to bed, at this point... why make this more complicated?¡± ¡°I think it sounds interesting,¡± Starshine smiled dangerously from atop her hovering broom. The hair on the back of Guin¡¯s neck stood on end as her friend spoke in her purr-like tone. Paw and Drakov moved to stop her, but she waved them down. ¡°What kind of bet are you thinking of?¡± Heed grinned. ¡°A harmless one, I assure you,¡± he went, holding out his arms with the pageantry of a movie villain. ¡°I propose... a competition; a sort of race: The first group to conquer the dungeon the fastest by Monday wins. The losing team will then be the winning team¡¯s gophers for an owed period of, let¡¯s say... 24 hours, in total, at the winner¡¯s discretion. What do you say?¡± ¡°W-Why would we agree to that?¡± Tea asked. The earar mage¡¯s eyes were sharp and cruel as they narrowed into a look that Guin did not like. ¡°Because this swelling pot of trash around us is just one explosion away from descending into a bit of player-killing chaos. And I¡¯m bored.¡± He gestured to the people around them, and Guin froze. The tivarys shook her head. ¡°Always with the dramatics...¡± ¡°Oh, dear,¡± the cleric went, a hand flying up to her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to go that far, Hee-¡± ¡°What say you?¡± Heed asked, leaning in. ¡°Will you be brave and save all these people? Or will you... run away?¡± Drakov was pale when he looked at Guin. ¡°Why can¡¯t we ever meet nice and normal people?¡± Crossing her arms, Guin sighed. ¡°And just how would we know that either side is telling the truth?¡± ¡°Your first real dungeon, is it?¡± he grinned and stood straight again. ¡°Beautiful. You see, when a player goes and defeats a dungeon, they get a title, or badge of honor, as proof of their accomplishment for all to see. This title also records things such as how many times you¡¯ve run it and the time for top accomplished times, kills, favored abilities, deaths, etcetera,¡± he explained. ¡°Any other rules other than the fastest run time by Monday?¡± Guin asked further. He shook his head. ¡°It gives both teams four days, including a whole weekend, to get through the dungeon as many times as they can.¡± Guin exchanged a look with each of the others.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We don¡¯t have a healer, Guin,¡± Drakov muttered to her. ¡°You want him to just set off a fireball and kill us anyway?¡± she muttered back. ¡°At least we wouldn¡¯t be promising 24 hours of our lives to someone else,¡± he hissed. We don¡¯t have a healer... And yet. She looked at BronzePaw, whose tail was wagging with anticipation that Guin could see from her eyes. Starshine, too, was looking at Heed like he was something to be hunted. When she looked at Drakov, he sighed and said. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m with you...¡± And Tea. ¡°Are you all right with accepting this?¡± she asked him. The timid male¡¯s nose twitched as he looked between the earar and Guin. Hesitantly, he nodded but also said, ¡°On one condition. We get a healer¡ªa real healer, Guin. And you know who I¡¯d suggest.¡± ¡°You know a healer?¡± Drakov asked him, turning quickly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something before?¡± Guin nodded curtly. She knew. ¡°I am going to regret this,¡± she said, then turned back to the other group. ¡°Fine. If the rest of your group agrees to the terms and honor the agreement, I don¡¯t think a little sportsmanship would really kill us.¡± ¡°I, Tyran the Great Doom, humbly accept this challenge of glory!¡± The jikak paladin pounded his chest. ¡°May Gruth watch us, that we may enter the Halls of Algorath and fly amidst the souls of the honored dead that flow through the great Kon with dignity and honor!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the cleric smiled, patting his arm again. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure that Heed doesn¡¯t run away from his own bargain if nothing else!¡± The tivarys chuckled. ¡°Oh, I suppose. It actually sounds like great fun¡ªhaving a little minion to torture for a few hours. I mean, there¡¯s no way you guys can win, not with the team you have.¡± ¡°We are just missing a member,¡± Guin said quickly. If we can call him that, she thought as she looked back at Tea quickly. ¡°And will they agree?¡± the valkyrian raised an eyebrow. ¡°He will,¡± Tea said with a surprising amount of conviction that Guin did not share. ¡°Then let it be done!¡± Heed summoned a scroll and wrote on it, then handed it to Guin. ¡°I am guessing you are the leader, little human. Write the names of your six.¡± ¡°The names? What does this do?¡± Guin asked, reading the paper. It listed the terms that they had discussed and the names of their party. The earar shrugged. ¡°It contractually binds us to an action,¡± he said. ¡°I am, if nothing else, a fair man. We submit it to the server, and it ensures that all players follow through on what they have promised.¡± ¡°No funny business?¡± Drakov asked, looking over Guin¡¯s shoulder and reading it as she went through it a second time. ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know a GM even if there is,¡± Guin mumbled. But on the other hand... She grinned as she wrote the names of the intended team, including the one that wasn¡¯t standing there to agree. It was almost too perfect. Nothing was wrong with a little harmless payback, right? Handing the paper back to Heed to do with what he would, she sighed with a good deal more satisfaction than she thought she would. ¡°Guin?¡± Tea went, twiddling his thumbs as if he just realized the repercussions of his request. ¡°Did we just do a bad thing?¡± ¡°No, Tea,¡± Guin smirked. ¡°I think we may have just accomplished exactly what needed to happen.¡± ¡°Guin,¡± Drakov went, pointing to her face. ¡°W-Why is that scary face back?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, dongsaeng,¡± she said, opening a private chat with Ibraxis Soulkeeper. ¡°Just wait. You¡¯ll. See.¡± Chapter 129 Aside from Guin and Tea, everyone¡¯s mouths dropped when the very disgruntled-looking white garule walked over to them, his orange eyes flashing annoyance in Guin¡¯s direction. And she couldn¡¯t help but grin like a fool. ¡°S-Sathuren?¡± BronzePaw said and looked at Guin. ¡°The healer you intended to call was... him?¡± Star snorted a laugh, earning her another glare before she managed to cover her face with her hand. ¡°Ibraxis!¡± Tea exclaimed, instantly latching onto the much larger male¡¯s arm. ¡°You came!¡± ¡°I would sincerely hate to think that you had something to do with this, Tea,¡± Ibraxis said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the other male, who really was quite short in comparison. Tea¡¯s face fell as he kicked at the ground, but Ibraxis sighed and looked up at Guin. ¡°I am guessing, however, that you are the one that conscripted me into this pointless nonsense, whatever it is.¡± Guin¡¯s fluffy fox tail twitched playfully as she approached him, putting her hands behind her back as she stepped forward. ¡°Who? Me? Now, for what reason could I have to have conscripted you into anything?¡± He raised a single brow. ¡°I should have known that your curiosity in the real world would turn into you being a vengeful little monster in-game,¡± Ibraxis tilted his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go quite this route, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be dreaming if I thought I would ever have the strength to beat you in combat,¡± she said. ¡°But this kind of thing works better for me, anyway. I¡¯m not really the player-fighting type.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± BronzePaw went, grappling for the words. ¡°What... what exactly am I... to expect, from... this?¡± she asked, motioning to the group with Ibraxis included. The white garule shrugged. ¡°A tentative alliance, I suppose,¡± he said. ¡°I certainly have no intention of becoming anyone¡¯s slave. But let¡¯s just not be shocked when I kill Guin by the end of it.¡± ¡°Better I die alone than with everyone else,¡± Guin said in a low voice, looking around. She wasn¡¯t sure how serious Heed was, but she didn¡¯t really want to find out, either. ¡°Huh?¡± Ibraxis went, but Guin ignored him as she saw the groups moving up closer to Captain Othren. ¡°So this is your sixth player?¡± Heed went with a laugh. ¡°For a human, you sure keep the company of a lot of garuli.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± Guin asked, crossing her arms. He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by it,¡± he said. ¡°If anything, I have respect. I don¡¯t often see white garuli, though.¡± The garule warrior on their side eyed him cautiously. ¡°A healer? A female?¡± ¡°A male,¡± he corrected. Guin looked back at him in surprise but was even more surprised to see his irritated expression that wasn¡¯t directed at her. It was directed at the smiling Heed. Until his eyes fell to Guin¡¯s. ¡°Am I supposed to be a healer?¡± he asked. ¡°Please?¡± Tea looked up at him with pitiful eyes. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t ask anything from you, really,¡± Guin admitted. ¡°But a healer is what we were... kind of hoping. You¡¯ve always played a healer for us before. Is it a problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said with a twitch, then looked back up at the other group, who was eyeing him with great curiosity.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Except the valkyrian. The valkyrian gulped. ¡°P-Professor...¡± he went, pointing. ¡°Y-You are...¡± ¡°I am very annoyed, is what I am,¡± Ibraxis cut him off. Guin bit her lips together to hide her growing amusement as she realized that it was entirely possible that this valkyrian¡¯s real-life fate could be as much in the balance as their in-game one. ¡°But whatever. What is this dungeon about, anyway? What level?¡± ¡°Can I just say something?¡± Drakov interjected. ¡°Why the hell is this guy our healer? Didn¡¯t he just recently, I don¡¯t know, PK you, Guin? Why are you inviting him to our group?¡± ¡°I might ask the same question,¡± BronzePaw asked. ¡°If I put aside the fact that he is my brother, and I would usually try to stand up for him. But in this case...¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Star went, sounding highly amused at the whole thing. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why. He¡¯s contracted. He needs to work with us¡ªand win, too. A masterful stroke of vengeance, Penny-Guin,¡± the colorful young woman bowed. Drakov tsked. ¡°Until he kills her again. And us.¡± ¡°You really think he could take all of us on at once?¡± Star asked. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°All he needs to do is get Guin alone¡ª¡± ¡°Which he will not do for the next four or five days, as I would then be locked out of the game for 24 hours,¡± Guin finished their argument for them. ¡°If I get locked out, then we will lose that time to win the challenge.¡± The tivarys girl on the other team laughed. ¡°Oh, my¡ªteam drama already? We are going to win for sure!¡± ¡°Level. Of. The. Dungeon,¡± Ibraxis repeated himself through gritted teeth. ¡°20 - 30, or so the information that we have says, but not many people have gotten past the first boss,¡± Guin told him, and he sighed. ¡°What, think you could kill me and solo it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tempting,¡± he muttered. ¡°What a waste of time. What are we waiting in line for, anyway?¡± As Tea started to explain what he knew to Ibraxis, Heed and Tyran¡¯s group went ahead to speak with Captain Othren. Seeing that, Guin listened in, trying to get what she could by eavesdropping, reading the information, and putting together questions that needed to be asked. She wasn¡¯t sure how many of the groups knew about the corruption and its source¡ªHeed and Tyran¡¯s group certainly didn¡¯t¡ªbut the most important thing for them to do was to find the Prince and get him to return what he had taken. But if this really was the Tree of Dreams... Wait! ¡°Ibraxis,¡± Guin interrupted their conversation. ¡°You were a Candidate with Veil Sight in the Mist Tutorial, right?¡± He nodded. ¡°Do you... know that tree?¡± His expression turned grave as he looked at the tree. ¡°I do,¡± he said in a quiet, pained voice. ¡°Is it really the same?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°How can you tell? For sure?¡± ¡°I am an Undying,¡± he said in a broken voice. ¡°I can just... tell.¡± Guin looked down. ¡°I met the Dragon King of Mist Moon Mountain in this tree,¡± she told him in a low tone, hoping to keep the information to her own group, if not just between her and the white garule. ¡°The Tree of Dreams is the home of many a great spirit,¡± Ibraxis said. ¡°But it is a place that is like the roots of a tree. There are many roads you can travel within; I am sure only one root of many is corrupted. Defeat its source now, and mayhaps you¡¯ll be able to cut off the poison that would eat the others.¡± ¡°They say... they say that the first boss was a guiding spirit from the land of the River Clan,¡± she said softly, looking for hope that he was right. ¡°Is this ¡®root¡¯ then, from the River country? I won¡¯t see the spirits I once knew so well?¡± Ibraxis shook his head, giving her that fragment of hope she wanted, but then told her, ¡°The world within the Tree of Dreams is not like the world you see around you. The space is different. It moves with thought, not motion. Motion, itself, is driven by thought in that it is what you expect, and it leads you where you expect because it is that expectation¡ªthat thought¡ªthat drives it. It is a space of infinite doors, and infinite spaces, connected by the souls of a million beings; threads crossing over one another in a manner that is impossible to truly fathom as a being limited by simple biology...¡± His eyes, staring up into the empty canopy of the tree, glazed over as he spoke. ¡°It is nature. It is life. It is energy. It is everything. And nothing.¡± The cool breeze ruffled the fur on her ears, and moments passed before Guin noticed that the area around them had gone quiet. ¡°Wow,¡± Tea went, breaking the silence. ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± he said. ¡°And we¡¯re going in that? Whoa...¡± ¡°BronzePaw,¡± Star said, glancing at the bronze garule. ¡°Your brother says some crazy shit.¡± Paw nodded, then awkwardly turned away with balled fists. Chapter 130 ¡°Paw,¡± Guin went quickly, moving to the bronze garule¡¯s side. Placing a hand on her arm, she tried to pull her back over to the group. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have asked you about my forcing Ibraxis into joining the group...¡± BronzePaw brushed Guin¡¯s hand away with a complicated expression before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk. I¡¯ll be back in a bit,¡± and stalked toward the tree on all fours. Guin glanced at Ibraxis for help, but he just shrugged. ¡°Let her be,¡± he said. The rest of the group were trying to look like they were minding their own business. ¡°This may actually be good for her.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about how she¡¯d feel,¡± Guin mumbled to herself, looking down. ¡°Tea and I just decided on our own...¡± ¡°So you did have something to do with this,¡± Ibraxis went, taking Tea¡¯s head in one hand and rubbing his feathers quite hard. ¡°Wait!¡± Tea went, breaking free and going toward Guin. He took her hands in his. ¡°I-It¡¯s really my fault! I can explain it to BronzePaw! I don¡¯t know why she seemed so mad, but I was the one who gave the condition! I just thought it¡¯d be best if you and Ibraxis were friends again!¡± Guin smiled at him. ¡°But you don¡¯t know like I know, Tea,¡± she said. ¡°I should have known better. Sometimes, in-game Guin forgets that real-life Guin exists!¡± she laughed, but it had hurt when BronzePaw pushed her away¡ªeven if she had deserved it. ¡°And me?¡± Drakov went. ¡°Did you think about me?¡± Looking at him with wide eyes, Guin said, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d care so long as I chose on purpose.¡± The young Asian man sighed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true enough. But still! He¡¯s an enemy!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a commodity that we can use,¡± Guin pointed at Ibraxis, who snorted. ¡°You said we needed a healer. He¡¯s one of the best.¡± ¡°Is he now...¡± Drakov looked him over. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Starshine pointed ahead of them. ¡°Not to interrupt¡ªWhatever this is¡ªbut it looks as if that group is already finished. We¡¯re up.¡± Though she spared one final glance at the direction Paw had gone, Guin nodded and moved ahead of them. Roger Othren was actually quite a bit older than the image that Guin had of him in her mind. Since she felt that the Prince should be relatively young, she thought his right-hand man would also be young. This did not appear to be the case. He was a silver fox kind of handsome, with a strong chin and swept-back hair of mostly white, peppered with a little bit of gray. Bright brown eyes and tanned, almost browned, skin, he regarded the group with an amount of annoyance that gave Ibraxis a run for his money. ¡°Another group to pester me?¡± the man asked, his stately manner of speaking matching the rest of his image. ¡°Get on with it, then. What is it that is ever so important for you all to pester a man in my position? Make it quick. I have an army to run.¡± Guin bowed her head as she stepped forward. ¡°Apologies for me and mine bothering you, sir,¡± she said, looking up. ¡°However, my group and I have a few questions regarding the dungeon and Prince Octarius.¡± At the mention of the crown prince, Othren¡¯s brow twitched. ¡°Many have come to me about this blasted tree,¡± he said. ¡°But what business do you have with the Prince?¡± ¡°My lord,¡± she started. ¡°I am a Hunter of Miala De Ri, under the guidance of Master Hunter Lithe.¡± The old knight scoffed. ¡°I am familiar with Lady Lithe,¡± he nodded, then looked Guin over. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the first of her useless hunters she¡¯s sent to deliver one message or another, demanding the Crown Prince to stop his crusade against the Veil. She¡¯s an ally of the darkness to be sure¡ªa puppet of Prince Adrian, or I¡¯m a jikak.¡± Prince Adrian? Guin tilted her head but filed the name away for the time being. ¡°I do not come with a letter,¡± Guin told him, trying to think of a way for her to get him to tell her the location of the Prince. If he were as much against the allies of the Veil as he made himself sound¡ªif he were as much against the hunters and Lithe as much as he let on¡ªthen she needed a way to justify searching for him that his guardian character would accept. Licking her lips, she said, ¡°And as a humble hunter, I do not concern myself with the politics of the upper echelons of the land. Rather, the Master Hunter has sent me with growing concerns of corruption and wishes me to request the Crown Prince¡¯s aid in its defeat. She would offer him our aid in defeating the darkness.¡± It was a half lie. A gamble. ¡°And why,¡± he said, ¡°with Lithe¡¯s reputation, should I believe any of that?¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°The hunters, the druids, the shamans¡ªwe care for and tend to this forest and its inhabitants,¡± Guin explained. ¡°The Corruption has spread further now. Stronger. We must stop it, or it will consume the land, Prince Adrian or not.¡± ¡°Is that not what you people seek? The darkness?¡± Othren spat. ¡°This is stupid,¡± Ibraxis sneered behind her. ¡°We are wasting time. This land is dying, and men like this will have only themselves to blame when it does. It¡¯s sad¡ªbut typical.¡± Othren stood quickly at the accusatory words before Ibraxis could continue and stabbed his greatsword into the ground, glaring at the white garule with contempt. Guin whipped around and stared at Ibraxis with wide eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she hissed. The white garule gave her a flat look. ¡°This man is never going to tell you what you want to know,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s just the guardian at the gate. He can¡¯t even see it; he can¡¯t see that the ground on which he stands is decayed; he can¡¯t smell that scent of rot in the air or how even the spirits within the Veil have all fled this area. To him, all the corrupted monsters are those spirits. He can¡¯t feel the anger, the sorrow, the desperation that makes the air around us vibrate with such... hostility. He¡¯s just like everyone else.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± she said, then turned back to the Captain, who was watching Ibraxis with hostile intent. ¡°It does to me, and you brought me here,¡± he said. ¡°You brought me here not understanding anything.¡± ¡°Are we really having a conversation like this, here?¡± she hissed in disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t feel it either,¡± he murmured in a low, bitter tone. ¡°You there,¡± Othren interrupted. ¡°Are you, then, one who serves Prince Adrian and the darkness?¡± he asked, nodding to Ibraxis. ¡°Speak your words carefully, for I shall not hesitate to cut you down.¡± ¡°I-Ibraxis,¡± Tea tried to cut in. ¡°Maybe... maybe you should let Guin do the talking?¡± But Ibraxis fwipped his tail at him in annoyance, causing him to back down. Drakov moved beside Guin and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t like this...¡± ¡°Captain¡ª¡± Guin tried to intervene, but Ibraxis stepped forward. ¡°If I serve anyone, anything, I serve the land,¡± Ibraxis told him and held open his arms. ¡°Cut me down if you want. Prove whatever it is that you need to prove so that we can get on with this.¡± ¡°Ibraxis!¡± Guin half-shouted in shock. Even Tea was gaping at him. ¡°Look, Captain, we just ¡ª¡± ¡°If the dinosaur wishes death, then I shall deliver it,¡± Othren said, lifting his blade. ¡°May the Light of the Lady save us!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ibraxis scoffed with a daring smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s see how that works for you.¡± ¡°What¡ª!¡± Guin went, but Ibraxis didn¡¯t even move to defend himself as the Captain ran him through with his blade. It was an instant KO. Tea screeched, in shock or challenge, Guin wasn¡¯t sure, but Drakov tugged him back when he tried to get to Ibraxis¡¯s body. BronzePaw came running over, pausing as she gaped at her brother, then she looked at Guin for answers. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Guin said, staggering back. What had just happened? How had she so completely miscalculated? This wasn¡¯t the Ibraxis she had known, so hot-tempered and indignant. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand...¡± Captain Roger Othren grunted in satisfaction as he sat back down and wiped off his blade. The crowd of players around backed off, giving them a wide berth in case anything else happened. ¡°Is there anyone else here who would like to make themselves known as agents of the darkness?¡± Othren didn¡¯t yell, but his voice carried over the crowd with ease. ¡°Anyone else who serves Prince Adrian?¡± No one answered. The crowd backed off, and many seemed to be rethinking, hanging around the tree to wait for the dungeon. ¡°I-I guess we won¡¯t have a healer after all,¡± Star said with a nervous gulp. ¡°Why the heck did he go off like that?¡± BronzePaw said nothing for a moment, then asked, ¡°What were you asking about?¡± ¡°I was trying to find out where the Crown Prince was,¡± Guin told her, holding a hand to her belly as if she had been the one who was stabbed. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to stop the Corruption,¡± Guin murmured, tears burning in her eyes as she turned back to the Captain. ¡°We are on the same side, aren¡¯t we? Why did you kill him?¡± ¡°The corruption,¡± BronzePaw said, kneeling next to Ibraxis¡¯s body with an irritated sigh. ¡°Not that you would know. He would stay away from the Corruption because, as an Undying, he feels it. All of nature. It¡¯s all very personal to him. I shouldn¡¯t have left his side.¡± Guin gritted her teeth. ¡°Just tell us where the Prince is,¡± she demanded of Othren. ¡°We need to stop the Corruption!¡± ¡°So you can assassinate him?¡± The Captain asked, tilting his head. ¡°Oh, I think not, girl. Be on your way. May the Lady bless you¡ªshe is a more forgiving soul than I am.¡± ¡°You¡ª!¡± Guin readied her claws, but Star jumped on her, pulling her back. ¡°Calm down!¡± the witch said, her voice unusually tense. ¡°Guin, we can¡¯t take him!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Guin snapped. ¡°If we fight him as a team, we have every chance of winning!¡± Just then, the air snapped into a cold, winter-like chill. Frost formed on the ground, ice crystals spreading from the ground where Ibraxis lay, solidifying the land below. It began to snow. A deep, coarse chuckle came from the ground. Guin watched in shock as Ibraxis¡¯s health bar started shooting up. ¡°Well, what do you know?¡± Ibraxis said, lifting himself to stand on all fours. He shook his feathers out, and his tail waved powerfully behind him. Raising his head, he looked back up at Guin with a clever little smirk. ¡°We can agree on something after all.¡± Chapter 131 Though the world around them was dark and dreary, thanks to the rot of corruption, the sky was bright, blue, and cloudless. And yet. The tips of Guin¡¯s ears were cold, and her nose numb and sniffly to the chill. It was oddly quiet as little white flakes of snow fell around them. ¡°Achoo!¡± Drakov sneezed, the first to break the silence. ¡°W-what the...¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s so cold all of a sudden!¡± Starshine said with a shiver, followed by a variety of colorful curses in response¡ªbut Guin herself was captivated. It was illogical. Impossible. It was beautiful. It was terribly haunting with the backdrop of the dying, ethereal tree rising up next to them. ¡°What is this... magic?¡± Captain Othren breathed, his breath like smoke in the air. Both his blade and his armor had a light coating of frost that interrupted the shine of his armor. What indeed, Guin marveled with him, glancing at Ibraxis, who was scratching the area of his stomach where he had been stabbed. ¡°What?¡± the white garule asked sourly. ¡°It itches.¡± Guin opened her mouth, then shut it again, then said, ¡°Are you doing this?¡± Ibraxis looked up at the sky and winced. ¡°Not technically, but I guess,¡± he told her. ¡°Considering how corrupted this place is, I¡¯m honestly kind of surprised the effect is as strong as it is. I don¡¯t often die, though, so I haven¡¯t gotten all the game rules down. It shouldn¡¯t last much longer.¡± ¡°You idiot!¡± BronzePaw smacked him on the back of his head. ¡°Ow!¡± he scowled. Ibraxis sat on his haunches and rubbed the area that she had hit. ¡°What was that for?¡± She continued to glare at him, but the Tea went: ¡°Oh! Ohhh!¡± he pounced over to Ibraxis¡¯s side, tail wagging as he put his paws up onto his back. ¡°You¡ªyou really are an Undying!¡± Ibraxis snorted at him. ¡°And you¡¯d think, knowing that, I¡¯d be treated with just a little bit more dignity...¡± ¡°Try not PKing Guin, and then maybe we¡¯ll consider treating you with ¡®respect,¡¯¡± Drakov shivered at Guin¡¯s side. Othren¡¯s armor clinked together as he stood again to face them. ¡°What... What blasphemy is this?¡± His voice was a low roar as Guin saw fury building in his eyes. ¡°Has the darkness corrupted you so far that you have become such an unholy creature as to rise from the dead on your own?¡± Ibraxis stood, shedding Tea from his back. He shook himself out again, causing the bells that hung from his feathers and tail to chime wildly. ¡°Can we kill him now?¡± he asked Guin, pointing. ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like explaining things anymore.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Eyes narrowing and lip curling, she asked, ¡°Do you ever feel like explaining yourself unless you''re giving some kind of lecture? ¡®Cause you are sure as hell going to explain all this to me later, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Why would I waste my time on something so pointless as that?¡± he asked, returning her disgust. ¡°I¡¯d sooner kill you.¡± Guin clicked her tongue. ¡°This is pointless,¡± she told him, pointing between them. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again: Can we kill him?¡± ¡°Two conditions,¡± Guin said, nodding to Drakov, Tea, and Star. They nodded back and started moving to get into their positions. Tea scrambled to get his lute out and cast his various support and resource management spells. Star flew up out of sight, and Drakov was just suddenly gone. She knew that none of them were the biggest fans of this plan, but she was sure that even they could tell they weren¡¯t going to get out of this mess without fighting for it. ¡°Oh?¡± Ibraxis said, nudging his sister and taking out his bone sticks. BronzePaw rolled her eyes but took a fighting stance all the same. There was an excited glint in her eyes; even if she didn¡¯t want to fight, she was the type that appreciated a good challenge. Guin would hate to be Ibraxis later, though. Drakov and Star, Ibraxis and BronzePaw. Tea was well and capable enough to trip on his own two feet. Guin gave a silent prayer that each and every one of them would manage to stay out of one another¡¯s way. ¡°One: You will explain later.¡± ¡°And?¡± he asked reluctantly. ¡°And,¡± Guin said, casting [Spirit Armor] and raising her head. ¡°I want this guy¡¯s liver.¡± Startled, the white garule lost his composure and gave her a blank stare. ¡°Um,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want. This asshole¡¯s. Liver.¡± Blinking, Ibraxis looked at BronzePaw for an explanation, but she chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions,¡± Paw told him. ¡°Just let the girl have her liver.¡± ¡°O...Kay,¡± he answered as if Guin had just admitted to having some sort of strange fetish. ¡°Are you done?¡± Othren asked, lifting his sword. The fact that they had been preparing themselves for combat had not gone unnoticed. As they¡¯d been speaking, a swordsman and a spearman appeared at his flanks, and a pair of archers drew their bow up behind him. Between the archers were two others, one in a white robe and one in a purple one, and Guin would have bet money that one was a cleric and one was a mage. That¡¯s a lot of guys, Guin sucked in air through her teeth. They would have to do something about the casters and the archers first. ¡°Don¡¯t start panicking,¡± Ibraxis murmured to her. Nodding, Guin took a deep breath and opened a channel to the others. ¡°Paw, try to keep the melee fighters in check. Star, cast your sleep spell on the casters and the archers if the area is wide enough. Drakov, you and me will take out the white robe, then the purple robe, then move on to the archers. Star, you¡¯ll focus on Drakov¡¯s target at all times; the DPS should be as concentrated as possible. Ibraxis, your focus should be on BronzePaw, Tea, try to keep your focus on me unless the others need you. Are we clear?¡± ¡°What happens if Paw falls?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Ibraxis said lazily. ¡°But if she does, we¡¯ll worry about that when we get there.¡± ¡°What happens if you fall?¡± Star asked with a smirk. Oh, now they get along? Guin cursed in her head. ¡°Stop it,¡± Guin hissed. ¡°Teamwork, guys. That¡¯s the only way we get out of this in one piece!¡± Othren pointed his shining two-hander at them. ¡°Even if you are not prepared to fight, it makes little difference to me. Prepare to die, heretics! Soldiers! In the name of your Prince and the Imperial Kingdom, I, Captain Roger Othren, do proclaim these before us as traitors and sentence them to death. May The Lady grant you mercy in your next life¡ªelse your souls be damned.¡± As Guin slammed their comm windows out of her view, they charged. Chapter 132 BronzePaw didn¡¯t even bother jumping into them before she slammed her foot on the ground, starting the fight off with a great ground-shattering [Earthquake]. There was a part of Guin that really hated that ability, and she cursed as she and Ibraxis scrambled to get out of the growing crater so they wouldn¡¯t be swept up in the chaos along with their enemies. She had to admit, though, that it was the perfect way to get the agro of a very large area. ¡°What the¡ªDoes she always start fights like that?¡± Ibraxis asked with utter disbelief. ¡°Is she trying to kill us, too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to make any kind of guesses about what she wants to do to you,¡± Guin snorted at him. He seemed to have nothing to say to that as he nodded, then shot his head up when Paw¡¯s health bar started falling. A sparkling, chromatic cloud descended on the archers and casters in the back, and Star radioed in: ¡°Mission successful! Casters and archers are asleep.¡± She then added cheerfully, ¡°And I did it after Paw destroyed all the things. Aren¡¯t you proud?¡± ¡°Oh, very,¡± Guin grinned and summoned her spear. She added Drakov to the conversation and said, ¡°White robe first¡ªyou two, on me!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Leaving Ibraxis, Guin dashed around the broken stretch of land where BronzePaw was battling. She saw the archers first, swaying as they stood with a starry kind of effect spinning around their heads to indicate their status. When the sleeping casters came into view, she stepped into the shadow of the white-robed caster and executed a critical [Backstab] with her blade-like claws, followed up with a [Wind Blade] and a [Trip]. A rain of [Magic Missiles] and a trio of green-colored [Poison Arrow]s left the caster on the ground before she could recover. The cleric¡¯s hands began to glow with white light as she tried to chant, but Guin stabbed her, interrupting the cast, and a [Flaming Arrow] ended her life. With the cleric taken down, they moved to the mage¡ªwhich was almost as easy to deal with. Guin got hit by a couple of instant damage over time spells, but Tea¡¯s healing songs were plenty to keep up with the amount of damage. Over the open comm, Guin could tell that BronzePaw was struggling to keep the agro of the three melee opponents. It didn¡¯t help that she wasn¡¯t doing much damage, but with DPS having taken out their healer and their glass cannon, the intelligent type of AI that these humanoids were acting eager to go to the aid of their ranged members. All that was left of their back line was the archers. ¡°Guin, [Sand Sleep] is about to wear off!¡± Starshine said quickly. Thrusting her claws into the back of the first archer, Guin glanced at the other. He started to twitch. Hissing through her teeth, she pummeled the archer with the same treatment casters had gotten¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t nearly as effective. Backing off, she watched as Star¡¯s magic was mostly absorbed, and the archer barely registered Drakov¡¯s arrows¡ªwhen they hit. Most just bounced off. Cursing under her breath, she went after the archer again, dancing around a short sword he had drawn to combat her in close combat. Her claws struck the gambeson and tore at it, leaving a mark where the cloth was cut, but it wasn¡¯t deep enough to do the archer any actual damage. Drakov¡¯s arrows bounced off again. ¡°Drakov, you¡¯ll either need something armor piercing or something a lot more magical than poison arrows; whatever you are sending at him isn¡¯t doing much,¡± Guin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think my magic is doing much, either,¡± Star said ruefully. ¡°My guess is that whatever gear they have has some high magic resistance,¡± Drakov growled. ¡°I¡±ll try a dragon arrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try¡ª¡± Star started, then went, ¡°Heeh. Mr. Archer number two is waking up! How convenient. I¡¯ll use him!¡± The archer caught Guin¡¯s arm with his sword, making her wince and back off a bit. ¡°Whatever you are going to do, do it fast, please!¡± Guin called, throwing a [Wind Blade]. They had never really fought humanoid opponents before¡ªespecially not ones that were as well armored as these guys were. In the Catacombs, the skeletons had armor, but it was hardly what one would call usable, let alone anything that would have posed a real challenge. Between the levels of her team and the quality of their opponent¡¯s gear, their usual tactics wouldn¡¯t be of that much use beyond the squishy targets.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. An arrow flew a little too close to her face, nicking her as it passed¡ªbut hit the archer¡¯s gambeson with decent force. The archer that had been shot looked confused¡ªas confused as Guin felt, considering that Drakov was in the opposite direction. Turning quickly, Guin saw that the stars circling the archer¡¯s head before had turned into hearts. It was a charm spell. ¡°I don¡¯t think that worked as well as I wanted it to,¡± Star said in annoyance. Guin laughed, then dodged another swipe of the archer¡¯s blade as he lunged at her. She retreated a bit, then sent another [Wind Blade] out, pushing him back a bit. ¡°At least it keeps him from firing at me,¡± Guin said. ¡°It only lasts about a minute, though¡ªWatch it!¡± Star shouted as the archer took out his sword and tried shooting her at close range¡ªbut Guin stepped into his shadow and backstabbed him again. An arrow that looked like it was made of glass suddenly hit the archer¡¯s arm. It looked like it had ignored the armor completely, and he cried out in pain as he looked at it in utter disbelief. ¡°Did that work?¡± Drakov asked. ¡°Yeah!¡± Guin answered. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± He didn¡¯t sound as confident as she thought he should have when he said, ¡°It¡¯s an ability called [Glass Dragon Arrow].¡± Dismally, he continued, ¡°The cast time is super long, but it''s the only thing I have that can deal with armor right now!¡± ¡°Guin¡ªTime¡¯s up!¡± Star shouted¡ªa bit too late. Pain burned through her leg as she turned to see that the charm had worn off the other archer. Taking advantage of her injured state, the first archer drew his sword again and advanced on her. As she pulled the arrow from her leg and allowed Tea¡¯s healing song to patch her up, she quickly scanned the battleground, searching for some sort of strategy she could use to make up for cast times and lack of effective abilities. Above them, Star had drawn up three magic circles in pinkish light. It was impressive to see, even if Guin had no idea what she was casting. She assumed that it was a bunch of [Magic Missles]. If her cast times weren¡¯t so long, the witch would be a real terror against opponents who weren¡¯t so resistant to magic damage. Back on the ground, she could see BronzePaw struggling. Though she was trying to make it appear as if she were entertaining a challenge more than trying to handle the apparent difficulty factor of the fight, Guin could see flickers of an unusual amount of defensiveness as she kept her opponents reined into the small area. She crushed the land beneath her feet, summoned jagged rocks that left her enemies staggering, and, when she could manage it, used every part of her body that could punch, kick, or trip to do so. It was like a form of art¡ªbut it was restrained for BronzePaw. Captain Othren wasn¡¯t quite as impressed by any of it as Guin was. The weight of the great sword he wielded seemed as if it were nothing to him as he deftly maneuvered over the mess that Paw had made of the terrain. When she attacked, he made just the slightest movements so that he was just out of reach of her attacks. As Guin watched, he rose the impossibly thick blade over his head and brought it down, aiming for BronzePaw, but she rolled out of the way before it crashed in the ground, breaking the dirt below into even more pieces than it already was. Just beyond that scene, Guin could barely make out Ibraxis. Guin wondered briefly about the limitations that would be placed on him in a place with this much corruption, given that he needed to purify whatever element he was using ¡ª but he seemed to be able to get away with keeping Paw alive. She¡¯d never seen him look quite so serious, however. She wasn¡¯t sure where Tea and Drakov were, but she could hear Tea¡¯s badly performed songs as status buffs flickered in and out of existence under her the health bar at the top of her vision. They might have bitten off more than they could chew. Her heart sank a bit as her confidence wavered. Guin quickly danced around to dodge the one archer¡¯s blade and the other archer¡¯s arrows. The archer¡¯s blade sliced in a wide, obvious arc¡ªbut there was more purpose in keeping her from attacking the ranged fighter than there was in him actually causing her damage. Snorting at the first archer as he nearly tripped over his own two feet in his efforts to keep her on her toes, she sent another arc of [Wind Blade] at him. It was, to some degree, more effective than her claws to do so, but not by much. The armor has to have some sort of durability! She realized and aimed her next attack at the same area. A lance-shaped [Wind Blade] left a visible hole in the chest of the archer¡¯s armor. White, ragged fluff was exposed to the air¡ªand to future attacks. ¡°Star, Drakov!¡± Guin called. ¡°Aim for the damaged areas of the armor! As they struck, the armor was successfully damaged¡ªbut it was dreadfully slow. In addition, with the second archer constantly attacking her, being able to aim accurately all the time was a challenge. Wracking her mind for things she could do, she then remembered something. Something she hadn¡¯t had the chance to try yet. It wasn¡¯t the greatest time for them to do so, but if it did turn out to be something they could use... Guin turned off her comms. ¡°Liorax,¡± she mumbled under her breath as she pulled back away. The blue-gray cat appeared before her, wrapped around her shoulders. ¡°Well then,¡± he purred. ¡°Look at you, calling me out while you are fighting away. How can I be of service, my candidate?¡± ¡°What does [Pandora¡¯s Box] do?¡±